Chapter 30

Gabriel

After hanging up with Alpha Zagan, I was swamped with guilt. I wasn’t even sure if my dad would be on board with the deal I’d made.

Jasmine would probably despise me, and I had a feeling Jason wouldn’t get it.

I glanced at my watch. It was nearing 8:15. I quickly mind-linked Jason.

Elijah’s with me. I’m sending him to my parents with Ellie while we have our meeting.

His response was quick, albeit a bit curt.

I know...the guard told me where he was going.

I guess he had a right to be a bit miffed. It’s not every day you have to put a guard on your Beta and sister’s house.

It’s not every day your oldest son prefers to confide in his uncle instead of you, or your youngest son gets shipped off to the toughest Alpha this side of the border.

I strolled into the kitchen, where Elijah and Ellie were deep in conversation.

Elijah had his hand clenched into a fist, and Ellie was sniffing it.

“Cheese,” she giggled.

Elijah opened his hand to reveal a cube of cheese.

“You peeked,” he accused.

“Did not,” she shot back.

I walked between them, resting one hand on Elijah’s shoulder, the other on Ellie’s head.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, grinning.

Ellie looked up.

“Elijah is testing my wolf...and she’s winning,” she said excitedly.

I rolled my eyes.

“And you haven’t been cheating?” I asked her, pretending to be serious.

“No daddy, I promise. I didn’t look. We just used my nose.”

I ruffled her hair.

“Good job, pickle. Now I think it’s time for you to use your nose and guide us to Grandpa’s house.”

I lifted her off the stool and set her on the floor.

“If you promise to stay close, you don’t have to hold my hand, but don’t go running off,” I warned.

She furrowed her brow.

“Can I hold ’lijah’s hand?”

I chuckled.

“Sure, if Elijah’s okay with it.”

I opened the front door and ushered them through.

They walked a bit ahead of me, and I couldn’t help but smile, even though part of me wished Ellie could have been as close to Samuel. But I knew that was never going to happen.

Elijah and Ellie were the first to reach my parents' front door. By the time I caught up, the door was already opening.

I placed a hand on each of their heads as my mom opened the door.

“I figured you wouldn’t mind an extra guest,” I said, smirking.

My mom beamed. She adored her grandpups. She wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling them into a hug before letting them inside.

I smiled.

“Elijah has to be back at school after lunch. I’ll come back for Ellie then.”

Ellie turned around and frowned.

“Daddy, where are you going?” she asked, her voice trembling.

I crouched down.

“I have some business to take care of with Grandpa. You’ll be okay with Elijah and Nana, right?”

She nodded, then wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.

“Bye, Daddy,” she whispered.

It nearly broke my heart, seeing her fight back tears.

I hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.

“Be good for Nana, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

My dad walked out the door and looked down at Ellie, smiling.

I stood up, and she waved at me, looking rather sad. Then my mom wrapped an arm around her and closed the door.

“What was that all about?” he asked, in his usual straightforward manner.

I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t exactly the most empathetic guy.

“It’s the first time I’ve left her while she’s been awake. I can only imagine how she must feel. The last time she left a parent, she never saw them again.”

My dad hummed.

“She’s making progress then.”

I frowned, “What do you mean?”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

“Come on Gabriel, every time she’s encountered something here that reminded her of her past, she had a full-blown panic attack.

“This time, I know there were tears threatening, but she held it together.”

I nodded. I hadn’t thought of it like that.

We walked in silence until we reached my office in the pack-house. Murdoch was waiting for me.

My dad frowned. That’s when I realized I hadn’t told him about Melissa, or my phone call with Zagan.

I unlocked the office door and ushered Murdoch inside.

My dad took a seat on the sofa, while Murdoch stood in front of my desk, in the relaxed stance of a warrior.

Despite being Beta, he must have felt a bit intimidated being in the presence of two Alphas.

“Do you have a report for me, Beta Murdoch?” I asked.

He handed me a folder, which he had been holding behind his back.

“Yes, Alpha. She confessed to supplying the Lobelia. She told the boy what it would do. He took it and added it to the cake.”

I took the file from him and quickly glanced at the contents. She had signed it.

“Did she require any...persuasion?” I asked.

Murdoch shook his head, “No, Alpha. As soon as he knew that Emma had scented the Lobelia on her, she admitted it straight away. She also admitted a hatred for humans.

“She was working in the hospital during the ceremony, so she was still under the impression that your daughter was fully human.”

I nodded.

“Thank you, Murdoch. I’ll speak to you after my meeting with Samuel and his parents.”

Murdoch nodded, bowed his head towards me, and then to my dad before leaving the office.

My dad smiled as he left the room. I could tell he was impressed with Murdoch, not least because he had shown respect for my dad.

Even though he wasn’t Alpha of the pack now, he was still an Alpha. It bothered my dad a bit that some people forgot this.

“He’s a good kid,” my dad said, “a solid beta. Maybe you should consider making him first Beta instead of second.”

I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes.

“So, you not only want me to send away your daughter’s son, but you also want me to demote her mate!” I shot back.

My dad stood up.

“You sure do have a flair for the dramatic, Gabriel. Your mom told me about your plan to mark Ellie’s hand. Or as you put it, stab it.

“Besides, Samuel isn’t being banished, he’s just being sent away for a bit.”

I hummed. “Yeah, about that. I had a chat with Alpha Zagan this morning. He’s willing to take him, but he has a condition.”

My dad narrowed his eyes at me.

“A condition? What exactly? And more importantly, did you agree to it?”

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. “It’s not just for a bit, dad. Zagan wants Samuel to be transferred for at least ten years, if not forever.”

My dad stared at me. He knew exactly what that meant. It meant that Samuel would no longer be a part of our pack.

Any control we had over the punishment that Alpha Zagan planned to give the boy would be gone.

I sighed. “I didn’t have much of a choice. If I didn’t agree to his terms, he wasn’t going to take him. He’ll train him, make him a warrior, get him back on track.

“When he turns eighteen, we’ll talk about whether he stays there or comes back to us.”

My dad raised his eyebrows.

“His parents won’t be happy,” he sighed, “but then if it went to the council, their sentence might be even harsher.”

“Trying to hurt or kill an Alpha, whether they’re the Alpha of a pack or not, is a serious crime. For an adult, the sentence is death.”

I nodded.

“Which brings me to Melissa.”

I handed him the file. Even Alpha Zagan couldn’t sentence a pack member to death without their approval.

Any Alpha could carry out punishments, even serious ones, but a death sentence had to be approved by the majority of the council.

Until then she would be held in silver chains and kept in the cells. If Samuel hadn’t been a pup, he would have gotten the same treatment.

That’s not to say Zagan wouldn’t keep him locked up. I just hoped that he didn’t use silver restraints as punishment on the pups in his pack.

My dad opened the folder and quickly scanned the document. “I’ll call an emergency session. The sooner we can put this to rest, the better.”

I nodded in agreement. I just wanted to put this behind me. Zagan was already on his way. His pack was about three hours away.

By the time I had told Jasmine and Jason what was going to happen to their son, they would barely have time to say goodbye.

The knock on the door told me it was time. My dad sat back down on the sofa, and I straightened up behind my desk.

“Come in,” I said.

The door was opened by one of my guards, who let in Jason, Jasmine, and Samuel.

Jasmine’s eyes were red. Jason looked like he was struggling to control his wolf. They had dressed Samuel in a nice suit.

He had a blank look on his face, which surprised me a bit. Had he accepted his fate? I didn’t sense any fear in him at all.

I didn’t want him to be scared, but for fuck's sake, he was eight years old. He should have been terrified.

I pointed to the two chairs in front of my desk. Samuel sat in one, and Jasmine sat in the other. Jason stood behind Jasmine, his hands on her shoulders.

This more than anything else told me a lot. He was comforting his mate, and the anger in his eyes was more towards his son than his Alpha.

“Last night,” I started, “we arrested Melissa. She admitted to giving the Lobelia to Samuel.”

Jasmine covered her mouth with her hand, and I saw a tear roll down her face.

Samuel glanced at her, but his face stayed blank.

“Samuel, do you have anything you want to say?”

He licked his lips and shook his head.

“You don’t want to tell me why?” I asked. More for Jasmine than for him.

Again, he just shook his head.

I sighed, “then I have no choice. Samuel, you have half an hour to say your goodbyes. You’re being transferred to the Blood Fang Pack. You’ll be under the care of Alpha Zagan.

“You’ll stay with him until you turn eighteen, then we’ll talk about whether you want to stay, or come back to the Crescent Moon Pack,” I declared.

He stared at me, his face completely emotionless.

Jasmine let out a cry, which couldn’t be muffled by her hand.

“P...Please Gabriel,” she pleaded, “Don’t do this...”

Jason glared at me.

“This is wrong, Alpha. You know it,” he growled.

I stood up, “I’m sorry, but my decision is final. I’ll give you the privacy of my office to say your goodbyes.”

I walked to the door, my dad following close behind.

Just before I opened it, I turned to look at them.

“Do you want me to get Elijah...to say goodbye?”

Before Jasmine or Jason could answer, Samuel turned to look at me.

“No...I don’t want to say goodbye to him,” he said.

Jason and Jasmine both looked shocked.

I nodded at them and left the room.

Once we were outside, my dad looked at me with raised eyebrows.

“I hate to say this, Gabriel, but I think you made the right decision.”