Walked Through Hell

* Author casually hides... see you Wednesday

[TAMIKO]

Standing there with Kosta's hand entwined in his, Tamiko felt nothing about the mess he had come home to. He wasn't worried about Gabe being an omega, the little shit could even be a cat if he wanted to and Tamiko wouldn't even look in his direction. 

If anything, Tamiko had already started locking off his mind link with Gabe. He was doing it solely and intentionally because he knew Gabe would be forced into embarrassing situations like this. 

"My letters," Tamiko said, his voice cold as he looked at the Belova siblings.

"What letters are you blabbering about this time? We need to fix my son!" Alpha Ashton said and Tamiko let out a dark chuckle as he looked at Gabe who was on the ground. He looked pitiful, but Tamiko felt nothing for him other than resentment.

"Your son?" Tamiko mused as he released his hand from Kosta's and then walked over to where Gabe was still hurting. He could smell the omega scent and this coming from a wolf that had been born an Alpha, Tamiko almost felt terrible for the guy. 

"You mean the little shit on the ground in heat because he is mated to me, a mere orphan in Grealor? Tell me something, Ashton, if I was just a lowly outcast, a kid that you spent the past twenty-five years devising new ways to torture, then why is your son the omega? 

"Why am I not the submissive in this bond, given he is born of an Alpha, while I don't even know where I stand in society? I would ask you about my parents but then you would rather sell me out to the Lycans that give me the answers, right?" Tamiko added.

The young prince then crouched next to Gabe, tracing his finger on the omega's skin, something that got Gabriel Grealor turning to look at Tamiko with nothing but lust in his eyes. 

It was a desperate moment, a sight that shouldn't have happened but then the universe was done playing games with the Lycan prince it seemed.

"Iko, help me, please," Gabe pleaded as he looked at the only man capable of releasing him from the shackles of an unfortunate fate. 

"Oh Gabriel, you poor thing," Tamiko chuckled like this was something he had waited his entire life for. He loved what he was seeing and he wasn't going to lie that this was touching his conscience at all. 

He wanted to see how long Gabe would suffer because one thing was certain, once the word spread that Grealor didn't have an Alpha to take over from Ashton. There would be chaos and they wouldn't be able to rest, ever.

"Make it stop, please," Gabe pleaded and Tamiko looked at Galya, then at Danny before he looked at Gabe who was in literal tears, pleading with the Lycan prince for so much as a touch. 

The alpha's son looked so touch-deprived even as he held onto one of Tamiko's shirts, and breathed it in, a realization that hadn't dawned on the young prince yet.

"I can help you, Grealor, but I need something from you. It's only fair that we trade, seeing as you need me and I don't need you. What do you think, mate?" Tamiko asked coldly, the cringe so obvious in his voice when he mentioned the term 'mate.' 

It was like poison on his lips and he despised it, especially when he was referring to Gabriel. Then again, it was an unfortunate truth that would haunt him, as long as he and Konstantin never completed their bonding. 

How the fuck was he supposed to accept Igor when he didn't even know which house he was from? What would he be accepted as? The outcast who knew nothing of home? Or the orphan tortured and enslaved in Grealor for his entire life? 

"Anything you want," Gabe said and Tamiko looked at Alpha Ashton, who was staring at the duo like this was not supposed to happen. This was not how he found out that the universe was determined to punish him for what had happened twenty-five years ago. 

But karma always caught up, right?

"You wouldn't lie to me, no?"

"I would never," Gabe replied desperately as he leaned into Tamiko's open palm, which was holding his head from hitting the ground. 

Everyone in Grealor was staring at the outcast and the high-born wolves as they interacted. Seeing Gabe that down was a shock to the Grealor wolves that even they started getting suspicious of this bond. 

Gabe was the Alpha's son, yet he had been reduced to this lowly creature because of Tamiko. It made them ask questions about who Tamiko was, but was that an answer that Alpha Ashton would give his people?

"Now that makes me happy. If you don't lie, I will lend you my shirts so you can breathe me in, whenever you feel like you miss me but can't reach me…

"Y'know… Given Kosta will undoubtedly wring your neck if you so much as look in my direction," Tamiko said casually like he didn't just threaten the Alpha's son, and use the barbaric bounty hunter as a shield even though he was trying enough on his own.

"I won't," Gabriel said.

Tamiko looked at Alpha Ashton, as he thought back to the fight he had had with the Alpha weeks ago. It wasn't even a fight per se. It had been a literal ambush, almost like the alpha had wanted to kill him, something that Tamiko had never understood to this date. 

Normally, the alpha would punish him, but he never tried to straight-up kill the outcast despite everything that happened. Yet that evening, the Alpha seemed to want him dead. 

The Alpha's words that day had stuck with Tamiko and today, he would try and see if he got his answers.

"Last time, your father wanted me to say hello to Liana for him. Tell me sweetheart, who is Liana?" Tamiko asked as he looked at Alpha Ashton who was staring with his jaw on the ground. This couldn't be happening right now, yeah?

The Belova siblings, Zakhar and Judd were staring at the Alpha like they were supposed to hear from him, even though they knew what the turn was. There was no doubt that a lot of things happened out of the ordinary at that time. 

Besides, they had all seen the alpha be so angry that he had thrust his sword into Tamiko, only for the impossible to happen then.

Igor was watching amusedly, liking where the conversation was going, while the wolves around them were waiting for answers. They had been there when the Alpha had said the words that stuck to Tamiko, "Say hello to Liana for me, hmm?"

"I'm okay with just one shirt. Also, Galya stole the letters Igor wrote for you. They are still with her, even though we agreed to return them. I swear, I wanted to return them, but she wouldn't let me," Gabe suddenly said and Galya facepalmed. 

What the fuck was going on and why the hell was Gabriel Grealor just letting his mouth open and words coming out? Where was the restraint they all knew the man had? Or was his new situation a hindrance to how his brain worked?

"Aah, I see. You're doing great, Gabriel. But you haven't answered my question. Are you avoiding it?" Tamiko asked, not even looking at the man on the ground who was desperately clinging onto him like he was the poor guy's lifeline.

Tamiko was glaring amusedly at Alpha Ashton Grealor. He wanted to see what the Alpha would do when Gabe confirmed what Tamiko was thinking because then it would determine what he did with Gabriel or what he didn't.

"No, I'm not. I'm trying to recall. Liana is a familiar name, I heard Father say it a few times, please give me a moment," Gabe said and Tamiko smirked at the Alpha. 

Everyone was slowly witnessing just how much power Tamiko had over Gabe and it was heartbreaking. Well, Tamiko just didn't care anymore, especially when he felt Gabe nudge him a little like he had the answers for the young prince.

"You remembered?"

"Yes. Liana. Liana Hinata. She was your mom, a Lycan, just like you… But she died, twenty-five years ago, before Father adopted and brought you home," Gabe said truthfully, while the Alpha facepalmed. He was in big trouble.

"Oh really?" Tamiko said even though he had done his homework well. He had seen how the cruelest of Kings in all history had been treating him so kindly in Kawai, something that was strange to everyone including the servants who didn't say a word about it.

Tamiko had started connecting the dots, especially with his bond to Igor Konstantin, one of the most powerful Lycans in Kawai, not to mention how Lord Sadako was unconditionally nice to him, a rogue lycan when they had just met. 

The young outcast knew people could be kind. However, the kindness he had experienced in the week he had interacted with the Lycans, especially the ones that were feared by everyone in the realm, was different. 

Finding out about that Liana woman would either confirm his theories or make him realize he had been holding on to a reality that never existed. Liana was the one missing piece of the puzzle.

"Are you sure she was my mother?"

"Of course. Father described her fondly as the greatest of lights that effortlessly managed to light up the darkest of all hearts."

"Hinata's?"

"Yes… How did you know?" Gabe asked enthusiastically.

"You did great, Gabriel. You can go have my clothes, sweetheart," Tamiko said in a clipped tone, as he stared at Alpha Ashton with dead eyes.

He finally connected the dots.

But would he spell it out?

***

[A/N]

* Hi again lmaoo... I hope y'all weren't plotting to hunt me this time too hihi... adios

* I should've made the title as "The Fall and Fall of Gabriel Grealor"