The Beta

The Beta

Chapter 4-Preparing for the Fight

Xak was sitting at a table talking with Toby in Nicolas' library when the phone in front of them rang at midnight on the dot. Toby answered the phone. He said, "Hello Richard. Nicolas cannot talk at the moment. Xak is here and he's fine. Would you like to talk to him? Certainly."

Xak reached for the phone and said, "Pawpaw, you're never going to believe this shit. You, Chris, Xena, Gary, and Jacob need to be here at dawn. There is a lot going on that no one was aware of until fairly recently. Thayne and I will explain everything we can once y'all get here. Please, don't show up before dawn though; we need the people who live here to be asleep in order for this plan to work like we hope it will."

Richard simply asked, "Do you swear to me as your Alpha that you are not harmed in any way and you're not being forced to say this to me?"

"Yes sir, I swear to you that I am perfectly fine and nobody is forcing me to do or say anything. I offered to help as soon as I heard the truth of the situation. Basically, Nicolas has been possessed by the spirit of the vampire who turned him since the day he was turned, and I'm pretty much the only person that can help him right now. By the way, that vampire's name was Nicholas, with a `ch.' Besides, it's not like Toby was able to come to us directly and ask for help, since we weren't exactly on the best of terms with the Clan to begin with. Anyways, after Toby finally figured everything out, he along with the help of couple of others, came up with the plan, which I will fill you in on in the morning. Just please promise me that you'll be here as soon after sunrise as possible. Everything will make sense, I promise. I just can't say too much right now. Can I please talk to Chris now?"

"Yeah, he's sitting right here anxiously waiting for me to hand him the phone. He's kind of funny whenever he gets anxious and loses that quiet confidence we see. You know, I can sit here and talk to you all night torturing the poor boy. But..." Richard responded before the phone was snatched out of his hand by his grandson Chris.

Chris said, "I don't care what anyone thinks, I needed to hear your voice. Please say something so that I know it's really you and that you're okay. I can't handle being away from you like this. Why am I still rambling on and on? Why aren't you talking? Please say something."

"I'm not going to interrupt you while you talking. I needed to hear your voice too, so I was willing to let you ramble on for as long as you wanted. Gods, I fucking miss you. I promise, I'm okay and I will explain everything to y'all in the morning." Just then, Toby and Xak heard Nicholas and Justin arguing down the hall. "Shit, I have to go now. I love you and will see you in the morning. Tell Pawpaw to call back immediately and not to mention that he already called." He hung the phone up and slid it back on the table before Chris could say a word. Ten seconds later, Justin and Nicholas entered the library.

"Bonsoir mes amis1, how are y'all doing tonight? I haven't missed the phone call from Richard yet have I?"

Just then the phone on the table rang again. Faster than thought, Nicholas crossed the room and answered the phone, "Richard, mon cher2, what a lovely surprise. What can I do for you this evening?"

"You know damn well why I'm calling. You took one of my pack members last night and I want him back."

"Zut alors3, someone was taken last night? No, I can't even pull that off and get away with it. Yes, I have your grandson, one of them at least." He then glanced at Xak and questioned, "Are you Chris or Gary?"

"I'm Xak, Chris is my mate, Gary is one of my best friends."

From the other end of the phone they all heard Richard say, "It doesn't matter if it's really one of my grandsons or not, Xak is just as important to me as the others. What do I need to do to get him back?"

Nicholas' voice had a tinge of humor in it when he said, "Show up here at my place tomorrow night after dusk. Even trade, you for him. I get to keep you."

"If there is so much as a scratch on him, you know you'll be answering to me."

"Richard, mon cher, there's no need to be hostile. I promise you I won't lay a hand on the petite chiot4. Oh and by the way Richard, don't plan on ever leaving again once you're here tomorrow night. I meant forever when I said I get to keep you; or until I get bored with you. Goodbye Richard." The next sentence spoken by that voice was slightly different. This time it was softer, more gentle, and sincere when he said, "I can't wait to you see you, my love. I've been waiting a long time for this." Xak glanced at Toby and noticed that he had noticed the difference in the two voices as well. Justin, who somehow seemed oblivious to anything that didn't directly affect him, scoffed sarcastically. Nicolas threw a threatening glance in his direction, which Justin either didn't care to acknowledge or didn't notice in the first place.

Suddenly, Xak was feeling the past twenty-four hours and he was extremely tired. He asked Toby if there was somewhere he could lay down and get some sleep. Toby led him down the hall to a bedroom with a bathroom and a king sized bed. He felt safe enough around Toby, but wasn't sure which Nicolas he would be dealing with, if he had to deal with him at all. However, he absolutely did not trust Justin whatsoever. He was a self-centered cocky asshole who acted like he was entitled to anything he wanted. Justin's was a different kind of cockiness than Chris'. Chris wasn't really cocky, he was confident. It was the type of confidence that came naturally to a person who didn't have to try and impress others. His charisma won everybody over the minute he started talking to him. From afar, Chris could appear to be a cocky, son-of-a-bitch, asshole that never had to worry about anything; however, after getting to know him better, a kind, caring, generous soul that wanted everyone around him to be happy would be discovered.

Xak fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Sometime later, the sound of the door opening woke him. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but he knew he wasn't alone in the room anymore. He could smell one of the vampires, but he wasn't sure which one. He knew it wasn't Toby, he had already learned that particular scent. The only chances he had had

to pick up Nicolas' or Justin's scents, they had been too intertwined to determine one from the other. He felt the weight of a body shift the bed. Whoever it was, he was just sitting on the edge of the bed.

Finally, he heard Nicolas' voice say, "Thank you so much for agreeing to help. I don't know how long we have right now, but I've been able to keep him subdued longer and longer lately. The longest was one glorious evening two weeks ago; for four wonderful hours I remembered what it was like to be me. I couldn't even tell if he was there at all or not. It was the first time in 151 years that I was able to think for myself. I realized that evening that I am still in love with Richard. Part of me thought the only reason I held onto that love was because of Nicholas, since he was Richard's true mate. He had me convinced that I never truly loved Richard and that what I felt now was only there because he was influencing my emotions. He told me that I could never love Richard as much as he did. The only thing is, I never felt any love towards anything coming from him. The only emotions I feel from him are hate and anger. If there is love, it's been changed to hate through his bitterness He only wants to make Richard hurt as much as possible now, make him feel the pain he felt after being rejected. Once that is done, he wants to kill him in the slowest most painful way imaginable. Anyways, sometime before dawn, he was able to take over again and started planning this kidnapping, trade thing.

"I knew Toby had been looking into the supernatural world for a few years. He began looking after the found a book on Richard's old pack lands. At first, I didn't take it seriously. I knew witches existed because Nicholas drove out a Coven from here when we first arrived in Dallas, but I never gave it much thought. His inquiries caught Thayne's attention. They started talking a while ago, and Thayne told Toby my story, but that he couldn't get involved openly. Come to find out, those damnable fairies were watching us the whole time but didn't want to get involved with a shifter/vampire fight. Well, Summer didn't, Queen Mab had made plans of her own, and here you are, her plans made reality.

"Thayne and Toby came up with the plan to bring you here. He told us that if neither side made a move against the other soon, he would have approached you and convinced you to help. For the past week, I have had to keep my thoughts completely sealed off from him as well as myself, so that he won't figure out what we are planning. I'm taking a huge risk right now by talking to you. He almost got too suspicious earlier when he asked if you were Chris or Gary. He knew Toby was supposed to have shown Justin a picture of Chris and one of Gary that had been found online. Thankfully, I was able to convince him that you had been in the picture with Chris, and that we weren't sure who was whom. I think we've risked this long enough, he could retake control at any moment now, and you need to rest. Good luck tomorrow, but please don't risk your life for mine. I don't want to be responsible for anymore death." He headed to the door; just before he opened it to leave, he turned and asked, "Do you think Richard will ever be able to forgive me? What I have allowed to happen is unforgivable. I just didn't know how to fight him off for so long, I guess I got used to someone else being in control and lost the will to even try to stop him. I had lost hope of ever being me again."

Xak said, "There is nothing that you did that requires Richard's forgiveness. You had no control over the situation, I know Richard has seen this side of you many times over the years, the side he has been in in love with for almost two centuries. He told me that those glimpses give him hope that somewhere inside, you were still you. That man has never, not for one second, quit loving you. He told me just the other night that he would sacrifice himself if it meant that you could live. He also told me that if he had the chance to get the old you back and y'all could be together forever happy, he would give up the pack and everything he had. He loves you and I can maybe see why. I know for a fact that you have excellent taste in men, since my mate is almost an exact carbon copy of Richard, and I won't lie to you and tell you that Chris isn't sexy as fuck. Oh yeah, my sister and Gary have a nickname for Chris they don't think we know anything about. Behind his back, they call him kielbasa. Is the same true for his grandfather as well? "

Nicolas actually snorted while the laughed and said, "Oh my gods, I thought I would never walk the same again after our first time together. And then you throw in the stamina, I'm talking marathon fuckfests, hours upon hours with no mercy. But afterwards? The best damn cuddler in the world. He would wrap me up in his arms, and every care or concern I had in the world melted away. I miss those powerfully protective arms guarding me from the world. Don't ever put yourself in a situation that would put you against Chris, what y'all have is special and should be cherished. If he is anything like my Richard, his heart is pure gold and anyone would be hard pressed to find somebody more loyal." Just before the door closed, Xak heard from the hallway, "Justin, where the hell do you think you are going? No, you can't have a go at the puppy, if I find out you even thought about going through that door at any point tonight, it will be the last thought you ever have."

"What the fuck Nicolas? I swear sometimes there really are two of y'all running around here. One minute you say one thing; the next minute you'll say the exact opposite. Make up your fucking mind and fucking quit with crazy vampire thing, it's getting old."

Xak thought Justin had to be completely clueless and totally unaware of his surroundings. How could he not see that Nicolas really was two different people in the same body? Everything about them was different; their speech patterns, mannerisms, even the way they walked was different. Then there was then biggest, most obvious clue right in front of all of everyone. Both spoke English, however, Nicholas would add French phrases into his dialogue; while Nicolas spoke in nothing other than plain old English. That was one of the first things Xak had noticed. It was a dead giveaway as to who was actually in the driver's seat.

Finally, Xak managed to return to his slumber. He immediately recognized where he was. He was on the other side of the veil. He looked around and saw Thayne, his uncle, approaching him. He was escorting a powerfully beautiful woman who appeared to be no older than forty years old. Her skin was as white as cream, her hair was raven black, and her eyes were ice-blue. Those eyes were both mesmerizing and frightening. They looked like they could penetrate anywhere they wanted. She could see every deep, dark, hidden secret you ever had. She also knew your every wish, hope, and dream. But what scared Xak the most, was the fact that she could see exactly what your hidden desire was. That one thing that a person would do absolutely anything for, that one thing a person would betray anyone for. To top everything off, you could tell she was a woman that had the power and the means to obtain whatever that desire happened to be. She would happily get it for you too. You wouldn't even have to pay her back with money. Her preferred method of payment was something much more valuable than money. She traded in favors. Most of the time it would be doing her dirty work for her, since The Queen of the Winter Court could hardly get her hands soiled directly. As long as the image of propriety is kept, then all is well. These were all things Xak knew to be certain as he met his grandmother for the first time.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to address her; should the call her grandmother, Granny, Your Highness, Queen Mab? He wasn't sure, although the thought of him calling this woman Granny had him suddenly smiling and trying not to laugh. She looked at him with a slight, almost imperceptible, smile and said, "I actually rather like the idea. I wouldn't mind you calling me Granny at all, as long as you promise to do it at least once when I am holding Court. Actually, I would absolutely love if you did it at either the Beltane or the Samhain festivals. I want to see the look on Tatiana's face. It would be priceless."

Turning to Thayne, he asked, "Did she just read my thoughts?"

Laughing, Thayne responded, "Yeah, she does that sometimes. The only thing is, I think she was serious about you calling her Granny."

"You know I was serious about that. You know I cannot lie when asked a direct question. His mind directly asked me how he should address me. Then he amused himself by thinking of the name Granny. Well, after the conversation he had just had with himself about my eyes, let me just say, it is very refreshing to meet someone who understands me so completely just through eye-contact. First though, allow me to introduce myself. I am Queen Mab the High Queen of the Winter Court of the Sidhe. Current Queen of Winter, Shadows, and Darkness. Oh yeah and your Granny."

"Umm I'm not really comfortable with the idea that you can read my thoughts. Those are kind of private you know. Wouldn't want you in there while I was thinking about Chris. And besides, I really don't need to start thinking that you were reading my thoughts to try and discover my hidden desires. I'm sure you know I have a tendency to overthink things sometimes." Xak was surprised that he hadn't held onto to some of that bitterness he felt earlier when he realized that she had intentionally avoided him and his sister their entire lives. However, he found himself falling into an easy relationship with her.

"First, let me say that I would never use my powers on a member of my family nor the ones they love. Second, I only use that power to remind others that I have that power at my disposal. In the past, others that held my position abused their powers, giving cause to the belief that the Queen or King of the Winter Court is bad or evil. That is how darkness became associated with evil. Plenty of evil things occur in the Light of day. Try not to think of an individual being inherently good or evil. Instead, judge them by their actions. To use an old fable, think of it like the two wolves, which one are you going to feed and make stronger? `An it harm none, do as thou wilt.' Basically, that is an ancient Celtic saying that boils down to...as long as nobody gets hurt in anyway, neither physically, nor mentally, nor spiritually; do whatever you like. And any race of people that want to worship my kind as gods, you have to admire. If your intent is to cause harm to another, then I will say you are evil. That is why Nicholas must be stopped. He only seeks out to cause harm to others. I tried to convince Tatiana that we needed to intervene, since both Courts must agree to enter a conflict. She didn't agree that events were spiraling out of control. I told her of a premonition I had. The vision was clear. I saw Nicholas standing on a mound of bodies, they were all shifters. His hidden desire is eradicating your kind from existence. The Sidhe are about total balance in all things, that's why there are two separate, but equally powerful Courts. One rules Summer, Openness, and Light, while the other rules Winter, Shadows, and Darkness. If Queens are ruling currently, then the Princes are the heirs; when the Kings rule, then the Princesses are the heirs. We always strive to maintain that balance. So, after that vision, I saw the path Nicholas was on as he sought to wipe the earth of shifters completely.

"While I can see a person's deepest, darkest desires, Tatiana can see exactly what a person's true intents are. We each see a person's truth when we look at them. I know his desire is to kill all shifters, Tatiana sees that his intentions, though misguided, are good and true. Even a crazy person who would kill someone thinking that they are actually protecting them, has good intentions, and we both know what the road to hell is paved with. He honestly believes that it is his destiny to kill off the shifters. He was never the sanest vampire that walked the earth while he was `alive,' and I never personally cared for him that much, I hold life on a pedestal. It is a precious gift that should revered and celebrated every single day. He has total disregard for life period. What he has done to poor Nicolas for all of these years is atrocious. He has robbed him of life and happiness. I have followed those two, as well as Richard, since the day Nicolas was turned. I was originally watching the actions of the Union Army during the Civil War. First, I wanted to know how they even knew of the existence of vampires. Second, I wanted to know why they were using said vampires as weapons. Well, it turned out that one of the old New England vampire Clans was a supporter of the Union, and let the people in charge know of the existence of his kind. He then directed them to New Orleans, where they found Nicholas, and the rest is, as they say, history. Normally, when a spirit possesses a body, either the host or the invading spirit will win out, forcing the other to leave the body; however, Nicholas will not allow Nicolas to leave his body and Nicolas is not strong enough to force him out. I'm sorry but that is as much as I am allowed to say on this matter without choosing a side and getting involved.

"Now, since this is the first time I'm meeting my grandson, I have some birthdays to make up for, I think." She then reached into the sleeve of her dress, which was the same ice-blue color of her eyes, and pulled out a necklace with a charm on it. The charm was a howling wolf with purple eyes. She then reached into her dress sleeve again and pulled out six necklaces with a crystal charm on each. She said, "And these are for your sister, Richard, Gary, Toby, Jacob, and of course Chris. The eyes of the wolf are made of Ametrine, which will act as a homing beacon for the crystals. which are merely focus crystals that will prevent the wearer from entering their dream space, instead, the person will enter the astral wherever the wolf charm is, but only if you are wearing it and present in the astral at the time. Basically, I'm giving you the ability to show this place off to your friends if you would like. Since Thayne will be returning with you, he will carry these through the veil with him. Oh and by the way, this is not me taking a side, it is me walking with my grandson, whom I only just met, and giving him some past-due birthday presents. I am not showing you the pathways that will take you into Nicolas'/Nicholas' dream space, you just happened to be close to said way and that is where we ended up walking. Oops I might have said too much. Oh well, just ignore that last bit."

It surprised him how much he fucking loved his grandmother, correction, his Granny! She was regal, majestic, beautiful, and hilarious. He couldn't wait for Chris to meet her. Xena was going to love her too. He turned to her and asked, "Of course I realize that you're not helping me; but hypothetically if you were, why now?"

"Aww, I cannot answer that without lying, so please do not ask me that. In fact, if you could rescind that question, it would be best."

Xak gave her a curious look and then glanced at Thayne who simply nodded. He then said, "Never mind, pretend I never asked that. What are we supposed to do? Will the two be separated over here? Will Nicholas be a separate entity that we are able to fight physically?"

She then turned to him and said, "Yes and no. Yes, Nicholas will like a spirit when you confront him, but on this side of the veil, spirits are corporeal beings but have the ability to disassociate from their surroundings for a short period of time, during which they can travel short distances. From what Thayne has told me, you can alter reality to some degree; therefore, I would try to think of a way to stop Nicholas from moving. Once that is done, some helpful spirits can take him to his afterlife. He is quite powerful, so you need to be careful. I know Thayne told you this, but I'm going to say it again. Any damage done to your astral-self will be felt by your physical self. If your astral projection dies, you will die in the physical world. You would be able to live out the rest of time with us, but you would never be able to leave this plane again. I won't be able to be there physically, but know that I will be watching. Thayne will be there, but he absolutely cannot interfere unless he is attacked, and then all he can do is defend himself. As soon as he is safe, he has to disengage from the fight. So please keep yourself safe. As soon as everything is over, you will all be guests in my Court. Now, there is someone who would like to speak with you. I will see you sometime later today. Just so you know, I didn't want to stay away from you or your sister for all these years, I had to maintain an appearance of neutrality. But, I want you to know that was watching. I've kept my eye on you since the day you were born. So if your Uncle Thayne tries to convince you that there are things I don't know about, don't believe a word of it." She threw her son a sideways glance and continued with a knowing smile, "Give me some credit. I am, after all, the Queen of Winter, Shadows, and Darkness. Where do people hide their secrets? In the Shadows and in the Dark. I can't wait to see Tatiana's face when she learns the truth." She then turned back to face Xak. She told him it was almost dawn now and he needed to be back in the physical world to meet up with Richard and the others. Then, with a wave of her hand, she disappeared, leaving behind a small snow flurry.

Thayne looked at Xak and said, "It's almost time to wake up. I will be there when you wake, but hidden so Nicholas nor Justin know that I am there. I will slip the necklaces into your pocket as soon as I arrive. Make sure Toby gets his before he retires for the day."

The next moment, Xak awoke in the king sized bed alone. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 6:35, when he looked out the window, he saw that the sky was changing from black to grey, signaling that sunrise was soon to come. He felt somebody or something slip into his right jeans pocket. When he checked the pocket he found the necklaces. He slipped the wolf pendant around his neck and walked out of the room.

1. Good evening, my friends.

2. My love.

3. Oh my!!

4. Little puppy

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