Scum (Book 2)

108. Mentorship

Chey’s POV



“You can’t just hit people whenever you feel like it, Chey. What if someone called the police?” Although she works for the gambling authority, Alpha Franchelle has been sent to 'council' me.

“Why are you talking to me as though I’m in the wrong? That woman trespassed onto my territory and attacked my friend. She’s lucky I let her live.”

“Do you not see the problem with that?” Alpha Franchelle is talking to me like I’m a child, which should irritate me, but nothing she’s saying is disrespectful, she just sounds stressed. “Listen, I don’t like what’s happening around you,” the woman adds, sitting on one of my new chairs. “People on the council have taken a perverse interest in you, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

“You can blame your friend.”

“No. It’s not Mateo anymore, and Leo would never sanction what’s being done to you right now.”

“What am I missing?”

“Cheyenne… How do you think that woman found your pack?” I sit up straight, already understanding that she was tipped off.

I should have known something was up when Bruno called his uncle for help, and a random man I never met showed up to clear up the misunderstanding.

I didn’t even notice anything was off about him, but now that I think about it, the council doesn’t get involved in petty issues, meaning that…

“They’re trying to force me into their debt.”

“I already told you. There are some fights you can’t see, and you just lost the first round.” I start hyperventilating, hating that I’ve been played. “Just accept me as your mentor. I work for the council, but I have my limits, and I will never sell you out.”

“What do you gain by helping me?”

“Absolutely nothing, but I’m here because a young alpha needs help assimilating into her new role, something I wish I had when I killed my father.” I can’t imagine killing either of my parents, not even my mother, and I guess my posture gave away the fact that I’m curious. “Do you want to hear the story?”

“Will it hurt you to talk about it?” I know from experience that talking about the past can be painful, and I don’t want to do that to Alpha Franchelle, not when she seems to be genuinely trying to help.

“Not anymore,” the woman says, and because I’m actually interested in how she overcame whatever circumstances forced her into p*tricide, I ask about it. “I won’t go into the history, but my father was one of the cruelest men I’ve ever known, and yet, no one ever tried to leave his pack."

"Why?"

"Some said they were afraid to encounter worse, and others were just afraid in general." This story reminds me of what Marissa said about her old alpha, and I guess her experience is a common one. "Sometimes, alphas like that let legend and lore get to their heads, and I was born using the aid of a 'high' quality breeder. My link to Arlon," she adds, likely wanting me to understand why she never met the man.

"Did he at least treat you well?"

"I can't say that my father was terrible, but he wasn't loving either. To him I was just an existence he created and owned." That sounds like what Bruno’s mate was alluding to, which doesn’t make sense considering that it’s illegal to claim ownership of a person.

"What made you kill him?"

"One night, I awoke to a complete stranger in my bedroom. I’d been drugged, stripped to nothing, and tied to the bed, so I knew what was meant to happen.”

“He sold you?!”

“He called it ‘good’ breeding.” That’s nothing like what I expected to hear, and right about now, I feel like my mother wasn’t all that bad. “I ended up giving birth to a beautiful little girl who looked exactly like the man who put her in me, but he wanted a son, so at just over nineteen, I was already living as a single mother.”

“Was it hard?” I’m asking because my pack has many single mothers, but I’m having trouble relating to some of their concerns.

“I was indifferent in the beginning, but then I overheard my father already planning to use my little girl as a future breeder, and in that moment, I realized that I couldn’t just do nothing anymore.”

“So, you got rid of the threat.”

“I did, and never in my life had I felt freer, but do you know what Cheyenne?” I shake my head because I don’t know ‘what.’ “Killing him changed nothing. My actions caused a lot of people to suffer for a long time prior to meeting the most amazing mate I could have ever asked for. Before I knew what was happening, I’d gone back to school, and as I got better, my pack began to thrive. Do you understand what I’m trying to say to you Cheyenne?” I don’t understand, so I shake my head again, hoping the woman doesn’t get frustrated. “My point is that before you can help anyone else, you have to help yourself, and yet, you haven’t even learned how to control your rage.”

“Are you saying I should have just let that woman go after she attacked someone I care about?”

“Not at all, but Bruno was right beside you. You should have held her, then released her to her family unharmed. A good alpha is a diplomatic one.” I don’t know about that, so I stay silent, choosing to agree to disagree.

“For the record, no one from my pack touched that woman,” I add, feeling slightly guilty because I like Alpha Franchelle, and I can tell she’s disappointed in me.

“I heard, and while that was smart, it still wasn’t the best thing you could have done. At some point, you need to learn to back down from a challenge, not because you’re weak, but because you’re better.” Franchelle stands and picks up her bag, seeming to have come to the end of her advice. “Anyway Chey, just approve my mentorship. You really need guidance, especially since you stole someone’s heir.” I do not like the way that sounds.

Bruno, on his own accord, swore fealty to me when, instead of asking his mate for help, we drove Marissa to a local hospital.

Not even an hour later, his mate was calling to ask if she could really join my pack and live just like a ‘normal’ person, which further encouraged the man to sever ties with his family.

I was still trying to figure out how to convince him not to do that when Alpha Franchelle showed up at the emergency room, looking to speak to me, and while she was there, Bruno formally asked to join my pack, and I couldn’t just say no.

It was awkward getting used to another alpha in my head, but the man is non-dominant, so he submitted to me, and then came the fallout.

Marissa had to be kept overnight for observation, so I couldn’t lean on Jett or Miguel, and Dyson was working to calm concerned pack members, so I turned to the next best person to help me with damage control, Franchelle.

“Before I go, what do you plan to do with the people who gave your friend away and hid?”

“They’ll be put on maintenance duty without pay for three months.”

“That’s really mature of-”

“I’m also not going to protect them from Jett.” I cut the woman off because I don’t want or need unnecessary praise.

Alpha Franchelle can look as disappointed as she wants because all anyone had to do was lock their apartment door and call the police, but they chose to give up Marissa’s location, on a day when no one could protect her no less.

“Instead of potentially getting someone you care about arrested, send them with me, and I’ll put them through an intensive boot camp for the same period.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Because I don’t trust you not to show up, I can arrange for it to be more unpleasant.”

“Then they can go, and I’ll accept you as my mentor.” A mentorship is really nothing.

The way it was explained in Jenna’s notes was that a mentor, usually someone of alpha lineage, would be placed in charge of young alphas who may have lost their parents before being old enough to take over.

I have never pretended to know what I’m doing, but Alpha Franchelle has already done what I’m trying to do. The only difference is that I killed a stranger, and she killed a relative, which reminds me…

“Where’s your daughter now?”

“She just got her doctorate in education. Would you like to meet her? She could probably help out with any of your kids that are falling behind.” The smile Franchelle’s wearing is real, so I know that she genuinely loves her daughter, making me sad because I don’t know if my mother would be proud of me right now, or if she’ll ever be.

Liam’s POV



I’m shaking from a combination of fear and anger, confused about why the council has decided to investigate our pack, but then again, I shouldn’t be surprised.

I’m almost positive that this is about Cheyenne, but no one is answering any of our questions, and based on the paperwork we were given to review, we can’t impede their investigation, or we’ll lose our standing with the council.

Too many of our members depend on council scholarships to get certificates and degrees that ultimately help the pack thrive.

If we were to lose that aid, I don’t think we’ll last very long, and just when I feel like my anxiety is about to get the best of me, I hear Porsha’s name being mentioned.

“Why do you need to talk to her?”

“Is there a reason why we shouldn’t?” My father just mind-linked me to shut up, and so, I do, knowing that I might say something foul about the woman by accident. “Good. Get her here now.”

Porsha still doesn’t work, so she’s always available and showed up in minutes.

“Yes Alpha?” Porsha softly says while entering.

She's never been meek, and now, I feel like this is a set up.

“You’re alpha isn’t the one calling you. My name is Alpha Gabriel, and I’m here to do a wellness inspection of this pack.” I don’t know what Porsha has to do with pack wellness, but then… “We were told that you were being mistreated after losing your family's support. This is your opportunity to speak.”

“She’s not being mistreated,” I interject, drawing a stern rebuke from my father.

“So you say. Miss Porsha, follow me please,” the council member orders.