Doing What Needs To Be Done
By the time our private plane landed, I had brought my cousin up to speed, or at least as much as I could, without triggering a punishment for going against Gerry’s command. Angel had stopped me several times before I said too much, not trusting the strength of Gerry’s aura to not put me out of commission for good. As we walked off the plane, Logan put his hand on the small of my back to lead me down the stairs. When I hesitated at the bottom, staring sadly at the limo that Alpha Terrence had sent to take us to the sleuth house. Once we were seated inside the car, he put his arm around my shoulders.
“Gizzy, are you sure this is what you want to do?” He asked softly.
I shook my head. “No, but it’s what I have to do. A good beta puts her alpha first, then her sleuth, and then herself.” I lowered my head to hide the tears that were threatening to fall. “Becoming the true beta is what’s best for our sleuth. And to do that, I have to kill my sister.” I took a deep breath. “I’m doing this for you, our sleuth, and myself. We deserve better, and I will make sure we have better. We deserve he—”
Before I could finish my sentence, my body started jerking violently, sending me into Logan’s side before taking me to the floor of the car. My body thrashed wildly, slamming my head into the floorboards before my back arched painfully as my body contorted. I cried out, trying to lessen the pain while Logan’s panicked face swam above me.
“Gizzy! Gizzy!” Logan yelled. “SLEEP!”
His aura surrounded me, weakening Gerry’s enough for me to obey Logan. My body stopped convulsing and my eyes closed as my body became numb to the pain filling me. I reached up to touch his face without seeing before it fell back limp on my body.
“Thank you, cousin…”
*****
I woke up to cool wetness on my skin. I shot straight up as I reached out to capture the wrist of whoever was touching me. Logan chuckled next to me as he leaned back.
“And that’s why you will be my beta, cousin!”
“HEY!” Alicia screamed. “I’M GOING TO BE BETA!”
My head whipped around to stare at her. “You don’t deserve to be beta!” I hissed.
“IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE ME! UNCLE TERRENCE IS GOING TO NAME ME AS THE BETA! YOU CAN’T TAKE MY PLACE IN THE SLEUTH! I REFUSE TO—”
I leapt to my feet with my fists balled. “YOUR PLACE?! YOUR MOTHER FUCKING PLACE?! THE PLACE THAT YOU HAVEN’T EARNED?! I BUSTED MY ASS FOR YEARS, NO FUCK THAT, SINCE BIRTH TO BECOME THE BETA! I STUDIED MEDICINE! I STUDIED MARTIAL ARTS! I STUDIED UNDER GAMMA TARA! I LEFT OUR SLEUTH TO MAKE MYSELF BETTER WHILE YOU FUCKING SAT HERE LIKE A SPOILED PRINCESS! WHERE WERE YOU DURING ALL OF THE ROGUE ATTACKS?! WHERE WERE YOU DURING THE BATTLES WITH OTHER SLEUTHS?! OR HOW ABOUT PACKS?!” I lunged at her. “WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE WERE LOSING OUR—”
Angel took over, making me tumble to the floor as my head exploded in pain. “Our sleuth,” she finished softly for me.
“You are such a lying bitch, Giselda! You weren’t the only one that took those classes! I can do sutures as well as you can! And as for where I was, I was in the tunnels, protecting our omegas. Part of being beta is making sure that our sleuth is still here to lead!”
I pushed myself up off the ground and immediately slapped her. She cried out, crumpling to the floor. I was yanked backward when I went to hit her again and slammed into a wall by my father. He narrowed his eyes on me.
“DO NOT ATTACK YOUR SISTER!”
Angel pushed forward, wrenching control away from me immediately to shove my father away from me as we let out our aura warningly. She kicked him in the side, making him cry out in agony as my head snapped around to pin my mother with a furious glare, daring her to come closer. When she didn’t move, I rolled my shoulders back before crossing the room again to stand over my sobbing sister.
“Let me make this very clear to you—you don’t deserve anything. You don’t deserve our house. You don’t deserve our riches. You don’t deserve our respect. You don’t deserve our family! You don’t deserve our sleuth! AND MOST OF ALL, YOU DON’T FUCKING DESERVE TO BE BETA!” I kicked her in the side. “YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A WORTHLESS BEAR! YOU ARE BETTER OFF DEAD!” I screamed.
“GISELDA! Stop this nonsense,” my father ordered. “Alicia is your sister! Even if Logan chooses you as beta, you promised not to harm her. This is not what family does. You say she is worthless, but if you go back on your word, I will disown you! I will ask Terrence to throw you out of the sleuth. You will become a rogue! Is that what you want?”
I spun around to glare at him. “You would choose to protect her? Someone who doesn’t add anything to our sleuth except another mouth to feed? You should be willing to do anything to protect our sleuth! It’s a beta’s job!”
He jumped toward me, grabbing my arm before shaking me hard. “NO! IT’S THE ALPHA’S JOB! WE ARE TO BE SUBSERVIENT AND DO AS THEY ASK! AND YOUR UNCLE WANTS ALICIA TO BE BETA! WHY CAN’T YOU ACCEPT THAT LIKE A GOOD SLEUTH MEMBER?!”
I pulled my arm away from his grasp as I pushed him away from me again. “You are a pathetic excuse for a beta! You care more about her life than the wellbeing of our sleuth! If I don’t do this, we all perish! WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT THIS IS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE SLEUTH?! FOR YOU! FOR MOM! FOR OUR ALPHA! FOR EVERYONE!”
I saw confusion cross his face. “Do what?”
I took a deep breath as I turned back to Alicia. “I, Giselda Morales, do hereby challenge Alicia Morales for the betaship of the Havana Sleuth!” I announced, making my mom burst out sobbing.
“NO!” My father yelled.
Alicia just looked up at me defeatedly. “Why, Giselda? Do you really want me dead that badly?”
“No, Alicia, but I do want to see our sleuth prosper that badly.” I met her eyes. “Even if you’re not here to see it.”
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