Chapter 59 - Ada's Mate

Ada

“Oh, sh*t,” Gregory pushes his fingers frantically through his hair. “He’s dead, isn’t he? I swear I didn’t mean to. It was an accident, I …”

“Gregory, relax,” I stand up quickly and rest my hand on his arm. “We all saw what happened. Nobody is blaming you or holding you responsible.”

“But you said …”

“That this means you’re Opal Moon’s alpha,” I finish his sentence. He clearly got the wrong idea.

“Ha-ah, no way,” he shakes his head and waves his hands in front of him. “You’re wrong. I’m a rogue and a killer and I’m not fit to be an alpha.”

“Guys,” I turn around to face them. “Would you mind taking Killian’s body back into the caves?”

“Sure,” Tyler pushes Zayne forward. “Take the other arm.”

“You two are hopeless,” Reese sighs theatrically as he picks up Killian and tosses him over his shoulder.

“I’ll lead,” Blake takes out his cell phone and turn on the light.

“That will work too,” Tyler grins sheepishly as they follow Reese and Blake, leaving me and Gregory alone.

“Ada,” he looks at me terrified. “I can hear them. The pack members of Opal Moon, I can hear their mind linking.”

“Well, duh,” I snort. “You’re their alpha and part of their pack. Of course, you can hear them.”

“Ada,” his voice is filled with sorrow and remorse. “I’m a terrible person, I don’t deserve to be an alpha.”

“We’re all terrible in a way,” I plant my hands on my hips as I glare at him. “I just murdered my aunt. I had the choice to forgive her and lock her up, but I didn’t. My hate and anger won.”

“That’s different,” he argues. “Margo wasn’t innocent, and I’ve killed innocent people.”

“The why doesn’t cancel out the deed, Gregory,” I sigh. “We have done the same thing – we chose to kill. It wasn’t self-defence or an accident. It was a choice. The only difference between you and me is that I don’t regret doing it and you do. Technically, that makes you the better person.”

“Enough,” Gregory grunts. “I don’t care how you spin it; it is what it is, and I’m not fit to be an alpha.”

“Bullsh*t,” I lose my temper. “An alpha is not a flawless person. Perfect is not a requirement for the title. You need to be decisive and trustworthy. You need to lead, provide and protect your pack. Whether you like it or not, you’ve been an alpha for the rogues for five years. They didn’t have to follow you, they chose to. Because they trust that you will do what is best for them. They have absolutely no reason to be loyal to you, but they are. None of them rebelled against you or left, which means you did a fantastic job as an alpha.”

“But I …”

“You were born to be an alpha,” I shout at him. “And you were raised to be one. Now, stop this and be the man you’re supposed to be. When the sun rises, the people of Opal Moon are going to be lost. Their alpha and beta are gone. There will be chaos and confusion when all the ambitious people start fighting about who will be the next alpha. You need to be there and help them through the transition.”

“What if I don’t want to?” He asks stubbornly.

“Then you face the crowd like the big boy you are and announce your resignation,” I hiss at him.

“Why is it so important to you, Ada?” Gregory sighs as he pushes his fingers through his hair. “Why can’t you accept me for the rogue that I am?”

“I’ve seen the consequences of a weak alpha,” I say softly. “And you’re not weak. It doesn’t matter if you remain rogue or join a pack. People will still follow you. You can fight it all you want, but deep down you’re reliable and compassionate. People need that, they need you.”

I take a deep breath and look down at my fingers.

“My father was a weak alpha, Gregory,” I swallow once before I look at him. “He tried to hide his mistakes and avoided inconvenient situations. But it caught up with him and now … that’s why I took over. I never planned it, and I didn’t want to, but people were counting on him, and he was letting everyone down.”

“Are you talking about Tyler’s illness?” He asks softly and baffled, I look at him.

“I heard,” he smiles softly. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” I take a deep breath and wipe the tears away. “Dad knew about Tyler’s sickness for years, but he kept it quiet instead. And then there’s Clyde and you. I don’t think Clyde would’ve turned out evil and tried to take over the pack if Father acknowledged him as his son.”

“There’s no way to know, Ada,” he shrugs. “Clyde still might have done it if your father refused to make him alpha.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” I sniff. “My point is, Dad was weak, and this was the end result. Death and destruction. And if you don’t jump in and help, Opal Moon will go into a downward spiral leaving more innocent people dead.”

“When Craig kicked me out, I was a wreck,” Gregory smiles sourly. “I felt hurt, betrayed and worthless. I was so angry and vengeful. Theo’s rejection made me believe that I’m not good enough to be an alpha. I mean, two alphas said so, who am I to argue? Now you’re telling me otherwise. As much as I want to lead Opal Moon, there’s a voice that tells me I’m not good enough. Can you understand that?”

“Yes,” I croak as I nod. “I understand, but you’re wrong. You’re not worthless. Tonight, you were the person that protected an entire pack and lead them to safety. You were the big brother that protected his siblings from an ambush. You deserve more than for what you give yourself credit.”

“Thank you for saying that,” he smiles.

“Has Opal Moon figured out Killian’s dead and you’re the new alpha?” I ask curiously.

“I don’t think so,” he frowns. “I didn’t pick up on anything and besides, it’s late. Most of them are sleeping.”

“Don’t worry,” I hook my arm around his and we start walking home. “I’ll go with you tomorrow when you inform them of your status.”

“How would that help?” he snorts.

“They like me,” I reply nonchalantly, and he bursts out laughing.

For a moment we walk in comfortable silence. But the closer we get home, the more my conscience attacks me.

“I know who started the fire,” I blurt out.

Goddess knows, I do not want to tell him. I can easily blame Clyde and get away with it. But I cannot stand here and preach about doing the right thing and then turn around and do the opposite. It will make me a hypocrite to force Dad to step down and then I do not do better.

“I know,” he nods. “But I think we’re past that, don’t you? Killian and Clyde’s dead.”

“It wasn’t them,” I sigh heavily. “I wish it was. And I’d rather you hear it from me now than find out later. Because I’m going to charge him with arson and manslaughter. But I need you to know that even though the fire was intentional, the deaths were an accident. Nobody was supposed to die that day.”

“Okay,” Gregory says hesitantly, and I take a deep breath.

“It was my father,” I whisper.

Gregory comes to an abrupt standstill and is pale as a ghost.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I start crying again as I tell him everything that happened.

“So, you forced him to step down?” Gregory asks through tight lips.

“Yes,” I nod. “He’s no longer fit to be an alpha.”

“I should’ve left him to rot and die in his office,” Gregory grunts. “Instead, I risked my life to safe him.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask confused.

“When the bombs went off,” Gregory briefly explains what happened. “I should’ve left him to suffocate as my family did.”

I want to cover for Dad and make excuses for him, but I do not. Gregory has every right to feel the way he does. Have I not rejoiced in Clyde’s death because he molested me? I did not even feel sorry for Margo when she mourned her son. And I killed her out of anger and hatred. Dad cannot get a free pass just because I love him.

“I’m truly sorry, Gregory,” I whimper as I lower my gaze.

“Are you really going to hold him accountable?” He grunts.

“Yes,” I clear my throat and look at him. “As his daughter, I want to protect him. But I’m also his alpha, and it’s the right thing to do. All of this madness started with him, it should end with him.”

“I don’t want him to have a fair trial,” Gregory sneers. “I want to kill him.”

“Then challenge him to a dual,” I pull my shoulders back. “I will not stand in your way if you follow protocol. But you can’t march into the clinic and murder him because then I would have no choice but to come after you. And that’s the last thing I want to do.”

“Ada, I respect you,” Gregory grunts. “But why are you still protecting him after everything he has done to you?”

“Because he’s my father,” I explode. “And nothing can change that. Ask yourself this, Gregory, if Craig comes to you right now and begs for forgiveness, would you give him a chance?”

He looks at me for the longest time before he lowers his gaze.

“Yes,” he finally answers. “I would.”

“Our parents aren’t perfect,” I sigh. “But they’re the only parents we know, and they did the best they would at the time. Killing them will not undo their mistakes, but we can learn from it and do better.”

“Right now, I feel like doing worse,” Gregory grunts as he walks past me.

I sigh inwardly as I follow him home.