A Bear Temptation

| Chapter Twenty |

Wolff had ordered the others to their cabins. Zeke still couldn’t digest what had happened. In a second, their Clan had been ripped apart at the seams, betrayed by someone they thought would never harm them.

That betrayal had hurt him straight to the soul.

“Tie him up to the tree.” Wolff was stern, more so than he had been in a long time.

His Alpha was gripping to his animal with a thread, Zeke was too. Emotions stirred the animals but something like this was beyond that, they were lucky his Alpha was keeping his human form because if he didn’t Deon would likely be ripped to shreds.

“Get up.” Zeke pulled Deon to his feet.

There was a tension in the air, one he couldn’t quite explain. He tied Deon to the tree in silence as Wolff paced behind him.

“What now?” Zeke asked stepping back.

Deon looked up at him, his dark chocolate eyes filled with a bitter sorrow, but he couldn’t feel sorry for him, he just couldn’t. So many things had happened to them, so much pain and he was a big part of the reason why.

“I don’t b****y know.” Was Wolff’s honest response.

“I’m sorry.” Deon whispered, his voice broken and barely audible.

Wolff was in front of him in a second his hands gripping onto either side of his face, they stared at each other for so long, in that moment time stood still.

“You have no right to apologise, no right.” He seethed as he pushed back away from him turning to Zeke running his hands through his hair.

“Why did you do it Deon?” Zeke walked past Wolff looking straight at him.

“They took my family; I didn’t have a choice.”

“You could have told us; we would have helped.” If they had known, they could have fought for his family together.

“They would have killed them if I told you.”

“They were probably killed the minute they were taken; you have probably betrayed us all for nothing.” Wolff spat behind them.

“If there was a chance they were alive I had to take it, they are my family.” Deon wheezed the words through the tears knowing that Wolff was probably correct.

“How much did you tell them?” Wolff demanded his Alpha tone clear.

“Everything. I tried to hold stuff back, but Serena knew when I was lying and when that happened the retaliation on the Clan was always worse.”

Something in Wolff’s face changed, the air around him was heavier as his eyes narrowed. Zeke stepped back instinctively from him.

“You told them about Neve, you told them I had a human mate.”

Deon looked down at his feet, the guilt wafting off him in spadefuls. If he had told the Council about Neve, he had started this all. Everything bad that happened was a result of that one action.

“Look at me.” Wolff bellowed, his voice carrying through ‘Our Wood’. “Answer the question.”

“Yes. I told them about Neve.”

Wolff walked over to one of the trees smashing his fist into it, the bark crumbled at his force, the tree being left with a fist size hole.

“I was letting her go, I had let her go.” Wolff looked at them both, his animal growling in his throat.

“I told them that, I told them you had let her go and that you were following the rules but that was all the ammunition they needed. They wanted this war, and they would do anything to get it. That’s why I was planted to get information, that’s why Neve was used as an excuse to start with.”

“If we all die, our blood is on your hands.” Zeke said the words slowly to make sure that Deon understood the severity of his actions.

Wolff walked away from them sitting on the old logs around the fire. Zeke followed sitting down next to him.

“How did I not see this coming?” Wolff looked distraught.

“This isn’t your fault, none of us saw this. He was planted from the start, none of us could have known.” He stated although he felt equally as guilty.

“I am the Alpha, it is my responsibility to see these things coming Zeke, I’ve failed everyone.”

“Nobody has failed anyone, only Deon. Now we know, we can keep the Clan safe.” Wolff nodded but there was no energy to it.

“I can’t kill him. That's too easy, he doesn't deserve a quick death for what he has done.” This was the hardest for Wolff, Zeke knew that. His animal was torn.

“Maybe we don’t need to kill him, we can keep him here and use him to feed the Council false information.” It was the ideal plan.

“No, he can’t stay. The Clan will fall to pieces if he does. Everyone will be focussed on him and not the actual threat. I can’t have an unfocussed Clan. Unrest only creates problems in our animals.” Wolff responded clearly.

“But it’s the best chance we have at protecting ourselves.”

“He has to go.”

Zeke didn’t reply that time even although he knew his plan would have worked. They could have manipulated the Council like they had always done to them.

“And you can’t trust a liar. Deon is in this for himself. Look back. Every fight, he was gone, every bit of danger he was suddenly nowhere to be seen and there was so much going on, so much fighting that we didn’t see the reasons why.” Wolff added.

Zeke couldn’t believe how right he was. Deon was always gone, he just thought it was coincidence, he hadn’t even thought much about it at all. He had only ever concentrated on the fight.

“He’s a part of the reason my Father is dead.” Zeke whispered.

The realisation hit him, so brutally his heart ached in his chest. No words could explain the pain. He turned looking to Deon an anger taking him.

“You are the reason my parents died, all they wanted was to help us. They came to help and when we were weak, when we weren’t all here you told the council and they attacked. You are a murderer.” Zeke shouted standing.

“No.” Deon shook his head. “I didn’t know any of that was going to happen. I didn’t know.” He repeated shaking his head.

“You may have not known they would die but you knew that the Council wanted blood, you knew their intentions and you helped them anyway. What makes your family more important than mine?”

Wolff placed his hand on Zeke’s shoulder. The others were pacing in their cabins, Maxton had ripped his to shreds but the Alpha order kept them confined.

“Untie him.” Wolff commanded.

Zeke unravelled the rope letting Deon fall to the floor. He felt sick just looking at him, he had betrayed them all and caused so much pain.

“Up.” Wolff pulled Deon to his feet pushing him forward. “Walk.”

The followed him as he walked through ‘Our Wood’ the silence bitterly consuming as they went. The air seemed to feel harsher as they moved, like they were forcing themselves forward through some invisible forcefield.

“Stop.” Wolff spoke gaining all their attention.

Deon turned to Wolff standing on the outside of the border to their land. He looked broken and utterly defeated. Zeke looked away not wanting to see his face.

“You will leave and never come back to this land again. You are shunned for your actions. You have betrayed your Clan and that is unforgivable. The only reason you leave here alive is because death is too good for you, I want you to live knowing what you have done.” There was a bitter sadness to Wolff’s tone.

“I’m sorry.” Deon whispered again.

“No, you aren’t.” Wolff stated evenly. “If you were sorry this would have ended a long time ago. I would have died for you, I would have protected you and done what I could for your family. You abused my loyalty, you abused this Clan for your own selfish purposes and that ends now.”

They both turned walking away from him, leaving him on the outskirts of the land. Wolff changed into his bear within seconds running through the trees and disappearing into the distance. He let him go, knowing he needed space.

Walking back to his cabin he went inside seeing Calla sleeping peacefully on the couch. Fleur must have brought her back. He kissed her on the forehead pulling the blanket up over her, so she was warm. Turning he smiled bitterly at his mate who looked as broken as he felt inside. Kneeling at her front he kissed her stomach resting his head on the life that was growing inside her.

None of them spoke, Katze just ran her hands through his hair holding him to her. He closed his eyes wishing the moment could last forever and somehow heal all the pain inside him.