The Wolf

Ch. 45: Exile

~Blake~

"How is the prisoner doing?" The Alpha inquires wearily. His hair has begun to gray even more since the disappearance of his son.

"Who cares about him?" I spit, staring firmly at the table.

The Alpha heaves a sigh. "Just answer the question, Blake." He shuffles through his papers and staples them together.

I take a deep breath to calm the rising rage inside of me. "He's finally awake. But he's- there's," I blow out a stream of air, feeling frustrated. "He's acting strangely, saying strange things. He's not the Nico that we once knew." I harshly staple a pack of papers and slam it against the table.

"Blake," The Alpha says warningly. "Strangely how?" He continues.

"Strange, as in he's talking to himself, screaming, crying, telling me his soul broken. He's been awake a week now and when he's awake he's frightened, so he's been sleeping more and more. I think that one day he might not wake up at all." I straighten up my pile of papers and push it to the side before standing up.

"His soul broke?" The Alpha ponders aloud.

"Hell if I know. I bet it's just a story that he made up while he was in his coma. We can't trust him, Alpha. He's dangerous and a liar." I stare firmly at the Alpha. He seems reluctant to jump to conclusions about Nico, even though the evidence is crystal clear.

"Now that he's awake, we must decide what to do with him." The Alpha mutters.

"When shall we hold the trial?" I ask steely.

"Tomorrow."

I bow my head in respect before leaving the conference room. The atmosphere was stifling in that room. The Alpha clearly holds Nico dearly, but he's also conflicted over the loss of his son. I don't see how he can be so indecisive when Alex told us everything himself. Alex said that Nico and Nyx have been working together this entire time to bring down the pack. It was hard to believe at first, but eventually, all the pieces seemed to fit right into place.

It made sense now why Nico was so shifty and secretive on the days leading up to the missions. He was too busy plotting with Nyx to focus on his training here. I bang the wall with my fist. How could I have been so stupid? I could've saved so many lives if I had just seen through Nico's facade. Maybe things would've been different.

~*~*~*~

"So the trial's today?" Dom asks me quietly.

I brush my hair in the mirror without meeting his eyes. Dom doesn't believe that Nico is a traitor. He sticks firmly with the belief that Nyx must've brainwashed him or something. But he wasn't there when Alex told us everything. He didn't see Alex's sincerity for himself.

"Yes. Today's the day." I set my jaw firmly.

Dom looks down at the floor. "He's innocent, though. I know Nico, I may not have lived with him a long time, but I could tell that he's been through a lot. He hates Nyx. Why would he go out of his way to hurt Alex and sabotage the pack? Heck, Blake, you know Nico. Why are you so sure that he's guilty?"

"Dammit, Dom, it's because Alex said so, alright?" I slam my fist on the bathroom counter.

Dom flinches but holds me with a steady look in the mirror. "And where is Alex now? He's gone. Isn't it a tad shady that he comes home, blames Nico, and then disappears? If Nico was working with Nyx, then why was he so broken when we found him? Why would she do that to her own spy if she could've gotten more use out of him? Did you ever think that maybe she already got what she wanted? Do you really think that Nico could hurt his mate?" Dom's chest heaves as he finishes his rant. He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "I thought you and Nico were friends, Blake."