Peter sighed. This was it. The moment when his incapability as an alpha would be shown to the pack. With that question strewn to his face that way, there was no escaping it. He had to answer without fail. He had to throw himself under the bus.
“Peter, we are still waiting for your reply.” Sheila mentioned, folding her hands across her chest, aware that she had just addressed her old friend without his title, as if they weren’t before a congregation of his subordinates. She knew that was wrong, but she couldn’t help herself.
Her quest for the truth had triumphed over the need to be so respectful now. As a matter of fact, the respect was beginning to dwindle to zero. She still couldn’t believe that they would exile her daughter, even after the girl had saved his son. Like what heartless being does that?
Melvina and Derek looked at Peter at the same time. They both knew what was going on in his head, the battle that was ongoing there, and they both wished that they could save him from that, but also knew that he wouldn’t let them; that he would prefer to carry the load on himself.
“Well…after she had saved Derek, the party had continued after the cleanup of the hall and its surroundings. I had also given my son and Emma some time to catch up, but during their absence from the hall, my brother, Arnold, had approached me.”
Peter paused here, not sure how to go on from there. When he felt Melvina’s hand on his , reassuring him that he would be fine, he continued, not minding the glare that he thought he was receiving from his beta and his mate.
Later, he would think about this, and wonder why. But for now, his mind was consumed with his mistakes so much that he hadn’t thought much of his beta’s glare. He had relegated the glare to one of the many that weren’t happy with the decision he had made that night.
“Arnold had told me to make sure that Emma left the pack that night. When I had questioned on why he wanted that, he had mentioned that the people were not happy seeing her in the pack. I asked him what made him think so, since he wasn’t a member of the pack. I was sure that the pack’s trust for him was zero. So, what could he have said to gain their trust and garner for Emma to be exiled from the pack? But he said nothing in response, only that if I didn’t exile Emma, that the pack would leave me and join his own pack. That he wishes that I don’t listen to him. It was a reverse psychology term, and I had fallen into it willfully. I had decided to exile the girl, to save the remnant of my pack from falling away. It hadn’t been an easy decision, and it hadn’t been the right one. Then, I had thought that I was doing the right thing, the best thing for the pack, but I can see now that I had been selfish in my dealings. I should have thought of my son’s happiness first, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stay happily with another woman that wasn’t his mate, and I should have thought gratefully of Emma’s help. I am really sorry, Sheila, for succumbing to Arnold’s trap once again.” Peter concluded, amidst the silence in the great hall.
Sheila soughed, shook her head, and fell into her chair again, not believing what she was hearing. “So, after the plot that had commiserated the pack war seven years ago, from what I heard from the people whilst they murmured, you had let your brother in the pack for your son’s birthday? Why will you do that? I am aware that blood is thicker than water, but shouldn’t his betrayal those years have shown you that Arnold has never been on your side? What possessed you to accept him again? What possessed you all in accepting him again?” Sheila shouted, her last sentence directed to the crowd that she turned to face now.
She raised her hands in disbelief, then flung them down. If she had been around, Arnold wouldn’t have stepped his feet into this pack again for all of his miserable years. “And you Melvina, what had you done? You had been on the matter to let Arnold into the pack? You had been onboard the matter to exile my daughter, your son’s mate out of the pack? Is that what your hunch had advised you to do? Or had you disregarded it like you had disregarded your son’s feelings? ” Sheila questioned in anger, instantly swerving to look at a Melvina whose face was tanned with black sorrow.
“It was the painting.” Maya said, not happy with the turn of events, although not surprised in the least.
“The painting? Which painting?” Sheila asked, her attention drawn once again to Maya, her eyes drawn together in scrutiny.
“A few months ago, like a month and half ago, my father and I, with some members of my pack, had come to this pack for peacemaking, to make a pact. My father had come alongside with a painting, to show his sincerity. My uncle had accepted the pact, and that had been the reason why the pack had been more accepting of us when we had decided to exchange pack warriors…” Maya was saying, when Sheila interrupted her, in anger.
“Exchange pack warriors??? For what?! Peter, what is that supposed to mean? Why would you do that?! What exactly does Arnold have over you? Does he know a secret that no one does? Did you do anything wrong that he had seen?” Sheila threw off the questions, her voice rising with each query.
Melvina seeing the speechless state of her mate, noting that perhaps Sheila was right about Arnold holding a secret over her husband-for that would make enough sense as to why he was so okay to forgiving Arnold quickly-decided to speak, but Sheila wouldn’t allow that.
“Shut your mouth, Melvina.” Sheila said, out of that anger. “I don’t need your words now. I only need Peter’s.”