Chapter 22
Kayden's POV:
"I WAS ANGRY! I AM NOT MADE OF STONE! YOU DON'T HAVE THE SLIGHTEST CLUE OF WHAT IT TAKES!" My mother lashed out at me. "You think that being an Alpha is hard? You just have to deal with MENIAL shit like protecting a pack?! Being a Priestess starts at a tender age and they hold NOTHING back! Have you ever been under the direct scrutiny of a fucking DEITY?! To give your WHOLE LIFE to make sure that even THE ALPHA is not offending her?" My father tries to wrap his arms around her but she pushes him away. "Tell me my dearest son, even with Marcus telling you for YEARS the importance of a mate... Did you even CARE that what you were doing with all those women would hurt your mate if and when you found her? Would you have listened to ME?" I stoped pouring that drink. I know the answer was no. Shit!
"And NOW! Now the Goddess has SHOWN her will to the Osupa of whom SHE has determined should rule them. She is an ALPHA now, she ALREADY KNOWS that to abandon that post she is risking the wrath of the Goddess and the posible demise of her people? Do YOU think she will accept to be a Luna of even a top pack like this, to an Alpha who has had countless lovers and to deal with that type of childish drama, after being the hand picked Alpha by the Goddess herself to a mighty pack like The Osupa? When your father says Karaya is paradise not only is he not lying...he is underwhelming the truth! Do you even THINK The Osupa would dare let their new Alpha BLESSED by the Goddess herself go?" I literaly can't move and the bottle of whisky is clinking with the cup because of my shaking hands.
Marcus gets up and takes the bottle from my hand and pours the liquid in my cup and pours more in his. He puts his hand on my shoulder and starts pushing me back to the desk. I really don't even know if I want to know any more of this information, but I know it's crucial if not I can literally not kiss my mate goodbye...
"What the fuck did you do Mom?" I am drained and I know that what will come won't be good. I want this day to be over.
"The reason The Werewolf High Council wanted Priestesses was not to rekindle their connection to the Goddess... they needed our services because our status allowed us to come in and out of Avalon." She gulped hard. "But the moment that I swore their oath, Avalon already knew that I was already basically persona non grata in Avalon... The Oath of a Priestess of the Goddess always reaches the ears of Avalon." Another tear from her, I can't take anymore of her fucking tears. "I was basically useless to the High Council the moment I swore their Oath. I was one of the first, and they were starting to understand that swearing that oath would take away the main use we had, they changed it later...
However, I was already shunned by Avalon and was useless to The Council, I knew I could never salvage Avalon, when you grow up there you KNOW what are the consequences of every single act you make. Swearing to The Council, I knew they would never accept me again. However I could still be useful to The Council... This is when we were invited to Karaya. Your father knew I was working for The Council when we met, he did not know that I was shunned by Avalon. I never even wanted to mention it out loud... When he was invited to Karaya I knew I had to seize that opportunity. I was a new Luna of a pack who thought I was a full-fledged Priestess of the Goddess, a High Priestess! I told Chairman Armand who was my superior at the time where I was going. No one knew the exact location of Karaya Island and The Council had spent over a century looking for it!" She's hysterical right now, I smack my head knowing what she did!
"YOU USED AN INVITATION SEALED BY A BLOOD OATH TO GIVE THEIR LOCATION TO THE COUNCIL! ARE YOU MAD MOTHER!" Marcus roared at our mother like she was indeed his next meal! I never really cared about any Blood Oath so far since I never had the need to get into one, but I KNEW we owed one to The Osupa and even I knew damn well not to break it.
"I did it for the good of the pack." My mother said above a whisper.
CRACK! And Marcus justs slaps her!
I have never seen Marcus this mad before! Not even when we were torturing a small pack of Rogues that were trying to take hold of the southside of our territory.
"MARCUS!" My father and I say in unison.
"Don't you see?! She has FUCKING COURSED US ALL!" Marcus goes and sits in his chair and puts his head in his hands.
My father goes to my now whaling mother and I am just THERE. I don't know what is real anymore... And father.
"You KNEW? This whole time you knew?" I walk towards him like a predator. "When did you know?" I pick him up by the collar trying my best to remember he is my father.
He smiled at me: "Now that YOU met your mate, an UNCLAIMED mate, would YOU reject her? I WAS mad at her for a while, but I forgave her! She is MY mate, I would NEVER betray her for any Council, any Goddess, any Oath, ANYTHING! Do you hear me BOY? Not even the Goddess herself can take my mate. My father left this pack in shambles! Because of your mother's work with The Council, it has restored us to at least the top three! Don't you like visiting often Marcus?"
Marcus raises his head from his hands, his curly golden hair like mine in shambles. But his hazel eyes turn black and I feel Wilk is in control, shit! I never have to worry about this with Marcus.
I go to him to hold him: "Whoa brother! C'mon Marcus we are not doing THIS!" He keeps pushing himself towards father. "Marcus stand down!" I comand in my Alpha voice. I look into his eyes so he understands I am with HIM. His eyes go hazel again and he nods.
"What that woman who calls herself our mother said maybe true... you may not get your mate." He says in a scary monotone voice. Is he insane? "Listen to me well brother, neither of us has EVER seen a manifestation of the Goddess until today, why is that?" Marcus is refering to mother as 'that woman' has he shunned her? Is he leaving?
"Marcus, brother, what are you talking about?" I am thinking it, I just can't belive it. My mouth is dry and I feel the blood leave my face!
"You are no fool Kayden, I often go with her to The Council under YOUR order to protect her, she still has very close ties to them." He then looked at her and shaked his head, smiling. "Damn Lydia, your good!" Wait Marcus HAS disowned himself from mom! "Is that why you were looking for that Prime Priestess? To be a Prime Priestess of the Goddess, all of those years of devotion and work to throw them to the sand for a moment of blood magic... How much did you offer her Lydia? How much did the council pay her? How many years have you been waiting for this to happen? To know that you are partially responsible for the death of thousands of people and have cursed us by betraying a Blood Oath?!"
I am stunned! I hear the old grandfather clock in the distance... it was pounding in my head! Loiza... My heart starts pounding in my chest. What if she finds out? Does she know? SHIT! It's so quiet yet everything sounds so loud! We need to know what THEY know. And I am fucking afraid!
"I command BOTH of you to be confined to your room, you will hand in your phones and any device which may help you communicate with the outside world. Let's make it easier and I am commanding as well none of you are allowed to contact the outside world whatsoever. Hell, I command neither of you to be able to open your mouths until I command otherwise or write any information." I pinch the bridge of my nose. I want them out of my sight! "I command. Whichever interaction you will have, you will be measured with your words to make sure you do not show your treachery. I command you to not address Marcus and I as your sons, I command that you address us formally as Alpha and Beta of the Blood Moon pack." I thought I was going to cry. Maybe I even did, I don't even remember now, because while I am disowning them I remember my father helping me the first time I shift, my mother kissing a scrape on my knee... "I command you to not try to contact anyone from The Werewolf High Council, you will speak of this to no one. We will continue to speak of this tomorrow my brother and I are exhausted I do not want to continue to exert ourselves with you. You're both dismissed."
I feel like puking. I go to my chair at my desk and just flop on it. "Marcus you are absolutely right! If she finds out our family has anything to do with the destruction of her home and the possible annihilation of her people. I have a little feeling that she might not like me that much after that!" I start hyperventilating.
"You're right! About everything! I already told you that you were right about the mate Bond! You're absolutely right to be afraid of our family breaking a Blood Oath and cursing us! I'd never even considered a thing like that would happen in our family! What do you mean the Goddess could take my mate from me? Isn't it a done deal? She is mine and I am hers?" I go back to the bar, I need to be numb right now, how am I going to face tomorrow? My whole life has been a lie. To feel the way I feel already for my mate, and to know that she can be taken from me! The Goddess must know that it was not OUR fault... my mother's words come back to haunt me '... even with Marcus telling you for YEARS the importance of a mate...did you even CARE that what you were doing with all those women would hurt your mate if and when you found her? Would you have listened to ME?'
"SHIIIITTT!" I roared. As I threw the glass at the wall.
Marcus goes to the bar and takes the bottle from me. He gets another glass and pours himself and me a drink.
"If she is indeed as beloved by the Goddess as to bless her "coronation" by actually manifesting herself, she could be very well be a Troyan's Horse of the Goddess. Once they have regrouped, the Goddess can very well sever the Bond and reward her with a second chance mate... remember what I told you of the chances of YOU getting one of those?" Cero to NONE! Is this MY punishment to the curse in all of this? To get to KNOW what it feels like to have a mate and lose her and NEVER get to feel that connection with anyone ever again? To know that SHE WILL be able to have THAT with someone ELSE forever. Would I even be able to forget what I feel NOW?
"Brother I don't want to think anymore, PLEASE, for me, I beg you to stay by my side. We will deal with Keaton and Lydia, but right now I need to know what they know. Ask the Warriors in the Dungeons to report on the line of questioning. I need to know what do the Osupa know. I am going to sleep or at least try too, ok?" The best day had ended in us finding out every skeleton in our family's closet and it was really dark.