The Hunted (LGBT+)

Chapter 8: The Fissure

Kohl

I rush into my Father's office and slam the door behind me. My Father's Beta, Nadira, stands at attention.

Nadira is a very petite woman with flowing jet-black hair. She is Middle Eastern but traveled to our pack as a favor to Alpha Gaius. She's a fierce warrior but she has limited interpersonal skills. I've only made the mistake of forgetting this fact once.

The two of them seem surprised, though Gaius seems to regard me with exasperation.

"How dare you!" I shout at him.

The shock registers on his face again. Nadira looks from me to Gaius. Gaius' eyes turn red and he stands, his chair skidding backwards. I see that his hands elongate into claws. Nadira quickly moves between us.

"Gaius, Alpha," She says calmly, "You must keep a calm head. This has to be about his mate. You must remember that."

Gaius' claws scratch the desk as they transform back into my Father's large hands. He takes a deep breath and glares at me over the table.

"Can you leave us, Nadira?" Gaius asks.

The two of us watch as Nadira reluctantly leaves. She glowers at me before exiting the room. I watch my Father, trying to understand him. He seems exhausted. His frustration with me is apparent.

The feeling is mutual.

My Father and I have always been close. He taught me a great many things about being a werewolf and a good man. He saw the future Alpha in me and he's always groomed me in place of my Siblings, to their dismay. The two of us bump heads often but he's always won those contests for obvious reasons. For the past couple of months, even before Parker, we've been at odds. We argue about how the pack is best run, with his ideas being more outdated than mine. I want to integrate new ideals into our life and he wants to respect tradition. There is no compromise with him. He also insisted I find a mate before he'd relinquish his title to me. His interference in my situation with Parker has made everything ten times worse.

"You knew he knew and you just let me—"

"Lie? Yes. Would it have been fair had if I hadn't told him? Did you not already know?" Gaius asks.

"I am your Son!"

"And he is, whether you like it or not, my son as well." Gaius says angrily, "And you'd do well to watch your tone."

I take a pronounced breath before speaking again.

"You chose to keep a secret from your Mate. His patience is far greater than mine or yours. The two of you do share a streak of stubbornness that I'm going to enjoy watching. Think about it. Even after he learned you lied and he was your mate, he calmed your wolf."

"He did what?"

"Grey was furious. He took your argument as a rejection. He was enraged and nearly tore apart the infirmary. Parker calmed him, apologized for his words. He didn't know what he was saying when he said it."

"How did he find out?"

"Viceres, I believe. Viceres mentioned him being a mate. He strung together everything else." Gaius says with a nod, "He pretty bright for a frail human."

"Yes, I am aware. So, why didn't he say anything?"

"Why didn't you?"

Gaius' flippant comments seem to dig into me. I hate it when he is right and the more I think about it, the more I realize it's because he's right. I kept the secret from him first. I actually hurt him. I can't get the look on his face out of my mind. The two of us hurt each other and it could have been avoided if I hadn't been such a jackass.