Chapter Sixty-Six Lo) Chapter Sixty-Six
Henry Anderson stepped out of the vehicle with a disgruntled sigh. His daughter climbed out after him. She was a pretty she-wolf with new highlights and curls in her brunette hair. She was probably the only one excited for this trip. In the vehicle behind them Conri Sullivan emerged
“Conri.”
“Henry.”
The alphas nodded to each other. Their packs had been long-time allies but recent events had strained the relationship. Everything was conducted in purely business fashion and they no longer associated with each other
“Where’s Ava?” Harper asked looking for her long-time best friend
She had not been able to meet with the other she-wolf since their packs dissolved their alliance
“She stayed home with her mother,” Conri said. “to help with the pup
Henry nodded. That was right. Conri and Aine had recent welcomed a new edition to their pack. In the past they would have all celebrated together but they weren’t on friendly terms anymore
“Right this way,” their escorts directed them inside and to the Alpha’s office
They entered expecting to see their sons in trouble for some infringement but surprisingly only Jason and his Beta were present to greet them
“Have a seat,” Jason nodded to them finishing some paperwork
Chapter Sixty-Six Y
They each took one of the chairs in front of the desk leaving Harper standing behind her father. She coyly smiled at Jason and Luke but neither paid her mind. The silence persisted making the visiting alphas more anxious to learn what their sons had done. Jason had been rather terse. He
said there was an issue needing their immediate attention. Since he refused to say more over the phone they had no choice but to comply with the summons
Aknock announced the arrival of another and they stiffened
However, the petite she-wolf with gray eyes certainly wasn’t what they expected. She gave them a nod before circling the desk to join Jason. He smiled welcoming her kiss before turning his attention to their guests
“Mona is one her way,” Phoebe informed
“Thank you, angel,” Jason sighed. “I want answers, gentlemen. I have a feeling you left out quite a bit in your applications to have your sons study here. So...out with it.”
“I’m not...” Henry hesitated
Conri shifted uncomfortably in his seat
“Neither of you wants to explain how your sons ended up with the same fated mate?”
Both jerked to attention sharing perplexed looks before Henry spoke, “That’s impossible. His son already rejected his fated mate!”
Jason raised a brow glancing at Phoebe who gave a small shake of her head. She sensed no prior connections in either of the young alphas. Not to mention, if Gideon rejected his mate he wouldn’t have been given another
“And just who is the alleged mate he rejected?” Phoebe asked earning a growl from Henry
Jason’s aura suddenly slammed down on him, “Threatening my Luna
Chapter Sixty-Six Y is not wise. You only get one warning.”
“your Luna?” Henry stuttered looking at Phoebe again
Her gray eyes shimmered as his wolf tucked its tail between its legs. A knock interrupted and Luke let Mona in to join them
“You haven't answered my question,” Phoebe said
“My daughter!” Henry suddenly growled out. “He dared reject my beautiful, little girl! And this one did nothing!”
“I’m just as disappointed as you,” Conri said, “but he’s my son! I can’t just banish him!”
“Your daughter,” Phoebe repeated turning her attention to the young she-wolf who nervously stood behind her father. “Is that so? So how many nights did you and your mate have to stay up with her because she couldn’t sleep? How many meals did you force feed her because she wouldn’t eat? How long before you coaxed her wolf out again? Night terrors? Restlessness? Listlessness? Insomnia?”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?” Henry asked
“I’m talking about the long term side-effects that all rejected wolves endure,” Phoebe said. “It can be months, even years, before they recover
But your daughter didn’t suffer at all, did she?”
“What are you implying?” Henry asked
“I’m not implying,” Phoebe said. “It’s obvious she’s a liar.”
“You dare call my daughter a liar!” Henry shouted
Jason’s growl ripped through the room as his aura engulfed them and forced the other alpha into his seat, “You were warned.”
“Wolves recognize our own,” Phoebe calmly said. “My first mate rejected me so I recognize others who were rejected. But your daughter
wasn’t, were you?”
Chapter Sixty-Six YS
“Y-y,.....no,” she whimpered under the weight of Jason’s aura. “I
The other alphas stared at her in surprise
“Why would you make that up?” Mona admonished staring at the she-wolf in disapproval. “Such a serious manner should never be taken lightly.”
“Ava and I thought it would be so cool if we were mated to each other’s brothers. They would be brother alphas and we would be sister lunas.”
“So when you turned eighteen and you weren’t Gideon’s fated mate you tried to get him to take you for one anyway,” Phoebe said. “When he refused you decided to make it seem like he rejected you. It was all an
act
Harper hesitated tears welling up in her eyes
“And what did you think would happen after that?” Phoebe asked. “ That your fathers would force him to take you for a mate? Instead they called off their whole alliance. What if your pack was attacked without the strength of that alliance? How many would have been killed or wounded? Is that the kind of decision a Luna makes?”
“Now hold on,” Henry stood. “My daughter is young. She just made a little mistake.”
“A mistake that cost you over a hundred years of trust and brotherhood,” Phoebe reminded. “Will either of your packs ever be able to enjoy that kind of solidarity again? A lie that made Conri doubt his own son and might have destroyed their family bonds. How do you plan to mend that?”
Henry fell silent. He had been so enraged by the news his daughter was rejected he hadn’t thought about the consequences but they were
Chapter Sixty-Six =
already suffering from them. Relations between their packs were strained and their alliance in tatters
“My son...My son didn’t reject his mate?” Conri asked. “He was telling the truth this entire time?”
“And you didn’t believe him,” Phoebe nodded. “He’s found his mate now and he’s very devoted and sweet to her...a good thing since he is her second chance mate.”
“Second chance?”
“Yes. Erick was her first mate but he rejected her the moment he saw
her: “My son would never do that!” Henry snarled
“He did it right in front of me,” Phoebe said. “You would call me a liar?
Jason growled warning
“Apparently your children need a better education,” Phoebe continued. “Neither of them know anything about the risks of rejections
And your son is suffering from it now.”
“Where is my son?” Henry demanded
“Follow me,” Jason said, standing. “All of you.”
Without a word the visitors fell in step behind him as he escorted Phoebe out of the office. Luke and Mona trailed the small group as they left the packhouse and walked to the prison. The guards let them through without a word to the minimum security cell that had been transformed into a secure hospital room
“What is this!” Henry demanded seeing his son behind silver bars still under heavy sedation as the nurse checked his vitals
“A necessary precaution,” Jason said. “When his mate was claimed by
Chapter Sixty-Six W@W another his wolf went feral. I couldn’t very well have him endangering my entire pack.”
“Is he...is he going to be okay?” Harper stared at her brother
“We don’t know,’ Mona answered. “Once a wolf goes feral it’s almost impossible to keep them from going rogue. That’s why we called you
We’re hoping family bonds will bring him back.”
The nurse looked up sensing Jason’s aura. He gave her a silent gesture. With a nod she turned down the sedation drip and backed away
The guard opened the gate and allowed them to enter. Henry and Harper hurried to the young alpha’s side
“,. What about my son?” Conri asked
“He’s still at lunch, I believe,” Phoebe said. “Follow me.”
Jason gave a subtle nod. He much preferred Phoebe away from this experiment anyway. Conri followed her back to the packhouse and into the
dining hall where there was still quite a few lingering over their meals including Gideon and Shannon who had slept in rather late
Conri sucked in a breath watching his son lovingly nuzzle and hold the young she-wolf as if the world would stop if he didn’t. It was a scene he never thought he’d see but now realized he should have known better
Gideon had grown up watching his parents’ love story unfold. There was simply no way the young alpha would reject his Goddess-given mate
Hesitantly Conri approached the table waiting for his son to notice his presence. When Gideon looked up he gave a start and was suddenly on his feet shielding Shannon. Conri winced but supposed his son had every right to be wary
“?’m—l’m sorry, son,” Conri said. “We should have believed you. We should have known you’d never reject your mate.”
Gideon hesitated glancing at Phoebe as some sort of mediator. She
Chapter Sixty-Six Y nodded and smiled encouragement
“Dad, this is Shannon,” Gideon finally introduced. “Shannon, this is my father and current Alpha, Conri.”
Nervously she stood, “H-hello, Alpha.”
“Please, Conri is fine,” Conri said tears welling up in his eyes. “Or even dad. I’m—I’m so glad my son found you.”
Shannon hesitated before stepping around Gideon and offering her father-in-law a napkin. Conri accepted the offering before gently cupping her face and earned a soft, protective growl from his son
“My mate is going to love you,” Conri smiled dropping his hand. “And Ava has some explaining to do. If she knew Harper was planning to try to ruin your reputation she has some questions to answer.”
Gideon grimaced but it was nice to hear his father speak on his behalf again. Phoebe smiled as the trio sat down together. There was a lot for them to discuss and bridges to mend
“Luna! We need you back here!” Mona suddenly called
“I’m on my way.”
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