His words were like a knife to the gut. I flinched, but I couldn't look away. Couldn't deny the truth of his accusation.
"Caleb, I'm so sorry," I began, my voice thick with emotion. "I can't even imagine what you've been through, what you must be feeling?—"
"You're right. You can't." Caleb's eyes flashed with a feral light. "But you will. I want you to hurt. I want you and your precious family to suffer like I have. To know the agony of losing everything that matters."
My wolf stirred within me, responding to the threat in his tone. I fought to keep my voice steady, even as conflicting emotions warred inside me.
"I understand your anger. I do. What Quinn did, it's unforgivable. But this? Going after my family? It won't bring your father back. It won't ease your pain."
"Maybe not," Caleb conceded, his smile razor-sharp. "But it sure as hell will feel good."
I closed my eyes, struggling to find the right words. The right path forward. As much as I understood Caleb's thirst for vengeance, as much as a part of meeven sympathized with it, I couldn't let him hurt the people I loved. Couldn't stand by and watch him destroy everything I held dear.
But how could I condemn him, knowing what Quinn had done? How could I pass judgment on a man driven half-mad by grief and rage?
There were no easy answers. No clear-cut solutions. Only an impossible choice that would haunt me no matter what I decided.
I looked at Krystal, at the tears still streaming down her face, and my resolve hardened. She was my priority now. My responsibility. I had to protect her, even if it meant making the hard call.
Even if it meant living with the consequences for the rest of my life.
I turned to Marcus and Kendrick, my voice low and grave. "Make sure those ropes are tight. Don't take your eyes off him for a second."
They both nodded, their expressions grim as they moved to double-check Caleb's restraints. I gently touched Krystal's trembling shoulder, guiding her towards the door. Rissa and Gavin followed closebehind, their faces etched with worry and uncertainty.
We stepped out onto the pack house porch. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head, but the weight of the decision before me seemed to press down on my chest like a physical force.
Krystal collapsed onto one of the wooden benches, her body shaking with silent sobs. Rissa sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a gesture of comfort. Gavin paced back and forth, his jaw clenched tight and his eyes blazing with barely contained fury.
"We have to kill him," he said, his voice sharp and unyielding. "Pack law demands it. He attacked one of our own. There's no coming back from that."
I shook my head, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "I make the laws, Gavin. I decide what happens next."
"And what will you decide?" he challenged, stopping to look me square in the eye. "Can you really let him live, knowing what he's done? Knowing what he might do if given the chance? You heard him. He’s lost. There’s no coming back from this. He’s gone feral."
I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. Could I? Could I really condemn a man to death, even one who had caused so much pain?
"We don't have a prison," Gavin continued, his tone softening slightly. "We can't just lock him up and throw away the key. If we let him go, he'll always be a threat. Always be a shadow lurking in the back of our minds."
Damn it. He was right. However much I might want to find another way, there was no easy solution. No path forward that didn't involve blood on my hands.
But still, I couldn't shake the feeling that there had to be something else. Some other option I hadn't considered. Some way to find justice without sacrificing my soul in the process.
Slowly, I pulled Krystal into my arms, holding her tight as sobs wracked her body. I stroked her hair, murmuring soothing words as best I could, even as my own heart ached with the weight of what I knew I had to do.
When at last her tears subsided, I cupped her face in my hands, looking deep into those amber eyes I loved so well. "I want you and Rissa to go to the kids," I said softly. "I have to finish this."
Her eyes widened as understanding dawned, and for a moment, I saw the briefest flicker of fear. But then she closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath, and when she opened them again, I saw only strength and determination shining back at me.
"That's my girl," I whispered, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Rissa stepped forward then, and I gathered her into my arms as well, the three of us clinging to each other as if we might never let go. A moment later, Gavin's massive arms encircled us all, holding us together as one.
When we finally pulled apart, Rissa stayed in my embrace, tilting her head back to look up at me. "Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?" she whispered.
I nodded once, not trusting myself to speak.
She closed her eyes, and a single tear slipped down her cheek. "I'm wishing you all of my strength," she said softly. "I'm so sorry you have to do this."
