Chapter 102: the people we hurt

Hendrick’s pov

I set the trap for Charles hoping that he would fall for it.

Grace needs my help on this because her life depends on it.

The witch who is the reason we had to go through what we did is going after Grace.

Just like what she did to our parents, she wants to ruin us even now.

I guess people like her are never truly satisfied with the power they have.

For years she has had all this power and influence, but it seems that it has never been truly enough for her.

After I set the trap for Charles I need to meet the old Alpha King and Harper.

Grace helped arrange this meeting, Harper, and her both think that I deserve to hear the answers from the man who knows everything that happened.

Charles came in and found me looking at a file and he glanced over.

“I have never seen that file, what is it about?” he asked, and I looked at him.

“what’s with the million questions? You and aren’t buddies that I should share everything with you. Now leave” I said, and he looked at me and bowed his head before leaving the room.

It actually felt like de ja vu in that moment.

When I was done I put the file in my office and headed out to meet Harper and his father.

I found them sitting in a café and when he saw me he frowned and the looked at his son.

“what’s happening here?

You bought me here to meet this monster?

What’s wrong with you?

You should be killing him instead of sitting here asking me to talk to him” he said looking at his son with disbelief.

“I honestly believe that you bought me here to meet him. We are leaving now” he said getting up.

“my mother, she was the first wife and mate of Alpha Jones” I said, and he froze as he was getting up.

He looked at me and fell back on his chair obviously surprised.

“Yes sir, I am the child who had to watch as you kill his mother. The helpless little child who couldn’t do anything, well not completely helpless now” I said and then sat down.

He looked at me as if he was seeing a ghost and he couldn’t believe his eyes at all.

Other than the red hair I got from my father I look a lot like my mother and now he could see the resemblance.

“how is it even possible? You died in war” he said and then looked at his son.

“he is very much alive father. As you can see this idiot faked his own death for revenge” Harper said and looked at me with a smirk. He really just wanted to say something terrible about me in the middle of all of this.

“seems like you miss your little cage old friend. Its still empty if you still want to get back in it, I can make it happen before you can say idiot” I said, and he rolled his eyes.

Because of his not very vailed comment to try and ease the tension the room wasn’t as serious and uncomfortable.

“I guess you came here because you need answers. I just never thought that I would see you two working together. what is happening here?” he asked looking at me and then his son.

“we can tolerate each other for a few minutes” I said, and he nodded.

“and yes I need answers, I have had so many questions and the only thing stopping me from killing you is the fact that you have them.

You are the only person I believe will give me the answers I need” I said, and he looked at Harper.

“fine I will tell you the truth. It would also be a little comforting to get it off my chest too. Its been weighing on me for years now” he said and the took a sip of his water.

“why? What I know and heard from my father was that you were ready for an alliance. Was that a lie?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“no, we were more than ready for an alliance with your family. I asked for it and fought tooth and nail because I didn’t want us bickering overpower” he answered and then sighed.

“what changed father? Why did you change your mind just like that?” Harper asked his father.

“one call, that one call changed everything for everyone. Cara Hale called me, told me that she wants an alliance instead” he said and sighed.

“I said no when I heard the conditions she was giving me. but I already had Harper at the time, it was either I save your family or mine. She couldn’t be reasoned with” he said and then looked at the table.

He had this distant look on his face as he did this and then looked up.

“her reason was that she only needed one of us.

If I didn’t kill your mother then I would lose my entire family and she couldn’t see a world where we both coexisted.

I was a young father, a coward who was scared of his own father and wanted to please him.

Those excuses don’t make what I did right, so I will say something that I should have said a long time.

I am truly sorry that happened to you and I had a hand in it” he said sobbing.

It was my first time seeing a grown man sob.

I have heard my father sob and night and that day he called me.

But seeing sob like that was so different.

“you don’t have to forgive me, I will leave the rest of my life atoning for what I did” he said, and I smiled.

“you betrayed my mother, one day you will wake up and find out the pain of betrayal. So, I forgive you” I said, and he looked at me confused.

I looked at Harper, “innocent people get hurt all the time. I guess just like me and Grace you are also nothing but a prisoner of fate” I said honestly feeling sorry for him.

I walked off with a few loads off my heart, it wasn’t as heavy as it was when I came here.

It is true isn’t it?

they say that we don’t remember the people that hurt us in the long run.

But we will always remember the people that we hurt for a very long time if not forever.

He is a prime example of that, he seemed to have moved on from everything and was happy.

But it turns out that all this time he was still being haunted by something he did almost 30 years ago.

As for me I know that it is true because I can feel it.

I can feel it in my heart that I will regret what I did to Grace for as long as I live.

Everyday that moment will haunt me forever, I will live my life atoning for those sins.

Hoping that there is a god out there who will forgive me and free me from that nightmare.

That will be my punishment, a lifetime of regret since now Grace wont kill me.

when I got to my pack Charles was no where to be seen and the file was gone.

I texted Grace to tell her that he took the bait, and she should keep an eye out on her side.

After that I just sat in my office when I got a call from a very anxious person.

“what the hell? Why did you meet them? What exactly are you planning? You aren’t going to betray me are you?” she asked me, and I smiled.

“relax, I just had a few questions for your father. Considering that he is the one that killed my mother” I replied and there was a pause.

“are you telling me that my brother and Father now know who you are? They know that you are Alpha Jones’s son?” she asked, and I agreed.

“I didn’t tell them Elena so don’t worry;

I didn’t tell them about how you have been my spy for years.

Or the feelings you have for me, and the extent you have gone to just to protect your little secret.

So, your little secret will remain what it is, a little secret because I have no intentions of telling anyone.

Even Grace doesn’t know, like I said relax Elena” I said and there was silence.

“fine, well its good to hear that you will keep this a secret. After all that I did for you and got nothing in return, you at least owe me that much” she said and was about to hang up.

“before you hang up… I will give you a little advice, secrets don’t stay secrets for too long” I said and there was silence.

“they will never forgive me if they find out the truth” she said.

“you will never know, maybe they might. Grace did, and we aren’t even related, I am sure your family will somehow forgive you” I said and then hang up.

Does forgiveness come easily when you forgive relatives? Or is it harder?