hunting the desert sun. ******COMPLETED******

#14 Liam

I was unsue what to do or say. I knew I would chose her but I was having a hard time with the fact that he was my alpha. I didn't want his job. I had already been doing it in the first place without the title. he could keep the title. I just wanted peace and for myown. ack to be safe. I knew Alpha Gray wouldn't like her authority over him. He liked submission. He always had. "you would have me killed?" Alpha Grays voice staggered a bit. It was the first time I heard any bit of remorse in his voice. He looked defeated."I wasn't always like this you know. I just want my child back. Something broke inme that day. I broke. I cried to the moon goddess trying to beg her for mercy. Just save my first born and she never answered. Drinking numberd my pain until it no longer did. I know what I did was wrong even if my pride doesn't want to admit it. I am sorry." I could feel her through our bond. She felt uneasy. Maybe she was only appeasing me with this deal. I could feel she was nervous about letting it go so easily.

She as confident when she spoke. Her voice was strong and her authority was clear. "Without a doubt. I would never give anyone the deal I am giving you Alpha. I would have no hesitation in having the council deal with you as they see fit. And just to be ckear not one time have I ever seen the council give mercy." She stood up brushing out the wrinkles from her clothes. She paused a moment. "I need your answer."

"I will do it." I could see his eyes filled with fire. he was not happy being told what to do. I gasped before I caught myself when he said he would do it.I crossed my arms on my chest and bowed my head to him. Cara moved towards the door with me following behind her. The door closed as we made our wy back to my office.

"I am sorry you had to be a part of that Liam." I felt her sincerity. She felt sorrow for what she had to do.

" don't be. I feel partially at fault for allowing it to happen for so long. I should have never kept it secret. I just want him to get better. He really was a great Alpha before. Hopefuly he does take this opportunity to become better again."

He looked down after speaking. I watched as cara sat there silent for a moment. I could tell there was an idea brewing in her brain. I stood there silent by her. I knew she was capable of doing this on her own. I was proud to be standing net to her even though going against my alpha was against my very nature.she cleared her throat,"I have come to a conclusion and if oyu take the deal I will not have you sentenced. The hunters council will not need to hear of this so long as you abide by it. Call it probabtion."

My eye brows peaked a little with her plan. Looking at Alpha Gray he too had perked up a little."what do you mean probation? what are you proposing?" He had a quizzical look on his face.

She smiled lightly,"Well it is simple really. No more drinking and no more abusing your mate. If you do either than you are to be sentenced. It would be beyond my control if the council should find out. You need to be abetter alpha. I am only giving you this mercy because of you loss and because your beta talks so highly of you. Everyone seems to be hoping for the alpha you used to be. Maybe it is time you step up and be that. Your mate and this pack needs you to step up and be a better man. If you can do this then I guarantee my silence. On th eother hand if you fail, well you know what the council will do." She sat silently as he mulled over what she said. I knew she was right. if the council found out about his behavior they would waste no time hunting him and killing him. I felt like the breath was being taken out of me waiting for him to answer her. I saw him glance to me once. I am sure my face was pleading with him. He was my alpha I didn't want him dead. He was once a good man a good alpha and I knew he could be that again if he tried.

"I will do it." I could tell it was taking great strength to hold himself under control. I was shocked when he agredd to these condtitions. He wasn't one to be controlled by another but he knew he was being given a gift he would not be given again. This was rare to be given mercy from a hunter. I watched her stand and move towards the door. I followed close behind her still in a daze from what I just saw.

"don't let me down Alpha Gray. I am especially emphasisizing on making it right to your mate. Yo have hurt her for the last time. She deserves better from you. You are an alpha and should be showing the pack how to treat their mates. When you are cleaned up please meet us i Beta Liams office. We need to go over some things." we left the suite leaving Alpha Gray behind. She was a force and I think I was falling in love with her. SHe didn't need me, no instead she chose me. There was something to be said about that. She could survive without the mate bond. She was strong and yet she chose to be with me. The alpha was definitely not happy with her being my mate. I think he was more worried about being challenged. I didn't want to cahllenge his authority. i didn't want it. I was happy being the Beta. I just wanted to be able to live with my mate and be the beta of this pack. I wasn't sure she was feeling th same though. I could feel how she battled with what she wanted with us. She was used to being alone. Being a part of a paack was not what wanted. Maybe she could want it though. Maybe she could learn to be a part of a community that wold be there for her if she ever needed it. This was such a complicated situation. i just knew I would do whatever was best for us. I needed to focus on the bigger problem now though. There was a killer or killers out there killing humans and she wolves and trying to cause a war between humans and shifters. It wouldn't matter if either us accepted each other if this war broke out. Certain death would come to all shifters if we couldn't stop this. I shut my office door behind us as I was deep in thought. I knew she was right when she said we needed to keep this secret. I didn't want to keep anything from my alpha but there was inofrmation being given that no one outside of the gamma and alpha and myself should know.

"Cara?" i was standing behind my desk still deep in thought.

"Yes?" I still wasn't looking at her my eyes staring out my office window overlooking the desert terrain.

""What if we give false information to one person and wait and see what gets out? if that doesn't work we go to the next. there are only two people we need to do this to since only two people were present during all of our briefings. We would find ot quickly who to trust and who not to. We would also draw out whoever is working with this callahan."

She looked at me smiling. "That is a very good plan. I wanted to suggest this but thought after everything that happened it would be too soon for you. I'm most likely not the most loved person here right now."

"I love you." the words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I just told her i loved her. I turned to see her eyes widen and then soften. I could hear her heartbeat pick up. She looked at me in shock.

It felt like forever before he answered me. I wasn't sure what to do so I just stood there."I love you too Liam." She moved towards me laying a soft kiss on my lips. Sparks went through out my body as I pulled her closer deepening my kiss my tongue claiming the inside of her mouth. She loved me. My world was coming allive for the first time. She was everything I had ever wanted. She had become my world in such a short time I knew I was never going to be the same again.