Chapter 16 Morning After
POV: Cormac Brennan
Location: Brennan Townhouse, Kensington
Time: Morning After Callum's Arrest
I wake up in Father's bed. I moved into the Alpha's quarters last week. It felt wrong at first, sleeping in the room where Father died. But I'm Alpha now. This is where I belong.
The morning light comes through the curtains and I lie there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Yesterday I watched my brother get arrested for murder. Watched supernatural police drag him away in silver cuffs. Watched him look at me with confusion and fear and trust.
Trust. That's the worst part. Even while being arrested for crimes he didn't commit, Callum still trusted me to help him. Still believed his brother would save him.
I push the thought away and get out of bed. There's no point dwelling on guilt. What's done is done. Callum's in holding, the evidence is overwhelming, and in a few days he'll be convicted and exiled. That's just reality now.
I shower and dress. Alpha clothes. Expensive, professional, projecting authority. I look at myself in the mirror and barely recognize the person staring back. When did I become someone who frames his own brother? When did survival become more important than family?
A memory surfaces. Callum and I, maybe eight years old, playing in the garden behind the townhouse. We'd been fighting about something stupid, the way kids do. I don't even remember what started it. But I remember Father pulling us aside.
"You two need to understand something," Father said, crouching down to our level. "You're twins. That bond is sacred. Unbreakable. When I'm gone, you'll only have each other. Pack politics, power struggles, territory disputes, none of that matters as much as the bond between brothers. Promise me you'll always protect each other. No matter what."
We promised. Solemn little voices making a vow we thought would last forever.
I'm breaking that promise. I'm destroying my brother to protect my position. Father would be ashamed.
But Father's dead. And I'm Alpha. And Callum was a threat whether he meant to be or not.
I squash the guilt before it can take root. This isn't about cruelty. This is about necessity. Callum's existence undermined my authority. The pack compared us constantly. Every decision I made got measured against what the "nice twin" would have done instead. As long as Callum was an option, I could never be secure.
This isn't evil. This is survival.
I head downstairs. Beta Declan's in the kitchen drinking coffee. My uncle looks like he hasn't slept. There are dark circles under his eyes and his clothes are rumpled.
"Morning," I say, pouring myself coffee.
"Is it?" Declan's voice is flat. "Your brother's in a cell. The pack's in chaos. The supernatural police are investigating our territory. I wouldn't call any of this good."
"It's necessary."
"Is it? Or is it just convenient for you?" Declan sets down his mug. "Callum's arrest removes your biggest rival. Funny timing."
"Are you accusing me of something?"
"I'm asking if you had anything to do with what happened. Did you plant that body? Did you frame your brother?"
I meet Declan's eyes and lie smoothly. "No. I had nothing to do with it. I'm as shocked as everyone else."
Declan searches my face for tells. He knows me well enough to spot deception usually. But I've been practicing this lie. I've got it down.
"Okay," Declan says finally. He doesn't sound convinced. "Pack meeting's at ten. You need to address the embezzlement allegations before they spiral."
"I know. I'm ready."
"Are you? Because you're about to tell three hundred wolves that your brother's a thief and a murderer. You need to sell it. Can you do that?"
"I can do whatever's necessary for the pack."
Declan stands. "That's what I'm afraid of."
The pack meeting is in the main hall. Over two hundred wolves have gathered. The rest are attending virtually through video link. Everyone wants to hear what their Alpha has to say about his brother being arrested for murder and embezzlement.
I stand at the front of the room. Beta Declan's beside me. Pack elders are seated in the first row. Everyone else fills in behind them. The room's silent. Waiting.
I take a breath and begin.
"Thank you all for coming on short notice. I know everyone's heard about what happened yesterday. My brother, Callum, was arrested by supernatural authorities on suspicion of murder and embezzlement. I want to address both accusations directly."
Murmurs ripple through the crowd. I wait for silence before continuing.
"The murder investigation is being handled by the Supernatural Enforcement Division. I can't comment on active investigation details. What I can tell you is that a human was found dead in our territory. My brother discovered the body. The evidence at the scene implicated him."
"What kind of evidence?" someone calls out.
"His scent saturating the crime scene. Physical evidence connecting him to the victim. Items found in his residence." I let that sink in. "I want to believe there's an explanation. I want to believe my brother's innocent. But I can't ignore what the investigators found."
More murmurs. Louder this time. The pack's processing this. Their Beta, the nice twin, accused of murdering a human.
"The embezzlement is more straightforward," I continue. "Pack accountants discovered financial discrepancies during a routine audit. Fifty thousand pounds missing over six months. The trail leads to an offshore account in Callum's name."
"Callum wouldn't steal from the pack," Elena calls out. She's one of the elders who wanted to consider Callum for Alpha. "There must be a mistake."
"I thought so too. I wanted it to be a mistake." I inject pain into my voice. Make it sound like this is destroying me. "But the evidence is extensive. Transaction records, bank statements, withdrawal histories. All of it pointing to my brother systematically stealing from pack funds."
"Why would he do that?" Marcus asks.
"I don't know. Maybe he was in debt. Maybe he had expenses I didn't know about. Maybe." I pause, let the implication hang. "Maybe he was building resources for something else. Planning something."
The room goes very quiet. I can see wolves putting pieces together. Callum was considered for Alpha. Callum had popular support. Callum might have been building a power base to challenge me.
That's the narrative I need them to believe. Not that Callum's a simple thief. That he's a schemer who was positioning himself to overthrow me.
"I'm heartbroken," I say, and I almost believe it myself. "Callum's my twin brother. My closest family. The person I trusted most in this world. To learn he's been stealing from us, possibly plotting against pack stability, it's. devastating."
Silence. The pack's absorbing this. Processing. Deciding whether to believe me.
"But personal feelings don't matter," I continue. "What matters is pack security. Pack integrity. If Callum's guilty of these crimes, he can't remain Beta. He can't remain pack. Justice must be served, even when it hurts."
"What if he's innocent?" Elena presses. "What if someone framed him?"
"Then the trial will prove that. The supernatural justice system will investigate thoroughly. If Callum's innocent, he'll be exonerated. If he's guilty, he'll face appropriate consequences." I look directly at Elena. "I'm not prejudging him. I'm presenting what we know so far. The pack deserves transparency."
Elena doesn't look satisfied but she sits back down.
"Until the trial concludes, pack business continues as normal. I'll be taking over duties Callum handled as Beta. Declan will assist with the transition. Territory patrols remain unchanged. Pack security remains our priority." I scan the crowd. "Are there any questions?"
Dozens of hands go up. I spend the next hour answering them. Carefully. Strategically. Always emphasizing how hurt I am. How betrayed I feel. How much I want Callum to be innocent but how damning the evidence is.
By the end, most of the pack's on my side. Not all of them. Elena and a few others remain skeptical. But the majority believes me. They want to believe me. It's easier to trust the Alpha than to consider that I might be lying.
The meeting ends. Wolves file out, talking quietly among themselves. I hear fragments of conversation. "Never would have expected this from Callum." "The quiet ones are always the worst." "Poor Cormac, having to deal with this."
Perfect. The narrative's taking hold.
Declan finds me in Father's study an hour later. I'm reviewing pack finances, making sure there are no loose ends that could contradict the embezzlement story.
"That was quite a performance," Declan says, closing the door.
"It wasn't a performance. I was being honest about what we know."
"Were you? Or were you spinning a story that makes you look like a victim while destroying your brother's reputation?" Declan sits across from me. "Is all this necessary, Cormac?"
"Absolutely."
"Why? Callum supported you. He refused the Alpha position publicly. He was loyal."
"He was an alternative. As long as the pack saw him as an option, my authority was compromised. This isn't cruelty. This is leadership."
"This is paranoia." Declan's voice is hard. "You're destroying an innocent wolf because you couldn't handle people liking him."
"I'm protecting pack stability. Callum's kindness was political liability. Every time I made a hard decision, wolves compared me to him. Every time I enforced hierarchy, they wished the soft brother was in charge." I meet Declan's eyes. "I couldn't lead effectively with that shadow hanging over me."
"So you fabricated crimes to eliminate him."
"I did what was necessary."
"Your father would be ashamed."
The words hit like a slap. "My father's dead. I'm Alpha. My decisions keep this pack safe."
"At what cost? Your brother's life? Your soul?" Declan stands. "I'll support you publicly because that's my duty as Beta. But privately, I want you to know that I think you're making a terrible mistake. One you'll regret for the rest of your life."
"Noted."
Declan leaves. I sit in Father's chair, surrounded by Father's things, trying not to feel like a monster.
I'm not a monster. I'm a pragmatist. I'm doing what needs to be done to maintain power and protect the pack. The guilt is just weakness. The doubt is just fear.
I'm Alpha. This is what leadership requires.
My phone buzzes. Text message from an unknown number. I open it.
"Well done. The pack believes your version of events. The judge is prepared. Your brother will be convicted. The evidence is too strong for any defense. He'll get six months in supernatural prison, then permanent exile. Packless for life. Congratulations on eliminating your rival. And Cormac? You owe me. We'll discuss payment soon. - M"
Mordaunt. Of course.
I stare at the message. This is it. This is the confirmation that everything's proceeding according to plan. Callum will be convicted. The corrupt judge will ensure it. My brother will be destroyed and I'll be secure.
And I'll owe Mordaunt. Forever. Whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, I'll have to provide. That's the cost of this security.
I delete the message and set down my phone.
Worth it. It's worth it. Callum was a threat. Mordaunt's help was necessary. The debt is acceptable.
I'm Alpha. That's all that matters.
The guilt tries to surface again. I squash it. Lock it away. Bury it under rationalizations and necessity and survival instinct.
Father taught us that pack comes first. That's what I'm doing. Putting pack stability ahead of personal feelings.
The fact that I'm lying to everyone, that I framed my innocent brother, that I'm destroying him to eliminate competition, those are just details. Uncomfortable details that don't change the fundamental truth.
I'm Alpha. I'll do whatever it takes to stay Alpha.
Even if it costs me my brother. Even if it costs me my soul.
This is what leadership looks like. Hard choices. Terrible choices. Necessary choices.
I repeat that to myself until I almost believe it.