Eldon's POV

"That's it for today!" I shout at the warriors and they slowly leave the training grounds. Everyone is going back to his designated work for the day. I sigh and think of what to do next. As hard as it is to believe, I, an alpha, have nothing to do. I've done everything I was supposed to do and I am now stuck with nothing but thoughts in my head.

Thoughts that I've been trying so hard to get rid of but I’m stuck.

"Hey man," Someone greet and by the sound of it, I know who it is. I turn around and smile at him.

"Hey Red." I greet.

"I'm here to report that everything was successfully done." Red says with a smile that wipes off my own.

"What do you mean?" I ask in disbelief.

Alfred is my beta but also a close friend whom I call Red. His father was also my father's beta but Red didn't take after his father. He was very playful at times and mostly got on my nerves. Every time I send him to do something, it ends up not being done perfectly. Most times I'm always scolding him and hope he will change his behavior. Only that this time, I wish he had messed up what he was supposed to do and then I could go and clean it up for him.

"I mean what I've said. Everything was perfectly done and right on time." He state happily making me groan in annoyance.

"Fine." I sigh, playing with the sword I have by just swinging it around carelessly.

"Really, Jason! Is that all you can say? I worked so hard to make it right and a fine is all I get?"

"It's your job, Red, to do things right and there's no need for me to say anything on that other than fine." I point out firmly and he looks at me with an open mouth and a look of surprise. He is being dramatic as usual. I sigh and throw the sword down. A run sounds perfect right now than bickering with Red.

"And it's EJ not Jason." I tell him and he rolls his eyes at me. I swear he acts a lot more than a child.

"I will call you what I want, Jason." He gives me a cheeky smile and I groan as I change into my wolf and run at a steady pace.

It's been a week since I visited the orphanage and I've been trying not to think about it more. Red calling me Jason reminded me of the kids shouting the name since that's what I introduced myself as. I just wanted to be a normal person and not a king or an alpha on that day. Many people call me EJ and I wanted a bit change though calling me Eldon could have also been a change but I preferred Jason. Red is the only person who calls me Jason here.

The whole week I've been trying to keep myself busy so that I could avoid thinking about the omega in the garden. So many thoughts have been running in my mind that I get the urge to visit the orphanage again. I want to see him and know how he was doing but I couldn't bring myself to give in to this urge. I have a mate for crying out loud and I'm not supposed to worry about someone else.

I've not talked to said mate since the pool incident. I'm not going to be the one to give in and apologies for shouting at her this time. She has to take responsibility of what she did and apologies to me. I know she won't do that though so it's best we stay this way for now. I've managed to work out her paper work with the help of the girl I found in her office. I've also aided not everyone yet but some people.

"Look out Jacky!" I hear a voice shout and soon laughing sound follow. The noises bring me out of my thoughts. I look around, frowning, not quickly coming familiar with the place I'm in. The voices however, lure me in and I start following them. As I keep on going forward, I realize where I am and groan in defeat.

I put out a lot of fight during the week and now I've lost. The urge to visit the orphanage has won as with each step, I come near the house. I shake my fur, removing the dry leaves that fell on me. I find a spot and peek out in the direction of the voices. I see the D twins playing and running around from something. I met them last time when I got here. I see Sonia, a little girl, chasing them and thinks that's the one they are running from but then I'm proved wrong when he appears.

Jackson chases the twins together with Sonia. He's looking good today, something I'm sure he looks a lot. The look on his face as he laughs and plays around with the twins has me sitting and wanting to watch the sight all day if I may. The first time I saw him in the garden, he had this look on his face. So focused on what he was doing and seemed to enjoy it as well as the confidence that he was doing right.

Today he's wearing not a fancy shirt or trousers but something okay to wear, a black shirt and a brown trouser. He looks handsome in them and I'm sure he can look handsome even while he's naked.

I shake my wolf head at the thought. I should not be thinking of how he will look like when naked because I have a mate. The movement I made makes Jackson to turn in my direction. I lean down to get fully covered with the bush I am behind. My fur is brown and I'm sure it will blend in fine with the bush and he won't see me.

"I think that's enough for now. Go back inside; I have to get back working."

"But uncle Jack-"

"No Devin. Go back inside and no argument on that."

I peek again in time to see the kids going to the house and him heading in the garden. I move away from the spot I was in and follow him to the garden. I stop behind a tree and watch him work magic on the flowers. It is looking more of a garden than a dead one I saw last week. I smile knowing just how much my mother will like Jackson. My mother started loving flowers so much from nowhere and I know he would love Jackson's work in this garden.

I pause my thoughts for a second time today as I realize I have gone overboard again. How can I think of Jackson meeting my mother? He was nothing but a nobody and not allowed to see my mother that simply. I hide away from sight, behind the tree, when Jackson looks up towards me.

"~How long are you planning to do that hide and seek thing?~" I look at Red's gray wolf. He walks out behind the tree he was on and come to where I was. He goes to peek at Jackson but I push him away.

"~Did you follow me here?~" I ask, angry that he followed me but who am I kidding? This is Red after all.

"~Yes I did.~" He says, his voice full of confidence. I groan and peek again at Jackson. "~So is he the one who is making you act off?~"

"~I'm not acting off!~" I growl, a bit offended at his comment.

"~Oh please, spare me the drama. I know you and I knew something ticked you off.~" If he was in his human form, I know a scowl could have been on his face right now. We look at each other in silence as I think of what he said. He's right I've been acting off character with everything in the previous week. Red and Liam are the ones I'm sure can see that change in me although Liam haven't mentioned it yet.

"~Let's get out of here.~" I tell him and ran into the woods, going back home. Red follows and together we journey the distance back. I change in my human form as Red does the same and we put on the clothes a warrior hands us.

"What's wrong, Jason?" Red asks as he follows me down the palace hall to my office.

"Nothing Red, leave me alone." He doesn't say anything and I begin to think he listened to me for once but the moment he speaks again, that thought shatters.

"Stop acting like an omega with issues and tell me what's happening. I want to help you." He says and I scoff. "Now tell me, who is he?"

"I don't know." I say but the look on him makes me reply to him again, only the truth this time. "His name is Jackson, an omega who works at the orphanage."

"Good. Now can you explain to me why he's making you act off?" I look at him thinking he's maybe joking around but the serious look on his face says otherwise. I know when he has that face he means business not playing around.

"I don't know what it is exactly but I have this urge to see him most times and my heart beats skyrocket when I set my eyes on him." I leave out mentioning the lucid thoughts. I will keep that to myself.

"I don't think there is anything I can help you with." He says and I slam my hands on the desk in annoyance. He made me say all that and now he has nothing to help with! "But I think you should find out why he's having that effect on you." He adds quickly seeing the reaction I made to his first statement.

"And how do you suppose I do that, Red, the wise one?" I mock him and he smiles seeming to like the nickname too much.

"By seeking him out and spend time with him."

***

I spent the day in my office where I even had lunch in. I worked on some emails I received in the morning after I had that talk with Red. His suggestion was a bit scary and challenging for me. I didn't know how capable Jackson was and just how much he affected me. I couldn't even know that Red had followed me until he spoke up which is something that wasn't supposed to happen. I was blind and deaf to things happening around me and that was very bad as an alpha.

"There should be a reason why he affects you this way; a reason why your heart beats that way when you see him. Aren't you curious to find out why?" Red's voice repeats in my head.

The truth is that I am curious to find out why. I want to know why to everything and only Jackson can give me an answer. I have nothing to do this evening; perhaps I should start working on my plan. I call Red immediately to meet me at the garage. I walk out of my office and run to my room to change my clothes. I put on the less looking good clothes I can find in my closet. Then I run off to meet Red at the garage.

Just as we are about to get inside the car I was driving today, another car pull up and we watch it closely. Out of it comes Nadia followed by two omegas that carry shopping bags. I sigh knowing exactly where she is coming from. I don't spare her any glance as I look away and enter the car. I drive off from the house and so thankful that in the way to the orphanage, Red doesn't say anything about it. I admit there was a point where I was ashamed to acknowledge Nadia as my mate and Luna and it was embarrassing.

"You stay here in the car and I will walk to there from here. I've left my phone just maybe Liam calls, tell him something but not where I am. Okay?" I instruct Red and he nods. I look at the time and it's a minute after three in the afternoon. I plan to be back by five, which will be enough time for today.

"We can't hide this from Liam for too long. The old man is too smart for his own good. He will find out soon."

"Until he finds out, we are keeping this to ourselves. Okay?" Red nods again and I get off the car and walk the short distance to the orphanage.

I reach the house but the front is empty of anyone. I feel the presence of people inside but I don't go there. I walk in the direction of the garden and I make sure to hide the alpha aura around me like I did last week. I enter the garden and walk in the direction I feel his presence. I find him watering some flowers with a bucket while humming a tune. I smile at the sight and decide to make myself known since it seems he hasn't notice me yet.

"Hello," I greet but then I gasp when water makes contact with my skin. What the hell?

I open my closed eyes just in time to see him drop the empty bucket and run to me while apologizing. He touches my arm causing goose bumps on my skin from the contact. I don't even hear what he's saying anymore and just look at his hand touching me. He removes his hand saying something but I don't hear it.

My heart is beating loudly in my chest like an African drum during a celebration. Suddenly he pulls me towards the house by holding my hand. The tingles spread from my hand and up my arm and throughout my body. I groan at the feeling and look at him as he pulls me to the house.

What the hell?

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