Chapter 11
1235 Words
I stared dumbfounded at my dad, not sure what to make of this information...felt even worse when I thought about the fact that if I had went with Shaun when he left as he asked, I likely would have been mauled as well. My dad wrapped me in a hug once he realized I wasn't going to respond right away.
"You're in shock, Alyssa. That's alright and understandable since he was a friend. Just come with me," he said.
Without questioning where we were going, he started to lead me to his car. We then both got inside and he started to drive. I couldn't see anything out the window through the fog my brain was in. Shaun was dead. He was mauled in only a week or so after leaving. If he couldn't survive out there for longer than that, how am I supposed to one day. He didn't have his wolf yet, though. And I will wait until mine surfaces. Shaun, a teenager that I thought of as at least a little bit of a friend in our time working together, is dead. I will never get to joke with him about the runnings of the packhouse or the things we have found while cleaning. I will never again get to see his goofy smile. He is gone, forever. By the time my mind stopped circling the thoughts of what happened, the car was stopping. I was finally able to see where my father had taken me and, inwardly, I was appalled. He had decided it would be best to take me to the packhouse. I don't know what he was thinking when he thought this would be the best place to help me get over this loss.
"Dad, what are we doing here?" I asked him as he opened the passenger side door and helped me out of the car.
He looked at me for a moment, obviously trying to figure out what I was thinking, before responding to me, "Well, you have to answer a few questions. We didn't even realize that the boy got outside of the pack borders. And the Alpha at least should have been notified, since he can feel when someone passes through our borders."
"I just lost the ONLY person I have ever been close enough to where I actually call them a friend and I have to go answer questions right this moment?!" I asked loudly, irritated that this is what they all thought was the best for me. "How do you think this is gonna help me grieve? It's not! It's just gonna make everything worse!"
"I know...I know," my dad said while hugging me again. "But it's necessary. They need some information about why he was out there, how long he had been out there, and everything like that. Since you were the only person that seemed close to him, they have to ask you. We will go home as soon as you're done though, sweetie."
I hated that I was being made to come back to this place...having to answer questions that I couldn't even answer truthfully without backlash from the Alpha twins and their friends. If I were honest, I might even get backlash from the Alpha himself...definitely would get it from the rest of the pack, even if there were more people that came forward saying they were being bullied. They wouldn't care.
We went into the packhouse, much to my dismay, and went straight to the Alpha's office. I don't know how long I spent sitting in front of Alpha Felix being interrogated. I couldn't even call it simple questioning, because it truly felt like I was being interrogated. I had to skirt around the fact of Shaun's leaving and that he had asked me to come with him. This caused the Alpha wolf to come out...his anger and irritation about as high as my own. He continued to ask what made Shaun leave, so I finally answered him to the best I could.
"He was being bullied, okay?" I blurted out. "He said he needed to leave to make a life for himself. He was planning it for a while, but I didn't think he'd actually go through with it. I at least thought he would wait until he got his wolf...but I guess he thought he needed to go ahead and leave."
The Alpha sat back in his chair, looking at me questioningly, "He was being bullied?"
I nodded, not sure what else to say about that.
"Do you know by who? I didn't think we had real problems with that in my pack...bad enough where a teenager would risk going out into the rogue lands just to get away from it..."
I looked around the room at the others who were witnessing this interrogation. I was half expecting to see the twins in the room, but I guess they weren't asked to be involved in pack business for once. Regardless of this situation, I was at least thankful for that. My fear wouldn't have allowed me to be able to speak about any of this had they been standing there behind me. My father was standing by a window in the room, looking out. Luna Faye was in the room too, but she was sitting on a reading chair, her face in her hands in obvious sadness.
The Alpha once more asked me, seeming a bit impatient, "Alyssa, do you know who was bullying Shaun enough to drive him to do this?"
Silence filled the room once more as I thought about what to say. I couldn't very well say that it was his sons, his heirs, that caused this. I couldn't tell the Alpha that the boys he is raising to one day take over this pack is torturing some of the lesser wolves in it. That isn't an option. So instead, I just shook my head no. The look on Alpha Felix's face seemed like he wasn't sure if he should believe me or not, but after a few more minutes of him staring intensely at me, my father walked up and put his hand on my shoulder.
"Alpha, it's been a long night for Alyssa. I think she has answered all of the questions you had for her about the boy. Am I allowed to take her home now so we can all rest?"
The Alpha nodded his head, prompting my dad to help me stand. I didn't really need his help to get out of the chair, but it did make me feel warm inside a bit. It made me feel loved despite all of the turmoil this night has brought. We then left the office. I didn't expect to see anyone in the packhouse hallways at this time of night, since it was very late, but I felt it. I felt a presence as we got into the hallway. It prompted me to look towards the stairs. Sitting at the top of the stairs were Ezra, Elliot, Jackson, and Samuel. I wasn't entirely shocked that they would be there even though they weren't invited to the interrogation. They would be waiting to make sure I didn't say anything incriminating about them, I'm sure. I looked away from them quickly once I noticed them. Then, I followed my dad out to our car to go home for the rest of the night.
- Writer
