After dinner, everyone in the pack house heads to the old building that holds the cells. There has been a small stage set up on the road out the front of the building, and council members are standing up there talking with Alpha Peter.
Uncle Alex and Ryna stick to my side as we make our way into the crowd that’s gathered. With Mom and Gino close behind us, we make our way to the front of the crowd to make sure we’re seen. The packs’ murmurs and talking goes quiet when Jason and another warrior bring Doctor Shields out of the building, down the stairs, and onto the stage. Alpha Peter takes his place on the stage, as Jason and the warrior make the Doctor kneel in front of him.
“Doctor Shields, you have been brought before the pack and your Alpha to be banished. Your actions have disgraced our pack, and you have acted without the knowledge or permission of your Alpha. Is there anything you wish to say before your sentence is carried out?” Alpha Peter asks.
“I only ever did what I thought was right. I’ve protected this pack in ways you can’t even begin to understand. You will regret this,” Doctor Shields retorts.
“You have killed innocent lycan, some of whom were children! You should be killed!” I yell at the doctor.
“You should have been killed when you first shifted, you abomination!” He screams.
“Enough,” Alpha Peter snarls. “I, Alpha Peter of the Moonstone pack, hereby banish you from this pack and our territory. You will be released into the custody of the Elder council tomorrow, and I advise you to never return to my territory,” Alpha Peter growls. He then howls in pain as the connection between him and Doctor Shields is severed.
Doctor Shields lets out a small whimper as his shoulders slump, clearly feeling the loss of the pack connection. Jason forces him to his feet and takes him off the stage and back inside the building. Alpha Peter returns to talking to the Elder Council, and everyone starts talking again, waiting for the next banishment.
#
Ten minutes later, Jason returns with Catherine, and he kneels her in front of Alpha Peter like he did with the doctor.
She turns her head to the side and smirks when she sees me at the front of the crowd. I growl loudly and take a step towards the stage, but Uncle Alex grabs my arm.
“Keep your cool, Athena,” he whispers in my ear.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of white running through the trees. ‘Ares,’ Enyo swoons.
‘*This is it*,’ I mind-link everyone. ‘*I need to cause a scene*.’
“Catherine Jacobs, you have been brought before the pack and your Alpha to be banished. You have been found guilty of working with Doctor Shields, and the attempted murder of a visiting lycan from another pack. Is there anything you wish to say before your sentence is carried out?” Alpha Peter asks.
“You’re a disgrace to this pack,” she snarls and spits at Alpha Peter’s feet.
The pack gasps, and Alpha Peter growls so loudly you can feel the vibrations.
“You protect the abominations and not your own pack! You should be banished! Not me, my father or Doctor Shields!” she yells angrily.
“You’re a psycho bitch!” I scream and run towards the stage, but Jason blocks my path when I jump up onto it.
“Stand down, Athena,” he yells.
“That bitch attacked me in the middle of the night! She drugged me with lethal wolfsbane, cut up my body and left me permanently scarred! She deserves way more than banishment!” I yell at him.
“That isn’t your call! This is Alpha Peters pack. He will punish his members as he sees fit,” Jason says, and tries to pull me off the stage.
“NO!” I yell, and pull my arm from his grip. “I will have these scars for the rest of my life! I want to confront her!”
“Let her past,” Alpha Peter tells Jason.
Jason steps to the side, and I walk to stand in front of Catherine. “Thank you, Alpha,” I say to him, and he nods.
Catherine spits at my feet, “You can say what you want, abomination. You won’t make me talk.”
I get down on one knee in front of her with a cruel grin. “Call me an abomination again. I dare you,” I say in a low voice. I get closer to her and whisper in her ear. “Your father was told what would happen if I was called that again.” I pull back to look her in the eye, smirking, hoping to rile her up so that she makes a scene.
“Don’t you dare mention my father!” Catherine yells, then head butts me in the nose.
I feel a small amount of blood trickle from my nose, and I wipe it away as an unknown feeling comes over me, and I grab Catherine around the throat and squeeze. I hear a few gasps and murmurs from the pack as Enyo’s blue eyes glow in the dark.
“You and your father are the abominations!” I yell as I feel people trying to pull me away from Catherine. “And I swear on my father’s grave that I will end you for your part in the deaths of the innocent lycans that were murdered!” My words explode out of my mouth as I watch Catherine’s eyes widen in fear, my grip on her neck tightening. I lift her to her feet by her throat and then off the ground as she claws my wrist and arm to let her go.
More people grab me and try to loosen my grip on Catherine’s neck. I can hear yelling, and it just washes over me like white noise. But one voice makes it through. “Enyo!” I hear Uncle Alex yell. “Let her go!”
I can feel Catherine’s heartbeat slowing under my grip, and I suddenly realize what Uncle Alex said. He called Enyo’s name. I’m finally pulled out of the weird trance I felt like I was in, and I throw Catherine to the ground. Uncle Alex grabs my arm and pulls me off the stage. “You need to control Enyo,” he says in a whispered tone as we re-join the crowd.
“That wasn’t Enyo,” I whisper.
‘*Yeah, don’t blame me. That was all her*,’ Enyo says with a smirk.
“But… your eyes were glowing…” his voice trails off as he looks at me in shock.
‘*I don’t know what happened. I felt this wave wash over me. It felt like I was in a trance and drawing on Enyo’s strength. But I was in complete control, not her*,’ I mind-link him, confused.
As the commotion on the stage calms down, Alpha Peter speaks again, with Catherine kneeling back in front of him. “I, Alpha Peter of the Moonstone pack, hereby banish you from this pack and our territory. You will be escorted to the edge of our territory, where you will become a rogue,” he says, howling again as the connection is severed from Catherine. Jason brings her to her feet and escorts her from the stage, where he’s joined by three other warriors, and they walk Catherine to the gate of the compound.
The pack disperses, and we go to leave with them, but Alpha Peter calls out my name and motions for me to go to him.
“Do not let him know Enyo wasn’t in control,” Uncle Alex whispers in my ear.
I nod and head towards the stage again. I can hear the council members whispering, and I feel fear radiating off them.
Alpha Peter takes me aside. “you need to control your wolf, Athena. I understand what Catherine did to you, but that scared the shit out of everyone, including me,” he whispers.
“I’m so sorry, Alpha. I just could not get control of her,” I lie.
“This is becoming a serious issue. I know I said that I would help you find answers, but I’m not sure that I can justify having you stay here any longer, Athena.”
“I understand, Alpha. I think it’s time for me to head back home. I will leave tomorrow with my family,” I say, bowing my head in fake shame.
“I think that’s for the best. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to deal with the council,” he says and walks away.
I walk back towards Uncle Alex, and he’s been joined by Mom, Ryna and Gino.
“He’s asked me to leave. So, I’ve told him I’m leaving with you guys in the morning,” I tell them, not able to keep the smirk off my face.
“Well, if only he knew that we’re leaving already,” Ry smirks as well.
‘*Shhh, keep your voices down*,’ Mom mind-links us. ‘*We can’t have the wrong people hearing you*.’
I hear someone calling my name and turn around to see Nick making his way over to us.
“I’m sorry, Athena, I heard what Alpha Peter said to you. So, you’re heading home tomorrow?” Nick asks.
“Yeah. Too much has happened here for me to stay. What about you? When are you heading home?” I ask as we walk back to the pack house.
“Probably in a couple of days. I’d love to come to visit you sometime,” he says.
“That would be awesome,” I say with a smile. “Give me your phone so I can put my number in,” I say, and he digs into his pocket and gives me his phone. I enter my number and then give his phone back. “Make sure you stay in contact, okay?”
“Sounds great,” he says with a big smile.
#
**Two hours later**
I’ve started pacing my room and checking my phone every 5 seconds.
‘*You need to calm down, Athena. I’m sure Andreas is fine*,’ Ry mind-links.
‘*He should have called by now*,’ I mind-link back. ‘*What if he got caught*?’
‘*We would know if he got caught. We’d be in the cells*.’
I sigh and flop down onto the bed next to him. “I guess you’re right.”
“I’m always right. You should know this by now,” he grins.
I smack him on the shoulder, then rest my head on his chest and cuddle into him. ‘*I just want to know he’s safe*…’