Chapter: 7.
*****

Tangled limbs and soft snoring could be heard from the large bedroom when the first Beta stepped into the room. He took a moment at the door, collecting his thoughts and preparing himself for the wrath of the sleeping Alphas and once he had settled his breathing enough he began to slowly walk to the bed. Malin stood at the foot of the bed and very cautiously tapped on the Alpha's shoulder.

Leonardo stirred with a frown already plastered on his face and a death glare directed at the one who had woken him up. When his eyes met the apologetic ones of his first Beta, Leonardo settled down and sat up in bed, stretching tired muscles and grunting loudly when Thrift surfaced within his eyes.

"What is it, Malin?" He asked with a low voice laced with annoyance, "You know what time it is?" He asked as if expecting an answer but Malin didn't reply he knew exactly what time it was, it was the Alphas sleeping time after an exhausting night shift with their Luna, Phoenix, the funny thing being the Demigod is already downstairs personally serving her son lunch while his Mates are dead tired and napping away their time like newborns. The thoughts almost had the Beta snickering but he corrected himself and cleared his throat before addressing his Alpha.

"I'm sorry, Alpha, but there is a problem," Malin said and his voice showed no signs of amusement whatsoever.

Leo's gaze turned suspicious, "A problem?" He asked and Malin nodded. "What problem?" He demanded, "And tell me quickly so I can get back to sleep." He added and Malin bit his lip, trying not to smile at his Alpha's impatience.

"Well, you see-" he paused to collect his thoughts - "It's your son..."

This woke both wolf and man up quicker than anything ever could and immediately Leonardo was getting on his feet and now facing his Beta and waiting for him to finish with his news.

"... He is here," Malin finally finished.

"Why?" Thrift asked and Malin gave way for his wolf to address the Alpha, his eyes taking the bright blue color of his wolf and he replied with a slight bow.

"He said he is visiting," he answered.

"Conri doesn't visit," Thrift growled slowly, "Unless," He snapped. Don't get him wrong, he loves his children but Rafa is a handful and Conri is no different. Sometimes he wonders whether it's because they were borne by three Alphas that is why they turned out so... so wild, like an animal.

["We are animals"] Leonardo said and Thrift rolled blazing red eyes.

"Yeah, I'm aware only they are more wild animals, either way, they're here," Thrift said and turned to the other sleeping two Alphas to break the news. He wasn't so gentle when waking them up and immediately both jolted awake and stared wild eye at their Mate.

"Leo?!" Kawan grunted rubbing his eyes and looking confused. "What happened?" He asked. Quillon nods, agreeing with the question Kawan asked, and tried to sit up, his body ached from lack of sleep and Thrift growled.

"Our son is here," Thrift repeated with a straight face.

"Why?" Quillon asked, fully awake now.

["Same question I asked,"] Leonardo linked them.

"He says he is visiting." Thrift answered.

"Conri doesn't visit!" Kawan snapped.

["Again, that's what I said,"] Leonardo interjected.

"Didn't he send us a letter saying something along those lines a week ago, or was it yesterday," Kawan said and Leonardo nodded, remembering.

Quillon looked at the ceiling thinking hard before replying, "If I recall correctly, yes he did, he wrote something between, 'I'm coming home and I'm pissed' or something like that," Quillon paused to think deeply once more.

"Ah, don't worry your pretty head, sweetheart, I'm sure we will find out why soon enough," Kawan assured.

"Where is he now?" Quillon asked.

"In the Manor," Malin replied.

"Of course, he's in the Manor but where exactly is he?" Quillon asked.

"Left-wing." Malin returned.

"In the kitchen?!" Both Leonardo and Thrift asked in unison.

"Yes, your Luna is pampering and making him mountains of Lunch as we speak," Malin finished with a mock grin on his face as he saw panic rise in the Alphas eyes, and soon all three began to run about the room, picking fittings and throwing them on, muttering and grumbling to one another, it was an amusing sight and Malin laughed. He knew this would happen which was why he waited to give them the best news for last or in their case the worst. Phoenix would have to punish them for sleeping in when their precious son is home.

He loves it when they fear their Omega. Three powerful Alpha going crazy for their Omega Clearing his throat and remembering he is no different from them and would in fact be doing the exact thing they're doing if he were to be in this position made Malin look around nervously his smile gone.

Honestly, every reasonable Alpha should fear and respect their Omega... They are brutal.

The Alphas took the stairs in fives as they hurried to the left wing and pushed through the kitchen door, startling omegas present in the kitchen helping Phoenix who seemed too busy preparing lunch for his son to even notice his silly Mates. Of course, he knew it was them who had made the dramatic entrance as always but he will deal with them later, now he has two hungry babies to feed.

"Dads!" Rafa jumped at the sight of his fathers and was getting on his feet. As he approached them he shifted fully and became so large, so tall his head nearly touched the ceiling and before his fathers could escape him, he grabbed all three big males with giant paws and squeezed away, smiling when he heard them grunting and hissing, and then he squeezed harder until their wolves began to throw cuss words at him then he let them go, shifted once again and returned to his sitting position.

"Why have you come-" The question hadn't even left his mouth yet when a flying pan ran into his head and Leonardo grimaced in pain, his eyes met those of Phoenix and he smiled apologetically and rephrased, "It's nice to have you home, son," this the other two Alphas nodded quickly to all wearing a forced smile.

["Hey, you little arrogant runt!"] Thrift linked Rafa and Conri smiled when he heard his Lycan whimper at the sudden voice in their head. [Don't even assume for a second that because you are so big that I wouldn't break those paws and snap your feet until you wouldn't be able to walk with them!] Thrift continued to warn and the link wasn't limited to just him and Rafa alone but the other two Alphas could hear him only they forgot the most important part, Phoenix could hear them too, and until they each had a pan smacked into their heads did they realize that.

Turning sharply to find Phoenix standing in front of them, they straightened and smiled.

"Threatening my son, before me, how dare you!" He snapped and they jumped a foot away from their glaring Omega.

"My Love," they all started at the same time. "Of course not, we wouldn't dare, we were just having a simply harmless conversation," and while they talked, Quillon pulled Conri to his feet and began to drag him out of the kitchen, the other two following closely while still keeping their eyes on their Omega, "We are going to steal him for a minute, be right back!" The kitchen doors slammed as they ran, dragging Conri with them.

If they needed to have a peaceful conversation then they must do that outside, twenty meters away from the Manor, Phoenix would have a pan flying from anywhere.

Once at a safe distance, they let Conri free and circled their son, all growling, with their wolves right on the surface.

"Okay...Okay," Conri grumbled, giving up. He may be the Alpha of Alpha but they are his fathers and should he lose his train on them, they would beat the hell out of him because if he should hurt them then their Mate, his birth Omega would not hesitate to send him straight to the Goddess, no matter how much he loves his children, Phoenix loves his Mates more. "My Betas insisted I come see you," He informed them.

"What's wrong?" They asked, now putting on a worried expression.

"My Rut came three Moons ago."

They blinked for a moment before realization dawned on their faces.

"Oh shit!" Kawan exclaimed.

"You found your Mate?!" Quillon asked, surprised.

"Congratulations!" All three chorused.

"No, No! I did not!" Conri exclaimed with a distressed expression.

"Then how did you Rut?" Leonardo asked.

"I-"

"Wasn't your Mate the one who charged your Rut?" He asked again before Conri could reply.

"I mean, yes, I did but not..." He inhaled sharply. "It wasn't from my Mate, okay, it was a witch-"

"Your Mate is a witch?" Kawan asked, staring at his Mates.

"..."

"I told you, only a Witch would be brave enough to face him, and should he have a Mate it must be a Mage who has the most powerful magic," Quillon told them and they agreed with a nod.

"..."

"You did say that, wow, never thought I would live long enough to see this day," Thrift said with a little crack to his voice.

"You're over three hundred, Thrift, you're the oldest werewolf and you're not dying any time soon so zip it!" Kawan shushed.

"Dads!" Conri huffed. "This is serious, and you all are not listening!"

"Sorry," Leonardo apologized and Thrift sighed exasperatedly.

"Look, I went hunting, and I smelled an Omega in Heat, it drove my Rut, I know only a Mate is supposed to do that but when I approached this Omega to protect them, it was hunting season and very dangerous for Omega in heat to be caught in the middle of it so I rushed over and when I saw him, he not only is a Weretiger but he bore my Alpha Moon Marking," Conri explained.

"WHAT!" Quillon barked.

"How?!" Leonardo demanded.

"I don't know! I'm confused too!" Conri admitted with a sigh, running a hand down his face.

"If I get you correctly, you're saying your Mate is not only a Tiger but already bore your Marking?" Kawan asked and Conri nodded sadly. "Have you mated with anyone before, son?" He demanded and Conri shook his head negatively. "This is important, Conri, you too, Rafa, you both must think, think real hard, remember, if you ever mated with anyone,"

Conri thought for a moment and shook his head again. "No, none that I can remember, I had long since stopped having sex with an Omega, none could control my strength and I end up hurting them in bed, which is why I have only bedded Betas, so I'm certain."

Kawan moaned thoughtfully before continuing. "There is no way he would bear your Marking if you did not bite him while mating, not once but twice for an Alpha's Moon to be embedded, Conri, think again," He persuaded but again Conri said no. "If truly you have once marked this Tiger, then he not only has become your Mate, but your Half, your Luna, your Omega, and you must bring him home, protect him, love him, and never hurt him," Kawan ordered sternly.

Conri shook his head, "No, he can't be my Omega, it's impossible!" He denied vehemently.

"Why?" Kawan asked. "Because he's male?"

"WHAT, NO!" Conri yelled.

"Because he's a Tiger?" Leonardo asked and again Conri shook his head.

"Because I have never met this Weretiger before and certainly did not Mate with a Tiger."

"Sounds like it's because he's a Tiger to me," Quillon said and his Mates agreed with a nod.

"No, not because he is a Tiger but because he is not real. I killed a witch's precious fox and she's now after me. She created these illusions for me, she's trying to shake me off, disorient me and so far it's working. It's making me so angry, so much so, I nearly destroyed half my Packlands today and my Betas sent me off to consult you and the Elders." Conri went further to explain to them. His fathers took a moment to think deeply about what he had said and they nodded.

"That is a plausible explanation," Kawan said.

"If you are certain it's a witch's curse then that we can easily break but if not, then you will be making a grave mistake my son, which is why we need you to be very certain you never knew this Weretiger," Leonardo warned him seriously and the three Alphas nodded solemnly. "Do you understand, Son?" They added.

The young man nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"So, you are absolutely sure he is not your mate?" Kawan asked.

"Positive," Conri affirmed.

"Then let us go to the Elders, they shall break the curse and you will never see that Weretigger again if he should show up before you who knows what you might do," Quillon said and took them away from there to the doorway of the entrance Halls of the Elders.

There, Conri with his Lycan on the surface went through the curse breakage ritual, with him in the center and surrounded by all twelve Elders who spelled and walked around him for what seemed like forever.

An Elder at some point stopped and stared deeply into Conri's eyes then asked. "Are you sure this is what you want?" To which Conri replied without a doubt.

"Yes, Elder, I'm positive,"

"I see a witch's curse and there's more," The Elder mentioned but Conri would not have it. Too stubborn to reason, he dismissed what was about to be a warning from the Elder and thus they proceeded with the spells. When he woke up later that evening, he did not remember the witch nor the Weretiger, and once again he felt like himself and ready to return to his pack. After a quick farewell to his sisters and their children Conri and the Twin Betas got on their way back to River Bay Pack, his Packland.

He has some Tiger Clan to eradicate.