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Chapter 19
The Big Sit-Down
Declan POV
You know that moment when everything, every weight plastered on your shoulders disappears? Yeah that, I finally got to experience it. It was… a relief.
Deacon was awake, and healed, up and about. I knew he had questions, but that could wait until we knew he was ready. I wasn’t about to force a bucket full of information on him just yet.
Virginia… well she had some problems; she had left her mother’s after everything with her dad came out. Her mum blamed her- something I am disgusted about. None of this. NONE of it was Virginia’s fault. She never wanted any of it to happen, but the blame was put on her shoulders. But she was now living with us now, so I knew she was stable, as was her little sister Adrianna.
They had moved in, and taken up camp in two of the spare rooms; thankfully we had a huge house and plenty of beds to go around. I was happy to have them both here. This would give Deac and I a chance to properly get to know our mate, and try to make this bizarre situation work… somehow.
My brother was alive, and for that, I would thank the gods.
So, back to the present, to the now, we are sat around the dining table, all of us; mum, dad, Holden, Deac, Virginia and Bethany. I know we all need to be here to talk, discuss and ask any questions we have.
Holden, as Alpha, stands to begin the gathering, “right, we are here to help Deacon. He has some unanswered questions. Questions we all need to answer, so please, son, ask away.”
I swallow hard, wondering what questions will arise from this discussion, hoping to ease some of the burden on my dear brother’s mind.
Once Holden has seated, I watch in anxiety as Deacon squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath and starts, “why- Jackson? What happened?”
Holden is the one to answer, explaining the horrible event with Virginia’s little brother Jamie; my eyes dart over to my mate, seeing the pain, the guilt in her eyes as the story is told. Deacon’s face turns to her, his jaw practically on the ground, letting the information sink in.
“That saves me the question about Jamie,” he mutters, “what’s going to happen to Jackson now? He is in custody right?”
I feel as the atmosphere in the room heads south at this question, “yes, he is. The council have decided an execution is the course of punishment for his actions,” Holden’s gaze darts to Virginia has he explains.
Virginia’s face pales but she holds herself well.
“Ok… errm… how did Bethany save my life?” I can tell Deacon is uncomfortable about asking this particular question. I can feel it through our wolf connection; the shudder and well hidden panic doesn’t shy away from our link.
I can feel the tension bristling from the others too… I’m sure this isn’t a subject anybody wants to broach right now. Especially with Virginia here.
Nobody talks. Nobody is willing to give Deacon the answers he seeks, so I take the responsibility on my shoulders, “Deac, Bethany saved you because she is carrying your heir, your son. His blood healed your wounds, and helped your wolf awaken.”
He was already told when he roused from his coma, but I don’t think it properly sunk in. I don’t think he had enough proof to believe the words. His face frozen in place as the news absorbs into his system; a slightly confused look on his face.
“This is definite? No lies, no tricks?” He asks, disbelieving.
“Yes,” it is Virginia who speaks up this time, raising her head to face Deac, “if it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t be alive right now. Bethany is carrying your son. No doubt about it.”
I can’t imagine what he must be feeling right now.
One of the reasons why he ran in the first place; the cause of Jackson capturing him so easily; the reason for all this shit in the first place… Bethany’s infidelity had pushed him to this. He was so hurt, so broken that he ran from his home, from his mate and his family. He nearly lost his life as a result.
“Why- you-,” he stutters quietly, his eyes darting around the room to look deep in everybody’s eyes, “WHY DIDN’T ANYBODY FUCKING WELL TELL ME? I ALMOST DIED OUT THERE!” In a matter of milliseconds, Deacon is on his feet, pacing around the dining room, fingers pulling at his hair into a disarray, “Bethany! Why didn’t you tell me when I confronted you? You just- arghhhhh! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! I DESERVED TO KNOW!”
Understandably so, Deac is evidently furious with this news- not because he is in fact going to be a dad, but because finding out he was unlikely to be the father of Bethany’s unborn baby made him lose control and run away. It was her actions that pushed him to this.
I bet, right now, he’s somewhere in between livid and wounded.
“Right, so I’m to be a father. That’s settled,” his voice is gruff, hoarse, “I’m guessing you know what we are, Bethany?” The Alpha in my brother has him forcing his own needs back, and the controlled leader stepping forwards.
“Yes,” she murmurs, nodding slightly, “you’re wolves.”
“Do you plan on keeping our secret?”
A nod follows his question; I visibly see the tension leave Deacon’s shoulders, relief setting in at this news, “ok Bethany. Still have the same number?” Another nod from her silent frame, her arms curled around her dainty bump, “ok, I will call you later and we will discuss… this?”
After Bethany has agreed to this, she leaves the room and heads home, leaving the family- yes I class Virginia as family. She is our mate. Chosen to love and support us until the day we die.
Question after question, we answer Deacon, giving in the information he craves, and in return, we ask what happened in that decrepit shed; despite the obvious distressing events he suffered, he explains to the best of his ability. He really suffered, worse than I could have even imagined.
The room is icy cold with anger and hatred for Jackson’s actions; even Virginia looks like she wants to murder someone. I can feel her wolf scratching, howling, ready to seek revenge on the pain for her mate.
I realise now that if I had felt this from her before all these incidents, I would’ve felt jealous, angry and betrayed, but now… I totally understand it. Virginia would’ve been the same if I had been in Deacon’s place. She cares, and that’s all I can expect from her.
As the room plummets into silence as the family fills with loathing, I decide it needs breaking- we are all here after all, all safe and healthy. That is all we can hope for; so in a moment of courage (knowing my mother) I pull my trainer-covered-feet out from under the table and plonk them on her well-polished dining room table.
Dad, Holden and Deac all gasp and go 'ooooooohhhh' as mum looks at me with a murderous gaze, “I suggest that you take your feet off MY dining room table before I do it for you,” she hisses. I smirk at her, knowing it had worked.
The atmosphere had risen, and mum was now pulling herself up to stand, glaring at me. I know how she is about her beautiful furniture.
Once, Deac and I were kicking the football around in the living room, and we accidentally knocked one of her precious vases of the shelf; it shattered all over her expensive rug, causing a horrid tear in the fabric. Mum was fuming. We had not only ruined a vase but the rug too.
'My bad' Deacon murmurs through our mind link; he’d obviously been listening to my inner monologue.
I smirk, giving him a sideways smirk, 'Our bad, ' I correct, which causes a mischievous smile to appear on the corner of his lips.
My smirk doesn’t last long as mum grabs my leg and yanks me off the chair, landing on my backside on the hard wood flooring, “owwwh shit mum!”
Suddenly the room is filled with laughter.
I did what I’d hoped, even if I did come out of it with a bruised coccyx.
Holden snorts, laughing loudly, while Dad is hitting his hand on his knee, guffawing loudly, tears streaming down his cheeks, Virginia’s unmistakable giggle-snorts adding to the mix, Deacon is stood over me, his mouth wide open, loud familiar chesty laughs escaping, while mum stands there, hands on hips, still glaring down at me. She may have those angry eyes shooting through me, but on the corner of her lips is an amused smirk.
Unable to hold back my laughter, I join in, suddenly relaxed as we- as a family, share a moment of pure exhilarating humour.
God, I missed this!!!