Chapter 8 - Seven
Brent's POV:
It had been a week, a full seven days, since discovering my lifeless mate. Seven days of sitting beside her, willing her to open her eyes. Seven days of Tenley coming to her mom's room to sleep and her grandparents picking her up each morning. She was such a precious little girl. I was doing everything I could not to become too attached. I didn't want to assume anything at this point, but her charm and adorable demeanor were proving hard not to become endeared to.
Tenley had been picked up a little awhile ago and my mind had been reeling from our conversation ever since.
45 minutes ago :
"Brent?" Tenley said, abandoning her coloring. She had covered almost the entire room in colorful drawings for her mom to see when she woke up.
"Yes?"
"Why does Andy call my momma, Luna?"
I chuckled at the nickname she had given my Beta. Of course, Anderson didn't mind. She had him, and me, wrapped around her little finger already.
My heart squeezed, "I know all of this is confusing, sweetie, but I'd really like to answer that question for you when your mommy wakes up. Now let's put all of this away. Your poppy will be here soon."
"Aw man, but I want to stay with you..." She said, giving me her best puppy dog eyes.
I had just about given in, too, but her grandfather came into the room to get her before I could respond…
Present:
A sharp knock at the door pulled me from my trance as the replay of the conversation from earlier left my mind.
"Come in," I called, continuing to eat my breakfast, knowing my Beta was on the other side of the door.
"Morning Alpha, any news?" He asked as he snatched the toast from my plate, causing me to glare at him.
I shook my head, "none since you asked an hour ago..."
"Well, no news is good news I guess," Anderson shrugged and took a seat on the far wall by the door, never getting too far away from the door in the event he needed to protect his Luna.
I Cut my eyes at him, "no, no news is not always good news."
"We still have nothing on the Gamma," I replied a little too aggressively, I'm sure. Maybe it was the stress of all of this getting to me, but how could he say that when we still knew nothing about Gamma Pembrook?
"Well, we don't know ‘ nothing ’, per se. We do know that he was supposed to be on night patrol the day Alyssa had her incident, and we do know that he was two hours late for his post," He replied confidently.
"That is basic information, Anderson," I said leaning forward in my seat and resting my elbows on my knees, holding my face in my hands. I was trying to keep myself together, but that was getting more and more difficult.
"Again, that is basic information. We have no clue where he was, who he could've been with, or what he was doing," I continued, getting more annoyed by the minute.
"Then question him," he said, as if it were that simple.
"Anderson, we may not like this guy, but there are rules. You and I both know we can't go questioning and intimidating a wolf without evidence."
'I'd sure like a chance to intimidate him...,' my wolf grumbled in my mind.
'..You and I both...' I responded knowingly.
"Yes, but you're the Alpha over this region, and this is your mate." He pushed back.
"And if I plan to keep my place, and protect the integrity of the pack, I must follow the rules," I said pointedly, "besides, he will slip up. Something will come up. There has to be someone who knows something..."
"Alpha! Brent! Alpha Brent!" I heard footsteps coming quickly down the hall.
Mary? I thought as I jumped from my seat to walk into the hallway where I was met by my mate's frantic mother.
"What? What's going on? Is Tenley ok? Where is she?" I questioned rapidly as I guided her into the hospital room.
"I knew that bastard had something to do with this!" She screamed through choked sobs. I patted her timidly on the back, attempting to calm her. I was unsure if my mate could hear anything and no one else could tell me that either, so I tried to keep her room as quiet as possible.
Looking over at Anderson, my words from moments ago echoed in both of our minds.
'See, I told you. Someone knows something,' I quickly mindlinked. Anderson nodded in response.
"What do you mean? Did he say something?" I urged her to keep going. My wolf surfaced, ready for a fight.
"He," she choked out.. "cheated on her! He betrayed her!"
My blood ran cold. Cheating in the werewolf community was not only highly uncommon, but it was something that could, and almost always did, turn a wolf rogue if it didn't kill them first. Wolves had soulmates. We were essentially two halves of a whole destined to find each other. If we lose that other part of us, we can go mad. I very nearly did when my first mate left me. However, I was somehow able to overcome it, I had always questioned that part. Why I was able to get past it was beyond my understanding, but clearly, the Moon Goddess had other plans. I couldn’t imagine the thought of never having found Alyssa.
Cheating was more intense for a wolf than rejection. To betray the mate bond, while still mated, was beyond cruel. The pain that pushes through a betrayal is enough to kill a wolf on the spot. It is much like a heart attack in the human world. The pain my poor mate must have been in (especially for as long as she was) was both admirable and gut-wrenching. My canines elongated at the thought of what Gamma Fuckboy put her through.
I snapped back to reality, no time to be lost in my head right now, "how do you know this? Who told you this?" I asked, attempting to keep my voice as even as possible.
"It's, it's in this letter. I got it in the mail today, she..she mailed me a letter the morning of her incident.." She said through a fresh set of tears. "It's all in here," she said as she handed me the crumpled letter she held tightly in her shaking hands.
Alyssa's letter:
Mom,
I want to start off by saying how much I love you and dad and how sorry I am for breaking your heart. I wish I could've been stronger. I wish I could've gotten help. I know that you want to know why, and I know you'll think you could've helped me and fixed this for me like you always fixed all of my hurts as a child. Please know this is not a hurt you could've fixed, this is not a pain that could've been bandaged up and healed. Please remember that Dalton is Tenley's father. Please remember that as I explain what led to my decision. I do feel that you, of all people, are entitled to know why, but please keep this between you and daddy. I was awoken in the middle of the night to extreme pain. I was so confused, but then I felt Dalton pushing into our bond. Something he almost never did so I was worried about him. I opened my mind to him and saw, and felt, him with another woman. It was Caitlin, mom. My best friend. I cannot fathom this. I can't live with this hurt. I can't live with this pain. I will be rejecting my bond with Dalton before I go. I don't want my soul tied to him in any more lifetimes. I don't care to speak with him. I have nothing to say to him. I pray he finds his own healing from whatever made him into this monster. Again, I am so sorry. By the time you get this, I will be gone. How I wish I could've been stronger, mom. I love you.
It took everything I had to control my wolf. 'How I wish I could have been stronger' burned into my eyes. Even after what he did, she blamed herself. I was vibrating as I passed the letter over to my Beta .
I stayed silent, willing my wolf down.
'He betrayed mate! Mates are precious! Mates are a gift!' He growled.
'Yes, they are, but she is mine now. She is alive and we get to have her. We get to love her and cherish her.'
This seemed to have gotten his attention as I could feel the shift subsiding.
I continued, ' I am angry, too. We will get justice for her, but we will do this my way...stand down.'
"What the fuck?" Anderson responded as he looked up from the paper in his hands.
"Mary," I looked back over at my distraught mate's mother, "Mary, I need you to keep this between us. Please. We will take care of this."
Mary nodded her head in understanding before looking at me, "now I know why Caitlin hasn't been by and won't answer any of my calls..." She sadly stated as tears betrayed her once more.
"Mary, does Caitlin know that Alyssa drank silver?" Realization suddenly flowed over me.
"No, Alpha O'Connor, oh I mean Brent... I don't think so, I haven't been able to reach her. I don't think anyone knows any of the details, except for those of us that have been here of course," she looked at me confused by my question.
However, a lightbulb went off for my Beta, "Caitlin must think she killed her best friend by sleeping with her mate. That's why she won't answer and that's why she hasn't asked about her..."
"Anderson, call Ryan and tell him to get eyes on Caitlin. Now. "
"Yes, Alpha," he said as he pulled out his phone.
I pulled the shirt I was wearing over my head and laid it across my mate's chest. I knew this would take a while and I wanted my scent to be fresh for my mate's comfort. I knew now that I calmed her. She had rejected him, she could feel me, and I was sure of it. She could still reject me of course, but I was going to care for her and keep her comfortable regardless of the outcome.
She rejected him, I thought again as I pulled a fresh shirt back on. My heart was swelling with hope. More hope than I'd had in years.
"Mary, can you sit with Alyssa? I have someone to attend to. Anderson, you're with me."