Chapter 156

Alaric’s POV

Cara ate her breakfast and then went back to her own room to change and get ready for the day. I had to do the same, telling her that I would be gone for work-related reasons for the majority of the morning and afternoon, but I would do my hardest to be home in time for dinner.

It pleased her to talk like this, I could tell. Communication was going to be key in winning her back. It was the least I could do to keep her in the loop regarding my plans for the day.

After she left, I went into my own bathroom to shower and change. I slipped on a fresh suit, combed my hair to perfection, and then stepped out of my bedroom.

My Beta John was waiting for me downstairs. From the living room, I could hear Cara’s brothers and the kids all talking, sharing in their own breakfast. I wanted to say hello and goodbye, but worried I would be caught there too long if I did.

My plans for the morning were somewhat time-sensitive. And I didn’t want to share with anyone what I was up to. Especially not Cara.

At least, not until the unpleasantness of what was about to happen was done.

“The car’s waiting,” John said.

“Good. Let’s go.”

As I sat in the back of the sedan, John drove us to the Alpha headquarters building where the elders met for a morning meeting every day.

When we arrived at the building, I wasted no time leaving the car and entering headquarters. I marched straight to where the elders were having their meeting, and walked in without announcing myself.

Either they were breaking, or every meeting was lax, because when I walked in, they were standing in the open space between the meeting room table and a table set up with donuts and coffee. Most were holding mugs, some sugary treats. All were cheerily chatting away at each other, as if they had nothing to do with the recent kidnapping, and today was just another day.

Some of them glanced over and saw me, though, and then alerted the others who also looked. Seeing my expression made a few of them pale somewhat.

“Alpha,” said one among them. “You grace us with your presence unannounced. Had we known you were planning on joining us this morning, we would have planned for your arrival. Please forgive our informal demeanor this morning.”

“I would speak to the elder council,” I said flatly. “If you would please sit.”

“Of course…”

The elders looked at each other and then slowly started to sit around the long meeting room table. There was enough room for them all, if I had not been there, but they left one of the chairs at the end of the table open for me. A junior member of the council allotted to stand so that I might sit.

While I appreciated the sacrifice, I had no intention of sitting. Still, I did not tell that junior to sit, as he had been one of the only elders on the council who had sided with me. He was the very one who alerted me about the elders being in contact with Lilia and George.

He should stand in the back, so that he did not receive the full blunt of my anger that was bubbling up. It was not directed at him. If I could have had him leave the room, I would have. Instead, the distance would have had to been enough.

I came closer to the empty chair and placed my hands on the armrest. Standing there, I looked into the eyes of each of the elders sitting around the table. Many, filled with guilt, could not look back at me. Some, less shameful, stared straight back.

“What, may we ask, brings you to speak with us today?” the head elder said.

“Do you watch the news?” I asked them. “Though even if you don’t, I imagine your contacts still explained to you what happened regarding my daughter.”

“Yes,” said the head elder. “We’ve heard that you have found her and that she is unharmed. Blessings all around.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Though these blessings should not have been necessary had you not gone behind my back to allow a pair of exiled individuals to set up a secret home in our pack lands.”

The head elder remained defiant. “Lilia earned the right to have her case reconsidered, as she was helping us –”

“Helping you attempt to manipulate me into marrying someone else. Someone like Melinda Bedford, who I have every intention of also dealing with for her part in this. After I deal with you lot.”

“There’s no reason for this hostility, Alpha. Everything turned out fine.”

“No thanks to any of you. And how can you call any of this fine? Yes, my daughter is physically unharmed, but emotionally, she is traumatized. She had to fight for her life with these people. People you allowed back into our pack lands. You did not perform due diligence on Lilia’s mindset. You didn’t even tell me about it.”

“I’m sorry,” said one of the elders. “We should have included you in on the discussions.”

“Silence,” the head elder snapped. “We had purpose for not including you. You would not have even considered Melinda without assistance from –”

“From a woman who wanted to destroy my life and the life of the woman I love,” I snapped. “Yes. I’ve heard quite enough from you, thank you very much.”

A few others apologized, some more genuinely, others with more embarrassment. In the end there remained six who refused to accept accountability for what they’d done. The head elder was chief among them.

“We only ever had the good of the pack in our hearts,” the head elder said. “I refuse to apologize for that.”

“Even though your actions led to the kidnapping of my child and the near death of Cara?” I asked, driving the point home, just to be sure.

My next move was sure to be controversial within the pack, so I was attempting to give the elders every chance to try to rectify the situation. Only they and their hubris would be responsible for what happened next.

“All unfortunate,” the head elder said, and the five others agreed. “But not any direct fault of ours.”

I was tired of arguing. Instead, I simply told them, “Get out.”

That startled them all, especially the head elder.

“Not just of this meeting room, but of the pack,” I told them. “You six. I hereby exile you from the DuskFall pack.”

The elders seemed in shock. The head elder pushed himself up to his feet. “You can’t do this to us! We are not some regular members of this pack! We are the elders! Our authority is to be respected!”

“You overextended your authority,” I told him. “And now you will suffer the consequences for that.” My voice pitching dangerously lower, I added, “After what you are responsible for, you should be grateful that this is the course of action I decided upon. For threatening my family, it would be well within my rights to have you killed.”

With minimal continued trouble, the head elder and the other banished five scurried from the room and out of my sight before I could continue to lose my temper.

When they stepped out, my Beta John stepped in. “Alpha,” he said, claiming my attention. “There’s something you need to see.”

“What is it?” I asked, not in the mood for games.

Fortunately, John wasn’t in the habit of playing them.

“Melinda Bedford is giving a press conference.”