What do we do now?” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. The room felt cold, the weight of the impending confrontation pressing down on all of us like a heavy blanket. My thoughts were scattered, frantically trying to grasp at some semblance of a plan.
“We’ve let the packs know what happened. They’ll be here soon,” Dickson said, his voice steady, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. He stood near the window, gazing out as if expecting the packs to materialize out of the darkness at any moment.
I turned to Leo, who was still hunched over in the corner, his shoulders shaking with every sob. He was a broken man, consumed by the guilt of what he had done. He’d killed his brother, his own flesh and blood, in a moment of uncontrollable rage. Now, that regret was eating him alive, tearing him apart from the inside.
“I… I didn’t mean to,” Leo kept repeating, his voice choked with tears. “He was my brother… I didn’t mean to…”
“Leo,” I said softly, approaching him with caution. It felt like he was on the brink of shattering completely, and I wasn’t sure if I could hold him together. “Leo, you need to pull yourself together. The packs… they’ll be here any minute. They’re going to have questions, and we need to be ready.”
Leo lifted his head, his eyes red and swollen from crying. He looked at me, and in that moment, I could see just how deeply he was suffering. “How can I face them?” he whispered. “I’ve ruined everything… I’ve… I’ve killed my own brother.”
I crouched down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know it feels like everything is falling apart, but right now, we need to keep it together. We need to focus on what’s coming. We need to show them that we’re still strong, that we can still lead.”
He didn’t respond, just stared at the floor, tears continuing to stream down his face. My heart ached for him, but there was nothing I could do to ease his pain. What had happened was irreversible, and now we had to deal with the consequences.
Suddenly, a loud knock echoed through the house, making all of us jump. It was the pack. The sound was a stark reminder that the world hadn’t stopped for our grief. Outside, the night continued, and the packs were here to demand answers.
“We have to go,” I said, rising to my feet. I glanced at Dickson, who gave me a firm nod. He was ready, but the uncertainty lingered in the air between us.
Leo hesitated, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He looked like a man on the edge, teetering between despair and the crushing responsibility that awaited him.
“Come on,” I urged gently. “We need to face them.”
Leo nodded reluctantly, and we made our way downstairs. The house was eerily silent, each step echoing like a death knell in the quiet. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, the tension in the air thickened, pressing down on us like a storm about to break.
When we entered the sitting room, I saw Ronald already there, holding Racheal by the hand. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear, and she clung to Ronald like a lifeline. The sight of them both was a reminder of everything we had to protect, everything that was at stake.
We took our seats, and a heavy silence descended upon the room. No one spoke. The air was thick with unspoken words, the tension almost unbearable. Leo sat beside me, his face a mask of grief and regret. He seemed lost, as if he were a thousand miles away, but the tears kept sliding down his cheeks, a silent testament to the turmoil within him.
Finally, the elder of the pack, a man with graying hair and eyes that seemed to hold the weight of centuries, broke the silence. “Alpha,” he said, his voice deep and resonant, “we heard of the death of your brother William. We are sorry for your loss.”
His words hung in the air, solemn and sincere, but they were also a signal. The formalities were over; now it was time to address the real issue.
Leo’s breath hitched at the mention of William, and I could see him tense, his hands clenching into fists on his lap. I reached over, placing my hand over his, trying to steady him. “Thank you,” I replied on Leo’s behalf, my voice calm but strained. “We appreciate your condolences.”
The elder nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Leo, as if he were searching for something-an explanation, perhaps, or a sign of the strength that an Alpha should possess. But Leo didn’t meet his eyes; he was too lost in his own grief.
“What happened?” another pack member asked, his voice sharp and direct. There was no hiding the suspicion that laced his words. “How did William die?”
The room seemed to shrink at the question, the walls closing in on us. I could feel the eyes of the pack boring into us, demanding the truth, no matter how painful it might be.
Leo trembled beside me, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He was on the verge of breaking down completely, and I knew I had to speak before he did, before the truth tore him apart.
“There was… an altercation,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “It was… an accident. Things got out of hand, and… William didn’t make it.”
The explanation was vague, but it was all I could offer without plunging Leo deeper into the pit of despair. But I could see the doubt in the pack’s eyes, the unspoken questions that lingered just beneath the surface.
“An accident?” the elder repeated, his voice heavy with skepticism. “What kind of accident?”
Leo’s breathing grew more erratic, and I could see him shaking. I knew he was reliving the moment over and over in his mind, the image of William’s lifeless body seared into his memory. He was trapped in his guilt, and I had to do something before he shattered completely.
I tightened my grip on Leo’s hand, a silent plea for him to stay strong, to hold on just a little longer. But the truth was clawing its way out, desperate to be heard.
“It was my fault,” Leo suddenly blurted out, his voice cracking under the weight of his confession. His eyes were wild, filled with pain and self-loathing. “I… I killed him. I killed William.”
A stunned silence fell over the room, the air thick with disbelief. The pack members exchanged shocked glances, and I could see the horror and anger slowly rising in their eyes. Leo’s confession had ripped open the wound, exposing the raw, ugly truth for everyone to see.
The elder’s face hardened, his eyes narrowing as he studied Leo. “You killed your brother?” he repeated, his voice cold and unforgiving. “How could this happen?”
Leo collapsed inward, his face buried in his hands as he sobbed uncontrollably. The sound of his anguish was heart-wrenching, a cry that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul.
“We need to talk,” the elder said after a long pause, his voice firm. “All of us. Now.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on my shoulders. The road ahead was dark and uncertain, and I wasn’t sure if any of us would make it through unscathed. But there was no turning back now. The truth was out, and the hardest part was yet to come.