Sutton
"Please, Jamison, you're my uncle. I'm asking as family—there has to be a way to prevent this from happening."
"Don't pull the family card with me, Sutton. You know that's not how things work. Mate or not, he attacked and almost killed you; he has to face the consequences."
"I know that! No one knows that better than me. My own mate tried to kill me. How do you think that makes me feel? That doesn't mean I want him to die, and they're going to kill him, Jamison, you know they are."
"I'm going to assume it's just your emotions talking, Sutton. Victor is mated to an Alpha; we couldn't kill him even if we wanted to, but he'll still be punished. If it were up to me alone, maybe I could overlook it, but the entire council has been called in, and they're not going to excuse what he did just because he's your mate or because you're my niece."
"What do I do now, Jamison?"
"That is up to you, Sutton. He's your mate. The council will call on you, and you'll get a chance to plead his case if you so wish. It is, after all, known that a mated Alpha tends to be a lot stronger."
"Thanks, Uncle Jamison. I'll talk to you later."
The call disconnected, but I kept pacing the confining walls of my apartment, which now smelled as if it was submerged in Victor's scent. Everywhere I turned, there was something of his invading my space. I should've just let Cade throw out all his things—it's what he deserves. A small part of me felt guilty, though; I feel like if I hadn't ignored his warnings to stay away and leave him alone, none of this would be happening. But what was I supposed to do? He's my mate. I thought maybe he was apprehensive because I was an Alpha, and he was an Omega—that he thought I didn't really want him as a mate or that I wouldn't be good to him. I thought if I showed him I was committed to him and our mating, he would relent and give me a chance.
I must be a masochist because even after he tried to kill me, I am still holding out hope. Hope that's not even going to matter if Cade convinces the werewolf council to send him to his death. I wanted to go over there and beat the crap out of him, but I stopped myself because that would only make matters worse, and that's the last thing Victor needs right now. Cade would love nothing more than to put the final nail in Victor's coffin. There was bad blood between the two of them, and their mutual hatred was evident. But Cade had already kicked him out of the pack and tore down his house, which is why all his stuff was in my home. I think that's punishment enough. My mate was essentially a rogue, so if Cade didn't back off, it wouldn't matter that we had a treaty; I'd kill him where he stood if he sought to harm my mate further.
The sun was beginning to rise, which meant I had missed patrol. The teams would be heading back now to join the rest of the pack for breakfast. I normally had breakfast with the pack, but I wasn't in the mood this morning. Instead, I thought I'd catch up on some paperwork. I've been neglecting my Alpha duties for the past couple of days, leaving my Beta and third to pick up the slack. I know they don't mind the extra work—they both love and are dedicated to the pack—but in the end, I am the Alpha, and it's my responsibility to ensure that my pack is not only well taken care of but also safe.
It did surprise me, though, when I walked into my office and found them both at my desk.
"Shouldn't you guys be at breakfast?" They both had files in their hands, reading away. We all shared an office, but I had a personal space within it while they shared the outer area. It wasn't unusual for them to be here; most days, we all sat around my desk and worked together. It was better that way; it killed the boredom of sitting behind a desk, reading and signing papers all day while passing the time. It was more so the fact that they both had a lot of responsibilities within the pack, and especially since I've been MIA for the last couple of days, this was the last place I expected to find them.
"We'll go down soon and join the rest of the pack, but first, we wanted to get as much of this done as possible before we leave today," Malakhi, my Beta, says.
"Thanks, guys, I really appreciate the assist. It looks like we all had the same idea; I also wanted to get as much paperwork done before I have to go to Victor's trial today, if they ever tell me where it is."
"It's not like we haven't done paperwork before," Tobias chimes in, "and as you said, you had the same idea, so join us."
They both caught me up on the files they had already gone over, which were mostly pack requests—members requesting permission to leave the pack for university, to look for their mates, or just to travel. We worked until around 10 am when the final file was signed and put away. Tobias left to find his mate and daughter while Malakhi and I just sat in silence for a while. The silence was broken by Blues Saraceno's "The Devil's Got You Beat." I was almost afraid to answer when I saw who was calling. I'd been waiting for a week for them to call, to tell me when and where my mate's future would be decided, but after the conversation with my uncle this morning, I wasn't optimistic about our future.
"Hello." I listened to Anwar, head of the werewolf council, as he gave me a time and place to show up before ending the call.
"Where do we have to be?" I look from my phone to Malakhi, who was not only my Beta but my best friend. He and Tobias were the only ones who knew what was going on, and I knew I could count on them for anything. But this was my mate, so it was my fight, and I had to do this alone.
"I appreciate the offer, Khi, but this is something I need to do alone."
"Are you sure? Tobias and I were going to draw straws to see who gets to go with you." That was a lie if I ever heard one. Tobias's nickname was "Lucky," and it was well-earned. He never lost at anything.
"Were you, really?"
"No." His smile was infectious as we left the office for my apartment. "I was going to leave without telling him."
"Tobias would be pissed. In any case, I need both of you here looking after the pack while I'm gone."
I was only going for two or three days, max, but if I were gone longer, they both needed to be here to look after the pack. I input my code, and the panel opened to reveal the scanner that scanned my palm before the door opened. We both flopped down on the couch in the living room.
"What did they say?" He didn't need to ask what I was talking about; he's been present for most of my calls to the council in the past week, trying to get any and every bit of information I could about where they had taken Victor. The funny part is, when Alpha Anwar told me, I wasn't as relieved as I thought I'd be.
"He's in London. I'm supposed to be there tomorrow morning for his trial."
"What's wrong, then?" I couldn't hide anything from Khi if I wanted to; that's how close we were. I didn't have to tell him; he just knew, sometimes even before I did.
"My main focus is keeping him alive, but what happens after that? He can't go back to his pack, and no other pack will take him once they know what he's done, and..."
"Why would he go to another pack? You're his mate; this is his pack now." He was suggesting that I bring Victor here, and to be honest, the thought had crossed my mind, but the last thing I wanted was for him to come here, lose it, and attack a member of the pack. "I can see I've given you something to think about, so I'll leave you to it. My team is up next for patrol."
I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize he'd gotten up from the couch until I heard the lock on the front door disengage, and by then, it was too late to call him back. I got up from the couch and called my pilot to have the jet ready to leave by 10 tonight. I packed an overnight bag for myself and, on impulse, one for Victor as well. As the mate of an Alpha, I knew the council would see to his needs, but I thought he would be more comfortable in his own clothes.
I grabbed my laptop and opened my email. I had thirty-six new messages, but I was only interested in one. Opening the email from Alpha Anwar, I quickly scanned the details before closing it and going to get some breakfast.
"Alpha Sutton, we'll begin our descent now." Jackson's voice came over the speakers. My seat was reclined for the six-hour flight, as I was not a fan of giant tin cans, so I slept most of the journey to keep my mind off the fact that I was trapped in a metal bird thousands of miles in the air. I brought the seat back to its original position and buckled in. Jackson was a fellow pack member and the best pilot I knew, so I trusted him not to crash and kill us