The Alpha of Alphas: Apollo (boyxboy)

Chapter 41

A/N this chapter is a short but sweet:)

Xander dropped me off after we picked up some food. Chinese food to be specific. I opened the door with a pleasant smile on my lips. I was finally at peace for once in my life. Everything with Xander was okay. My mate was within arms reach. And I'll have my revenge anytime I want at this point. I was content. That's all I've strived for in life, to be content with how things were going.

I walked in without knocking, and that's when everything went downhill.

Lyle was sitting at the table with all the files that I found in the abandoned building. My heart stopped as I stared at him blankly, my eyes landing on the bloody pictures. Lyle glanced up at me, seemingly unbothered. He looked back down at the files and held up one of the pictures of me being tortured.

"And you told Xander you didn't find anything," he spoke so calmly it made me shiver. I slowly entered the room fully, placing the bag of food on the counter before sitting across from him.

"He has a short temper and tends to not think things through. He'd want revenge, even if it meant murdering the innocent in the process. I wanted to investigate before jumping to conclusions," I responded slowly, feeling anxiety bottle within me as I watched my mate. Lyle is normally pig headed as well, which is why this scene concerned me.

Lyle hummed in response, finally looking up at me with emotions flooding his eyes. He was upset, scared, and angry. I could feel it. But he was suppressing all of those emotions as he stared at me. I could tell he was fighting Fallon over this.

"Good choice. I know you didn't tell me for the same reason. I recognized some of the names on your list, and I went ahead and started investigating some more. Looking into more shady deals and such." His words seemed carefully chosen, like he was a bit worried about my response. For good reason, I'm sure. He knows the extent of my trauma now.

I couldn't help but just stare at the photos that were in his hands. Photos of me being vulnerable. Photos of me bloody and tied up. Photos of me half dead after being raped and beaten.

All I did was blink.

It took me a moment to feel the tears watering my eyes.

"I- I'm sorry," I stuttered, not being able to meet his eyes.

"It's okay that you didn't tell me, really Blazen-"

"I'm not sorry for that," I cut him off. I took a deep breath as I fiddled with my hands. "I'm sorry you had to see the pictures. I didn't want anyone to see them. They aren't very pretty and you shouldn't have to see them and it just makes matters worse and-" I just cried. I could count how many times I've cried in front of someone on one hand. None of those people being Lyle.

Lyle rushed over to me, immediately engulfing me in his arms as I sobbed. I didn't push him away which surprised us both. He probably didn't realize I'd let him hold me like this. I didn't think he was capable of being so gentle, but here he was, cradling me as if I was a precious flower.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, baby. It's okay. I'm not judging you. We are going to make this better so you can move on, alright?" He hushed as he rubbed my back. I didn't answer him, just continued to feel the tears roll down my cheeks. They burned and made my eyes swell uncomfortably. I didn't like them. I didn't like how they reddened my cheeks or tasted salty on my lips.

Lyle's hands tangled into my curls and caressed my scalp so smoothly. If I wasn't fucking ugly crying right now, I would've melted into a puddle at the affection he was giving me.

We stayed there for another ten minutes as I calmed down. Soon, I rubbed the tears away and used a napkin to dry my face. Apart from my reddish eyes, you'd never know I had just cried my heart out. Now I was just leaning against his shoulder listening to his steady breathing.

"Thank you," I whispered into his neck.

Lyle looked down at me with a small reassuring smile that made my heart sore. "Chinese food now? Best comfort food in my opinion." I nodded slowly. He detangled himself from me and started to take out the food from the bag. He wouldn't even let me do anything, he insisted on preparing my entire plate with my favorite foods.

We sat in silence as we ate with the papers shuffled to the side of the table. Our eyes would occasionally find the files and then dart away as quickly as they came.

"What dirt did you find?" I suddenly broke the silence.

Lyle glanced up in shock from his orange chicken. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion until he noticed where my eyes were trained.

"Oh, um yeah. I noticed that when I went through the official council files I have, none of those meeting dates were recorded. Obviously hiding it. And also, at that time the council didn't need the majority for something to pass," he explained bluntly. I admired the fact that he didn't beat around the bush because he thought I was fragile. He was never soft with me, so why would he start now?

"So how did voting work then?" I questioned, interested in his findings.

"Basically, the council is made up of representatives of different regions around the world, right? Well, since this matter only dealt with one individual pack, yours, the entire council didn't have to agree. Only the members from your region had to hold the majority. There are 5 members from our region. So we should start with them." This made sense. Something about killing an 8 year old boy didn't sound like something the majority of the council would approve of. But then again, I don't know who to trust anymore.

"You said you recognized some names? Did you recognize any of those 5?" My eyes narrowed on the list, trying to see if any of them sparked my interest.

"Only one. And I know where to find her."