Sunday, December 24th, 2017, 1:00pm
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Set It Off ^
Rei's POV
I walk towards the pack house.
Asher's been acting a little distant since our little fight yesterday. He wants to know why I killed his dad. Today's Christmas Eve. I want to dissolve the ice between us before tomorrow. And I feel like Asher, along with Raiden and our parents, should know what happened between Leon and Brianna.
I don't want to ruin Asher's image of his dad, but what he did with my mom affects all of us. He deserves to know the truth, and so does Raiden and our parents.
As I walk, I think of how to tell them. Slowly get to the point, or drop it out of nowhere? Slow would build tension, and I don't know what I would say to keep it slow. It would probably be easier to just blurt it out, but that seems kinda mean.
I walk up the stairs of the pack house and inside, enjoying the warm air, a nice contrast to the cool wind outside. I hang my coat up in the closet and take off my boots, before walking further inside.
"Rei." I turn, hearing Asher's mom Carrie's voice. The previous Luna comes out of the kitchen, smiling. "It's nice to see you again."
"You too," I reply. "Say, do you have some free time now?"
She nods. "Yeah, your dad and I don't have any plans today. Why?"
I hesitate slightly. "I want to talk to you about something. Can you bring Dad to Asher's office? I just have to find Raiden."
"What about me?" Raiden's voice asks from right behind me, so close that I can feel his breath on my neck.
"Holy fuck," I say, spinning around. "Don't do that."
My twin smirks mischievously and I smack his arm. Both Asher and Dad are with him, watching us, Dad with a grin and Asher with a halfhearted smile. I almost sigh, seeing he's still distant. Hopefully he won't be for much longer.
"Anyway, what'd you need me for?" Raiden asks.
"I want to talk to all of you," I reply.
Raiden's eyes narrow, seeing my nervousness. "About what?"
"...You'll see. Come on."
"My office again?" Asher pipes up.
I nod. As we walk down the hall, I shoot a side glance at my mate. He glances at me, then keeps his eyes forward. I sigh softly, and keep walking.
I feel Leon and Brianna starting to push in my mind, wanting me to drop it and walk away, to keep their secret. I growl softly, earning a curious look from Raiden. I try to focus on something else, instead of the growing pain in my head.
As we walk into Asher's office, I find myself quietly humming the theme to that show Pretty Little Liars.
Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save. Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave. If I show you then I know you won't tell what I said.
'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.
"Rei," Carrie's voice says.
I blink and see everyone looking at me, already sitting down while I'm standing by the door. Asher at his desk, Dad and Carrie on the couch, and Raiden on one of the chairs across from Asher's desk. I sit down on the other chair, just as Brianna gives a stronger push in my mind.
I hiss in pain, my eyes closing as I grimace.
"What is it?" Asher asks in concern.
"The topics of conversation being the assholes they are," I reply. They both push at my mind again, making an even bigger jolt of pain stab through my head. I growl softly, "got any silver?"
"Yeah, why?" Asher says, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I need to hold some silver right now," I say, the pain in my head growing. "Yes, it burns me, but it also blocks my power, meaning I can stop getting a headache from the two bitches trying to talk to me."
"Mum and Leon?" Raiden asks.
I notice Dad's eyes narrow, along with Carrie's.
I nod. "About that silver, Asher? Honestly, I'd rather burn right now." Asher hesitates. "Please, Asher."
"Can you not just block it out?" He asks, clearly not wanting to give me something that will hurt me.
I shake my head. "That's what I'm doing now. It's not making them stop."
Asher hesitates, then slowly his hand moves to one of his desk drawers. As he pulls the drawer out, the pressure in my head suddenly stops. I only get a second of relief though, because Leon and Brianna appear in the room, by the wall opposite of the couch, their incorporeal, slightly-blurry and slight-see through bodies floating an inch or so above the ground.
I let out a loud exasperated groan. "God damn you bitches."
Leon shoots me a quick glare before turning his attention to Asher and Carrie, his son and mate that he cheated on. Repeatedly. With his best friend's mate.
"Dad," Asher says softly.
Leon smiles. "Asher."
I growl softly. Seriously? They're gonna try playing nice? I notice Raiden look at me, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what made me hate them so much.
"I... I miss you," Asher says, looking down.
"I know," Leon replies. "I miss you too."
I roll my eyes, muttering, "sure you do."
Both Asher and Leon shoot me a look, Asher's suspicious and confused, Leon's angry and like a warning.
"Why'd you do it?" Dad asks, looking at Brianna. "Why neglect and abuse her?"
Brianna hesitates. "I... She was disrespectful."
I try and fail to suppress a laugh. Raiden scowls, and so does Dad.
"Rei was not disrespectful back then," Raiden says. "I can't remember a single time she was."
"Me neither," Dad adds. "What was the real reason?"
Neither Brianna nor Leon make any move to speak.
I raise an eyebrow. "Are you gonna tell, or should I?"
"Leon, what happened?" Carrie asks, her voice worried.
"Nothing important, dear," Leon replies gently.
I laugh harshly. "Nothing important, sure it wasn't. Cut the crap, Leon, stop acting all innocent."
"Then walk away and keep your mouth shut, Rys," Leon hisses.
Asher's eyes narrow, and so do Raiden's, Dad's and Carrie's. They would understand he wouldn't act like that if he didn't want to keep the secret, and that what he's trying to hide is a big deal.
"Why should I?" I ask, my voice taunting.
Leon's lips curl back in a sneer. "You know why."
I sneer back. "Oh, don't tell, blah blah, reputation, yadda yadda yadda. I already told you, you destroyed that reputation on your own. All I have do to, is open my mouth."
"Don't you dare," Brianna growls.
"You broke one of the most forbidden laws werewolves have," I hiss. "Give me one good reason to keep your secret any longer."
"Asher," Leon says simply.
"What?" Asher asks, confused.
Leon comes closer to me, and I have to force myself to not step away from him.
He whispers in my ear, "he looks up to me. Would you ruin the image he has of his father?"
I scoff. "Well, when said father is a dick, yes, yes I would ruin that image. Tell me how you're sleeping easy, how you're only thinking of yourself. Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature. Listen, mark my words, one day, you will pay, you will pay. Karma's gonna come collect your debt."
Leon growls softly, glaring at me.
"For the last time," Raiden says lowly as Leon moves back to stand beside Brianna, "what did you do?"
Neither of the two cheaters make any move to speak. Both of them send me warning glares.
"Rei?" Dad asks, seeing they won't get a word out of the other two.
I shoot a side glance at the two assholes. "Ever wonder where Brianna went when she disappeared in the evenings?" Brianna growls at me, her glare trying to set me on fire. "Why Leon was suddenly 'overwhelmed with paper work?'"
Carrie's eyes widen. "No," she whispers. "No, you wouldn't."
Leon doesn't say anything, avoiding Carrie's hurt expression. Dad slips his arm around her shoulders, holding her close.
Asher's and Raiden's eyes are wide with shock and anger. Dad's expression is blank, but I can see the fury in his eyes. Carrie looks hurt, but her eyes spark with rage.
"Why?" Carrie asks.
"Why else do people cheat?" Leon replies. "They want more. And when their partner can't give them that, they find someone who can."
"How long?" Asher hisses.
"Since you were nine or ten," Brianna says carelessly. She nods at me, "little miss pain in the ass over there only found out because she walked in on it when you were all ten."
"Yeah, then you made my life hell," I say. "Forced to cook the family meals, starved, abused by you, Brianna, every few days, while Leon liked using me as a punching bag every day."
Dad, Raiden, Asher and even Carrie all growl loudly.
Brianna glares at Leon. "I told you not to waste time on her and to save your energy for me."
Another round of growls. I guess now that the cat's out of the bag, everything else is coming out with it.
"Rei's right," Raiden hisses. "You two deserve to rot in hell."
"How'd you keep it a secret?" Dad growls. "Why didn't Carrie and I feel anything when you fucked?"
Raiden and I both exchange glances at Dad's choice of words. I don't remember hearing his cuss before.
"Warlock's magic," Leon replies simply, finally meeting someone's gaze. That someone is Dad, his once best friend. "We made a deal; he keeps a block on the bond, and we provided him with the necessities he needed."
"Who?" Carrie's asks. "Who was he?"
Leon looks at me, a steely glint in his eyes. "Ranger. The one that was mated to my daughter."
I can't help but burst out laughing. I can feel everyone's gaze on me as I die laughing. Soon, I'm gasping for air, my face red. Raven is laughing too, lying on her side in her corner of my mind.
Wow, she gasps. He really doesn't give up and just tell the truth.
Nope, I reply. Flash of all people.
What about me? Killian asks.
Sorry, didn't mean to mind-link, I say. Leon accused you of placing a block on his bond to Carrie and on Brianna's bond to Dad to keep them from feeling the pain of them cheating.
Never, Killian growls.
He doesn't even know how, Clove adds angrily.
Which is why I started laughing, I reply.
"Rei," Asher says.
"That..." I say breathlessly, "was a good joke."
"How do you know he wasn't serious?" Brianna hisses.
"You're accusing the guy who absolutely hates cheaters of attempting to cast and maintain a spell way beyond any of our skill levels when he also has no clue how to cast it, and would never want to cast it in the first place," I say. "Flash would never do that. Try again, who was the warlock?"
"No one important," Brianna replies, shrugging. "Just a rogue thrown out of his coven and looking for someone to provide."
I can see the truth in her eyes.
"Where is he now?" I ask, wondering if the warlock is still a rogue, if he found another coven or if he died.
"Dead," Leon replies curtly. "Went insane and became a serial killer before he was killed by the humans."
"I thought you said the rogue kingdom prevented that," Raiden says, looking at me. "Where was King?"
"As far as I know," I reply, "the rogue kingdom only rose two years before I left. This warlock would've died years earlier."
We lapse into silence for a few seconds before Asher growls lowly.
"I can't believe I ever looked up to you," he says, throwing a glare at Leon.
Leon returns the glare then disappears, Brianna following his lead and disappearing a second later.
Carrie lets out a long sigh, shaking her head. "That bastard. I guess he never changed."
"What do you mean?" Raiden asks.
"They were highschool sweethearts," Dad replies, his hand holding Carrie's.
"Then Leon turned sixteen and found his mate was me," Carrie continues, "the lonely outsider. I should've known Playboy Leon would never change. It... Doesn't hurt as much as I would've expected it to."
"Probably because we have each other," Dad says, smiling softly. He looks at me, "thank you for telling us, Rei."
I nod. "You all deserved to know."
"And so does the pack," Asher says softly. "They should know my dad wasn't the perfect alpha we thought he was."
I go over and stand beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me with a small smile. I smile back, relieved to know that he's stopped acting so distant. My relief also comes from the fact that I don't have to carry all the weight of what Leon and Brianna did on my own.
Asher, Raiden, Dad and Carrie finally know that Leon and Brianna weren't the people they thought they were. They know that the two cheaters deserve what they got.
They finally know the truth.