CAROLINE POV
I was in Will and Patty's cabin, playing with Caden's little feet. Sometimes putting his little toes between my lips just to make him smile and just to get my mind off of things that weigh most on my shoulders.
Patty chuckled "The fact he likes you makes me surprised. It took him hours to accept Claude and Kane." I smiled at the two-days-old pup in my lap, coo at him "That's because Caden finds Aunty Caroline more fun, doesn't he?" He yawned with his teeth-less mouth and I smiled that someday those teeth will become canines. And I couldn't wait for him to grow up and meet his wolf. Will sat opposite on the single couch with a smile playing on his lips too. Like the adored this picture of us.
Suddenly, his eyes glazed and I knew by that look that he was being mind-linked. He said, "Jaxon says that he wants you in the auditorium." I nod my head and his eyes glazes again and a whisper comes through his lips "Fuck." Patty looks at her mate "What's wrong?" And the silence between them was enough for me to know that they were mind linking each other. A whisper comes through her lips "Fucking hell." But Will warns her silently and she says "Dean is being made rogue." She takes her pup from my lap and Will gets up from his seat "Let's go, Caroline."
"Do I have to go?"
"Yes. Because the wolves need proof of your heartbeat. Otherwise, they will not accept it when one of their own is being turned into a rogue for no reason at all."
I nod as rising to my feet and suddenly Will holds my left hand for comfort and my right hand is held by Patty. With her pup in her other arm. I look at them both with a smile of how grateful I was to them but they didn't return one.
They were hiding something.
X
We walked through the woods in silence, and they still had not let go of my hand.
We were not alone because the pack was right behind us. We all had one destination.
As we reached there, people started gathering towards the stage in the open-air auditorium as the sunsets. On the stage, there was only the Alpha King on his throne, his Beta standing beside him. Jaxon standing on his other side while Amara stood right next to him. Her red hair was cut into a sharp shaped bob from the last time I saw her. Dark purple lipstick painted across her lips made her look evil that I almost scrunched my nose in disgust. She looks at me and her lip curls in a smile. A mocking smile it was. But what kind of mockery?
A growl erupted and the wolves went silent, quiet to the point I could hear the shivers in my breathing. And as Will knew, he puts his arm around my back and pulls me to his side to support my weight and Patty has her arm around my waist, closed in on my other side. Like they were two pillars that I supported myself upon. Will took my hand in his left hand and gently rubbed soothing circles on my knuckles like it would calm me down. It didn't but I don't move my hand from his grip.
Alpha King encourages Jaxon to speak up. He steps forward and his eyes land on me, he mind links me "Whatever is about to happen today, just know that I love you, and please don't run. I beg you, Caroline. I'll explain everything later." Before I could ask him what he was talking about, he blocked me.
He says with his voice heavy with authority that sent shivers down my spine making my chest tighten in fear "The Lycan Code. It's a Code that existed since our ancestors got these lands for us. Got these lands when we were on the verge of extinction. These lands are what protects us and bring us all together as a pack- as a family." He stands there as a soldier with his feet apart and hands behind his back. His muscles flexing and anger engraved in his eyes. This wasn't my Jaxon. It was the Alpha Prince himself in front of his pack.
"The Lycan Code is what makes us better wolves, makes our pack stronger- better. But there will always be a coward among us. A coward that could only commit sin and break the code." His chest growls loudly "Dean Russo." As soon as he said his name, my spine locked and four warriors ran past us to fetch him from the crowds and pull him out. Holding him in place. The bastard has the nerve to simply ask "What's my sin, Alpha King?" Jaxon looks at him in disgust and says "Killing you is too easy." He looks back at the pack "Behold the code breaker- the sinner. His crimes consist of things that you can't imagine a wolf could commit. We're taught from a young age that a wolf is loyal, respectful and a saint. But we can't turn our eyes away from the fact that there will always be a sinner amongst us saints. Always." He points at Dean "This man deserves no respect, he deserves no home. And beheading him is too easy. It's mercy on his soul. This man and his wolf deserve to become rogues because he is the one who conspired against us with the rogues." The crowd gasped "The one who let a rogue come across our border to attack us on the mating season. Severely injured wolves that are not completely healed- he's behind it all." Jaxon's mind links me "Please be strong."
He said to the pack "He raped too. He raped my mate." The crowd gasps louder and all their heads turn towards me. I look away and clench my eyes closed, not ready for anything at all. Not ready for them to tell Jaxon that it doesn't matter because I'm human.
I waited for them but no one dares even utter a grunt or a sigh. Not when Jaxon and Will were ready to tear apart whoever tries to speak against me. I heard Alpha King say behind him on his throne "I have given the Alpha Prince the rights to cast him out of this pack." And then Jaxon said the words with voice heavy and eyes red "In the name of the Moon Goddess... I, Jaxon Moon, Alpha Prince of the Moon Pack hereby declare Dean Russo as an outcast. As he will be stripped of his identity with this pack, stripped of family and friends, and stripped of any dignity." His canines extracting and he roared the loudest I've ever heard "Throw him out!"
And they did. The warriors dragged him past us. And as they did, he had the nerve to look at me with a smile and earned a snarl from Patty herself.
Jaxon's mind links me again "Caroline, I beg you to please stay strong and I beg you to listen to me after what's about to happen." I finally get to ask "What's wrong?" But I'm cut off again as Alpha King gets up from his throne and says "This is an example about what will happen to those who go against us and the Moon Goddess. Let Dean Russo be an example for you all." Jaxon stood behind him with hands behind his back and lips clenched together, like holding in rage or something. The veins on his neck popping on the side.
"As you know, that we lost our Luna not even a week ago. That's why I'm stepping down and making my son the Alpha King." Amara stepped beside Jaxon and eyes him out "Tomorrow, there will be held a mating ceremony at midnight for my son and his mate." I furrow my brows because I remembered Jaxon telling me that he didn't care about the ceremony. But Patty's hold on my waist told me that something was wrong. Alpha King went on "All hail your Alpha King Jaxon." The crowd howled. "All hail your Luna Queen Amara." And the crowd howled every louder and honestly, it felt like a slap across my face. But I stared confused at what was going on "At the mating ceremony, these two will be crowned and Amara will be marked by my son in front of everyone. Beta Claude will step down and his son will take his place. The new era begins!"
They clapped, they howled, they whistled out their happiness.
What? Mark? Mating ceremony?
Will said, "Caroline, we should go." I shake his grip off me and looked at him "What's going on?" But he says again "Let's go and I'll tell you everything. Jaxon begged me to take you from here now." My eyes went back to the stage and Jaxon just stood there... he just stood there. Patty put her hand against my cheek "Caroline, listen to Will. We need to go."
Will holds me and we make our way back to the cabin while I just stay silent, trying to make sense of things.
X
We reached my and Jaxon's cabin.
As we walked in, Will made me sit on the couch and he said "I need to go to my father. Stay here and wait for Jaxon, okay?" I don't say anything as he holds Patty's hand and they walk out.
Mark? Mating ceremony? Amara as the Luna Queen? I'm his mate!
Not even minutes later, the door opens and I look to who it is and find it to be Jaxon. He kneels heaving like he just ran here. Without a shirt as sweat drips down his bare chest. Holding my face, he asks with a voice shaking "Are you okay?" I silently push his hands away from me "What just happened?" He avoided eye contact but I yelled "Look at me!" He doesn't "Jaxon, look at me!" When he finally does, I ask again "What just happened?" He answers "Alpha King made me a deal."
"What deal?"
"A deal that if I want Dean to become a rogue, I have to accept Amara as my Luna and mark her as my mate."
"But I'm marked. I'm your mate."
But he stays quiet. I say "And you took the deal?" He huffs "I had to. Because if I didn't, he would've been the Alpha of this pack or he would've gone to prison for only three years. You know he deserves worse, Caroline." I twirled my ring around my finger, my voice shaky "And you agreed to mate her, to mark her when I'm right here?" I pointed to myself "You closed the deal and sold me out?" He shakes his head "Care, I'm not marking her and I'm not going to mate her. You're my mate. You're the girl I love."
"Don't call me that. Don't tell me that."
My voice cracks "I told you everything. I let myself be vulnerable to you. Laid out all my secrets, all my insecurities. And when I finally trust you with my soul, I can't help but tell myself that this is too good to be true." I wipe away my tear "I'm so stupid to think that maybe we had a chance." He frames my face between his hands again "Caroline, we have a chance. You and I, that is it. There is no one else. I'm
Not marking Amara. I'm just using this deal to get you freedom."
"What freedom? I got my freedom when I told you what happened last night. That was my freedom, Jaxon. Coming clean to my soulmate. Letting myself trust him with my heart and soul. That was my freedom. You are my freedom. But you stole it again."
I looked at him back and his eyes were black, pure black. Tanner. He said "My love, you need to give Jaxon the benefit of the doubt. He has a plan. We will not be marking Amara and we are certainly not stealing your freedom."
"You're in this too?"
"Alpha King stranded us in the middle of a crossroad. It was we either reject you, take the deal or let Dean do whatever he wants."
Before I could say another word, we heard loud terrible howls. His eyes went from black to pure red as he said in horror "Caroline, we need to go now."
The howls were frightening. The door was pulled open from its hinges when three strangers barged in. We looked over at them and the guy in the middle smiles and turned into his wolf. The other following him.
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