Chapter 83: The Beta Son's Final Straw

Alastair:

This can’t be happening! This absolutely cannot be happening right now!

The words played endlessly in my head as I listened to my baby girl explain in minute detail what happened only an hour or so earlier.

I was so speechless when she was done, and I wasn’t the only one; Aziz said little to nothing, but I felt his pain as well as his sense of loyalty being tested on both sides. We both were feeling the same way. We both knew that this was about to be messy.

“Dad?” When I heard Val’s voice trump my thoughts, I finally snapped out of the daze that I was in. “You alright?”

Alright? Was she serious? I looked at her incredulously, and immediately Val got the hint.

“Okay, alright. Wrong question, got it.” she murmured and backed away.

“Does it look like I’m alright?!” I snapped. “I-did you really just ask me that?!”

Valene shamefully averted her gaze. “Sorry, even I don’t know what to say about this.” Silence ensued for a moment before, Vale finally spoke again. “So, what are we going to do?”

I looked up at her. “We?”

“We,” reiterated Valene. “Yes. Once your Delta finds out what happened. He won’t be happy. He won’t see reason. Not like we can allow him to touch Harly.”

She was right; whether Harlyn was wrong or not, I wasn’t just going to stand by and let anyone harm her. Still, she needed to be punished for what she did. I looked at her.

“What do you have to say about this?” I asked her. “This is your doing, Harlyn and yet you are the quietest of all.”

“I’m sorry,” she exhaled while she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I…I really am. I…i did not want to bring about any more stress on your nor Val-on the pack as a whole. You know how much the pack means to me.”

She grimaced after she said this. Me and Vale made eye contact as we both knew ‘but’ was coming on.

“But I know…I know that your soft heart will not bring down the bloody punishment that is needed for this treason.” She looked at Vale. “And I know…I knew as soon as you decided to tell daddy rather than take out your revenge that you would agree to whatever soft punishment daddy would give.”

“Harlyn, what Penny and Agnes did that day…it will not be deemed as important and as crime worthy as what you’ve done tonight,” said Vale. “When they kidnapped and murdered me, I was a human to them-to everyone. I was lowly, and dispensable. And I most certainly wasn’t considered a daughter of the Shadow Veil Pack. Penelope Minken is and always has been. In their eyes…you broke a law far more sacred. You will be given severe punishment.”

“You think that I haven’t thought of that?” she said. “You misunderstand the placement of my apology, Vali,” she added and then looked at me. “Dad.” Harlyn shook her head. “I am only sorry for the position that I’ve put you in, but I am not sorry about the tiniest bit for what I’ve done. Had I the chance, I’d have burned Agnes alive without hesitation. She leach! A bloody snake always slithering around searching for trouble to get into. I know that we’ve not had the best relationship, but Vale, you know that even in my jealousy, I would have never allowed an attempt on your life. I’ve done horrible things, I cannot admit to that, but your life? Your life has always been precious to me, whether you can believe that or not. Even I did not know how much, until the night that I saw your blood saturating the ground. It was scary, feeling as…hurt as I was. Only recently have I gotten a handle on my feelings. So please believe me when I say that I am clearer than I have ever been. She took you away from us; Agnes took you away from us. Give me whatever punishment you see fit, but Minken will know what treachery his daughter and sister have committed.

Her mind was made up. As an alpha and a father I knew this, and I also knew that Harlyn was right. There was to be no special treatment, and giving it simply because of who Agnes and Penny were to John would only prove the rumors that have been spread in the past; the alpha of Shadow Veil has gone soft. I couldn’t have that be the truth about me.

But.

How was I going to sentence my daughter so severely?

Before I was forced to answer that question, the door burst open. It was Talon and there seemed to be a look of relief on his face.

“She’s alive!” I realized. When Talon nodded, I too found my sigh of relief, but only for a moment before his smile faded. “What is it, Talon?”

He glanced at Vale, and a sinking feeling in the pit of my gut told me already that somehow this was going to be pinned on her.

“There are whispers going around the beach.” the door closed behind him. He glanced at Harlyn and then back at Valene before returning his attention to me. “They’re accusing Valene.”

I met Harlyn’s gaze for a moment and then Valene. She didn’t seem surprised. It was disheartening to see.

“Out of all of the treachery pitted against us, and the first person they thing would do such a thing, Valene…that doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know,” agreed young Talon. “It truly doesn’t. Unfortunately, it is more believable to them than your allowing the enemy to sneak in unnoticed.”

“Makes sense,” chuckled Valene. Her moved from side to side. I could tell that she was disappointed, but the worst part of it was…that she seemed to be used to it by now. Being blamed or hated for something that she did not do.

“It’s all lies!” growled Harlyn. “Talon, don’t tell me you believe this BS!”

“That’s enough Harlyn,” Valene said.

“Vali~”

“I said, that’s enough. Please.” When Harlyn finally stopped, though begrudgingly, Val asked, with a bitter and yet almost…mirthful smile on her face. “So, do they at least have a good enough reason as to why I’m the culprit?” she finally asked.

Talon sighed. “Well, it’s no secret that you and Penny never really liked each other-or well, that Penny hated you. That she always made it a personal point to belittle, berate, and degrade you whenever Harlyn wasn’t in earshot.” He shrugged. “I guess everyone is under the impression that since you have the power now, you’d actually finally do something about it.”

“Well, I could have done something about it back then, couldn’t I?” said Val.

“Yes, but not without getting into serious trouble.”

“And I wouldn’t be getting into serious trouble now?”

“Everyone knows that you’ve been having bouts of mental unclarity, Valene. They’ve seen you wandering aimlessly and feeding relentlessly, before alpha Barbosa began looking after you.” said Talon. “To them, losing control wouldn’t have been too out of the realm of possibility.”

“Was I really that bad?” asked Valene.

“Well, I doubt anyone else would have survived at all going through what you have,” replied Talon. “So a bit of insanity here and there…well…I think you’ve earned a bit of space for that.”

“Thank you, Talon.” Val smiled. “But can I ask…what do you believe?”

Talon leaned against the door. “It isn’t what I believe. It’s what I know.” He glared at Harlyn. “It was Harly.”

Silence followed his accusation and without breaking eye contact, Talon stepped to Harlyn. I knew he wouldn’t hurt Harlyn, so naturally I did not step in and neither did Val. We both knew that Harlyn had hurt Talon far more than he could ever have had in him to hurt her.

“I saw you…going into the forest with her. I saw that look in your eye.”

There was something about Talon’s confrontation of this truth that seemed to weigh down on Harlyn more than either or Vale ever could have.

“You went in there with the intention to hurt her.” he said bemused.

Harlyn could hardly look him in the eye. “I….Talon, I didn’t go in to…”

“Yes…you did.” It seemed that Talon knew better than anyone. “You…you may have had a few doubts, but you knew…you knew what you were going in there to do, Harly! What have you done?!”

Before Harlyn could even part her lips to find an answer good enough for him, Talon walked away from her. There was guilt in him, I knew there was.

“I sho-I should have stopped you! I should have gone in there after you both and stopped you!” he hissed angrily. He faced Harlyn with tears in his eyes. “But part of me wanted you to!” He seethed with hate in his voice. “Because I remembered that night…that night that she left you! Abandoned you to be killed instead of…instead of staying and fighting! I actually reasoned with myself, Harly! I reasoned with myself that she would be better off dead if she couldn’t even be there for her best friend! I…”

“Oh, Tal,” Harlyn rushed to him, attempting to comfort him, but he immediately pushed her away. There was repulsion and disgust in his eyes.

“Don’t! Don’t touch me, Harlyn. Don’t.”

“Oh, okay, I won’t.” she quickly backed away from him. It was clear that she was hurt by this. “Talon, I…I didn’t do it for me,” she tried to explain.

“What do you mean you didn’t do it for you?!” he snidely said. “You do everything-everything for you!”

“Talon!” Harlyn croaked.

I didn’t like seeing her upset, but I knew that there was nothing that I could do. This was a spat between mates and had we not needed to figure out how to go about this situation, I’d have been stepped out.

“You surprised!?” He spat. “That I find you selfish! That you’ve always been selfish? Please! Please, tell me why if not for you did hurt her like that?!”

“She’s the one, Talon!” she exclaimed. “She killed Valene! She…she and Agnes!”

The shock on Talon’s face was palpable. He didn’t believe Harlyn. He looked at Vale for confirmation and when he saw the expression on her face, he knew that it was true. He then looked at me.

“It’s true.” I simply said.

“Oh god-wh-Minken doesn’t know.”

“No,” said Harlyn. “Agnes doesn’t know that I know either. Or maybe she does, I-”

“Why? Why didn’t you let the Alpha handle this!?” Talon said.

“I…I don’t kn-I was…I was too angry,” she sniffled through tears. “I just…I wanted her to suffer…for what she did to us.”

The conviction that Harlyn had just moments before Talon walked in was all gone. Her resolve. Everything. Talon’s presence completely forced her into submission.

“And now you’ve made a terrible situation into something virtually impossible to handle without everyone getting hurt in the process.”

“I…I…Talon, I didn’t mean to-” he walked away from her, and approached. “What are your orders, sir?” he asked me.

“We have to meet this head on,” I said. “Everyone is here. We need to have council. And everyone needs to be accountable for their actions.” It hurt me to say this next part. “Harlyn, you…I know that you were well intentioned…but you’ve committed treason in taking the law into your own hands…and so did Agnes and Penny.” I felt the tears mist in my eyes as I said, “Whether death or banishment, Shadow Veil will have to decide.”

“Dad,” Vali was about to plead Harlyn’s case.

“Val. We cannot tolerate all of this disorder. It’s what landed you and Merari in such a difficult position in the first place. It cost you your life. For too long, I’ve let things get out of hand…I can no longer abide that.”

Valene was silenced but I knew that she wasn’t happy about it.

“I understand, dad.” Harlyn said, but I could tell that she was afraid just as anyone else would have been.

“Yes, alpha,” Talon finally said. He turned on his heel to leave.

“Talon!” Harlyn stopped him. “I didn’t want this for anyone. I was only trying to-”

“Stop, Harlyn,” he said to her. “Just…don’t.” he looked at her eye to eye. “You…have done nothing but hurt me…since the day we met. You’ve made my life hard, and miserable, and I stood by and allowed it to happen because I was in love with you. I love you…so much that it physically hurts me. But I was never good enough for you. You…you make me hate myself.”

“T-Talon!” Harlyn began to cry. “I-”

“Do you understand what I’m saying? I hate myself when I am with you. I can’t do this anymore.”

“We should go,” Vale and I said at the same time as we both knew what was about to happen.

“You always wanted to be with someone better, so I’ll free you to do so.”

“Talon-”

“Harlyn Caris Wade,”

“Talon, don’t-”

“Daughter of the Alpha, Alastair Wade,” tears fell from his eyes as he said this. “I, Talon Hayes Slaughter, Beta, and son of Beta Toran Slaughter…reject you.”

Harlyn stumbled back, and crumbled to her knees in pain. Valene rushed to her as she wept there on the floor.

I looked up at Talon, immediately feeling an overprotective anger and resentment for the boy for what he had just done, but then I saw it. The excruciating pain in his eyes. He was struggling to breathe, which is why it took him longer than I am sure he intended, to say what he had next.

“The Delta…is…is here, alpha.” he struggled to say, wiping the tears from his eyes. He couldn’t fight the desire, it seemed, to take one last look at Harlyn in her distress. I could see in his eyes…his face, how much he wanted to comfort her still. He took one last look at me and I shook my head. We both knew that it was best now for him to leave. Not only for Harlyn, but him as well.