Jackson
The wind had a chill to it. If I weren't a werewolf it may have spurred me to pull my jacket closer. Instead, I rubbed my nose. Winter was full force and the ice in the air was burning my sensitive nose this late at night, but Romy wanted something other than hospital food to eat.
I could deny her nothing. She was my wife, my mate, my life. She had just been through one of the most traumatic experiences I could possibly imagine. I was barely holding myself together. I couldn't begin to suppose the pain that she was going through.
So I left the hospital in the middle of this cold, winter night to get Romy some food. She deserved the world served to her. A burger and fries was what she requested though.
I walked into the establishment requested and straight to the counter. There was, of course, no line up at this hour of the night. The bars would be shutting down soon and there would be an influx but I had thankfully managed to avoid it. I ordered her burger and fries and paid for it.
Waiting for the food to be ready, I turned from the counter and bounced lightly from foot to foot. Partly to keep busy and part to warm up a tiny bit. The cold still affected me marginally and the skin on my face was stinging slightly.
There were a few people walking and staggering past the shop window under the street light. Most were bundled up against the cold and hurrying in a scuttle to their warm destinations. One, however, was staggering with little more than a light long sleeved shirt on. He stuck out like a sore thumb to me and my keen eyes focused on him.
There, in front of the shop was a werewolf. Not just any old werewolf either. Gary. I stiffened for a moment before my wolf reared his head. Battling with myself, I hesitated for a moment, only a slight moment, before storming out of the restaurant and right at Gary.
"If it isn't Alpha Merphate," Gary sneered when he saw me approaching him. "I hear congratulations are in order. Your married to a whore and you have a little bastard on the way. That is if it survived the beating we-"
Gary was cut off by my fist planting itself on his face. I growled as Gary tumbled to the ground - my wolf was in control and I relinquished myself to him. He wanted to protect our mate and I had no will to stop him. This was the man that had caused Romy so much pain. This was the man that helped destroyed our child. He was as much of a monster as the man he worked for.
Gary, determined not to look weak, quickly recovered and jumped back onto his feet.
"Is that all you have?" Gary taunted, opening his arms wide like an invitation. "You are going to need a lot more than that when Tony gets a hold of her. He isn't going to let his daughter go that easily. He would rather her be dead than be with you."
"I think that message was received," I whispered threateningly. "Now I have my own message to send to Tony Cardaver."
My fist connected with Gary again and again. My wolf in total control, I shifted. I shifted into my large, black wolf so fast it almost seemed like he exploded from my body. This time I didn't stop.
When I finally came back to my senses the scene before me anguished me. I began to tremble and pulled my shaking, fisted hands from my sides and opened my palms. The red was overwhelming. It looked like I had dipped them into crimson paint cans. In front of me in a mangled, red heap lay what could only be Gary. Gary, Beta of the Cardaver pack.
I had just killed a Cardaver pack member on neutral territory.
Romy's meal forgotten, I fled the scene. They didn't need me there to identify me. The scent alone would give me away. I had to get to my pack. I had to protect the pack. I had to protect Romy.
Romy.
I did some of the hardest things I had to do in my life in the early morning darkness.
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Romy
Jackson barely strayed away from my hospital room for a week. He was there day and night, only leaving to answer calls from the pack. The pack that now knew that we were married. It wasn't the way either of us had wanted to reveal the news, but we really had no choice.
Jackson wanted the pack to know that I would need extra protection when I got released from the hospital and now that my dad knew about the marriage there was no point in keeping it secret anymore anyway. The pack had already accepted me as Jackson's mate as far as I knew. Marriage was just a human stipulation.
After a week in the hospital, I couldn't stomach any more of what they deemed food. Jackson had left last night to grab me a burger and fries. It took longer than I figured it would and ended up falling asleep before he got back.
Except, I woke up the next morning and my food was still nowhere to be found and neither was Jackson. I stretched a little, my bones creaking and my ribs aching. They were healing pretty fast, but they still hurt like hell when I moved the wrong way.
I was worried. For no one to be in my room with me - be it Jackson, Mom, Brandon or a Merphate pack member was not only strange, but troubling. Something was going on and I had a sickening feeling that it wasn't going to be good news. I twisted my hands in my lap.
It took a few hours, but my mother wandered into my room. She had a dazed look on her face and was practically zombie walking to the chair beside my bed.
"Mom! Mom, what is happening? Something is wrong, isn't it?" I asked, not able to keep the fear and trepidation out of my voice. I wondered, in the back of my head, if ignorance was bliss in this case.
"Gary is dead." My Mom said in a deadpanned voice before looking blankly at me. "Gary died last night. I am so sorry, Honey."
"Sorry? I am not sorry he is dead." I said, looking at my mother strangely. "Wait. Jackson didn't come back to the room last night after he went to get me food. What is going on?"
"Jackson came across Gary on his way last night," my mother said, looking up at me with tears shining in her eyes. "He knew that Gary helped your father beat you and he just couldn't hold back. No one that knows the situation blames him, they don't. Jackson shifted and so did Gary. Jackson attacked first and now Gary is dead, on neutral territory."
Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit!
"What... what's happened to Jackson?" I asked.
I couldn't take anymore. This can't be happening.
The penalties for fighting (and killing) in neutral territory were steep and could reflect on a whole pack. The other packs were the ones that decided the penalty in tribunal. My father could easily manipulate the smaller packs into doing what he wanted - especially considering the one up for trial is the Alpha of the other dominate pack.
I knew that Jackson hadn't been killed in recompense. I would have known the moment it had happened. Our bond would have snapped I would have been plummeted deeper than I thought possible as the bond cried out. No, wherever my husband was he was safe.
"Jackson stepped down as Alpha of the Merphates this morning. He said he did so to protect his pack from any wrong doing on his part."
I hung my head in shame. Everything that I wanted to stop from happening was in motion and spiraling out of control and I couldn't do anything about it. This was all my fault.
Now, the Merphates were losing one of the best Alphas I have ever met in my entire life. My mate was losing his pack, his life. How much more could we possibly lose? What had we ever done to deserve all of this heartache?
"So, Jackson is a rogue now," I said out loud, trying to come to terms with the fact.
"Your father called it an unprovoked kill in neutral territory, if Jackson hadn't stepped down we would have had a war on our hands," my mother said as if I didn't already know that. "So, having lost his chance at the Merphate Pack, your father did the next best thing. He banished Jackson. The tribunal still has to meet, but until then it is done."
"Banished?" I cried out.
Jackson would never be able to return to his lands. Not his lands or the lands of any surrounding territory. He was basically being pushed two states away. He would be a rogue, away from any wolves that he knows and any possible allies or any place he could seek refuge.
"He had one of his former pack mates give me this letter for you." My mother passed me a letter.
The outside of it had my name hastily scrawled on the outside like Jackson had wrote it in a hurry. Of course he had. My mother quietly slipped out of the room as I opened it with shaky hands.
My Dearest Romy,
I am sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I won't explain all of the details about what happened, but that son of a bitch got what was coming to him. I am not sorry that I killed him, but I am sorry about how it affects you and our pack.
I spoke with Richard and Reta before I left. You are welcome there still. I want you to go back to our pack and stay with them until all of this gets resolved. The Merphates recognize you as one of their own, Romy. You'll be safe there without me. Your father won't try to push his luck to start a pack war now that I am banished until at least after the tribunal. At least then you will be with people who will love and protect you as I would have done.
I am not sure how long I will be gone. But know that I will come back to you. I will not endure banishment and I will do everything I can to fight it or get it reversed by the other packs. It can be overturned if I get enough of them to side with me - if I can somehow manage to convince them that your father will not seek retribution from them if they help.
I wish you could come with me, my love. But I am considered a rogue now. I have to be careful where I go and what I do. I can't take you with me and put your life in danger for something that is entirely my fault.
Just know that I wish I was with you always. I will see you soon, that is a promise.
Always,
Jackson
I stared dumbly at the piece of paper in my hand for an immeasurable amount of time. Jackson was gone and he wasn't sure when he was coming back.
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