Chapter 141: Rhys
His words hung heavily in the air. I felt like the air was being sucked out of my lungs. What the fuck did he mean?
Grace gripped my thigh tightly, and I looked at her to see her staring hard at Caleb as if trying to read him in the same way she normally read me. And Sawyer looked as betrayed as I was, his face mirroring my own horror.
“I’m going to need more information than that.” I said finally after a long moment.
Caleb took another deep breath, his eyes closing for a moment.
“I was feeding information to the Red Blood pack... Or at least that’s who I think I was dealing with. I was mad that Dad chose you to be Alpha, after we were raised to do it together as the first twins. I thought I was just telling rogues things that didn’t matter. There was a rogue girl I was interested in. I wasn’t quite honest before... She was actually my first mate... I didn’t tell anyone because she was a rogue, and I liked having something that was mine. I was honestly afraid we would share a mate... We were and are so different, and we were told it was a possibility our whole lives, even if it was unlikely, so I kept her to myself. I would meet her every night just across the border, and I would rant to her about everything going on, how mad I was. I didn’t really realize what I was doing until the day they attacked, and the girl tried to kill me... She offered me to be their Rogue King, and I turned it down, it felt like a constellation prize, and I didn’t want that. I wanted the real thing with her by my side. And when they got in, it was because I had been complaining about how you set up the guard schedule... I had given away so many secrets because I was mad at Dad and you, and she just set me up. I didn’t know till recently, but there were a lot of Rogues who were working for the Blood Moon pack at the time under Alpha Andrew... I believe it was him who actually fully orchestrated the attack with them, promising Lycan powers if they completed the job. Obviously, they didn’t, but Alpha Andrew did allow some into his pack. When Adrian and Kinsley took over, they cut ties with the rogues, angering a lot of them, especially those who had been as loyal as a Rogue can be...”
He stopped talking and we all just stared at him. I didn’t have words for how horrible everything he had said was. He had met his mate, and didn’t tell me twice? Was he worried the second time two? Is that why he always tried to sleep with my brides to be? Dad was dead because he trusted his mate, was I next?
“What happened to your mate?” Grace asked after a long moment, when neither Sawyer or I spoke up.
“She died.” His voice broke. “She was killed in the fight. I tried to save her, but she tried to kill me, and I chose to save myself.”
I felt like my heart was being torn out of my chest. He had gone through all of this alone? He hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me any of this, and I didn’t blame him. I hadn’t been a good brother. Hell, I’m not even sure with everything happening under my nose that I was a good king.
“That must have been so hard,” Grace sympathized.
“I was not a good person, Grace,” Caleb responded with tears in his eyes. “I’m not sure I’m a good person now. I just know I can’t live like I was. My brothers deserved to know the truth.”
He looked from Sawyer to me, but what was I supposed to say? I understand why you did it. I get why you were an asshole. It was also my fault that Dad died? I couldn’t protect him either... Does understanding equal forgiveness?
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Sawyer asked, finding his voice first, but it sounded broken too. “Or me at least?”
Him and Sawyer had always been closer than him and I... Sawyer had worshipped the ground that Caleb had walked on as kids. I had been so invested in training that a little brother was more bothersome to me, but Caleb had chosen to be just a kid... Which was fair. Wouldn’t I want my child to be just a kid and not go through the rigors of training like I had? It had been torturous at times caring as much as I had about power. I just hadn’t truly realized it till Grace came into my life.
“I thought you’d hate me.” Caleb whispered. “I hated myself. I couldn’t face your hate too.”
“I could never hate you.” Sawyer answered with a solemn look on his face.
“Me either.” I said finally finding my voice. “I might hate the things you’ve done. And I’m the Alpha King. The choices I’ve had to make for the good of this Kingdom have been hard at times. It’s not your fault Dad died. It’s all of ours. If you had trusted us, me, not to steal your mate. If we had had a more open relationship maybe things would have been different. Maybe your mate would have always turned us in. We’ll never know for sure... But we also wouldn’t have known then either. I’m sorry you felt that you needed to keep it all to yourself. It won’t be held against you in anyway.”
Sawyer and Caleb breathed a sigh of relief, and Grace gave my leg a gentle squeeze telling me I did the right thing. I closed my eyes, feeling the exhaustion and the heavy emotions from the day catching up with me.
“Is there anything else that we need to know?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He answered. “That was the worst, I think.”
“Then you have no need to worry about being banished.” I told him. “But please, no sleeping around. Especially with mated women. I’ve seen how you’ve helped take care of the kids, and honestly, Grace and I are really appreciative of that. We know it isn’t easy, and that we have not been in the right mind to handle things lately. We would like to formally invite you to our daily report meetings and research, and we will set up a time and date for you to be formally accepted back into the pack and have your title restored.”
“And my daughter?” He asked hesitantly, looking up from the ground he had been staring at.
“She will receive the same. But Caleb, no more secrets, okay?”
“Deal.”