Page 183 of A Broody Mate for the Human
“Do you want to see him?” I ask them. “Your father?”
Both of them take a while to answer. “No,” Ezra finally says. “I don’t trust myself around him. I don’t scare away from a fight, but I don’t need my father’s blood on my hands.”
“I’m with Ezra,” Callum says. “Let’s leave it the way it is. We will accept yours and the Council’s decision over his life.”
“Even if I demand his head?” I ask.
“He made his own bed,” Callum says quietly.
Ezra nods. “Everyone has to pay the price for their actions.”
I spend some more time with both of them, going through the list of warriors of their pack and seeing who they find trustworthy to ensure Ezra is set up well when he takes over from today on. Fortunately, both of them have trusted people around them, and it also comes to their advantage now that they were allies all along. Their pack will be reduced in size and lose some of its former allies, but if they prove trustworthy, they will find new allies fast. I don’t mind supporting them until they recover fully.
Ezra and Callum leave after a couple of hours, escorted by some of their trusted warriors but also with some of mine. Dante, who went ahead to the pack, reported to me that things are going smoothly. Still, as expected, having their alpha imprisoned made the pack members anxious and restless.
I hope with Ezra taking over now and stepping up as the rightful leader, they will soon get back to their routine. As for Callum… I wonder where his path will lead him to. He is surprisingly serious. I thought being groomed by Troi might have made him more spoiled, but it seems he is rather humble.
I leave the meeting room and make my way downstairs to the basement, where the cells are. My father is currently there, interrogating Troi. Watching them on the huge monitor is an old friend and ally, and Council official, Elise together with Annalise.
“Did it go well?” Annalise asks me.
“As well as it could,” I say. “Ezra has a lot of ideas and he is motivated.”
“And his brother?”
“He is handling it well,” I explain. “He was more distant, but that was to be expected. The alpha position was originally promised to him after all. After seeing him and talking to him, I do think he could have led the pack too.”
“But he didn’t push for it?” Annalise asks.
“No, seems like deep down he wanted his brother to take what was rightfully his.”
“Liam, did you hear back from Aryanna?” Elise asks me, interrupting our talk.
“Yes, everything is going smoothly. Although the pack is distraught, especially since Dante has imprisoned the beta and gamma.”
“With their new alpha coming home tonight, it should smooth things over,” Elise analyzes.
“I agree.” I look at her curiously. “How are things at your end?”
“Still stressful,” she admits. “I need to head back soon, but I wanted to check on this situation myself.”
“Thank you,” Annalise says. “We really appreciate the help.”
“Don’t mention it.” Elise smiles. “You have helped us so much too. You were and still are crucial for our success.”
“Finn is my brother,” I say. “Of course, I will back him up during the attack he plans.”
Elise gazes back at Troi, shaking her head. “At least their plan failed. It should be over now.”
Annalise frowns. “Let’s hope it is.”
I sigh. She is skeptical about the situation, just like I am. We might have caught Troi, but we don’t know who else stood behind him. Sure, I crashed the weird alpha meeting, but there is no guarantee there aren’t other individuals supporting them, people we don’t know about yet.
Elise decides to leave us alone eventually. “I’ll need to return,” she says. “There is still lots of work ahead of us.”
“Watch out for my brother, will you?”
She grins. “Sure, though he has a mate now who can do the job.” She grins. “Time for me to find my very own now.”
