POV - Alpha Carlisle
I found Elias in his room, as I had asked.
"Elias, what are you doing?" I asked him.
"What do you mean?" He said "I'm sitting on my bed."
"You're giving up what we built for five years." I said.
"No I'm not." He responded.
"You think not? When is the last time you came down for dinner with us?" I asked.
" A while. " He answered.
"And the last time you wanted to go for a walk? Go fishing? Talk?" I asked.
"A while." He repeated.
"You keep accusing Kyas of taking your father. He's not. Your giving up on me, and this time, I'm not the one doing it, it's you. Its not because I am refusing you, it's because you are refusing me." I said.
"I'm not, you spend all your time with Chaos now." He said bitterly.
"I recall spending time with both of you, a lot during the last five years. You didn't require a special invitation to join us then, why do you need one now?" I asked.
"I don't know. " He said.
I sighed. "Elias, this has to stop. You can't close yourself off then blame someone else when you're alone. A relationship, a bond, takes two people to make it work. There can't be an us, without me and you working together. Why did you stop?" I asked.
"Because he did just what I thought he would! He took you away from me!" Elias said.
"And yet it looks like I am right here. I know Kyas showed you how we spend our time. Is that what you want? Would you like to spend your evenings with me like you did with Kyas? He gave you one minute, but Chaos and I go for hours. I'm sure he would love your company." I said.
"I don't want that. Papa, how did he do that to me?" Elias asked.
"If you throw rocks into a cave, don't be surprised to find the bear. Kyas is Very passionate about this pack, and you put it in danger. Your actions could have hurt a lot of people, people he cares deeply about. Kyas accepted five years of selfish injustice from you, because it was him that endured it. He doesn't get angry for himself. He will kill for his pack Elias, and thats not even a joke, and it's something that I'm addressing. He was able to do that because you nearly brought them to starvation. You pissed him off." I said.
"The problem here, Elias, is that I'm not even sure he was wrong to do what he did." I said.
"What? You're taking his side?" Elias asked.
"Maybe, I know his side, I know his reasons. What's yours? Give me a reason why I should be on your side. I'm listening." I said.
"I forgot how to do the form." He said.
"And you didn't come to me or pack link me, why?" I asked.
"Because when I found you, you were playing with Chaos." He explained.
"Which you now know was no game. But even if it was, what part about playing with Chaos meant you can't come to me about needing help? Did you forget that your job was important? I played with Chaos all the time before Kyas came back. Kyas was always inside him, then and now." I said.
"I thought you didn't want me, because you have him back." He said.
"Elias, WHEN did I ever say that? When did you even ask me? You're doing the same thing, all over again, by reacting to a decision I'm not making. Why is it not possible, that after five years of building a relationship with you, that I could want you Both? That I could love you both? Why are you so insistent that I have to choose?" I asked him.
"I liked it when it was just you and me." He said petulantly.
"I can't understand this with you, Elias, I really can't. I tried to understand that you were only ten when this started, and we Didn't have a good relationship then, but you can't hide behind that anymore. You're fifteen years old, and we were good. The only thing that changed is your attitude." I said.
"I just wanted my Papa, and I just knew he would take you away from me." He said, again.
"For Goddess sake, Elias, I'm not a thing! I'm not a favorite ball you can fight over. I'm a person. A father with two sons, and I will not be made to choose between them, especially not by either of you. I won't do it. Do you hear me? I will not choose. Understand me?" I asked him.
" Yes, Papa." He said.
I sighed. "Whenever you're done with this attitude, my arms are always open to you, but I can't trust you with alpha training matters until I know you can think about others before yourself. You will continue the kitchen and laundry duties set out by the council, but you have an extra month added for this behavior against the pack, and not showing up to those duties while I was gone."
" Elias." I said. "Look at me."
He lifts his head.
"He doesn't have to be the villain in your story. He sees you as part of his pack, and loves you anyway, if you'll just let him. But please, don't test him." I tell him.
"Papa...that wasn't him, was it? That threatened me? He sounded different. " he said.
I sighed. " You know how some of us are just born for something? Like the son of a beta is born to be a beta himself? "
"Yeah." He said.
"Kyas was born to be a Gamma. What you saw, who spoke to you, was that side of him. The one driven to protect the bonds that Kyas builds and maintains... I have to warn you, Elias, that part of him wants to make sure that you understand something. I'm going to tell you because I have already learned that when they say something, they mean it exactly as they say it. Kyas wants you to be clear that he wasn't issuing a threat. He was making you another promise. He said he will keep that promise just as completely as the first one. I hope he doesn't have to."
"Me too." He said.