Was it too Late
Alejandro
Ishut the door to my office behind me. Leo was already sitting in one of the chairs, his long legs sprawled out in front of him, hands in his pockets, and his face set in a cold frown. Rayhan walked over to the window, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms.
As much as I didn’t want to do this right after that hell of a battle, knowing there were families who were mourning their losses…
knowing that I had a shitload to do in the morning and so much fucking more, I also couldn’t let this chance slip away.
I knew Leo would be gone before morning came; I knew him enough to know that.
The fact that he and Rayhan worked together gave me some hope and that he had stayed in the same place as Rayhan without causing issues for a few hours.
“I ain’t got all night,” Leo said as I dropped into my office chair. Damn, my body was fucking exhausted.
“Yeah well, I’ll get to it. You both know why I’ve called you here. I want you both to say exactly what you feel, but I want you both to listen whilst the other talks, alright? No fucking interrupting,” I commanded, my Alpha command weighing down on them. I saw Leo’s eyes flash with irritation.
“Fine,” Rayhan said quietly.
“I’m not forcing you to agree. Just give each other a chance,” I added quietly, knowing Leo hated any form of command.
I sat back, taking out a cigarette from a packet. I was about to put the box away when, instead, I offered it to my younger nephew. After a moment’s hesitation, he took one, and I lit his before lighting my own.
“Want one?” I asked Rayhan, who simply raised an eyebrow.
“No thanks,” he said before opening the window next to him. Leo scoffed as he sat back, and I ran my hand through my hair. Well, here goes…
“We all know what Delsanra went through at the hands of Endora. I’ve had this conversation with you, Leo. Do you want me to go over it?”
“Nah, I know. I was there, remember? I witnessed all the shit that went on there,” he said coldly, his eyes becoming ice. I frowned and nodded.
“Very well. So you know that she was beaten to within an inch of her life on a daily basis, made to do Endora’s biddings, and, if she refused, she was simply beaten further?” I asked quietly.
There were the fucking hunters who had done worse to Delsanra, but Rayhan had hunted and killed them all.
We had lost Raf because of that fight. There were also corrupt witches who had helped the hunters…
I knew Rayhan hated the hunters with even more vengeance than he had the Sangue Pack, but he had killed all those involved. I sighed heavily.
“There were many who hurt her willingly, many who were commanded to hurt her, blackmailed, or out of fear of being beaten themselves, for survival… and those who were brave enough to refuse were then compelled under magic to hurt her. These rogues were all gathered by Endora, and she built her army by fear and control.” I looked between both of them.
Both were quiet. “Rayhan did what he felt was right. Seeing what his mate had gone through would fucking affect anyone; we would destroy the world for our mates. The need to protect them is so fucking intense that, until you have a mate, you won’t understand that.
I’m not saying that it was completely right; I’m just saying when your mate is hurt, you don’t see anything but to make it better,” I said quietly.
I could feel Leo’s anger rising, but he didn’t speak, although I knew even with my command he could if he wanted.
“Rayhan, do you want to put your points forward? Do you want to tell Leo exactly what happened when you went to the Sangue Pack long ago?” He gave a curt nod before slipping his hands into his pockets.
“I first took the files from you after promising that I wouldn’t show them to anyone.
You were reluctant to give them to me. I then asked Delsanra which ones had hurt her.
She pointed out those that she remembered, and then we went to the Sangue Pack.
I had told Marcel which men it was, and so they were already gathered.
” He sighed, turning to look out at the moon.
The pain in his eyes was clear. No matter how much fucking time passed, it was obvious it didn’t go away entirely.
I glanced at Leo, who was smoking away indifferently, tapping his foot silently as if bored.
“Delsanra told me that there were those who had been forced to hurt her and not to do this.”
“But you didn’t listen,” Leo said. Rayhan frowned.
“They couldn’t just get away with it. I first separated those who were forced and had felt guilt to step forward, deciding they would get one beating and be let off.
I only beat a few of them because Delsanra pleaded with me to let them go, and I did.
” As I had thought and heard, but still, Leo didn’t seem to look surprised, almost as if he knew that.
I frowned as Rayhan sighed, “I let them go. That group felt remorse and had been under spells. There was an older man who even talked about some she-wolf who hung with Delsanra when she was mid-mutating to a wendigo or something,” he continued.
“Then, I sent Delsanra with Liam. After that, the group who were compelled and felt no remorse were-”
“Beaten and bound in silver for a month,” Leo cut in.
“Yeah. And the rest who hurt her willingly, I killed.” Leo smirked and nodded.
“Yeah…. Anything else?” He asked. Rayhan frowned but looked down.
“Maybe I was too harsh, but there were guards in your pack who had hurt her, too. Those in the upper ranks of the Sangue Pack. Should people like that be given a second chance? Rogues are exiled wolves; either they committed crimes or weren’t worthy of staying in a pack because of disobedience to begin with.
Having ranked wolves who had committed that many crimes?
That isn’t something that should ever be allowed. “
“And then there are those who were born rogues. Does a child need to suffer for their parent’s sins?
” Leo asked, sitting forward as he turned and looked at Rayhan.
“The thing is, this is the last time I’m going to talk about this because it’s obvious you both will never fucking get it.
Dad was born a rogue. He knew nothing but what Endora had taught him.
Most of those men were born to rogues that Endora gathered.
That’s the only life we knew. Obey or be killed.
Survival – it’s the basic instinct all living things have.
” He licked his lips, exhaling sharply as he stood up.
“You mentioning where we came from, that was the fucking last straw, and it shows that you’ll never get it.
We will always be beneath the ‘elite,’ you folk.
” He raised his hands in a mock surrendering gesture.
“Leo-” I began when he shook his head.
“I’m not fucking done,” he said quietly, his eyes flashing. There was something different in the way he was talking, and deep down, I worried that if I didn’t get through to him tonight, my chance would be gone. I nodded, motioning for him to carry on.
“You know those men that you killed? The ones that hurt her willingly? Do you know they were told to beat a witch, which, if you forget, was the common enemy for us werewolves? Or did you all forget that little detail when you changed your opinion the moment a Rossi had a witch mate and a witch daughter? When it affected the Lycan King’s family, of course, he was going to suddenly change sides or consider acceptance.
” I frowned, as did Rayhan, my stomach twisting. He had a fucking point.
“But that’s because we saw the good in them. Del and Ri showed us that not all witches were bad. We were wrong to judge them all as one,” I said quietly. He nodded.
“Yeah… but how do you explain that to a man whose own mate was threatened to be killed off if he didn’t beat a witch? A monster as we were taught? Obviously, he’ll choose to attack a monster who was helping Endora, who was a fucking psychotic bitch.”
“And that is why the rogues were given a chance at a fresh start because I don’t agree with Rayhan there. They deserved a chance at a new life-” I began.
“Sure, but you took that promise right fucking back when you gave him access to those files! You gave us so much fucking hope that me and the other kids were so fucking excited to live a life like we heard others had. We’d get to go to school, train, watch movies, listen to music, have proper homes, and have fucking fun like normal kids, but everything was taken away the moment you let another alpha walk into our pack and force our alpha to submit.
” The pain in his voice was thick, yet his tone remained hard and angry as he glared at me.
His eyes held a haunted look that I had seen on the faces of many back in those caves…
“Leo-”
“I’m not done… Dad never mentioned it, but years after the effect of that massacre, and what Rayhan did was a fucking massacre, it haunted us.
When you killed all those men, you killed their mates.
You made so many children orphans. Dad is at fault, you are at fault, and, above all, Rayhan is at fault.
I don’t care about the reasons, the way that was handled was wrong.
I watched those killings, those beatings through a fucking vent.
I watched how Dad sat in an adjoining room, head in his hands, as his pack members were beaten!
You did it all for your mate, yet you took away the mates of many!
” Leo continued, his eyes going from me to Rayhan, blazing a steely blue.
I could tell it was hard for him to talk about it, and I got it… I had fucked up.