Chapter 26: Rhys
I could feel the intense gaze of everyone around us, but I didn’t take my eyes off of my brother. Caleb looked calm, but I could see his inner turmoil to stay or go, but he had to make a choice. He was discrediting everything I had built. Discrediting me. My Beta. Taking our honor. Hurting the people he was supposed to love. It was too much. He wasn’t supposed to do this to his family. He should have taken his warnings more seriously.
“May I have time to pack my belongings?” Caleb said, finally meeting my eyes.
“Yes.” I responded coolly.
“Then I choose banishment.” Caleb answered just as coolly.
I sighed and nodded. “Beta Leon will supervise. You have an hour and a half.”
Caleb grimaced, but nodded, standing on his own two feet, free of the people who had been restraining him.
I nodded for them to go and stood there for a moment, feeling a little lost. I was losing my brother, and despite what he had done, I felt heavy about my decision. He was my twin after all. We might not have been close, but he was my other half.
A small gentle hand touched my arm, bringing me back to reality. I looked down to see Grace’s steady hand of encouragement, knowing what it must have just taken her to touch me first. I gave her a small smile and turned back toward the crowd.
“You may all head on to dinner.” I told them, pulling Grace’s hand into my own.
She looked hesitant but pulled out her chalkboard and stabilized it against the wall before beginning to write.
“You ok?” She asked.
The temptation was too real. I kissed the back of her hand before reluctantly letting it go, so I wouldn’t do something like that again.
“I will be.” I told her.
She nodded in understanding, and didn’t ask any more questions.
“I’m going to go talk to Sawyer, are you alright going to dinner alone now?”
She nodded again, and gave me a small smile. I wanted right then and there to wrap her up and bury my face in her neck, but I contained my desires and moved further away.
I watched her walk to the steps, and I headed back upstairs to my office to call Sawyer.
“Hello?” He answered slightly breathlessly.
“Hey, did you hear the mindlink?” I asked, now regretting broadcasting it out to everyone.
“No, I’m just finishing up a surgery right now. You know that I block it during that.” Sawyer answered with annoyance in his voice. “Is there an emergency?”
“Not quite an emergency, but definitely a situation. Don’t talk to anyone until you talk to me. How long till you're done?”
“My part will be done in about 10 minutes.” He answered, but I could hear the slight anxiety now in his voice.
“Okay.” I answered. “Come straight to my office when you're done. We need to talk.”
“Did I do something wrong?” It was a hesitant question that made my heart hurt. As tough as he was, he struggled sometimes with being a doctor and my Gamma, and he always worried that he wasn’t enough of either.
“No, Sawyer, you did nothing wrong. I’ll tell you everything when you get here.” I said in my gentlest big brother voice.
I sat with my head in my hands in silence until I heard my brother’s familiar knock.
“Come in,” I called out.
Sawyer opened the door hesitantly and moved slowly till he was seated in the chair across from me at the desk.
“What’s going on?” He asked nervously.
“There is no easy way to say this,” I started calmly, “However, our brother has made some choices that I can no longer ignore.”
“Did he do something to Grace?” Sawyer interrupted in a panic.
“No. I mean, nothing more than flirting.” I was glad to see at least one of my brothers seemed to care about her. “No, he slept with Heather, Leon’s wife.”
“No.” Sawyer breathed.
“Yea...” I answered not sure how to break the news. “As you know, this isn’t his first transgression. I have warned him many times, Sawyer, but enough is enough. I’ve let enough slide. I have decided to severely punish him, but I gave him a choice... Banishment or lifelong imprisonment.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened and he looked at me in horror. “What did he chose?” His voice was just above a whisper, and I remembered how much younger he was. He didn’t often show his age, but he looked every bit the younger brother in this moment.
“He chose banishment.” I answered.
“So, this is it?” Sawyer asked.
“You can still say goodbye, he’s packing his things right now. But you won’t be able to disclose any information to him from here on out.”
Sawyer nodded, he looked devastated. “I understand. I tried to tell him -”
“I know, Sawyer,” I cut him off gently. “He made his own choices though. You hold no responsibility for the things he did.”
Sawyer nodded, but the solemn expression he wore didn’t ease. “May I be dismissed?” He asked.
I nodded and he left without a backward glance. I stayed in my office for a little while trying to keep my emotions in check. It was harder than I thought it would be. I didn’t know if this was the right thing to do or not, but I felt as though nothing else had gotten through to my brother, and he needed to be held to the same standards as everyone else. His behaviour had gotten out of hand, and I knew that, but it didn’t make it any easier.
“He’s ready to leave.” Leon mindlinked me.
“Coming.” I replied, and I headed straight out to the front of the packhouse.
I forced myself to be calm, despite the fact that I wanted to beg him to hear me and just to do better. To apologize and actually feel remorse. But I knew I was just kidding myself with those thoughts.
“Here.” I handed him the wad of cash and a credit card. “This should be enough to live on for a while. No other pack will be able to help you. You will be completely isolated. I wish it didn’t have to end like this.”
My words seemed to make matters worse, and you could cut the tension with a knife. No one so much as breathed for a moment. I could see Caleb’s wolf fighting for control, and the hostility and unease in his eyes made me realize he might actually try to fight me for my title. I gave him a moment to try and gain control, but if he couldn’t I would have to force the matter, using my alpha command.
“Caleb,” I warned, letting my own wolf come out a little.
Caleb’s wolf seemed to give him back control as he glared at me before walking toward his car and getting in. The engine revved when my brother’s mindlink blared through my head. “I KNOW SECRETS THAT CAN DESTROY THIS PACK, AND I WILL NOT BE TOSSED ASIDE SO EASILY. YOU HAVE MADE A MISTAKE BROTHER. KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER.”
I flinched as his words echoed in my head and his car sped off into the distance.
“10 years of mating and marriage, he destroyed in 2 days. The one he did it, and the one I found out.” Leon said sadly from his spot next to me. “Now there’s no trust, and a whole lot of hurt.”
I put my hand on Leon’s shoulder, but there was nothing I could say to make him feel better. All I could think about was my brother’s warning. I knew if he ever so much as targeted Grace, he would be a dead man. And I couldn’t help but think that I might just have to kill my own brother in the end.
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