Lessons in Love

Chapter 58: Pack Meeting

POV: Riley Campbell

The pack gathered in the great hall of the packhouse. It was much smaller than the one in my home pack, but everyone fit comfortably. Coffee, tea, and water were out with some baked goods on tables in the back, which was a quaint touch I’d never seen at a pack meeting before. I grabbed a cup of tea, noticing the whispers in the room and the odd stares some of the older men gave me. I found it unsettling but didn’t let them see it. I smiled and nodded at anyone who caught my eye. Some were courteous enough to return the gesture, but others looked away and whispered to their compatriots.

I moved toward the front of the hall and took a seat. I wanted to be close to Ben. He’d been on edge all day, and he’d let me feel it. There were four seats in front of a table that was situated on a riser about two feet high. Just high enough that everyone would be able to see them from the seats. Katherine and her son joined me with a cheery hello, putting me more at ease in what felt like a foreign place suddenly.

The crowd slowly started taking their seats. Ben, Rick, Sam, and Claire entered and took their places on the makeshift stage.

“Thank you all for coming.” Ben said loudly over the din of hushed conversations. The room went silent, and I could feel the tension of the crowd. They were anxious and angry about the last few days. Ben opened the notebook in front of him, took one last look at the page before looking at me. He quirked an eyebrow at me, and I felt his appreciation for my being there.

“A lot has happened this week, and we think we need to discuss everything with you, so you all know what is happening. These things impact us all as a pack. The council has been made aware of everything that we are about to share with you. We want you to know that we are being transparent about this weeks’ events, and once we’ve provided the information, we hope you’ll ask questions in a respectful manner. We want your input on how you want to see this pack proceed.”

Ben’s opening statement drew a few hushed whispers from the crowd, but the tension seemed to ease a little. Ben went on to explain what had happened. That Marcus and Eleanor were missing, George was missing after trying to kill his mate, the pack’s Delta, and the new teacher. He explained the situation with Henry Sloan, that he was now considered a traitor to Sapphire Lake and was to be arrested on sight.

“I know some of this might be hard for you to digest. A lot of it was hard for us to digest. Before we open the floor to questions, we want you to know what we’re proposing.” Ben said, looking down at me for a moment before he continued. “First, we’re proposing that Delta Rick, Gamma Sam, and I remain in our positions.”

There were a lot more murmurs than before. It was clear the pack didn’t know how to react to that request. Ben continued. “We have been loyal and dedicated to this pack our whole lives, and in the last year, we’ve been integral to the operation, defense, and management of this pack. The council has put a deadline of two weeks for us to either find and restore our Alpha to his rightful place or hold an election for a chosen leader. Right now, we don’t want an election either.” He said when the grumbling from the crowd got louder.

“Second, we would like to bring in our new employees to our pack, Ester Dandridge, Miles Denver, and Riley Campbell.” It was unexpected to hear the room grumble about bringing in new pack members. A pack this small should welcome the new blood, but they seemed uncomfortable with the idea.

“Sir, with all due respect,” someone stood up in the back. “You can’t be serious asking us to bring in your mistress.”

“My what?” Ben growled.

“She’s not his mistress, you i***t. She’s the Delta’s mate.” Someone piped up. Sweet Goddess, they were talking about me!

“Who exactly am I mated to?” Rick asked with a laugh. I felt half the room’s eyes on me. I tried not to growl as I looked up at Ben. He seemed to be struggling not to growl as well.

“Who cares about some woman?” Someone else hollered. “It’s a bigger problem that they want to be left in charge. George was the one to tell us that the Alpha and Luna were missing and about the teacher being a spy for the Rogues. You want us to trust the three of you for running him off?!” There were a few people cheering this i***t on and a smattering of applause.

“Yeah, if he was so bad, why didn’t you take him down sooner?”

“Cowards!”

Ben looked ready to snap, but it was Claire who stood up. “Enough!” She hollered at them. Her voice shook, and Ben tried to say something to her, but Claire hushed him with a wave of her hand.

“George has been my mate for more than 30 years, so let me tell you who your precious acting Alpha really is.” Claire undid the scarf around her neck, showing the unhealed scar from the silver cuff. There was a collective gasp from the crowd.

“He tortured us. Almost Ben’s entire life.” She spat at the crowd. Ben looked stoic as always, but I felt the embarrassment and shame he felt at Claire’s admission. “This is just the most recent scar. We both have plenty of them, and you have the nerve to call us cowards. You’re the cowards. Mike,” She pointed to one of the men who had spoken up. “You believe Riley Campbell is a spy because he told you so, or because your mate came home with that rumor. Clara is as subtle as a loudspeaker.” The crowd snickered.

“She’s been a nurse at the hospital for years. She’s seen me come in with broken bones, deep cuts that she stitched, but you didn’t judge George for that. George beating his mate was what … deserved? Explained away over free rounds at the pub? Or was it that you didn’t want to cross him for fear of him doing something violent to you and yours.” Claire growled at him.

“You want to know why they didn’t take him down sooner?” She glared at the crowd. “To protect you. To protect all of you.” She looked around the room at the now silent crowd.

“These three men, along with Ms. Campbell, have been trying desperately to keep George from tearing this pack apart, and when George caught on, he poisoned the Delta and tried to kill Ms. Campbell in front of your daughters! She defended that building against him, alone, before Sam happened to hear the growling.”

“It’s true,” Shawna’s voice rang out from the back of the room. I turned in my seat to see her mother grabbing her arm to keep her quiet, but Shawna stood up and held her phone over her head. “I have a video of the whole thing. I sent it to the Beta already. If you don’t believe her, you can come see the video before you leave here today.” She said firmly.

“The video, along with a slew of other evidence, was submitted to the council for review.” Ben said evenly. “We have all of the evidence here. If you want, we’ll grab some equipment, and I can show it to everyone. We really don’t have anything to hide from you.”

There was some grumbling and nodding from the crowd. It was clear the pack was conflicted over what they had been hearing versus what they had just been told. I watched as Ben seemed to contemplate something before undoing the cuff of his sleeve and rolling it up. He was undoing his watch, and Rick put his hand over it to stop him. Ben gave him a weak smile, reclaiming his wrist and taking the watch off.

“Here’s your first piece of proof.” He said calmly, showing the crowd the back of his wrist, careful not to show off the jagged scar on the inside of it. “He gave me that one at fourteen.” He said, making the crowd gasp anew. I felt him avoiding me in the crowd as he looked around. I didn’t understand why, but I felt shame building inside him.

They took a break to get a projector set up and to grab a laptop from one of their offices. Shawna was playing the video in the back for several people, all of whom were shooting me impressed looks as they watched. Ben got everyone to take their seats and went through all the evidence they’d turned over to the council. The pack was in shock. They were angry too, that was clear. They wanted George’s head on a pike.

“That’s all of it.” Ben said as the lights came back on. “Are there any other questions?”

“You’ve made a compelling case with all this,” Tom’s voice called from the back. The crowd murmured their agreement, but I felt a ‘but’ coming on. “But this does little to make the case for Ms. Campbell.”

“Excuse me?” Ben said with a growl.

“You watched the video twice!” Shawna snapped at him. “Are you blind or just stupid?”

“You don’t get to speak to me that way.” Tom growled at her. I stood up and walked to where Shawna was standing near the door. Tom was moving toward her as well, but I got there first.

“What case do you feel needs to be made?” I asked calmly, stepping in front of Shawna. He’d have to go through me to get to her.

“Is that what you teach?” Tom growled at me. “Young girls disrespecting their elders?”

“I teach young girls how to handle themselves with confidence and strength. If you find that disrespectful, then you are no better than George.” I said through my teeth. The crowd gasped and murmured behind Tom. He was getting red in the face. I didn’t break eye contact, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement at the officer’s table.

“Who are you mated too? Or are you sleeping with both of them?” He demanded.

“Who are you mated too? Or are you sleeping with multiple women?” I asked back. “Please,” I wave a hand toward the crowd. “Share your personal life with the class.” I smiled.

Tom growled with intent and lifted a hand to strike me. Ben’s aura swirled around us as he leveled a dangerous growl. “Answer her question.” He said, fury burning in his eye.