The honorable gamma
The guards had left the room to dispose of Sabrina’s body in a place no one would ever find, as they were wary of the fact that there might still be some evil powers left in the body of the witch, powers that no one wanted anything to do with. Cian planned to hire a powerful sorcerer to get rid of the body forever.
Now in the alpha’s chambers, only remained Nani, Ava, Kiara and Cian, with alpha Lucas, unconscious, but at the very least, still breathing on his bed.
Remembering something important, Nani quickly went round the room, gathering all the wolfsbane in its hidden places, packing them all into a small sac, until she couldn’t perceive any more of those deadly flowers. She went back to meet with Ava after leaving the room to dispose of them, “he’s going to take a lot of time to recover from this but at least the bane won’t worsen his condition while he’s picking up.”
“Thank you, Nani,” Ava whispered, as she finally let go of her mate so Nani could adjust his pillows, the smiles had returned to everyone’s faces as they beamed with hope. Ava watched as he was tended to, with Nani quickly running out to call Kozi. The old man returned with his examining kit and a box of medicines; Nani was beside him, assisting with his tools for the time of his treatment.
Cian and Kiara left after seeing to it that he would be fine, along with Nani and Kozi after they were done with the therapy. Only Ava remained, offering to watch him, she didn’t leave his side, she only observed him as he lay there for hours, she didn’t sleep, couldn’t leave. She intended on remaining here for as long as she could until he would recover, and if it weren’t for what Cian told her when he came the next day, Ava wouldn’t have budged.
Cian was surprised when he entered the room the next evening to see that Ava didn’t move far away from the point he and Kiara had left her last night. She still remained sitting there, even with her condition, tending and caring for her dear mate.
“Ava,” he called her. “Did Nani not get someone else to watch over him in your absence? You’ve been here for too long.”
“She did bring a servant to take over, but I was the one who sent her away, I told her I didn’t mind being with him for so long, I didn’t mind taking care of him.”
“Ava, I understand you perfectly, I know you want to be by his side more than ever, but I’m sorry that you can’t keep staying here. Lucas will soon wake up, and when he does, it wouldn’t be good if he found you here.”
She was puzzled by his words, “what do you mean by that?”
“You are still on exile, remember Ava, meaning that Lucas hasn’t lifted your banishment. You know your mate; he’s an unpredictable man, and we are not sure if he’ll forgive you just yet, no matter what has happened. No matter if you saved his life or not.”
“So, what are you saying then? I’m not going to be able to see him when he wakes?”
“Ava, I know it doesn’t sound good, but please… try to listen to what I’m saying, remember what punishment awaits you if you are ever to return.”
She shook her head, “no… Lucas won’t… he wouldn’t try to kill me…”
“No, he won’t, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to the laws that guide this land. Please Ava, I promise you’ll get to see him, just not when he wakes. His mind is just returning to normal after all the torture Sabrina has put him through, we shouldn’t add to what he’s going through yet.”
Sighs, “so, what do you want me to do now? Return back to the camps?”
“No, dear, as much as we don’t want you so close to him for now, it doesn’t mean you should be so far away. Nani and I have discussed on this earlier. We’ll both go to meet him when he’s awake and in the right state of mind, then we’ll talk to him about lifting your banishment. In the meantime, you should stay in your former room.”
“This is hard… it’s so hard to be away from him right now, but I understand. I’ll leave him now.”
“Thank you, Ava. I promise that we will try all we can to restore your union.”
Ava then left to her room, as Cian proceeded to send for the servant girl who will would take over the next watch.
**********
***FIVE DAYS LATER***
Kiron had been feeling guilty about this, he knows that alpha Lucas ought to know about this since, but the hold that Sabrina had on him was one beyond his control. Now that the witch is dead, she could no longer influence him, he could now freely speak about what happened to anyone other than himself. He knows the first person he ought to tell this, and he’s brought himself to do it now.
The alpha hasn’t sent for him, hasn’t queried him since the last time. It makes sense because alpha Lucas has had his hands full, he might have even forgotten about the matter, but Kiron will still go to him to confess anyway, as he can no longer live with this guilt. He needs to restore the trust he once had with master, the trust Sabrina destroyed, and he needs to do it now.
“Good morning, Kiron,” alpha Lucas greeted him first as he stepped into his chambers. How good it felt to hear that voice again after such time, how good it felt knowing that Sabrina did not succeed in her plans to take master away.
“Good morning sire.”
“How has your treatment been, dear servant?”
“I feel great now sire, as I was able to go to the fields today. I was able to train for a bit, hopefully my body will adjust with more time.”
“It’s good to know that you take your duties seriously, but you should also remember to rest well. I heard all about what happened, all you did towards saving my life. I am very proud of you Kiron, thank you.”
“Master, before you thank me… there’s something you should know, something I did wrong…”
Lucas creased his brow, “what is it?”
“The letter sire… the one you received on the day of your mate’s banishment. I was the one who gave you that letter. It was a false message given to me by Sabrina to lure you out of your den, but yet… I still handed it to you knowing the truth. Not only that… but I lied to you master. I knew where the letter came from but I couldn’t speak the truth…”
“That’s enough, Kiron!”
Kiron’s heart shook as soon as alpha Lucas cut short his words. He remained silent, waiting for what would happen next, what the alpha would say next.
Lucas got up from his bed, no words were said as he approached the gamma who had his head bent and placed his hands on both of his shoulders. “You are truly an honorable gamma Kiron, I am so proud of you for your actions, and you never cease to keep proving to me that I made the right choice by bestowing you this position.”
Feelings of fear quickly turned to that of surprise, as Kiron looked up then, “master…”
“Do not worry Kiron. I myself have been under Sabrina’s strong charm, even much more than you have. I understand everything that happened, everything that she did to you… everything she forced you to do.”
“Oh, master… it was the strangest encounter I’ve ever had. I control armies of men every day, but I felt so ashamed when I had no power to control myself. I let her use me… I’ll never forgive myself for it.”
“Kiron… as your master and your alpha… I command you to forget all about what happened between you and Sabrina. I command you to forgive yourself, same way I have forgiven you.”
Sighs, “you are truly good, sire. I came here, thinking to accept whatever punishment you would deem fit for me for my crimes, but instead…”
“They were not your crimes Kiron, they were Sabrina’s crimes, and now, she’s been punished for it. Let’s just leave it all in the past,” he chuckled, letting go of Kiron’s shoulders.
“Yes sire… Sabrina has been stopped, and it’s all thanks to Ava…”
Lucas was about to turn, but then that last word stopped him short. His mate, only the goddess knows his desperation to see her again. He’s missed her so much, but yet he can’t bring himself to do it just yet, as he’s not sure he’s ready to relive the hurt.
From the silence, Kiron realized then that he must have said something wrong. Shit… those medications Kozi gave him must have had a lot of effect on him, as he’d forgotten the most important thing he’s always reminded himself since the day of the banishment; not to mention master’s mate in his presence.
He quickly apologized, “I’m sorry master… I shouldn’t have spoken about her…”
Lucas stopped him, “no, Kiron… it’s okay. I already know about what she did. Nani and Cian told me everything yesterday.”
“She was truly remarkable sire; her bravery was so out of this world. I now hold her with so much esteem for what she did.”
“They told me everything that happened, and then they begged me to lift the banishment…”
“With all due respect sire, I also agree that you should consider lifting the exile.”
He rose a brow. “Really? Why do you say so?”
“Ava is… she’s a good mate. I’ve never seen any woman care for you like she does, sire. She came back, not minding that you might kill her, or even that Sabrina might kill her, she came back because she wanted to save you… to save us.”
“I know Kiron, I know…”
“So, what will be your decision, master?”
He shook his head. “That’s what I don’t know. I haven’t even seen her yet. Nani and Cian told me yesterday that she’s here, she’s waiting for me, but… I couldn’t even bring myself to see her. I told them I wasn’t ready to.”
“You should sire… you should. I’m sure that there’s a lot for you both to talk about.”
After giving it a small thought, he sighed, “you’re right, Kiron. She’s been waiting to hear what I have to say regarding her judgment, I should at the very least try to talk to her.”
Kiron bowed, “thank you, sire.”
Lucas scrunched his face, knowing it was time. “Tell my mate, Ava Maynard, that I summon her.”