Fleeing With The Alpha's Heir

PRONOUNCING JUDGEMENT

KATE

Remind me again why I had been crushing on the Alpha for almost all my life?

The man was actually one of the most infuriating people I had ever met!

Sure, he had the looks...

Tall, dark, and every bit as brooding as the heroes from those romance novels I used to devour at the least chance I got, with his well-trimmed chestnut hair, stubble beard, and captivating brown eyes and smile…

But those books never made the heroine feel like she was a bother?

They never did.

You know, I never asked to be rescued.

Sure, I was grateful that I had been, but I didn’t ask for this.

So why was Alpha Kincaid acting like I had just ruined his life?

Like he had way more important things to do than rescue me from my terrible family and go with me to pronounce judgment against them?

He was angry.

That much was easy to tell.

Perhaps I had been too lost in the lull of trying to numb myself to the pain, and in the wonderful feeling that came with being in his arms to notice, but now that I was healed, it was all as clear as day…

The alpha was pissed at me.

It was all there in the icy distance, in his sharp tone with each word he said to me… how, despite the fact that I had just recovered from a very severe beating, he was walking ahead of me like a commander hastening his army to war, daring me to catch up.

But that was just the thing.

He was the one who had offered to have me move into the Packhouse, something which, mind you, I hadn’t even agreed to yet.

I don’t even know what had brought him to our house in the first place, which is why, honestly speaking, I was so confused about the way he was acting towards me.

I had seen his anger in the tense set of his jaw, the way his eyes seemed to burn with a weird fire back when he watched me thank the healers for saving my life,

And I could see it now, even as he walked ahead of me.

But I didn’t care.

Alpha Kincaid had no right to treat me like this, not after everything I had been through.

Not after everything I had endured at the hands of my own family.

Perhaps this had to be a wakeup call for me to realize that taking the submissive route was no longer going to work for me.

So no, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of begging him to slow down.

You see, he may be nothing like those charming heroes in my books, but then I was nothing like those helpless princesses either.

I squared my shoulders and increased my pace even as my body winced in slight discomfort, enjoying the warm hum of satisfaction that passed through me when I bypassed him and was finally walking ahead.

“Well, who can’t keep up now, Alpha?”

I caught the faintest hint of a smirk on the Alpha’s lips, but that was the only reaction I got.

No retort, no comment—just that infuriating, silent amusement that made me want to scream.

But crazily, it tugged at my heartstrings.

It reminded me of our night on the balcony.

We continued walking in silence, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a knife.

My anger was simmering down now, leaving in its wake pure, unadulterated confusion instead.

I tried to focus on something else, tuning myself to appreciate my surroundings instead. The halls of the Packhouse seemed longer than usual, stretching endlessly as we approached the main room where judgment would be passed on my family.

I have never been there before.

And I really had no idea what to expect.

Frankly speaking, it was crazy just how quickly the whole thing had turned into an official deliberation.

I had been expecting maybe me, the Alpha, his mother and my family to be present for the delivering of the verdict, but when we entered the grand room, I just froze in my tracks, for nothing had prepared me for the number of people that I met.

Right across from me in the flamboyant room with high ceilings sat an intimidating throne which I assumed belonged to Alpha Kincaid. To the left of the imposing throne sat the council of elders, huddled in a semicircle on high chairs that seemed to be carved out of gold, and right opposite them sat the former Alpha, Denver Kincaid and his wife, Luna Silvana—the former leaders of the pack.

Their gazes shot to the Alpha and I, and I found myself lowering my gaze at the plethora of attention I was suddenly receiving.

I had gone almost all of my life being ignored and being used to that feeling, that now, it was overwhelming and kind of intimidating having people focus on me like that.

The Alpha started to walk towards the throne, his eyes sweeping over the entire room, radiating confidence and aura, and I trailed after him at his silent command, meek as a mouse. It took a while, but as we approached the throne, I finally noticed them.

My family.

The proud, cruel people who have made most of my life a living hell. Well, Shane wasn’t part, but with his silence and indifference, he might as well have been. I swear they looked so subdued and broken now that they were almost unrecognizable.

They truly were a far cry from the dominant figures I had known all my life.

Alpha Kincaid didn’t hesitate, he strode forward with an authority that came naturally to him, taking his place on the massive throne that had once belonged to his father, and once he was seated, the room, which had been filled with low murmurings and chatter, came to an absolute halt with everyone falling silent as his eyes swept across the room and his presence commanded the space.

He raised a hand. “Begin.”

One of the elders, a man with silver hair and a voice that carried the weight of years called Amos, began to speak at his command.

“We have gathered here today, because a very great offense has been committed, one that, in the name of the Moon Goddess, Alpha Kincaid, fifth of his name, has vowed that he would not let go unpunished.” He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling figures of my family.

His voice was steady, filled with an undeniable intensity and a bit of disgust as he began to call out one by one, everything that my family had done to me that morning.

“Shauna Campbell,” Amos began, addressing my mother, “You stand accused of cruelty and abuse, not only towards your daughter, but towards the mighty name of the Moon Goddess, who believes herself the mother of the motherless and the advocator of omegas. You inflicted pain without mercy, without reason, believing yourself above the law.”

Shauna hung her head in shame as her sins were spelled out for all to hear, and I blinked rapidly, trying to figure out if this wasn’t some twisted dream I was soon going to wake up from.

“Shane Campbell,” He turned to my father, “Your offense is that you failed to act as the head of the household you had been blessed with. You watched on while your wife assaulted your daughter, while your younger child joined in, and you didn’t lift a finger to come to her rescue or put a stop to it.” He paused for dramatic effect, “And as for you, child,” He stared at Melody, who was silently weeping and looking so fragile that even I was almost sympathetic towards her plight. Almost.

“You used your wolf strength on a woman without… a woman who is older than you, who took care of you in your wee years. You have all greatly wronged this girl, Katherina Campbell, who though not related to you by blood, was a part of your family nonetheless. Are the charges against you accurate, and if they be so, how do you plead?”

Their response was almost a whisper, “Guilty.”

This wasn’t something they could lie their way about and get away with, considering the number of witnesses who had chanced on the scene.

“Now, this is my verdict.” Alpha Kincaid took over, his voice cold as ice as he pronounced their sentence. “I hereby decree that you renounce your ties to this pack and be banished by midnight. You have until then to gather your belongings and leave, and if you are found within the territory after that time, you will be dealt with accordingly, treated like worthless rogues who were unfortunate to stumble into this Pack.”

Shauna let out a loud cry and lifted her hands onto her head, sobbing her heart out. If she expected mercy from the Alpha with the act, she got none of it. Instead, he turned to the Council, ignoring her loud wails, “Does the Council support the verdict?”

“We do, Alpha Kincaid.” They all said, unanimously.

My heart momentarily stopped in my chest.

It was over.

My family was to be cast out, and I know I should have felt relief, maybe satisfaction even.

But as I looked at them, huddled together in their defeat, something inside me twisted painfully.

They were my tormentors, yes, but they were also my blood, even if they weren’t in the true sense of the word.

Could I really let them be exiled, knowing the harsh fate that awaited them outside the pack’s protection?

I took a deep breath, and then before I could think better of it, I spoke up. “Wait, please.”