Raven POV
I have been in Tish's mind before, but this time it is different. I am leaving no stone unturned. She seems like she wants to accept the bond between the twins and herself, but there is something in her mind that is stopping her. It could be something she isn't even aware of.
I start back as far as she can remember, and I instantly regret my decision. Her memories are heartbreaking and unbearable. So much so that it is hard for me to watch them. Her childhood was not happy or pleasant. She was touched, abused, and forgotten. She never once received a birthday present or a gift for a holiday. There are so many memories of her sitting in a corner alone while she watches other children happily receiving gifts.
She never once complained or cried, but I can feel her feelings within her mind, and each time, she was devastated and let down. Each time she was moved to a new family, she thought things would be different, and each time she was wrong. I am sorry that I ever misjudged her. She is stronger than I could have ever been if put in her situation.
All of this could be reasons she is not accepting the bond, but it doesn't feel right. The longer I stay in her mind, the more depressed I begin to feel. The only light in her life was Mae. I can now see why it was so hard for her to let go.
It feels like I have been in her mind for hours, and I am about to give up. Suddenly, I am standing in a memory that happened just hours before. Tish and Kai are standing outside of the cabin, having a bit of an argument.
"Shouldn't you be helping your brother," Tish asks him. "The pack is more important than marking me. Even Kaden thinks so."
"Kaden is a fool," he snaps at her. "You will run."
"Why would I return if I plan on running?" she rolls her eyes at him.
Kai grabs her around the neck and slams her against the cabin. She struggles under his touch, and the skin on her back is burning in pain. "Please, Kai," she begs. "Not like this."
"Then when?" He demands to know.
"Later," she whispers hoarsely. "After the clean-up, once we know everyone is taken care of and safe."
"That could take days," Kai growls.
"Then it takes days," she whimpers. "Please, I just lost Cedric. Let me grieve."
"You were fucking him, weren't you?" He snaps at her.
"I was not," she continues to struggle. "If you were thinking straight, you would know that I wasn't. You are letting your anger get the best of you. I am here to help you, not hurt you."
She is willing herself not to cry, just like she had in every other memory. Crying never brings anything but pain. Or at least that is what she tells herself.
"I will stop you from ever betraying the bond ever again," he snarls dangerously close to her face.
Even though I know this is a memory, I am dying to step in and rip him away from her. He is not stable.
Tish's heart rate spikes up, and she is beginning to panic. She knows what is coming next, but she doesn't know how to stop it. Kai tilts her head to the side, and Tish lets out a terrified scream.
She is squirming painfully against his grasp before he sinks his teeth into her neck. She screams again when his fangs pierce her muscle, and the bite burns her. I step closer to the scene, trying to understand what is happening. This should be an intimate moment. She should feel turned on, but instead, she feels abused and dejected.
I dig deeper into her thoughts, and it only makes me feel worse. She has been dreaming about this moment since she met the twins, but not like this. She thought it would be a consensual moment, and Kai took that away from her. Despite her love for him, she will not be able to accept the mate bond between them until she forgives him.
I pull my hand from her forehead, and I wait for the rage that I feel for Tish to subside. Only it doesn't. My hands ball up at my sides, and I lunge for Alpha Kai. Both my wolf, Rose, and I are ready to rip him to shreds. He doesn't deserve life, much less a mate.
Oliver grabs me around the waist before I reach Kai and hugs me close to his chest. The tingles from the mate bond do little to soothe my anger, but my head does clear, and I can think straight.
"He deserves a trial," he whispers low into my ear.
Nodding my head in understanding. Oliver lets me go and I stand tall and firm.
"Take Alpha Kai to the dungeons," I command, and everyone around me freezes.
Kaden steps between his brother and me and holds up his hands in an attempt to calm everyone down. "I am sure whatever you saw in her mind does not justify sending my brother to the dungeons," he tries to reason with me.
"He will stay there until the elders make a decision on his fate," I say with certainty.
"A trial!" Kaden shouts. "You are out of your mind."
I grind my teeth together. "Are you questioning what I have seen with my own eyes?"
Leo and Oliver have already grabbed Alpha Kai, and he is causing a scene. He is yelling about how I am a traitor to werewolves for taking the side of a human and how I do not deserve to be the Luna Queen. He sounds very much like his mother.
'Can I knock him out,' Leo asks through the mind link.
'Please,' I groan in return.
Leo rips something off the hospital wall and slams it on top of Kai's head. His head falls forward, and they drag his silent, limp body out of the hospital.
"Was that necessary?" Kaden questions me angrily.
"If you think I am going to let him call me a traitor, you do not know me very well," I respond. "I would think you would be more concerned about your dying mate than the fate of a brother who clearly cares nothing for her."
"Kai cares for her," Kaden whispers. "He just has a hard time with his feelings. Especially anger."
"Then he is not fit to run this pack," I state the obvious. "We cannot have a wild card Alpha running things. There is no telling where his temper will land him. The question is, are you capable?"
"If I could know what you saw," Kaden ignores my question. "Then I could better understand why my brother is being locked away."
"What happens when I enter someone's mind stays between them and me," I tell Kaden. "I would never betray someone's trust betray her trust like that."
"I demand to know what you saw," Kaden says after taking a deep breath.
"You are in no position to be making demands," I warn him. "I am still deciding if you are capable of running this pack or if I need to bring in someone else."
"This is my pack," he squirms defensively. "I can do it."
"We will see," I mutter. "We will see."