Eero's Perspective
Perseus who was holding the hem of my blouse let go of it slowly. Fear thumped at my chest as confusion and hurt succumbed to him.
"P-Pup, I can explain to you. I-I will explain to you. I-I didn't mean to lie to you."
"Does Papa Miguel know that I'm not his?" He asked. Perseus looked and sounded like he was close to crying.
"Your Papa Miguel knows that you're not his son."
"And Grandpa Codrus? How about my grandparents from Papa Miguel's side? Do they know that I'm not their real grandchildren?"
"Pup, does this really matter—"
"It does, Mama. I need to know if all of you were lying to me."
"They know. Our closest family members know. Your Grandpa Codrus and I hide the truth from the rest of the pack members of Regulus and Blackthorn, but those whom we thought should know, they know the truth about your real identity."
"T-Then do you plan to tell me that the shifter you introduced to me as my Uncle was my father?" Anger began to color my pup's eyes and I was not ready for it.
"I was going to tell you. Claudius and I plan to tell you, pup. I-I just... I was just looking for the perfect timing."
"Perseus, m-my son..." Claudius said. Perseus' gazes sharpened. It was my first time to see him look at someone like that.
"I am not your son. I may not have been Miguel Blackthorn's biological son, but until you've done half the sacrifice that he did to protect me and my mother. I will not consider you my father." Perseus stormed away from the garden.
"Matteo was it? Is that your name?" I tore my eyes from the path that my pup had taken after I heard Claudius talking to Alpha Rodrigo's son.
"That's right, Alpha King." Claudius nodded his head at the pup.
"You're about my son's age, and I can't bring myself to punish someone as young as you, but I can't just let what you did slide."
"Claudius, let this go. Let them go for now. We will talk about punishment when your head is no longer clouded by anger and can give a fair punishment."
I looked at Alpha Rodrigo and told him to leave the realm with his son for now.
"Thank you, your grace." Alpha Rodrigo knew that if he missed the opportunity to leave at my cue. He may not have another chance to leave this place unscathed.
"Stay fucking still! I am the Alpha King! How dare you disobey me and follow someone else's command?" Claudius suddenly shouted.
His anger made my wolf cower too.
"Bring Alpha Rodrigo to the public grounds and lash him a hundred times, until that punishment is well reserved by him. He and his son won't be allowed to leave my territory."
"Claudius, that is too much. I know you're mad, but this isn't right," I said to Claudius through telepathy.
I didn't want to argue with him in front of everyone for fear that I might end up tainting his image as the Alpha King.
I could feel the other shifters gazing at me. Perhaps they knew that I was talking to Claudius through mind-link while the two of us were silent. The shifters around us hold their breath.
"I changed my mind."
"Thank you for your kindness, Alpha King," Alpha Rodrigo said, but the way Claudius' eyes glistened made me feel wary.
"What now? What are you going to do?" I asked through the mind link.
"I'll lower the number of lashes from a hundred to ten, but I'll be the one to whip him with the lash, and I require his son to watch as it happens."
"Are you insane?" I whispered to Claudius grasping his arm which he ended up ignoring.
"Rodrigo, the choice is yours. Either you take that hundred lashes to protect your son from seeing such cruel punishment or you save yourself from the worst, and let your son see and realize that everything he does has a consequence."
Alpha Rodrigo looked down on his tearing son.
"The decision is up to you."
"I'll choose the latter, Alpha King," Rodrigo said, which made me turn to him so fast.
"But letting your son watch you get punished will traumatize him."
"Would you rather not see violence and see me fighting for my life from the injury that I'll get from the lashing?" Rodrigo questioned his son.
Matteo kneeled in front of Claudius.
"Please, Alpha King. Don't hurt my father. He is not in the wrong, I was the one who spread the information that I wouldn't even know in the first place if I wasn't eavesdropping in his private conversation." Matteo pressed his hands together and looked at my mate.
"Punish me instead. I'll take the ten lashes from you. I can do it. I'm strong enough to accept it."
"No!" I firmly butt in.
"There will be no lashing." I turned to Claudius and pointed at his chest, "You will not hurt a child."
"If you choose to still go through this insanity. I'll fight you, Claudius," I said in a low voice.
I crouched to level my height after I turned to Matteo. I gently wipe the tears off his reddened cheeks.
"It's okay. You can stop crying now, little wolf. You're safe. I won't let anyone in this pack hurt you or your father," I assured the pup.
Alpha Rodrigo pulled his son into his arm.
I breathed deeply as I watched Claudius furiously leave the realm's garden.
I didn't waste my time knocking on the closed door of his room. I walked straight inside. Claudius was leaning on the table where the late Alpha King Codrus used to work late at night.
"You're the Alpha King. I didn't want to disrespect you and your authority, but I'm a mother, Claudius."
"Matteo isn't your son, Eero. It's not your job to protect him."
"It is. It's my responsibility to make sure that every pup in Regulus is protected and well looked after, and if someone posts a threat to these children, I'll fight with that someone, even if that someone was you."