Sins of the Father (Book 5 of Desert Series)

Story 1 Chapter 10

Story 1

Aries

Chapter 10

Third Person

A baritone voice boomed. Everyone froze and looked in the direction the voice came from. There stood a group of twelve finely dressed men and women. Among them was a familiar face.

“Bernard, it’s been a long time.”

“Archie, that it has.

“Archie?”

“Young Lacie. How are you, child?”

“I’d be better if I didn’t have f*cking be here for this bullsh*t.”

“Yes, well …”

“Archie? As is the Elder from Amber’s pack?” Allie questioned.

“Alpha and Luna Shaw. It has been quite a while. I assumed you would be here. Though, I cannot understand why your husband is man-handling you?” Dorian quickly put Allie down. “Bernie, let her go.”

“Are you ordering me, Archie?”

“No, old friend. I’m asking.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I will order you to unhand my daughter, Bernard Hamilton,” the man with the baritone voice said. Bernie scowled at the man and dropped Colleen. She fell to the ground and coughed desperately, trying to get oxygen in her lungs. “What is the meaning of this, Bernard Hamilton?”

“And you are?” Bernie asked.

“My name is Franklin Woodrow—the head elder of the Eastern packs. Now, answer the question. Why did you just try to kill my daughter?”

“Because she disrespected my mate.”

“I see. I apologize on her behalf, but threatening her life is no way—”

“Save your apologies, Elder Woodrow. I want to know how you’re going to punish her?” Bernie said, cutting him off.

“Excuse me?”

“Your daughter broke the law when she disrespected my mate and even stated that my wife should have been killed at birth. That’s against the law and is punishable by one hundred whippings and prison time. So, are you going to uphold the law as head Elder, or are you going to show every other elder in the region that nepotism gets you a free pass?”

“I don’t think you have any right to be judging me on nepotism, Bernard. Not after what you did for your daughter. What was her name? Heather, I believe.”

“I paid for my crimes. I was stripped of my status and banished from my pack. So, I believe I do have the right to judge. I will ask again, Elder Woodrow, are you going to punish your daughter for her crimes, or do I have to file a motion with the Elders.”

“You need to have a secondary in order to file a motion, Bernard. And since you’re no longer an Alpha, you’ll need someone of rank to do so,” Franklin said smugly.

“He has two right here,” Allie stated as she crossed her arms.

“And who are you?”

“Franklin, that’s Dorian and Allison Shaw, the Alpha and Luna of Desert Moon in the Mountain Region,” Archie whispered in Franklin’s ear.

“Dorian Shaw? The newly recorded Supreme Alpha?” Franklin asked, and Archie nodded. Franklin’s eyes widened briefly.

“Elder Woodrow, if you do not penalize your daughter for her crimes, I will one thousand percent get the Royal Family involved,” Allie threatened.

“You …” Franklin was shaken to his core hearing Allie’s threat.

“Father! Look what they did to me! They should be punished as well!” Colleen cried like a little girl as she pointed to her bloodied face.

“Colleen, shut up. I will handle this. Why must you make a mess of everything everywhere you go!”

“Me!?”

“Yes, you!”

“Grandfather, this isn’t Mother’s fault,” Lynx tried to intervene.

“You stay out of this boy! You’re no better than she is!”

“Grandpa?” Lynx was shocked to hear Franklin yell at him.

“I ordered them to come here so Bernard’s daughter could reject you, and they were to leave immediately after that. But imagine my surprise to hear that you challenged her destined mate. And the fact that you allowed it!” Franklin growled as he looked over at Bruce.

“The challenge was made in front of two Alphas, Elder Woodrow,” Bruce practically whispered.

“And you believe that justifies this illegal challenge!?” Franklin snarled.

“Father, why are you changing your stance on the matter?” Colleen questioned.

“My stance has not changed. I allowed you and your moron of a son to humor his wild mission to find a mate, but that was to squash both of your egos. Unlike your worthless husband, fated mates who have already marked each other will rarely, if ever, reject their mates for someone else! But rather than lick your wounds and move on to find a single she-wolf for a mate, you instigated a challenge!?”

“Grandfather, you should be on my side! I’m your grandson!” Lynx exclaimed.

“I don’t have to take your side on anything, especially when it comes to the reputation of this pack. Which you three are slowly but surely destroying with your self-entitlement. I told your mother to stop spoiling you, Colleen, and I hoped to the Goddess that after she died, you would wake up and grow up, but I was sorely mistaken.”

“Elder Woodrow, are you suggesting we cancel the challenge?” Bruce asked.

“I am not suggesting anything. This challenge was null and void from the very beginning!” Franklin said with finite.

“Was that all we needed? Was for you to show up?” Allie asked mockingly. “All of this could have been avoided if you hadn’t entertained your family’s bizarre delusions.”

“Excuse me?” Franklin replied, not appreciating Allie’s tone.

“With all due respect, Elder Woodrow, your daughter, and grandson have been constantly going on and on about how this pack makes its own rules and that they’re protected from the consequences of breaking the law,” Dorian interjected. “And for the life of me, I couldn’t understand how a pack could be so pig-headed. Why do you think we felt like we had no choice but to accept the challenge between Aries and Lynx? Your family made it seem like we had no choice. And given that we’re guests and not even in our region, we felt obligated to let things slide or risk a war between our packs.”

“Alpha Shaw, I didn’t realize that my family was making such claims,” Franklin replied as he gave his family the death stare. “They are not immune to the consequences of their actions.”

“That’s assuming you even know everything that they’ve been doing behind your back,” Allie grumbled. Her statement irked Franklin and hit a sore spot.

“Well, well, well, it looks like Daddy Dearest doesn’t have your back after all, Luna Colleen,” Lacie taunted. “So, I suggest getting off your high horse and groveling at mine and my father’s feet because I swear to the Goddess, if you don’t apologize for the sh*t you said about my mother, so help me, I will challenge you, and I will kill you.”

“You think you can threaten me at my pack!? Me?! Grovel at your feet!? You!? The product of a mute!? A disgraced Luna!?”

“MY MOTHER IS NOT A DISGRACE!” Lacie roared, her eyes turning black as night. “She chose to give up her title to stand by my father!”

“Who is a disgraced Alpha! She’s a disgrace by proxy!”

“I guess that makes you a homewrecker by proxy, then. Huh? After all, everyone knows that you stole another female’s mate with the promise of making him Alpha. Tell me, Alpha Bruce, are you happy to know that your wh*rish ways led Julia to give birth out of wedlock?”

“I didn’t know she was pregnant,” Bruce replied.

“Yeah, we already established that.”

“Julia was pregnant?” Franklin questioned as he looked between Lacie and Bruce.

“Oh, did your son-in-law not tell you, Elder Woodrow? My mate, my husband, is Bruce’s son, born from his destined mate, Julia Callaghan!” Lacie responded. Franklin’s eyes widened upon hearing this fact. He looked at Bruce, who could only look at the ground.

“You were going to allow your two sons to challenge each other?” Franklin asked Bruce. Bruce didn’t answer. “And you!?” Franklin pointed at Colleen. “Why didn’t you tell me this fact when we spoke last night!?”

“Because it’s not relevant!”

“Not rele—” Franklin was gobsmacked at his daughter’s audacity. “Do you have any idea how humiliating it would be if word got out that the Alpha of this pack allowed his sons to fight over a female, one who is fully mated and married!? And you!” Franklin pointed at Lynx. “My grandson, challenging his half-brother for his sister-in-law!? Have you no self-respect!?”

“There’s no law against it!” Lynx retorted.

“And you think that validates what is going on here!?” Franklin was flabbergasted by this point. He had allowed his family to get away with a few misdemeanor offenses in the past, but it appears now that his leniency has come to bite him in the a*s.

“Franklin, it appears that your family has not learned the error of their ways,” Archie pointedly said. “Your daughter has disrespected a former Luna, and your grandson made an informal challenge, for his sister-in-law no less. How are you running things here?”

“Are you questioning me, Archie?”

“Indeed, I am. We all are. You swore that you could clean up this pack and assured us that Bruce could lead despite his lack of leadership skills; however, from what we have witnessed thus far, that does not seem to be the case.”

“I must agree with Archie, Franklin,” another Elder spoke up. “Your family members are loose cannons, and this is not the first time we have heard of their misdeeds.”

“How dare you question my Father!?” Colleen snarled. “He is the head Elder of this region!”

“Only because we allow him to be!” Archie roared, his eyes turning black. “Colleen Armstrong, what gives you the right to interrupt a conversation between the Elders? Your lack of manners and respect has gone unpunished for long enough.”

“Are you threatening me!?”

“This is not a threat! Due to the conflict of interest, your Father has no say in the punishment you will be receiving for the misconduct that was witnessed today!”

“Wait, can they do that?” Allie asked Dorian in a whisper only he could hear.

“Oh yeah, they can. And there’s nothing Franklin can do about it. Even as head Elder of this region.”

“Why didn’t we use this against them in the first place?”

“Because we were under the impression Elder Woodrow was on their side.”

“What if he is, and he’s just covering his a*s?”

“Can you sense that he’s being deceitful?” Dorian asked and quirked a brow at Allie. Allie frowned, tilted her head, and then shook her head. “Then he’s not covering his a*s. I get the feeling that his family’s crimes were never reported, or Bruce covered them up.”

“Well, that would explain a lot.”

“Colleen Armstrong, you are hereby being detained pending an investigation. Lynx Armstrong, your challenge against Aries Callaghan is null and void.”

“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!” Lynx shouted.

“I assure you, boy, I can, and I have,” Archie replied sternly.

“Elder Archie, please, my son deserves his chance to fight for the mate he has chosen,” Bruce pleaded.

“Bruce Armstrong, I highly recommend that you let this go, or you will also face charges,” another Elder chimed in, growing incessantly annoyed with Bruce’s stupidity.

“He’s my son! I only want him to be happy!”

“Is Aries not your son as well?” Archie asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu in that moment. Seeing a parent choose one child over the other reminded him of Bernie and his decision to betray Lacie to assist Heather. “You would betray one son to appease the other?” Bruce felt like he was in a stalemate with the Elders. He wanted Lynx to have a chance at getting the mate he wanted, but hearing Archie’s interrogative questions made him think twice.

“That’s not even a fair question! Aries isn’t his son. Sure, my dad knocked up his ex-mate, but it doesn’t mean Aries is his. Who knows, his Mom could have just become a wh*re herself after she was bani—” Lynx couldn’t finish his statement before a thunderous roar shook the skies. Everyone turned around to see that Aries had shifted into his wolf, Cypher, and there was a murderous glint in his eyes.

“Baby? Babe? Aries! Listen to me. You have to calm down. Don’t do anything reckless. Cypher, don’t do it! He’s not worth it!” Lacie had never seen Aries and Cypher so angry. Aries didn’t just feel anger or hurt by what Lynx said about his Mother. What Aries was feeling was biblical. Aries no longer had a sense of right or wrong. He wanted Lynx’s head, even if it meant he would be arrested for m*rder.

“CYPHER! STAND DOWN!” Dorian in his Alpha tone. Cypher could feel Dorian’s aura, but Aries was forcing himself to fight through it.

ARIES! STAND DOWN! Dorian reached out via mindlink.

I’m sorry, Dorian. I won’t. Not this time.

THAT’S AN ORDER!

You can hold me on insubordination later, Alpha. I’m going to kill this f*cker right here and now.

Cypher reared back and got ready to launch himself at Lynx, who had the sense to shift into his wolf as well. There was a shocking size difference between Cypher and Lynx’s wolf, Elmer. Both wolves snarled at the other, and chaos ensued as they charged at each other, not caring that they were both breaking the law. Unfortunately for them, before they could collide, an obstacle got in their way, and they smashed into something that let out a blood-curdling whimper.