Accepting Responsibility

As soon as Gerry's car was out of sight, I rushed into Logan’s room, rolling him over as soon as I dropped to my knees beside him. I lifted a shaking hand to his neck, where I used two fingers to check his pulse. I let out a relieved breath when it beat strong and steady, telling me that whatever Gerry did to him was not fatal. I need to fix this for our sleuth, even if I lost everything in the process. I rocked back on my heels, debating what to do. On one hand, I had my sister to think about. She was the true future beta of Havana. Everyone knew that there were only two ways that I would become the true beta. One: I was named the Beta by the current Alpha, which Logan had plans on doing when he became alpha, and then I would have to consume Logan’s blood.
Or option two: I challenged my sister and killed her before I consumed her body. Something that our parents had begged me not to do, considering the fact that I was already stronger than her. I sighed as I thought about how I no longer had a choice. The blessing of being able to spare my sister from an early death had been ripped away from me. I had always put the sleuth first, and this time wasn’t any different. I just hoped that my parents understood why I had to do it at some point. I reached for my father’s link, knowing that he would be with Logan’s father.
‘Dad, will you please ask Alpha—’
‘WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON?!’ Alpha Terrence yelled through our link, cutting off my conversation with my father.
I groaned. ‘He was aura’ed by a bear with alpha blood. He’s alive.’
‘AND LET ME GUESS! YOU DID NOTHING TO HELP HIM!’ Alpha Terrence spat.
‘I didn’t stand a chance, sir. But if you will allow me one chance to fix my mistakes, I will. But I need you to grant me permission to do so.’
‘You have already fucked up! Why should I trust you?’ He hissed.
‘Because I’m the only one that is capable of fixing this. I’m the only one that knows what’s going on. Please, Alpha Terrence, let me fix this for Havana,’ I begged.
‘Do whatever you need to do, but you only have one week. If you don’t have this fixed by then, I will punish you with death, and I will fix this.’
‘Understood. Thank you,’ I murmured, knowing that with how things were going, there was no way that he would stand a chance against Gerry.
I got up to stand over Logan, looking down at him for a moment before bending down to slip my arms under his. I grunted with the effort it took to drag him across the room to the bed as I thought about what my Alpha said. *‘I will fix this.’* I paused, panting as my eyes closed. I had never felt an aura as strong as Gerry’s. Not even Alpha Terrence’s. I was his fated mate, and I couldn’t even fight Gerry’s aura. I was supposed to be immune to it, but for some reason I wasn’t. I couldn’t explain it, but something felt wrong. I huffed in annoyance as I climbed onto the bed, dragging Logan onto it as I backed up before collapsing next to him as my heart threatened to beat out of my chest.
While I lay there trying to catch my breath, I prayed to the Goddess for guidance and to keep Annie safe. I had no idea if he would hurt her or not. He had never hurt her before, but he was so angry that I wasn’t sure if he would be able to maintain control. I had seen him angry before, but he hadn’t looked crazy like he had just been. I had no way of tracking him. We hadn’t initiated a link or marked each other. Now I wish I had pushed him to do at least one of them. Then I could possibly rescue Annie. Fuck!
“Gerry, please don’t hurt her!” I whispered as I rolled toward Logan.
I ran my fingers through his hair as I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. “I’m going to fix this, cousin. Not just for you and your mate, but for our entire sleuth. I promise that I will not stop until she is in your arms for good.” I stopped to sniffle a little. “I haven’t been the greatest beta for you, but starting now, I will be the beta that our sleuth deserves. And the next time that she is in your arms, I will do everything in my power to make sure that she never leaves them. Even if it means I lose my mate.” I leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Just rest, and when we wake up, we will go back to Havana. I really wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t. Once I unlock my family's full power, I promise to tell you. As soon as I can, I will show you that your faith in me hasn't been displaced. I love you, cousin. Please wake up soon.”
I quickly scanned the room looking for his key before checking his pockets. I pulled the key card out of it before crawling over him to leave the room. My heart sank when I saw the maid heading toward the still-open room that Gerry had occupied. I quickly ran down the hall to pull the door shut, smiling at the woman.
“Good morning. This room won’t need to be cleaned. Thank you,” I told her.
She smiled at me. “Good morning, ma’am. Do you need anything for your room? Toilet paper? Towels? Washcloths? Soap?”
“No. Thank you, though. I would, however, like for the manager to be called to this room,” I responded.
She nodded. “I will let her know right now.”
As she hurried away, I went back to my room to grab the key to Gerry’s room that I had taken with me when I left it that morning. I left my room, pulling the door closed behind me before going to Gerry’s room. I groaned when I saw the hole in the wall. When someone knocked on the door, I pulled it back open. A professional-looking woman stood just outside.
“You wanted to speak to me, ma’am? Is everything alright?” She asked.
“Actually, no. And before you think I have a problem with your staff, I do not. I trust since you manage this hotel, you are aware of the type of people that sometimes stay here.”
She cleared her throat before stepping into the room and closing the door. “Yes, ma’am. Was there an issue that I need to be aware of?”
I gestured over my shoulder at the hole in the wall. “Well, there’s that for starters. I know that it was hit hard enough to cause cracks a few rooms down.” I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair. “I do sincerely apologize for the damage, and if you just let me know how much it is, we are more than happy to pay for the damage.”
She walked over to the wall to look at the hole before turning back to me. “I trust that your pack or sleuth has people who can fix this quickly. In instances like this, we generally give the responsible party 72 hours to fix it before we do and only charge the rent for the affected rooms. If it’s not completed within 72 hours, we would charge the rent along with the cost to repair.”
“Okay, thank you. I will make sure it is fixed within 72 hours. I will need the keys to inspect the surrounding rooms for damage.”
“If you follow me, I will get you the keys,” she told me.
“I’ll be there in a few moments. I just need to collect a paint sample,” I said.
“Alright. Just come to the office when you are ready.”
She walked out, leaving me alone. I quickly pulled out my pocket knife to take a sample off the wall so I could match it at the local Home Depot or somewhere similar. That was just one more thing that made me better suited for being beta of our sleuth. I wasn’t afraid to get my hands dirty, and I actually paid attention to all the training we were given. Knowing how to repair basic things had been included because the soon-to-be alpha had anger problems and was always putting holes in walls. Over the last year, I had repaired 84 holes and their cracks. At this point, I was a pro.
As I walked out of the room, a thought hit me, making my body go ice cold. Gerry could have killed Logan, but he didn’t, which led me to start wondering why he hadn’t. Fuck! My job as beta just got even harder. I didn’t know what Gerry was up to. I just had to keep my eyes open. And not because I wanted to see my mate, but because the future of my entire sleuth depended on it. Just in case I hadn’t said it before: FUUUUUCK!