The Last Interrogation
forty-eight
*FOREST*
The sun has started to rise, the first rays of sunshine finding their way past the curtains and into our bedroom. We returned home late last night, and with everything that happened, with all we learned and with what’s still ahead of us, sleep didn’t come easily to us.
Rosea looks calm and peaceful as she lies next to me. If I didn’t know, I would have never expected that she crushed Jordan’s dick only yesterday. I grin at the memory. That pathetic fool thought he had her and everyone else under his control until the last minute.
It’s good that we didn’t kill him. Now, he can spend the remainder of his miserable life imprisoned, and he definitely won’t be able to hurt another woman again.
And Rose can finally live her life. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’ll make sure to cherish her.
“What are you thinking about?” Rose asks.
“How happy I am that you are here with me, and how lucky I was that we met,” I say, turning to lie on my side and touching her face gently. “How vastly different would my life have been without you?”
“It’s the same for me,” she admits. “Without you, I would have never found a new home. I don’t think I would have been able to recover from everything this soon.
I was so sure I could never trust another man again or, actually, any other person.
Then you came along,“ she smiles. “And you brought Griffin and Martin with you, and even found Rory for me.”
I wrap my arms around her, my heart so full of love it could explode at any moment.
“You did the same for me,” I admit. “If you hadn’t been there, I don’t think I would have taken the risk to trust Griffin or Martin.
Now, I have the best friends and ranked members possible, and my elite warriors have turned out to be loyal and strong. ”
“And Dr. Francis and Betty,” she adds. “Actually, a lot of the pack members showed quite a sense of morality the moment they realized Lissa and Donna fucked up. Probably because they have been unhappy with everything for a while, so the moment there was a chance for change, they instantly supported it, and you. You are going to be the alpha they need and want. I am just so sorry about everything with your parents, Forest.”
I stay quiet for a while, thinking about what my mom did to the pack and how she and Dad treated me all those years, and then, what Dad did last night and what the camera showed us.
Rose’s hand touches my chest, and I take it, squeezing it.
“It’s still hard for me to get over what happened,” I admit.
“But I know I’ll do fine, because you are here with me.
You, Martin, Griffin and Rory are my family now,” I say.
Rose smiles. “How long do you think until Rory and Martin will hook up?” she asks.
I stare at her. “What?”
“Oh, come on,” she chuckles. “They have been sticking together ever since Rory came to the pack.”
“Yeah, they constantly bickered, though.”
“Sure, at first, then they started to hang out with each other all the time. Plus, Martin was the first person Rory noticed when he got inside that Goddess-forsaken club. He was more worried about him being alright than actually getting his revenge on Jordan.”
I am stunned, to say the least, especially when I realize she has a point. “That would actually make me happy for them.”
“Did Martin ever meet his mate?” she asks me.
“He hasn’t talked to me about it, not really,” I say. “But during one of our training sessions recently, he said his mate just turned around the moment he noticed Martin was a guy and then took a random girl as his chosen mate.”
“Wow,” Rose mutters. “I had no idea. Even more reason to hope that he and Rory will be each other’s second chance.”
I feel a presence pushing against my mind, so I allow the mind link to come through. I hate to disturb you so early in the morning, Alpha, one of my elite guards links me. But Harry is throwing a tantrum in his cell. I am not worrying about him hurting anything, he is in silver shackles after all…
But we don’t need the whole pack to hear him scream and yell, I add. Contact Alpha Leonard and tell him Harry will be ready for transporting to the prison in two hours. I’ll be down with you in ten minutes, Mike.
Yes, Alpha.
I sit up. “I am sorry, love.”
“Work?” she asks. “Or Harry?”
“The latter. How did you know?”
“It’s typical for him to kick up a fuss. He is probably thinking pack members who might hear him will take pity on him and think he is down there unfairly,” she says.
“Exactly. Which is why I am going to deal with him now,” I say.
“I can come with you if that’s what you want,” she offers. “I don’t want to impose. I know you want to deal with him on your own, but I can still be there, like you were there when I faced Jordan.”
I contemplate her offer for a moment, then I smile. “I think I’d like that. Let’s do it together, like always.”
“Plus, Harry will be furious to see me,” she adds with a smirk.
I chuckle. “That too.”
Harry is more than a little furious to see her.
Our dungeons are small—most packs only have small dungeons, since usually actual criminals get sent to our very own prison for shifters and have the elders there judge them.
Next to the cells in our dungeons is a small room for questioning in case it’s needed, like today.
Dad is in there already, securely cuffed to the table.
Mom is there, too. She isn’t restrained, but I have two elite guards inside watching them, plus Griffin is there.
Strangely, Mom isn’t sitting close to my father.
She keeps her distance, sitting at the very opposite end of the desk.
By now, she must have realized that the shit he pulled is more than a little fucked up.
I have spared Martin the trouble of coming with me today. He has done enough and dealt with all the sleazy assholes for weeks, all by himself. He doesn’t need to get in here just for Harry to insult him. But Dr. Francis waits in front of the door as Rose and I arrive.
“Ready to deal with this once and for all?” Dr. Francis asks.
“Absolutely. I just want to get it over with, so that Rose and I can properly start anew,” I say.
“Are you two going to stick to your story?” Dr. Francis asks. “Of being each other’s mates?”
Rose and I exchange a look, then both shake our heads. “Too many people already know,” Rose says. “And Jordan probably will try to spin it too—”
“He is already doing that,” Dr. Francis says, then he laughs. “Just, no one wants to listen to him. He is in solitary confinement, and the guards don’t care.”
“Still,” I say. “Rose has a point. People know. Tristan, Leonard, you and Betty, my ranked members… I want to avoid anyone finding out the truth by chance and then blaming us for lying to them.”
Rose nods. “We’ll record the talk inside. I am sure either Harry or Donna will spill what they did to Forest’s mate. And then, tonight, Forest and I will hold a meeting with the whole pack and tell them the full extent of our story.”
“I approve,” Dr. Francis says. “And actually, I also agree. Be open with the pack. They will appreciate your honesty, and they will understand.”
“I am not afraid of their reaction,” I say. “I want to meet them on eye level, but I’m also their alpha and want to show them how confident I am in my relationship with Rose.”
“Besides, we marked each other already,” she says.
I smile, putting an arm around her shoulders. “That too.”
“Well, then let’s go.” Dr. Francis steps forward and opens the door, entering first, before Rose and I follow.
Mom raises her head, glaring when she notices Rose and me, but other than that, she doesn’t move or say anything. Dad, however, immediately tries to jump up, huffing when he realizes the handcuffs are restricting his movements.
Griffin looks at us. “Good morning, Alpha. Luna. Such a wonderful day, isn’t it?”
“It will be once we are done here,” Rose replies.
“And once we have breakfast,” Griffin adds. “I’m hungry.”
Rose chuckles. “You’re always—”
Again, Dad jumps up, this time he considers his restraints and stands in a half-bending position while glaring at Rose. “Why is she here?!” he hisses. “A luna should never involve herself in an alpha’s business!”
I look at him, letting Darien come to the front. I can feel his power surging through me, my fingertips sizzling slightly, my senses suddenly more alert. “Sit down,” I command.
Dad sits down abruptly, staring at me in shock. His mouth opens and closes, but he doesn’t say anything. The fact that I actually used an alpha command on him without being the official alpha yet must have come as a shock to him. Even more so that it worked.
“And you thought your son was too weak,” Dr. Francis says into the silence. “What a fool you were.”
Neither Mom nor Dad says a thing.
I sit down opposite them. “What did you do?” I ask quietly. “Just what in the hell did the both of you do?”
Mom glares at me again. “It’s just money. I would have earned it back in no time!”
“And why didn’t you?” I ask. “We traced back the money flow between you and Jordan. You have been gambling for years. So, where is the money if it’s so easy to just win it back in no time?”
Mom shuts her mouth, mumbling something.
“Not to forget that you pushed Lissa onto him, too,” Dr. Francis adds. “Even when his fated mate was already here.”
“She is not his fated mate,” Dad hisses.
Donna glares at him. “Harry!”
“We know it’s true. Why hide it now? Who cares?!”
“Why do you think she isn’t his fated mate?” Dr. Francis asks, looking completely flabbergasted. He plays his role well.
“We just know.”
“And how do you know?” Dr. Francis pushes.
Dad just grumbles something about me being pathetic and Rose being a fraud, but that’s about it. Eventually, he looks at me. “Did you know Martin betrayed you?” Dad snarls.
At that, I freeze. Griffin and I can only exchange a glance before Griffin bursts into laughter. Rose is the first to find her voice. “Have you not gotten the memo yet?” she asks. “That’s actually quite… hilarious.”
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” I sigh, turning toward Rose. “Would you please, love?”
Rose hands me the tablet she has been holding, squeezing my hand before letting go.
I press the play button on the video segment we have prepared.
It’s from the camera he was wearing when he met Jordan.
I turn the screen to show him what exactly I’ve watched, what we all watched, since the live recording started yesterday.
“Dad,” I say, unable to hide the pain in my voice at the revelation. “What did you do?”
Mom, who was glaring at me only a moment ago, suddenly rips the tablet out of my hands, staring at it. I let her. It’s not like she can do anything. We have backed-up the video plenty of times and already handed it over to the prison elders as evidence.
What surprises me is how shocked my mother is. She fast-forwards the video a little. “Fuck you!” she yells all of a sudden. Before she can lunge at my father, Griffin holds her back.
“What are you getting upset about?” he snarls. “Don’t be ridiculous, Donna! You always knew!”
“I knew that you were sleeping around,” she yells. “But this… here? This is a kid! How old is that girl in the video? Sixteen?”
“Fourteen,” I say. “She is fourteen.”
Mom stares at me first before turning toward my father again. “You disgusting pedophile,” she hisses.
“Lissa was one of your victims, too, wasn’t she?” Rose asks all of a sudden. “You groomed her.”
“I did not groom her,” Dad hisses. “She came to me willingly. She was happy about the attention I gave her.”
“Goddess,” I groan, trying to remember for how long I have known Lissa, and for how long she was friends with my family. How old was she back then? It does not take away from the crimes Lissa herself committed, but fuck, this is just despicable.
Mom has frozen completely. “Lissa?” she asks. “That girl was like a daughter to me.”
“Don’t be so sentimental,” Dad shrugs. “She was disposable.”
“You wanted her as Forest’s mate,” Mom exclaims. “You pushed for her and him to be together, while you were actually sleeping with her?”
“That’s where you draw the line?” Dad laughs.
“You—” Mom takes a shaky breath before her eyes grow darker. For a moment, it looks like she is about to attack him again, then she turns to me. “He killed her,” she says bluntly.
Dad looks up. “What are you—”
“It was his idea. Not that I stopped him, but he was the one who came up with it, he planned it—”
“Donna!” Dad is about to jump up again, but this time Griffin pushes him back into his seat.
“Shut up!”
“He killed your mate,” Mom continues. “He killed that girl named Hannah. I will tell you everything, if it means you will lock him away forever.”
“Are you certain you want to do that?” Dr. Francis says. “It means you will need to admit to your own complicity.”
“Yes,” she exclaims. “I’m sure. I will tell you everything.”