“Jake,” I tried again, my hand covering his as I turned to face him. “Don’t do this.” I didn’t care that Xen was watching. Didn’t care about anything in that moment except Jake, and I could already feel him slipping through my fingers.
“I—” Jake drew his lip between his teeth, despair and indecision in his eyes. “He’s mydad.”
Who’d killed another in an unprovoked attack if what Xen said was true. As much as I loved John, if that was the case, thenhedeserved to pay for that crime, not Jake.
And not me.
Selfish. That was so fucking selfish of me to think that way, but I couldn’t stop it.
“Time’s up,” Xen spoke softly. “They’re here. You need to decide now.” As alpha, his senses were superior to ours, and it was a few moments later that I heard footsteps approaching, caught the scent of another pack as the door swung open.
Alpha Haylen Frost filled the doorway.
All six feet five inches of him.
Older than Xen and Rys by thirty years or so, with a good amount of silver flecking his dark hair, but he still cut a striking figure. His gaze tracked the room, expression hard to read as he took it all in. “Xen,” he said, finally walking into the room.
Xen stiffened, then straightened his shoulders. “Haylen.”
Two others followed Haylen. I recognised them both. Haylen’s daughter and his remaining beta.
Xen nodded in greeting. “Myla, Owen.” He stepped closer to Jake’s dad, drawing Jake and me with him, allowing Haylen room to see his fallen beta.
Kneeling next to him, Frost placed a hand on Faris’s chest and closed his eyes.
Owen’s expression hardened, hands curled into fists at his side, and the rage coming off him filled the room. I’d expected nothing less. It was probably only alpha’s orders keeping him from retaliating. Myla, though, her reaction was harder to gauge. Her scent barely changed, giving nothing away, but instinct told me she wasn’t as cut up about Faris’s death as her father and Owen were.
Interesting.
Haylen sighed as he stood, then turned to face Xen. “Tell me again what happened.”
Xen flinched, the movement there and gone in a flash. I didn’t think anyone else saw it. Jake was too preoccupied with his dad who was more or less conscious now, but the detective in me was too well trained to miss it.
“I already went through it once.” Xen straightened his shoulders. He had an inch on Haylen and he used every last bit of it to look down on him. “Don’t you believe me?”
I tensed, fully prepared for an alpha pissing contest, but Haylen ran a hand over his face, looking more tired than a shifter should. “Lee always did have a quick temper. But it doesn’t even look like he put up a fight.”
Xen glanced at Jake’s dad. “Like I said, it was all over before I could stop it.”
“What was?” John Allen rubbed at his eyes before looking around the room, confusion evident. Then his gaze landed on Faris. He stared at him for a good few seconds, then down at the blood on his hands. His tongue snaked out to lick over his bottom lip and his eyes went wide. “No.” He shook his head frantically, scooting backwards. He glanced up, saw everyone now focused on him, and covered his mouth with his hand, a sob escaping. “I did this?” His voice shook, fear and despair rolling off him.
“Yes, you did. Don’t you remember anything?” Xen asked, and I wasn’t sure which way I wanted John to answer. Would it be any better admitting he’d been so drunk he’d been out of control of his actions or that he’d killed Faris with full awareness?
“No.” John shook his head again, wincing this time at what had to be a killer headache. It wouldn’t last long—shifter healing would take care of that—but it wouldn’t be pleasant, considering the amount of aconite-laced alcohol he must’ve drunk to get in that state to begin with.
His gaze found its way back to Faris’s dead body, and his shoulders slumped as it finally sunk in what this would mean. “I’m so sorry,” he murmured, meeting Frost’s eyes, accepting that there would be a price to pay. “I have no excuse for what I’ve done.” Rising on unsteady legs, he gripped Jake’s arm, sorrow etched on his face. “I love you,” he whispered. “And I’m so fucking sorry to have to put you through this.”
Oh.
John didn’t know what’d been decided on his behalf. Of course he didn’t.
He glanced between me and Xen, then to Frost. “Will this be a police matter or settled between packs?”
“Between packs,” Xen answered, and John’s shoulders sagged in defeat, because he knew what that meant. By the old rules, Haylen had a right to compensation. Before packs began deferring to the paranormal police, that would’ve been in the form of a challenge fight or simply demanding John’s death. Or on the rare occasions, an agreement that both alphas were happy with.
Straightening to his full height, despite the defeat hanging around him like a dark cloud, John spoke clearly when he addressed Frost. “By the old laws, I offer my deepest apologies and willingly accept my punishment.”
Frost nodded. “Thank you for acknowledging your wrongdoing and your willingness to face the consequences.”
