Chapter 199

Chapter 199
Corien held Reyland’s gaze, breathing calmly.

“Calm yourself,” Corien said again, patiently.

Reyland’s breathing slowed. His rosy cheeks cleared, his face softened.

The young lycan swallowed.

“I –” he stammered.

“Are angry. Justifiably. Everyone in this room is justified in their anger,” Corien stated calmly.

Then, Corien’s eyes snapped to Dax.

“What will his punishment be?” Corien asked evenly.

Dax stared at Corien.

Then at Reyland.

Then at Dorien.

He mumbled something unintelligible.

It was not that no one heard his words, it was that his words had been gibberish.

“What?” Corien asked softly.

“Tomorrow. Let everything wait till tomorrow,” Dax said quietly, straightening his back.

“Doctor Byron,” Dax continued.

“Yes, my Alpha,” the elder shifter responded respectfully.

“Keep watch,” the Alpha droned.

“Yes, my Alpha,” the doctor replied steadily.

Dax stared at Dorien again, a shadow passed over his face.

Then, Dax turned, he paused, “The rest of you. Come,” he murmured.

The three shifters – Corien, Gravan, and Reyland – followed their Alpha out.

\==========

They walked in silence, slowly, back to the Alpha Mansion.

The night was cold, but the snow had not fallen for days, both the ground and the sky were clear.

Each shifter was lost in his own thoughts.

For Corien and Gravan, they were concerned about their daughter who had gone on a mission against a pack that could harm a prisoner, a captive of barely a few hours, in such a callous way.

Reyland, was thinking about his brother, about his feelings toward him – toward Dorien.

Alpha Dax, was thinking about everything and everybody.

Once they entered the mansion, the group went immediately up to Dax’s office.

After everything that had happened at the conclave, the negotiation with Bloodrayne, everyone was tired, but as leaders, things needed to be done.

Marian and Luna Diane were already in Dax’s office, seated. Dax had not summoned them.

The pack Beta, Beta Brock, had done so in his stead.

There were only two guest chairs in Dax’s office, so, the others stood as the Alpha moved to his desk.

Beta Brock pulled up the rear. He shut the door behind him.

It was almost midnight.

“Report,” Dax rumbled, falling into his chair. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

His face, his skin, was drawn. He looked like he had aged overnight.

Everyone stared.

Brock spoke, his voice tight, “The Bloodrayne hounds have cleared. We are running patrols on triple shifts and have doubled their numbers.”

“Nothing will get by our perimeter without us seeing them from afar.”

“Their people have been taken from the dungeon and cleaned up,” he continued gruffly. “They have been put in the barracks.”

“The spellcasters are still at the hospital, under careful watch. We have kept them separate from the fighters.”

“Good,” Dax murmured.

“And? You. Explain what happened out there.”

His eyes were still closed.

“Fa–” Reyland stared.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Dax droned, cutting him off, eyes still closed.

“We had a plan,” Marian said steadily, speaking up.

Silence.

“Misha…Misha is sly. There was no way to get rid of him quietly. We also needed their Alpha to feel like he had won something. So…we decided to give options he would never accept, so that he could take what he truly wanted,” Marian continued sombrely.

“And if they had accepted?” Dax droned.

“I would have had Doctor Byron –” Marian replied dutifully.

“If they had let you mate that viper –” Dax growled, eyes still closed.

“He would have been her second,” Reyland chipped in quietly.

Dax’s brow furrowed.

Luna Diane’s chin trembled, but she pursed her lips tightly.

“You would…allow this?” Dax commented slowly.

“It is not for me to allow, Father. It is for me to accept,” Reyland replied calmly.

Dax’s closed eyes tightened.

“Goddess,” he whispered, “how can I –” he stopped. His face was paler, his chest was rising and falling at an increased rate.

“Father,” Reyland said quietly, stepping forward. Brock was there before him.

Dax placed a hand on Brock’s arm and stood, holding onto his Beta as he opened his eyes as if they weighed a ton.

He linked with Brock, and Brock’s face paled.

“What?” Brock breathed.

He linked with his Luna. She closed her eyes as tears flowed.

“Father!” Reyland whispered.

“Enough! It is enough,” Dax said hoarsely.

“Alpha!” Reyland said urgently.

“No. It is enough,” Dax whispered, turning away from Reyland, leaning heavily on Brock.

“Alpha!” Marian echoed, rising from her seat.

Dax turned to her slowly. Bent at the shoulders, the only thing keeping him steady, the Beta at his side.

“You. Are. The. Bane. The destruction that was foretold. I did not see it. I could not stop it. I have had enough,” he rasped.

“Dax,” Corien said placatingly.

“No. Enough. I can’t,” Dax breathed, turning away from Corien’s voice.

“Please, wait…,” Reyland said pleadingly.

“I can’t…enough,” he mumbled.

Dax collapsed. The pack link shattered.

\==========

The next three days were controlled chaos.

The handover with Bloodrayne was carried out without a hitch, and Tobias and his minions pulled back.

Some clans left Lightmoon’s grounds when word spread about the pack link breaking. After all the troubles over the past few days, people had become uncertain about the security Lightmoon supposedly provided.

Pack members had divided into factions. Some wanted Alpha Dax to address them, others wanted Alpha Corien to take over the pack, still others were clamouring for the heir to take his place at the head of the pack.

All the while, Luna Diane kept a quiet hold on all pack members. Fights were quelled quickly by the pack Beta and Gamma.

Dorien had fallen into a deep sleep. He had awoken a day later, on the fourth, to find his father in a withdrawn state. No one, not even his Luna, had been able to reach him.

Corien had advised everyone to give Dax time.

Dorien spent every day outside of Dax’s room.

Reyland and Marian stayed out of sight. Keeping to themselves at Reyland’s home.

\==========

On the fifth, the New Year Moon celebration was a muted one.

All guests had left Lightmoon, all allies had gone to their various homes.

If not for the tradition of claiming mates, and the Luna’s gentle support on the pack’s mindset, the day, and the night, would have passed quietly.

The morning of the fifth, the pack hall was arranged by the omegas immediately after breakfast had finished.