Chapter 48: What is love?

👑Alec's P.O.V

I felt completely confused.

I wasn't sure wether I was more hurt that Ellie believed she had to lied just to protect me or was more hurt at the fact that Valentino and Annie was behind all of these.

I was mad because Ellie lied but partially I was really mad at the fact that she didn't give me a chance to protect her. I felt guilty because I promised to protect her and yet I failed her again.

Since I was a child, all I ever did was fuck up things. It was probably why they both left me, I don't fucking deserve to have them.

Anger and Pain always come in pair, you wouldn't be mad if you weren't in pain and you can't get mad and not get affected.

The fact that Valentino was behind all of this made everything more painful. Val and I had been friends for so long. He was my first friend and had been my rock through all the shit that I've been through. I really don't know what I did for him to betray me like this.

Annie is the same, I've been there for her and vice versa. We already talked it out though, her feelings about me and I though it was okay. It turns out girls can turn crazy when it comes to their feelings.

The salty breeze managed to calm me down and brought a sense of peace in me. The color of sea looked beautiful from above here and it reminded me of a certain someone.

Fuck, I've gotten soft.

I felt my heart agree instantly and it didn't bother me. Ellie Haven's face displayed itself on my mind like a beautiful painting.

She's honestly the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen.

I like the way her ombre hair makes her pale blue eyes pop out even more, I like the fact that I can drown in her eyes yet feel at peace. I like how her skin was pale to the point that I can easily see her cheeks redden when I give her cheeky remark. I like the way her lips looked sinfully red and gladly kiss it all day.

Despite her skinny figure, I like how her chest lacks a few numbers or how cute her ass looked in every jean, short, sweatpants, or leggings she wear and of course, let's not forget about her golden personality. I love how she stands firm in something she believes in. I love how understanding she can get or how she can meet me head on. I love how strong and determined she is in every situation thrown at her and I absolutely love how she doesn't give up easily.

I love everything that makes her the Ellie Haven that I know.

Does this mean that I love her?

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I look away from the view to see Jayden and Hayden, their expression worried.

"Hey."Jayden muttered, quickly sitting down next to my side while Hayden does on the other.

This cliff was where I bought Ellie on our last date, this was the guys and I thinking place. This place hold so many memories and I knew bringing Ellie here on a date would be something that I'll treasure too.

We discovered it a few years back when we went on a camp and ended up stuck for like 3 days because traitor got the map mixed up.

I let a sigh, nodding my head as a greeting. I was beating myself up too for making Ellie cry, it makes me angry that I was the cause for that.

"What is love?" I thought out loud, staring at the vast blue sky.

"What is love?" Jayden repeated, glancing at his twin briefly with an amused smile.

"You heard it." I gritted out, my face flushing in embarrassment.

"Well, that's a tough one man." Hayden said, his lips pulled up in a smirk.

"Just answer the damn question." I snapped, running a hand through my already messy hair.

Jayden hummed, seeming to think of an answer."I think Love is when you want to make her laugh just to see her nose crinkle adorably." Jayden started, seeming lost in thought.

"Love is when you see her flaws and still deem her as perfect." Hayden piped in, his voice soft against the rustling breeze.

That earned a smile from me, remembering how she keeps complaining about her pancake ass when in reality I think it was perfect for her.

Jayden chuckled, nodding at his twin."Love is when you're with her, you forget all those damn problems and just enjoy each other's company."

I nodded, leaning back with my arms supporting me."Love is when you hear her laugh or see her smile and feel like you're on the top of the world knowing that it was because of you." I piped in, earning knowing smiles from them.

"Love is when you wake up and the first thing that flashes in your mind is her face." Hayden said, closing his eyes at the feel of the sun.

"Love is when you'd gladly fight anyone who looks at her the wrong way or stare at her for too long." Jayden grumbled, his brows knitting at something.

I nodded, somehow letting a small scowl slip on my lips at the times Todd kept placing his nasty arms around her.

"Love is when you see her tears and all you wish was for it to go away and see her beautiful smile again." I added, feeling my heart clench as her crying face flooded in my mind

"And of course, it's truly love when no matter how many reasons that person had given you to walk away, you'd always find one reason to try again and stay."

We all turned our heads to see Ark walking up to us, a sad smile on her lips as those words slip out of her mouth.

Each words brought a sense of realization in me and I knew deep down what my heart truly felt for Ellie Haven.

"I still can't believe that he's the traitor." I sighed, feeling mixed emotions.

Jayden shrugged."Sometimes the people you thought you knew weren't their actual selves in the first place."

Hayden nodded, agreeing to his twin."We've been having doubts since he disappeared along with Annie when Ellie was kidnapped."

Ark, nodded eagerly behind us."Annie was suspicious from the start. I didn't like her even when she made up with Ellie, It made her even more sketchy."

I let the information sink in, somehow trying to wrap my head around at the fact that this was the reality I was given with.

"They're with the dark crest gang, although I'm confused how Annie got involved with them too." Jayden said, tilting his head to the side.

"Dark crest doesn't easily let others join in. You know how cautious they are." I nodded, the question burning in my mind.

Ark snorted, pushing her hair back."Don't be surprised by the ability of woman who's in a revenge mode." She pointed out.

The Dark Crest and Light Crest have been rivals since I can remember. I didn't know the whole story since it was my older brother who was supposed to take over.

Alexander was the leader from the dark side while I took over the light crest. Illegal stuff happens when you're in a gang and that's fact but the level of deep dark shit you're into is depending.

Dark crest involves in that dark deep shit gang where they kill innocent people for fun, they pick up a fight for fun. They sell drugs, rob shops, and blackmail people.

Our differences on being a gang is what makes us rivals in the first place. The Light Crest was created to protect civilians from the burnt of their recklessness and thrill in being an outsider of the law.

We prevent innocent people from getting killed, sabotage their drug deliveries so that they would stop picking up foster children on the street, offer hints or clues to shops who we know are going to be robbed by them.

We do the things that the cops aren't aware of and do our best to help the people here. We've been securing children from the streets and handing them over to the system.

It's fucked up how they would involve children to their business. Fucking pansies, can't do their fucking job instead.

Funny how people would discreetly try to find the symbol of a gang on us, the rumors about that was true but it was hidden.

Dark crest symbol has black mask with bats on it while our was a feather tattoo and it was in the lower hip.

"Doesn't matter, I'm gonna fucking kill them." I scowled, my hands forming into fists.

"And that is the reason why we didn't let you on our doubts." Jayden nodded, earning a chuckle from his brother.

"We knew you'd be blindly going into their territory without even a second though." Hayden nodded, earning an amused look from Ark.

"You can't blame Ellie for not telling you Alec," Ark piped in, a pointed look on her face."She was only doing it for your sake and scared on how you'd react."

I sighed, somehow feeling guilty. When Connor texted me to meet him up, I was not expecting to find out about the two traitors.

There were text messages in Rody's phone that traced back to Valentino's and Annie's number.

I couldn't help but frown."I can handle shit like that Ark, she doesn't need to hold back especially things that could harm her." I grumbled, earning eye rolls from them.

"Now, you're being unfair." Hayden objected, shaking his head.

I gave him a deadpanned look, tilting my head to the side.

"Your being unfair because you wouldn't let Ellie protect you." Jayden explained, seeming to agree with his twin.

"Relationships are two ways idiot. You can't protect her all the time and beat yourself up over it. You have to trust her too and let her protect you. It's all about being equal and fair to one another Alec, asking her not to protect you is like shoving her feelings back to her face." Hayden said, making me glance at Jayden in surprise.

"Are you sure you're single Hayd?" I suspiciously asked, making him push me back lightly.

Jayden and Ark let out a laugh, finding amusement at how deep that was and it came from Hayden who had absolutely no experience with love.

He was a no girlfriend/boyfriend since birth.

A silence settled after that before I nodded."You're right. She did because it was what she thought was right."

Jayden chuckled, nodding his head while Ark let out a small cheer that I was finally able to let it sink in my deep skull.

"Of course we are." Hayden scoffed outz

"Shit, I've been such a d!ck to her. She probably hates me." I groaned out, my mind replaying the scene where I left her.

Ark slapped me on the back of my head."Ellie could never hate you dumb ass, she's beating herself up right now for what she did to you."

"I'm going to fix this," I stood up, wiping the dirt away from my jeans.

Hayden's phone rang which he answered, staring at us with a worried gaze. When he suddenly paled, I knew it was something bad.

"Text me the details and we'll be on our way." He said, ending the call before looking at me with a sigh.

"Tell me," I growled out, somehow feeling uneasy all of a sudden.

"It's Todd and Chase," He started, glancing at his twin and rubbed the back of his head.

"They've been on an accident and Ellie is with them." He finished, earning a surprise gasp from Ark.

"What?" I asked, suddenly feeling numb. Thoughts were so negative came flooding in me and the guilt was present.

Ellie isn't dead, she can't be. Ellie would never leave and besides I still haven't taken her to the ice cream shop like we talked ab—

Jayden slapped me on the back of my head, cutting off my thought and made me recoil in surprise.

"Now is not the time to let your emotions get to you. Ellie needs you right now," Ark said, mustering a strong facade.

Closing my eyes briefly, I took one deep breath and did my best to calm everything in me."Let's go."

Don't go, please

Don't go, please

Don't go please

The words kept replaying on my mind like a broken record while I sat at the passenger seat with Hayden driving.

I couldn't drive, not with this state of mind and thankfully, they knew that. The silence that settles on us was filled with tension and anxiety.

The twins did their best not to show their anxiousness, completely opposite to me who was fidgeting uncomfortably in the seat while tapping my legs or fingers.

That fifteen minute drive felt like forever and when we reached the scene, the blue and red the flickered made my heart drop even more.

The scene that greeted me brought memories I didn't want to remember and I find myself taking a step back in complete horror.

Chase's car was completely ruined, the back of it had a huge dent. The windows were smashed and the front of it too, a pole where the front crashed now laid on the road and was causing traffic.

I made my way to the scene but paused when someone familiar approached me, the familiar eyes threw daggers at me.

"You," Ellie's father seethed, as he pointed a finger at me and pulled at the collar of my shirt tightly.

"What the f-ck is happening? Where is my daughter?" He hissed, tightening his hold.

"What do you mean sir?" I asked, completely confused. Shouldn't she be in the hospital?

"What I mean is, why was I inform at the station that my daughter had gotten into an accident with two boys because of a car that seemed to purposely crash into them purposely only to arrived here and find a totaled car with no victims and missing culprit." He barked, his words ringing into my head like a broken record.

No victims. Ellie's gone. Chase's gone. Todd's gone. Don't go.

"What? Ellie's gone?" I asked horrified," No, no, no. This can't be." I said, before shutting my eyes tightly.

Don't go, her voice cried out.

I felt sick to the core, regret and guilt swarming in me. It was as if my lungs weren't working and I couldn't breathe properly.

Unwanted memories resurfaced in my mind and I shook my head, trying to get rid of the images but it seemed that my mind wasn't agreeing as the past unfolded again.

"Robert!" A woman scolded, pulling him off me."Stop, he's having a flashback."

I fell to my knees, seeming to lost all my energy. My hands were gripping my hair tightly, muttering the word no repeatedly.

Blood was all I saw, the fire was so strong and I could feel myself panic. The wall closing around me and there was no exit.

Don't Go.

A soft hand enclosed on my arm."Calm down Alec," Ellie's mom softly said, her voice sounding very much the same like Ellie.

It reminded me of her and it somehow soothed me, after a few minutes and I feel like I could breath again but the pain on my chest only grew every second.

I felt the twins pull me up and I was greeted by Elena's worried eyes before she placed a hand on my cheek.

"Don't give in Alec," She firmly said, her eyes narrowing at me."You still have to save my daughter and your friends."

I nodded, looking down."Please give me a chance to explain sir and ma'am." I pleaded, turning to Ellie's dad who now glowered at me.

"We can talk at the house," Ellie's mom interjected, noticing her husband about to reject.

Her dad only threw me a glare before angrily stalking off, Elena giving me a soft smile."I'll see you at the house Alec." She said, before walking towards his direction.

"You okay man?" Jayden asked, his gaze worried. He knew the trauma I went through and it was nice to have someone who knew about it.

I nodded."I'll be fine. Tell Connor to track their location now, Dark Crest have her and I'm sure of it."

Hayden nodded, typing at his phone furiously."Connor's on it, he's reviewing the CCTV. Members have been deployed and are tracking the members of the fuckers."

I heaved a sigh, somehow needing to trust them. I need to keep my shit in, I have to be strong. Ellie needs me and now is not the time to be weak.

"Todd and Chase is with her. I'm sure they won't let a single finger touch her." Ark piped in, trying to be positive.

"Are you gonna tell them about the gang stuff?" Jayden asked, all of us walking back towards my car.

"I'm not sure yet," I replied, glancing at the damaged car before gritting my teeth.

Hayden placed a hand on my shoulder, making me turn to him."We'll find those fuckers Alec and set the fury of Phoenix over them." He promised darkly.

😫😰😣😔

My hand was prepared to knock when it suddenly opened, a small body hugging my legs.

"Mwister! You're back!" Theodore squealed, hugging me tightly.

I couldn't stop myself from cracking a smile at the sight of his doe green eyes and messy brown hair, there wer a few crumbs that littered around his mouth that made him look even more adorable.

"It's nice to see you again little guy." I kneeled down at his frame, ruffling his hair. Theodore procedeed to strech his arms signaling he wants to be carried and I lifted him up without hesitation when he suddenly gasped.

"You bought your fwends and birdy! Hi fwends of mwisters! I'm Theodore!" He exlaimed, streching his hand in a hand shake.

Ark rolled her eyes and pinched his cheek, the twins glanced at him with a smile and each returned his hand shake. I knew right there than Theodore got them wrapped around his cute little fingers.

They both introduced theirselves and I knew they didn't had thr chance to meet at the Christmas party since Theodore was busly playing with a few of his friends who came over.

"Ooh! Twins! I never had twin fwends before!" Theodore said, clapping his hands excitedly.

Hayden chuckled."Well, now you have chipmunk."

Theodore was about to reply when someone cleared their throat, pur attention turned back to see Mr. Haven standing there. Unlike earlier, he seemed more cooled down and regarded me with small nod.

"Theo! I told you not to open the doors that easily." Elena popped behind her husband, a scolding tone on her voice.

"I'm sowwy mom, I saw mwister getting out of his cwar amd I got excited," Theo apologized, a pout settling on his lips.

Elena sighed."I'll let it slip Theo, just don't do it again okay?" That earned an excited nod before wiggling out of my arms.

I set him down before he pulled Ark's hand and dragged her inside. She flashed a smile to Elena leaving the five of us in their front door

"Come inside boys, we can talk im the kitchen." Elena ushered, her husband walking towards the kitchen. We offered her polite smiles before making our way inside.

Ark gave us thumbs up as we passed by the living room, it seems she'll be accompanying Theodore while we talked this all out. I felt my nerves hike up and readied myself.

"I'm a gang leader," I popped the ballooon and didn't bothered to lie. The twins casted me appalled looks turning across Ellie's parents who sat in front of us.

Ellie's mom seemed surprise and glanced at her husband, I expected her push us back towards the front door as soon as those words left my mouth.

Thankfully she didn't.

Mr. Haven started at me with a blank expression before his brows furrowed."There's only one gang that I knew of and that is light crest gang."

This time, it was my turn to stare at him in surprise. We try to keep our profiles really low leaving with no evidence behind but that white feather, seems like the cops have been lurking.

"No, there is actually another one and it's dark crest," I answered, eyes meeting with his.

For a second, I think his eyes widen for abit before looking at her wife in a worried expression.

"So, which gang are you?" He turned to me, his lips set in a thin line.

"Light crest." I answered before continuing,"but we're different from other gangs. The main goal of our gang is to protect. We try to prevent the people being kille-"

"You sabotage the drug deliveries, and give hints or clues to the shops that were about to be robbed by them. You leave no evidence behind but only a single feather, Am I correct?" Mr. Haven interjected, saying it like he'd already known it.

I gulped, shit. It seems like we weren't that careful to begin with. How long had the police known?

"Yes sir," I nodded slowly, confused on how he'd known all that information.

"What was your name again?" He narrowd his eyes at me, making me shuffle slightly in my seat.

I cleared my throat slightly."Alec King sir." I answered, glancing at the twins briefly

"And you're the gang leader of light crest?" Elena piped in, her eyes glimmering with something.

"Yes Elena, I am." I repeated, nodding my head. Elena and him exchanged glances for a minute before they turned their attention to me.

"Is your," Elena started off hesistantly, Mr. Haven giving a reassuring nod to her."Are you by any chance a relative of Harvey King?" She asks, her voice hopeful.

At the mention of my dad's name, I felt a confused frown slip on my lips."Yes, he's my father Elena." I answered, earning a surprise gasp from her.

She suddenly stood up and lowered her jeans slightly, our eyes widening at the sight of the familiar intricate feather tattoo that we all had in that very same area.

"I was once a member of the light crest gang," Elena admitted, the twins muttering a 'woah' and eyed her with a new sense of respect.

"What?" I asked, disbelief laced in my voice.

Pulling her jean up, she nodded."Your father, Harvey king was my childhood bestfriend and I've been in the gang since I was highschool." She revealed, giving me a whip lash of all time.

"The Light and Dark Crest weren't enemies to begin with, they were to gangs converge together with one goal and that is to protect." She added, my interest spiking in.

"What happened?" Jayden asked, seeming to share the same interest we all had. I didn't know the whole story of where the rivalry all began and hearing it for the first time brought a sense of excitement in me.

Who would've though that I'd hear it from Ellie's mom?

"During the time of Harvey's Father, The leader of the dark crest got killed and a new leader was assigned but that leader didn't have the same goal as the Light Crest. He had a different agenda, a dark one at that and your grandfather was against it." Elena said, a faraway look on her face.

"He immediately cut off the ties between the two gangs and killed your grandfather and that was the start of the rivalry between the two gangs." She said, a heavy weight on her words

Elena turned her gaze to me, catching my eyes."Your dad was seventeen  when that happened and he immediately got promoted to being the leader. He was one heck of a leader and was proud to be his right woman." She smiled, seeming to reminisce

"We were in our senior year when I met Ellie's dad," She casted her husband a soft smile, it made me feel mushy inside.

"He was being bullied by the jocks and your father taught those assholes a lesson." She mused out, Mr. Haven cracking a smile."I took a liking to Ellie's Dad and we started dating. He didn't know anything about the gang stuff until he was kidnapped."

Elena somehow went emotional, Mr. Haven pulling her in a side hug as she tried to reel her emotions in.

"We couldn't find him for two days before one of our trackers managed to trace their hideout. We immediately did a rescue and the leader got killed. Your father Harvey was about to get shot but this guy here, took a bullet for him." She said, her voice cracking slighty in the end.

Mr. Haven nodded, pulling the collar of his shirt to the side and revealed a scar from a gun shot. It looked like it fucking hurt a lot but from the way he smiled, I knew he was proud of it.

"After that, your dad made me quit the gang and had us moved away but not before promising he'd stay in contact and we did, but after six months he stopped calling and visiting and it was like he just vanished and we never heard from him before. We moved back here a few years later and we tried to track your dad but we couldn't." She finished off, her voice sad.

"'My dad died from an ambushed two years ago while my mom got in an accident that left her lower half paralyzed, I had an older brother but he ran away leaving me the obligation of being the gang leader," I croaked out, ignoring the slight pang of pain.

Ellie's mother gasped before turning to her husband and started to cry. I closed my eyes as I felt my heart clench painfully. So many thoughts running in my mind.

I didn't know any about this. My dad and I weren't that close since he was too busy training my older brother who ran away from his position. I tried to track my brother but he didn't want to be found, everything was a dead end.

"Alexander is the leader of the Dark crest, it seemed that they kidnapped Ellie because of me, to try and surrender." I explained, the twins nodding beside me.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stay away from your daughter but I just couldn't and now, sh-she's kidnapped and its all because of me." I continued, looking down in guilt.

"I can't blame you," Ellie's dad started making me look up at him,"For falling for my daughter."

"Ellie is a strong girl with a good heart, she's been through so much and yet she never forgets to give love to others so who wouldn't love her?" Mr. Haven continued, letting out a shrug.

He gave me a small smile."So don't apologize for falling for my little girl because despite all of this, you make her happy." He nodded at me, his words making me teary eyed.

Shit. I fucking love that woman.

"Thank you," I smiled."I'll do everything I can to bring her home Mr. and Mrs. Haven." I stood up, the promise evident in my voice.

"I think we overcomed the formal nicknames Alec." Mr. Haven flanced at his wife briefly before turning to me with a smile."Call me Robert and my wife, Elena." He nods, his words somehow bringing a sense of relief in me.

"Thank you Robert and Elena, your words mean a lot to me." I smiled, before turning to Hayden who hastily stood up.

All our attemtion turned to him, my heart leaping out of my chest at the words that left his words.

"Connor found their hideout."