In a Heartbeat (MxM)

Chapter 58

A/N: I apologize for the delay, my work schedule is a bit all over the place, but updates shall resume being weekly, given I can pump these chapters out hehe. This chapter is longer, but it felt a bit flat to me lmao. Fight scenes, or building up to them is not my forte, so I apologize if it's a bit dry. Anyways, thanks again for 200k reads T-T, it means a lot. Love you guys <3 and let me know what you think!

Chapter 58

Song: Endgame by Klergy; With You Til The End by Tommee Profitt, Sam Tinnesz; The End by Klergy

(Literally anything by Klergy helped me write this chapter, along with intense battle/fantasy instrumental music). XD

Simon's POV

To say I was furious, would be an understatement. Or maybe the correct word was a disappointment. Disappointed that he didn't stay, even if it was the right thing to do. He had to protect the pack, even if it meant protecting those who scorned and ridiculed him like that, over something Michael instigated. But it didn't change the fact that I wanted him by my side, to protect him from the rogues myself, and those pack members who refused to see Michael as the real enemy here.

And maybe I was furious. Furious at Michael for causing this nightmare in the first place. For what happened this morning, and even back then. And for what? Revenge? Some kind-of vendetta?

Just thinking about it had my wolf raring to go. For years he had tormented Vince over his mate's death, over what his father did. To think he'd hold this over his head for this long was ridiculous. Vince had hurt me too, but to cause a war? This much torment and suffering? There was a point in time I wanted the same thing, to hurt him to get back at him. But what would that do? No, there was no point in letting personal vendettas dictate your life.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to find Michael myself and give him a piece of my mind.

The fact that Michael had put up this front, since who knows how long, there had to be something more. Something that would have given him the upper hand here. There was no way he could've done all this himself. He may have been alpha, but to have this much intel, this much information was hard to believe. To be able to get the masses of rogues on his side seemed suspicious. I knew a good share of rogues, but for the most part, they were solitary creatures. Of course, there were times rogues would help each other, but never like this. It was a fend-for-yourself attitude. The fact that Michael had organized this many rogues was frightening.

There had to be something. Something we were missing.

There was no point in just staring at the door Vince walked out of any longer. In a flurry, I opened the cabinets, all the drawers, trying to find something that could explain how Michael had accomplished this. I pulled out documents, files, anything that could have been important, but a lot of them were just old files.

I pulled out boxes of papers, skimming through the countless files, but most of it was old paperwork regarding pack member complaints. As I stuffed it back in the cabinets, the piles of paper on the desk caught my eye. The stacks Vince was working on. He said he was supposed to screen the rogues that we had documented, ones to consider whether they should be initiated into the pack. Surely there had to be something there.

I scanned through them, most were medical reports from the Rogue Control Center, others were incident reports the betas filled out. Each one had a picture, some of them in their wolf form, others in their human form, along with descriptions, their ages, etc. Most of them I hadn't recognized, others looking familiar.

Then there was one that made me stop in my tracks. A male. Early twenties. But the photo looked strangely like the little boy Xavier had introduced me to at the orphanage. Jonah. The same mop of black hair, the same warm eyes. I looked at the incident report, noting that it labeled his father as mated, two kids. And sure enough, Jonah and Lilah's name scrawled out on the side.