DOUBLE UPDATE!!!!!!!!! *CUES SIRENS AND FLASHING LIGHTS*

YOU’VE GOT TWO SPECIAL CHAPTERS OF CONTROL TODAY!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM BOTH!!!!!!!

WOOOOO!!!!!

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Nikola’s POV

I didn’t understand why we were here, or at the very least, why I was here.

I didn’t know Jayson. I had no connection to him, so, frankly, I did not care that it was his birthday. It was merely another day in the week, this one slightly more irrelevant and insignificant than the others, but ma said it was ‘important’ and that ‘we had to be there to help with the surprise’. Except, now that we were here, she wasn’t actually helping. She was sleeping… in a window nook… upstairs.

When we’d first arrived at the Heil-Calderon’s family home, she’d played the part of a caring friend by blowing up a few balloons, but not even ten minutes later, I’d watched her slink away quite obviously. Five minutes after that, dad disappeared too, and when I went looking for them, I wasn’t surprised to find them snoring in a messy entanglement of limbs.

I didn’t blame them for escaping the ridiculous celebrations, but I was annoyed that they’d done so after forcing me to attend as well.

For a while, I’d toyed with the idea of waking them with an overhead rain cloud or a particularly ghoulish nightmare, but I concluded that it would only yield short-term pleasure. Once awake, they’d be sure to punish me, and it would not change the fact that I would still be stuck here until they decided it was time to go home.

Stifling a sigh, I refocus my attention on the perimeter of the house I was supposed to be barricading. Alpha Julian had asked me to ensure that no traces of the surprise could be detected from the outside so that when Jayson arrived, he wouldn’t be able to spoil his own party.

It was an easy enough job, one that only required concealing everyone’s scents and making sure the windows were unnoticeably opaque, but I’d maintained the pretence that it was challenging so I wouldn’t be assigned something else.

My plan was to keep the act up until Jayson arrived, but that was before I heard him…

“Yes, Dad!” Hagen groans angrily from somewhere inside the large home. “I said I’ll do it, but you told me to set the table first! I can’t do two things at once!”

What follows is a short but terse argument between Hagen and his father before the front door swings open, and Hagen comes storming out with three full garbage bags in his arms.

“Take out the trash, Hagen. Set the table, Hagen. Paint the walls, Hagen,” he grumbles to himself as he rushes down the stairs. “Go to space, Hagen. Create World Peace, Hagen. Discover a new species—”

Hagen’s colourful rant catches on his tongue when he looks up and finally notices that he isn’t the only person out here. He freezes, his pretty brown eyes widening at the sight of me before they narrow as his usual angry scowl saturates his features.

“Hagen,” I greet, turning to face him with an outward calmness that was completely fraudulent.

Inside, my body was vibrating with pleasure at being so close to my linker, even if he was glaring fiery daggers at me. I’d gotten used to his glaring and hissing and didn’t mind them that much anymore. Sometimes, I even found them to be cute.

“Nikola,” Hagen bites back before he treads onwards towards the line of bins.

I watch him go and become a quiet spectator to Hagen’s self-inflicted doom.

He starts by trying to open the garbage bins, despite his hands being full already. The obvious solution was to drop them first before opening the lid, but stubborn as ever, Hagen continues anyway. He struggles for a good minute and a half before finally giving up with an outraged roar. Cursing all the realms and their inhabitants, Hagen dumps the bags down and reluctantly tosses the lid up (as he should have done from the very start).

“Stupid fucking gravity!”

I bite the inside of my cheek, knowing that making a sound now would be detrimental to both my health and an already precarious future with my mate. With the bin’s lid now open, Hagen haphazardly throws the bags in before slamming the lid shut. He’s still for only a moment before he gives the bin a frustrated kick that makes him yelp.

“Fuck you! Big, stupid fuck!” He declares, hopping away from the inanimate object with a newfound hatred.

When he turns around and finds me still staring at him, his neck warms from embarrassment before anger seethes through him.

“What?!”

I shrug my shoulders, biting back my smile, “Nothing.”

Hagen mutters curses to himself as he twists and stomps his way back into the house with all the rage of a denied toddler. I grin, feet already following after him before I pause and ready myself for a dark-magic lashing from ma, except none comes.

Strange…

My mother usually left me to my own devices, knowing that I was not the type of child to cause trouble when left without an eye on me, but that was before Levi Calderon had spoken to her.

The scolding from her and dad that had followed wasn’t pleasant, but what was even worse, was ma’s now ever-present eye on me. I promised her I’d be patient and wait for Hagen, but she said that until she was one hundred per cent sure that I learned to stop invading Hagen’s privacy, her magic would cut me off from him entirely.

I, foolishly, hadn’t taken her threat seriously, assuming I’d be able to find a way past her magic, but it had been three weeks, and I’d run into nothing but blockade after blockade. And if I got close to him in person without his permission, even by accident, I’d find myself relentlessly lashed by dark magic until I backed off.

It was awful, especially when Hagen already avoided me at every turn, but today was different. Today, ma was knocked out upstairs, which rendered the magic that wasn’t on autopilot, dormant.

I hesitate for a moment, wondering if this was a test, but ma was truly asleep, and since I’d literally been forced to come here against my will, I could not be blamed if I happened to run into him once… or twice… or several times.

Smiling quietly to myself, I ease away from my station and head inside the house. I regret it only seconds later when I step into a world of chaos.

Bodies run all around in a frenzied rush of too many moving parts. It made my skin itchy, but I knew seeing my linker would fix that, so I force myself to carry onwards.

Crossing the large entryway, I ignore the mass of balloons and waiting gifts, following only the alluring scent of ocean spray that always promised happiness.

It leads me down an archway into a greater hall with several doors. I walk down its path and peek inside one open doorway where I spot a lone figure on their knees, arched over a large banner and meticulously dashing glitter over certain sections of its surface.

A blonde head lifts, and I meet Damon’s, one of Hagen’s older brothers, glare with a blank stare.

“What the fuck do you want?” he spits as if he wasn’t a grown wolf handling glitter.

I ignore him and keep walking until I meet the slightly ajar doorway to the massive dining hall. Inside, there was only Hagen, who was dutifully performing his task of setting the table, except now, he didn’t seem nearly as angry as he had been a few minutes ago. In fact, he looked almost at peace as he moved around the tables, setting down cutlery in perfect coordination with a small smile on his face.

He looked beautiful, but Hagen always looked beautiful.

His skin was tanned from all his time outside this summer, and it made his dark brown hair seem like it had been dyed blonde in select areas. There was the faintest hint of freckles littered all over his cheeks, the ones that came and went almost every summer for him, which made me appreciate them all the more.

I feel my muscles relax, my magic settling entirely now that I am close to my mate.

I didn’t know why Goddess blessed me with Hagen, but I thanked her for it every day, because that’s precisely what Hagen Calderon was– a blessing.

A tap on my shoulder almost sends my soul flying from my body as I swivel around and come face-to-face with Levi.

Of course it was him, and they said I was the stalker.

Why on earth was this twenty-three-year-old so concerned with me— a minor?

Crooking a finger, Levi silently gestures for me to follow after him, already starting to walk away. I eye his figure, wondering if I could alter his memories before deciding against it.

Though it could be done, it would leave a trace, and if ma ever noticed it, she might literally kill me.

So, begrudgingly, I leave Hagen alone and follow after his eldest brother, who walks us into what seems like a surprisingly organised laundry room. Once we’re both inside, Levi shuts the door behind us and gives me his best “I’m disappointed” look.
It was comical at best.

“I didn’t do anything,” I say before he tries to pin some offence on me.

Ma said I had to give Hagen space; that I had to accept that even if he was my mate, I could not have him yet. I had given him space, so I could not be punished.

“So, you’ve been keeping your promise?” Levi asks with a raised brow.

I clasp my jaw shut and nod, but a few loose items still topple to the floor despite my best efforts to contain myself.

I didn’t need the reminder of how much distance had been put between Hagen and me now. I was well aware of it without Levi’s input.

“You do know this wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t so controlling, right?” He asks, and it takes notable effort not to physically lash him down.

I’d gotten this lecture enough times. I did not need it once more by yet another person who didn’t understand my bond to Hagen.

“He’s my mate.”

Hagen was my mate. Whether or not he or anyone else believed it, it was a fact and one day, they’d all see it.

We were meant to be together, and we would be, and all of this… would be worth it.

“I know he is,” that was meant to be a thought.

I glance up at Levi and instantly feel nauseous at the sympathy that greets me in response. I didn’t need his sympathy or his pity;, I didn’t need anything in this world but Hagen.

Clenching my fists, I head outside the stuffy room and back into the house of chaos, trying my best to ignore the feelings he’d just riled up inside of me.

It didn’t matter what he said– what anyone said. Hagen was mine, and one day, I’d have him.

—————————————

The rest of the day passes at a tortuous snail’s pace.

Ma and Dad woke in time to yell ‘SURPRISE’ with everyone else when Jayson walked through the doors. After that, there’d been a mass of tears which had made me feel terribly uncomfortable. I hated it when people cried, and the only thing I hated more than that was when I did it.

I understood that it was a natural reaction to ‘painful’ situations, but it always left me in an awkward position because people expected you to do something about their tears. If they just cried and no one had to do anything about it, I wouldn’t have minded so much, but that was never the case.

So when Jayson started crying and I noticed the water welling up in almost everyone’s gaze, I’d silently backed away until I was nicely assimilated to the wall. I’d kept the exact same stance when the gift-giving began and spurred even more tears to follow.

When that tragedy ends and it’s finally time to eat, I move to my assigned seat between my parents and keep my head down while everyone converses way too loudly. Before I even have to try to put the spell together, Ma settles the muffled barrier around me so that it’s easier to think.

I usually preferred to watch people on occasions like this, where all ‘family friends’ were gathered with their offspring– but that was before we were at a table of nearly twenty. Too much was said at once, and when I tried to follow, I tended to unravel. Besides, I didn’t usually care what they spoke about.

It wasn’t that I didn’t care about our ‘family friends’. I did think of them as extended family, but that didn’t mean I was particularly enthusiastic about sharing a meal with all of them at once. Though I suppose complaining was bad– they were all kind people, and the food was always good.

“You okay,” Dad asks with a nudge to my arm.

I nod, focusing on finishing the plateful of ribs and potatoes that Peter had fixed for me, while being particularly careful not to let any of the food touch. Of all Hagen’s siblings, Peter was the one I favoured the most.

Levi had recently become the worst of them (for obvious reasons), Damon was annoyingly and unreasonably abrasive, Josey absolutely loathed me– and the feeling was slowly becoming mutual, so that left Peter, the omega. I liked him— at least for now.

He didn’t bother me, and he was quiet. I liked quiet.

Glancing up, I look at Peter, who sits between his father and Damon, making the three of them appear like strangely ageing triplets. Settled between the two alphas, Peter was smiling to himself, his plate already made clean, which left him to enjoy the company around him.

As if sensing my eyes on him, Peter turns his head to look at me. He startles a little but then smiles, giving me a small wave. I blink at him but force myself to return the gesture.

I was pretty certain that if I didn’t, Peter would assume I didn’t like him, and I did not need the wrath of the Heil-Calderon family for making their most precious cry. At my wave, Peter beams as if I’d just given him the greatest gift in all the world.

I would live to see another day after all.

“That was nice of you,” Ma whispers at my side.

I glance at her, glowering, “When are we going home?”

Snorting, Ma almost spills her cup of water, “Once we’ve been here for an appropriate amount of time. I promise.”

I stifle my complaints and go back to eating.

It’s nearly an hour later when the ‘appropriate amount of time’ finally comes to an end, and Ma gives me the signal that we’d be making our move soon. While she and dad head over to her friends to say their goodbyes, I head towards the door to get the leftovers that had been packed away for us.

Peter said it would be clearly labelled in the fridge, so I make my way to the kitchen as quickly as I can, but when I enter, I find something else, something even sweeter, waiting inside.

Caught with a cooking spoon full of ice cream halfway to his mouth, Hagen freezes in his place, slumped over a tub of Cookies and Creme. His mouth was such a glistening mess of it, that I can’t help but to frown at him.

“Goddess! Can you just leave me alone?!” He grumbles while hastily cleaning his mouth.

I tilt my head, “I wasn’t looking for you this time.”

Hagen scoffs, rolling his eyes in disbelief, “Yeah, sure.”

Knowing arguing would be in vain, I carry on towards the fridge and pull the two large doors open so I can search for the food dad would undoubtedly be finishing once we got home.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting what I came here for,” I reply calmly as I shuffle through all the containers until I find the ones for my family. At the sight of them, Hagen’s frown deepens with disbelief, forming the cutest crook of his brows. “Is it that shocking to learn that I was telling the truth?”

Hagen blusters, “Yes. It’s been years but you won’t leave me alone, even though I keep telling you we’ll never be mates!”

My chest squeezes a little, but I push the ache away by reminding myself of the unyielding link between us. Hagen just didn’t know yet.

Shutting the fridge doors, I look at Hagen, holding his brown eyes with my own, “I know you believe that— that you want to believe that, but we’re mates, Hagen.”

“No, we’re not!” Hagen’s eyes burned into the golden hue I’d never seen in any other werewolf besides his twin. It was as unique as he was.

I laugh mistakenly. I hadn’t meant to let the sound out, but I had, and now Hagen looked like he was going to blow his top off.

“Why are you laughing?”

I shake my head, taking a step back. As much as I enjoyed being close to Hagen, I didn’t want to find myself in more trouble if my mother found me here.

“No,” he snaps, jumping from the stool and facing me. “What’s so fucking funny?”

I look up at Hagen, mapping every inch of his face with wondering thoughts of how it would look in a few years. Between his parents, I imagined Hagen would resemble his father, Aiden, more; he already had his dark hair and god-awful humour, and maybe that counted for something.

I wondered what he would look like and if, maybe by then, he wouldn’t always look at me with so much contempt.

He wouldn’t. I’d make sure of it.

When the time came, I’d make sure that Hagen knew that I really loved him, that I wanted him to be happy always, and would do anything to make sure that he was.

“Well?” Hagen prompts.

My lips tug upwards slightly as I step forward. “I laughed, Hagen, because I know that one day, I’ll look back on moments like this and laugh.” I take another step forward. “I’ll laugh because I know once I have you, you’ll never want me to let you go.”

Hagen’s mouth falls open but no argument comes, and that just makes my smile widen.

“Goodnight, Hagen.”

I leave Hagen with his ice cream and thoughts of me that would no doubt linger throughout the night. One day, he’d see…

It was only a matter of time now.

—————————————

I’m in love with Nikola’s brain. I am in love with the way he thinks.

Thoughts?????/

Thoughts on this chapter? On the interactions?? The glimpses of our favourite family???

I hope you guys remember this chapter, Rogue readers. It was funny seeing it as a nuisance from Nikola’s POV, when in Rogue, it was such a sweet and monumental thing for Jayson and the family. LMFAO, I love Nik.

I hope you guys enjoyed this memory chapter! I know I did. But there’s more to come, so keep reading!!!