Chapter 31
I'M IN BIG, FAT TROUBLE.
There's only a half wall with marble pillars connecting it to the ceiling above that separates the living room from the kitchen and dining table so the second I walk through the front door there are two pairs of eyes trained on me.
My father and the alpha are kicked back with beers in the kitchen. Dad mans a pot that smells like heaven while Alpha Isaiah is perched on a stool at the island counter. Their conversation hits an abrupt halt at my arrival.
Without having to be told, I know they've been waiting for me.
It's about time, anyway.
"You know why I'm here?" Alpha Isaiah asks too much like a disapproving parent for my liking while my actual parent pretends he's not listening to the start of what will be the alpha chewing me out.
Slipping off my shoes and socks, I put my bag on the couch and head to the refrigerator for a bottle of cold water. Popping the cap, I take a sip, withholding the urge to smile because Alpha Isaiah's eyes track me the whole way, patiently waiting for my response.
"Yes," I reply, smiling behind the rim of the bottle. "I'm not sorry about it. She had it coming."
There's no doubt Lianna's parents brought the issue to the alpha. With Dad being gamma, all security matters, including incarceration of fellow pack mates, pass through him before it goes to the alpha.
I'm surprised it took this long for a confrontation.
Alpha Isaiah takes a swig of his beer, fingers drumming against the side of the bottle. "Lianna's parents wanted to know why their daughter was thrown into holding. They said she told them you put her there."
"I didn't put her there," I argue, the corners of my mouth barely curling with pure malice.
The thought of it alone lights my blood on fire when I remember how she whimpered and whined and thrashed to get away.
She'd shifted back eventually, tried reasoning with me.
At one point in her desperate attempt to evade incarceration, she tried flirting, reminiscing about our past fling.
That pissed me off more than anything. "I dragged her. By her neck."
Alpha blinks. Dad's jaw drops, but he snaps it shut when the alpha turns to stare at him as if it's somehow his fault.
I'm not sure why they're shocked. These are men who have lived through a war with Lativa at the start of their reign – a war that saw the death of Jessop's eldest son and forced Alpha Isaiah, Beta Chad, my father, and Commander Rick into the current hierarchy.
It's why I don't have grandparents on Dad's side. It's why my friends don't have grandparents at all. Jessop's lunacy cost them their lives, forcing their sons to reshape the kind of power Marcana has in this town.
"He's like a mini you," Alpha Isaiah comments to my dad who looks like he can't figure out if he should be worried or proud.
"It's not funny, Isa," he shoots back with a pointed glare, jabbing the pot spoon in the alpha's direction. Alpha raises his hands signaling he'll drop it as Dad turns to me, a frown creasing his forehead. "Buddy, what'd she do?"
I shrug. "She disobeyed a direct order."
They both pause, look at each other in question, and then back at me.
"I'm going to need something better than that," says Alpha Isaiah. "You'll be gamma soon enough. If you're throwing my subordinates into holding, I need to know it's for a reasonable offense."
My mind flashes to Wednesday morning. I wasn't assigned to patrol and didn't have an exam carded for the morning period.
To kill time, I thought that taking a run through the woodland would be a good idea.
From time to time, we shift and go for runs to take the edge off, but I will admit that there was another motive for my spontaneous need to shift.
I couldn't stop thinking about Jace and that kiss. I wanted to see him again despite my harsh words. I'd wanted to make sure he was all right because the bond remains intact and his emotions – the heartbreak, the overwhelming sense of helplessness – tortured me relentlessly for the entire night.
Yet, I didn't want to risk a confrontation so soon. At least in my wolf form, I could hide among the brush and hope to catch a glimpse of him from the cottage.
When I got there, the cottage was empty. I followed his scent deeper into the woodland and that's when I saw Lianna chasing him down. When I saw the terror on his face, something inside of me snapped and I knew I couldn't let her get away.
Returning the half-empty water bottle to the fridge, I lean against it, crossing my arms over my chest. "She attacked Jace in wolf form."
"Oh," comes Dad's quiet reaction.
Alpha whistles lowly, glancing between Dad and me, amusement twinkling in his blue eyes.
At this moment, I'm suddenly struck by how similar Dale is to him, not only in physical appearance but mannerisms and personality.
For all their stoicism and calm demeanor, McKenzie men have their own special brand of annoying.
"Don't give me any shit," Dad fires off, glaring at Alpha who takes the warning into stride.
"He's more like you than I thought. Be proud, Steven."
No doubt, he's referring to how my father used to be when it came to my mother. There lies another parallel between us. With every passing year, I'm more my father's son than I realize.
Alpha turns back to me, tapping a finger idly on his jaw, assessing me. I raise an eyebrow, equal parts challenging and curious. I'm not afraid of Alpha Isaiah. He's watched me grow up and he is a trusted adult. He might be the head of this pack, but I don't fear him the way subordinates do.
"She disobeyed a direct order." He repeats my words with understanding, a slight nod of his head in acknowledgment that I did not act unprovoked.
Prior to Jace and his parents temporarily relocating to Marcana, Alpha issued an order that no Marcana Were is to shift in front of our guests.
It's the whole reason training was relocated to a clearing deeper in the woodland and Weres with pups who haven't shifted are advised to be more watchful.
It's both to protect the secret of the existence of Weres because most humans, in fact, cannot handle the existence of something more powerful, and, to protect our human guests.
Lianna did not only defy her alpha's orders.
"Don't forget, Jace is human," I remind quietly. Alpha nods again.
"You did well. At least we won't have to worry about a repeat incident. Jace and his parents are moving back to their home tonight."
A hollow pang reverberates in my chest. For a moment, I'm back outside the gymnasium with Jace in my arms, his back pressed to my chest, my lips ghosting behind his ear.
I can hardly recall what he feels like in my arms when what strikes me most are his words and turbulent emotions when he rejected me – again.
He's going back to his neighborhood. His home, with his parents. I don't know if he'll show up tomorrow for his last set of finals. We have one class together and it would be nice to see him again.
I know I said I would leave him alone, that I would respect his wish to not pursue anything further. I can't shake the feeling that we would be great together if he gives us a chance but there's more to it than simply being unable to stay away from him.
The bond keeps pulling me back, pushing me to find out what's got him so rattled. Whatever it is, it's taking a toll on him. He hasn't been right since Monday, and I can't shake the feeling that his secret is something terrible.
He's scared. Hurting. And trying to be strong through all of it. He should know he doesn't have to face it alone.
I won't let him.
"What will you do about Lianna?" I ask, flitting my gaze to Alpha Isaiah. Dad turns off the stove and starts wiping down counters before flipping the kitchen towel over his shoulder and finishing off his beer.
Alpha shrugs in nonchalance. "If she'd hurt Jace, neither your father nor Chad could save us the Council's wrath. She'll serve her one-week penance though I suggested a longer sentence. She attacked the mate of the next gamma."
I frown. "Aren't you the boss around here? You could simply give the order to extend her sentence."
Alpha turns to my father who scowls over the rim of his beer bottle.
"I would have liked nothing more than to issue a longer sentence," Dad explains. "She endangered the life of a human."
Like me, there is nothing my father detests more than insubordination. Especially when it threatens the stability of the pack's hierarchy or risks putting us in trouble with the Council. Lianna's actions could have put us in serious hot water had I not intervened.
In Jasper Falls, laws are written to favor the protection of humans. It's that way throughout Schrattner's County and Murdoc Province. Last I heard, the councils in Berkel County were aiming for similar but met resistance because of corrupted authority heads.
Since humans are inferior to Weres – not as strong or fast – county laws exist to guard them – even the way pack laws are structured. In Were-on-human disputes or vice versa, Weres usually receive a harsher punishment.
We hide from them. Do everything we can to make sure most humans don't know about us, yet we do all we can to protect them.
They've lived among us for centuries. They are our friends and mentors, sometimes our mates and lovers.
They're important to the balance between packs because without them, I'm sure there would be never ending pack conflicts, feuds, and wars because we're territorial bastards who want the largest cut of turf.
"What stopped you?" I ask.
"Her parents," Dad replies, tossing the empty beer bottle in the trashcan at the end of the island counter. "They're a pain in my ass."
My frown deepens. "How so?"
"They're threatening to report us to the Council for gross maltreatment of a subordinate," Alpha Isaiah offers. "Unlawful incarceration."
A laugh barks out of me. "It won't go anywhere."
"Now that I know what happened," Alpha continues, "we can make this go away. The Council is strict when it comes to protecting our human brethren."
Despite the amusement on my face, the fact that I laugh at the absurdity of Lianna's parents trying to blow things out of proportion, anger boils beneath the surface.
I have a sudden urge to see that idiot, wondering just all what she said to her parents to have them acting this way considering that Marcana is a pack that strives to treat its people fairly.
No one is mistreated in this pack. If they are, worthy punishments are given to the perpetrators. No one is exempt from punishment.
"Would I be making things worse if I paid Lianna a visit?"
Dad and the alpha exchange glances. The latter shrugs.
"It'll be a supervised visit, then," Dad replies. Oh shucks. I was hoping for five uninterrupted minutes. "We'll be checking in for any new information regarding those rogues we detained in Lativa."
"Can we go now?"
"Later," Alpha Isaiah says. "I'm going with you."