Chapter 31

Marcus

I felt my jaw shift with impatience, my aching gums threatening to release the canines that longed to tear into something. Something soft... And ripe... Running my tongue over the back of my teeth, I felt my cock harden at the thought of biting into the human's flesh while I fucked her from behind. Hard... and fast... My body tensed as the erotic image flickered through my mind, visualizing her sweat-drenched body writhing as I shove my cock deep in her ass, showing her a taste of heaven. Her moans and pleas drowned everything else as I bring her to orgasm again and again before retracting my cock and burying it in her tight little pussy where I would finally release my seed and make her mine.

My muscles tightened underneath my skin, the beast moving restlessly and growling in approval at the direction of my thoughts while raring to be let out.

Closing my eyes at the sudden onslaught of desire, I exhaled a long steady breath through my teeth, the air expelling from my lungs with a hiss. Shaking my head clear, I pushed against the bond's influence while simultaneously forcing the creature back to the dark recesses of my mind. This was definitely not the time to digress! We had a mess to clean up.

I was mildly surprised, however, that my wolf was still trying to push through. The dose of wolfsbane had held him down until we had walked into that study and seen the female. Her luscious curves, green eyes, and sultry scent had called to the beast, enticing him into a lust-driven haze.

I sighed in frustration.

The wolfsbane did nothing to curb our primal instincts and it had also proven to be useless against the pull of the mate bond; which we all still felt in full force. All it seemed to do, was subdue our wolves and prevent us from acting on our base nature.

Cracking my knuckles on both hands, I felt some of the pent-up pressure release with a satisfying pop. I realized that we needed a better plan if the human decided to stay. While wolfsbane could help us in the short term, regular use or exposure to high doses could cause some serious irreversible damage to our wolves. And the last thing we wanted, was the highest-ranking wolves to be physically compromised, leaving the pack vulnerable in case of an attack.

My teeth ground in irritation, my mind drifting back to the person responsible for this mess.

Two days! That's all it had taken for everything to go to absolute shit. The female, I assumed, had no idea of the effect that she has had ever since her unfortunate arrival. But I have witnessed and sensed the strain that this was having on all of us.

Alex was slowly beginning to lose his mind. His desperate need to be rid of the bond was making him reckless and dangerous. Kole had become a ticking timebomb, his beast making him unstable and unreliable. James had withdrawn into himself. His easy smile and sharp wit, were replaced with a permanent frown combined with sudden bouts of guilt and regret.

As for Tommy –

My eyes moved swiftly around the room before landing on our youngest brother. Although we were born only minutes apart from each other, we brothers have always treated each other with varying degrees of love and respect in accordance with the order of our birth. This also played out in the responsibilities that we each carried. Alex and I became the big brothers. James, was the middle child while Kole and Tommy were treated like the youngest. Which also meant that we always looked out for them and went easy on them. And this "family hierarchy" only solidified when we ascended to our individual ranks within the pack.

Sifting through my memories, I replayed the precious few moments when the five of us played, interacted, and grew together from the time we were pups, all the way to adulthood. Another sigh rose from my chest as I wondered how things would have turned out if Alex and I hadn't been ripped away from our brothers when we were young.

Maybe, with our guidance, Kole would have outgrown his impulsive ways and Tommy would have probably handled this mate situation responsibly. Fuck! Huffing in defeat, I locked the memories away, realizing that such musings were pointless at this stage. What was done, could never be undone.

Refocusing my attention on Thomas, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness wash over me. My calm composure was dangerously close to crumbling as I watched him pacing near the door, muttering to himself while constantly pulling at his hair and growling like a caged beast. My wolf whimpered with worry, feeling the stress and fear that his sibling was going through.

Sensing my gaze, Thomas halted mid-stride, his haggard demeanor immediately turning hostile when we locked eyes. The silver orbs flashed a blazing gold, his beast coming forth, armed with rage and aggression. "How much longer do we have to fucking wait?!" His voice was harsh, clearly showing the agitation that was brewing within.

The tone of disrespect irked my beast as it reared its head, letting out a warning growl at the bold display of insolence.

The four of us were in Alex's office, waiting for him to finish his conversation with our mate in the study. It had been over twenty minutes and the tension in the room was rising at a rapid pace with every passing second. Forcing a detached tone, I stared at my youngest brother who continued to watch me through narrowed slits, his body heaving under his heavy breaths. "As long as it takes to get the message across. I suggest you get comfortable brother. They might be a while."

Thomas clenched his fists, his body rippling with energy as he tried to rein in his beast. "What message?" His eyes searched my well-schooled features, trying to decipher my words, lines creasing his forehead at my silence.

Pausing suddenly, his frown deepened before he snarled furiously, "He better not touch a hair on her head! Or I swear I will end -"

"He won't."

Calmly taking in his enraged form, I added with indifference, "He is giving her a chance to reject us and leave."

James and Kole jumped up from their seats, ready to tackle Thomas to the ground as he let out an enraged roar. The whites of his eyes rapidly turned black, showing that his wolf was on the verge of taking full control.

While I understood his reaction, my beast and I could not leave an open challenge unanswered. The Alpha blood would never allow it. I cracked my neck on each side before allowing my beast to surge forward. "That's enough Thomas!" The force of my power combined with my wolf', burst forth in a fury. And in spite of the wolfsbane inhibiting the full power of my wolf, the alpha command took hold.

Thomas immediately lowered his head, submitting to the stronger will that wrestled against his own. Although his submission pacified my wolf, I couldn't help the sting of guilt that pricked at my conscience when I felt the pain roll off him in waves.

I realized then, that I would never fully understand what my youngest brother was going through. His connection to our mate was the strongest after all. The rest of us had never mated with her or spent much time in her presence. So, while we felt the pull on a more base level, Tommy was probably drowning in it.

Standing up from the seat behind Alex's desk, I made my way towards him. His head lifted slowly when I came to stand beside him, leaning against the door while trying to gauge his reaction. His silver eyes seemed lifeless as they gazed into my own. I felt another tug of guilt when he spoke, his voice sounding pleading and broken.

"Why?" Clutching his head as if in pain, he angled himself to face all of us in the room. "Why would you all do this to me? To her?"

His desperate questions went unanswered as silence filled the room. I could feel the collective sadness through the link. None of us wanted this but at the same time, we didn't really have the luxury of choice on our hands.

Suddenly, Thomas let out a derisive laugh, his hand leaving his disheveled hair to point in the direction of the study. "That woman in there? She is my mate." Turning that finger back around on each of us, he continued accusingly. "And she is your mate. There are wolves out there who go their whole lives without ever meeting their other half. But when we are fortunate enough to experience that, you want to chase her away?"

He began to pace, his short strides leading him toward the corner of the room and back again to the door. After two laps of this, he paused, his gaze sweeping over us with a sneer. "By going through with this, all you are doing is spitting on the gift that the Goddess has given us. Can you live with that? Can you live the next hundred years of your miserable lives knowing that you threw away the one chance at true happiness because you were too drunk on pride, power, and reputation?"

Kole tilted his head towards the floor while James looked like a wounded pup, their guilt and shame evident through the link we shared. I, on the other hand, remained silent, knowing that nothing we say could ease the pain and betrayal that Thomas was feeling at the moment. I knew he would not listen to sense even if it was dangling right in front of him. With the aching sadness building, I realized that he was too far gone. A slave to the bond. Because the brother I knew, would never put his pack second.

But James decided to interject, his need to bring different perspectives to every situation probably winning out in this instance. "Tommy, before you judge us too harshly... let's not forget that it was you who brought this on all of us. I agree that what we did was unacceptable, but had you told us about her from the start, all of this could have been avoided. Instead, you went ahead and courted her. Mated with her. All the time knowing that there was a chance that she could be mated to all of us."

Thomas opened his mouth for a second before closing it, his lips pulling into a thin line. His shoulders slumped a little as he looked at James who carried on in our defence, "You never once took into consideration what this would mean for us and our pack did you? You never gave us a chance to decide whether we wanted this or not. You made that decision for all of us when you left us in the dark about our own mate."

James, Kole, and I were startled when the room filled with Thomas' mocking laughter. "And what if I had said something? What then? Would you have marked her? Accepted her into the pack? Welcomed her with open arms?" His glowering gaze suddenly turned in my direction, his voice reeling with sarcasm. "Made her Luna of this pack? Go on. Tell me what you would have done!"

I bristled at his goading, the question hitting a sore spot. Pushing myself off the door, I turned to face him head-on. My canines punctured through my lips as they extended to their full length while my beast snarled in dominance, forcing its way through the link and demanding submission from his opponent. I stared at my brother, my voice breaking out in a growl.

"Don't push it Beta. It won't end well."

In my peripheral view, I noticed James move forward before planting himself in between Thomas and me. My beast growled, displeased with the action. Raising his hands on either side James looked between us, his wolf reaching out in an attempt to calm us both. Turning to face his irate younger brother, James tried to put an end to the mounting tension.

"Tommy. Calm down and we'll work this out."

This seemed to aggravate Thomas even more, his snarls turning menacing while his eyes flashed gold. "Was this your fucking idea James?"

My First Beta appeared to falter, his frame tensing as he took a minute before answering cautiously. "I... we looked at every other option. None of them would have worked. But I found out that if she hasn't been marked, then we still have a chance. Either we reject her or she rejects us. And...uh... we knew you would never agree to do it. So...I... we decided to let her make the decision."

Thomas scoffed, "And where did you learn about this? From the 800-year-old dusty books that we keep locked away? Or from an old fool on the council?" Taking a step back, a disbelieving snort escaped Thomas. "Did you take a second to think about what would happen to my wolf if she rejected me? You would take such a risk knowing that things could go very wrong. For all of us? Fuck! I mean... I knew you guys wouldn't make this easy. But I honestly didn't think you would take things this far."

"We know your wolf is bonded to her. But you haven't marked her. I was told that you would be weakened after the rejection but given time your wolf would heal. Maybe not to the full extent but you will be fine. Apparently, taking another mate could speed up the healing process as well."

There was a moment of silence where Thomas stared at each one of us as if he was seeing us for the first time. His narrowed gaze lingered heavily. And before I could sense his mood, he suddenly snapped, his rage spilling out in a torrent. "If you fuckers don't want her then that's fine! But I'll be damned if I let any of you come in between me and what is rightfully mine!"

My beast sensed his attack even before I fully registered his words. Thomas lunged, his claws and canines unsheathed and aiming for James. But Kole being the fastest, moved in a blur, grabbing Thomas at the last minute and pulling him away from the rest of us. Thomas lashed out in response, digging his claws into Kole's sides. I moved into action just as Kole roared, his white shirt turning red as the blood gushed out from either side of his ribs.

Together with James, we managed to pull him off Kole and tackle him to the ground. Thomas continued to thrash, his jaws snapping at our arms as he tried to get loose. And just when we felt that he was about to shift, James yelled out, drowning out Thomas' roars.

"Brother stop! Think of her! Think of your mate!"

In the blink of an eye, everything stilled. I was beyond shocked at what I was witnessing. A beast so close to shifting was brought back to sanity at the mere mention of his mate. Maybe I underestimated the power of the bond. The yelling and growling were soon substituted with heavy panting and a terse silence. After a moment's hesitation, James spoke up in a soft voice. "Tommy... we may have our own motives for letting her go but you know that she deserves to make her own choice. She had no idea what she was getting into. You can hate us all you want, but you know, that deep down it's the right thing to do."

For a brief second, something close to understanding flashed past Thomas' face. His breathing slowed and his body sagged to the ground. James and I released him, standing up before stepping away from the forlorn figure of our brother. A minute passed before Thomas propped himself into a sitting position, his eyes flickering between silver and gold as he watched the three of us standing around him.

My body went rigid as a sudden wave of hate pulsed through the link at the same time that Thomas shouted.

"Right thing huh?! Well fuck you! Fuck all of you!"

Rising to his feet, he shoved past us, knocking James and Kole to the side as he made his way toward one of the windows in the office. Turning his back to us, he ignored our presence and blocked our link. His body remained tense as he looked out the window. I glanced towards James and Kole who were looking at me with the same worry that I was feeling on the inside.

Groaning in defeat, I mind-linked them. "Just let him be"

We all sat in silence after that. My mind racing a million miles with everything that Thomas had said. And it seemed like the more I dwelled on it, the more frustrating it was starting to get. I was left with more questions than what I started off with. And I knew that given the complexity of the situation, the answers were going to be tough to find. Shit!

Cracking my knuckles once again, I felt a push in the mind-link from Alex. Opening up my mind to him, I heard his frustrated voice come across, loud and clear. "Come to the study brother. Plan B it is."

Double fuck! The human decided to stay after all.

I stood up, the action drawing the attention of my brothers in the room, all of them looking at me questioningly. "They're done." The words had barely escaped my lips before Thomas took off towards the door, ripping it open and vanishing to the left of the corridor, in the direction of the study.

"Look at him go! The bastard! Fucking ruined my shirt."

James and I exchanged knowing looks, rolling our eyes at Kole's whining as we made our way out the door after Thomas.

The minute we entered the study; my beast stirred at the sight in front of us. Thomas was already in there, standing beside the desk with the female in his arms. His head was close to her throat, taking in her scent while his beast purred in contentment. I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my lips at the intimate scene. It's not often you see a beast purr. It happens with mated pairs but mostly in private.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

At Alex's question, the female lifted her head from my brother's chest to glance in our direction. Her green eyes were wide with fear as she took in each of us before her gaze landed on Kole. A soft gasp could be heard when she took in his bloodied appearance and something close to worry flashed in her eyes. Was she worried for Kole? Does she feel the bond just as strongly as the rest of us? My beast almost purred at the thought before I shoved him back hurriedly.

"This little shit decided to play nasty." Kole's grumbling voice carried across the room in the direction of Thomas. The female's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth slightly dropping open as she turned to look between Kole and Thomas.

A brief knock sounded, distracting everyone as the door swung open to reveal our Gamma walking in hastily.

He bowed low to all of us as Alex greeted him. "Ah, Liam. Come on in." Standing to his feet, he looked around at all of us, "Alright everyone. Witness is here. Take a seat and let's get started. Marcus if you please."

I took in a quick breath before making my way to the desk. Sitting down, I watched as everyone took their place. Alex and James stood to my right, beside my chair while Kole stood to my left. Liam took a stand opposite me along with Thomas who immediately pulled the female close to him, crushing her to his side.

A surprised squeak left her as she squirmed, her cheeks flushed pink as she tried to regain her balance and composure. Cute. Thomas had his arm tightly wrapped around her waist, his head bent to the side near her neck, cooing soft words of comfort. A sudden pang of jealousy shot through me so fast that I almost felt winded. Feeling strangely irritated at their closeness, I cleared my throat, breaking the two of them from their little bubble.

Thomas and I stared at each other. I was certain that he had an inkling of what was to come but that didn't make this any easier. Our lives were going to change. In a big way. Clearing my throat, I began the meeting, the Alpha in me easily taking charge of the situation even though I felt unsure on the inside.

Here we go.

"Beta Thomas. You are here today for two reasons: For your treason against the Portland Pack and our verdict concerning your destined mate who is a human. And since the latter also concerns the rest of us: the Alphas and the First and Second Betas of this pack, a witness- Gamma Liam has been brought in should this indiscretion ever reach the shifter council."

I paused. The air around us was charged with tension. Thomas had a hard look on his face, his features set in a cold mask while the female looked panicked, her eyes constantly darting between me and Thomas. Her short breaths and racing heart, sounding loud like a drum to a wolf's sensitive ears.

Taking another breath, I continued. "Your crimes against the pack include, 1) Consciously lying to your Alphas with the full intent to deceive 2) Consorting with a human and thereby risking the exposure of our world 3) Placing your interest above that of the pack. And for this, you will be stripped of your title as Beta. A wolf that endangers its pack is no longer fit to lead."

A sharp gasp had me stopping. The female was clutching Thomas' shirt in a tight grip, forcing him to look at her. Her confusion and terror were clear in her urgent whisper. "Thomas...what's going on? What is he saying?"

"It's alright. It'll be fine."

"Marcus continues." At the sound of Alex's voice, the female jumped, her gaze turning towards him, fear and hatred shining through her green orbs.

Pushing the sudden feeling of guilt aside and wrestling my unhappy beast, I plowed on with the sentencing. "You are hereby demoted to the rank of Guard and will serve as part of our Border Patrol. You are assigned to Sector 28 in the north-western border of the pack and you will be reporting to Oliver - our Lead warrior who is in charge of that sector. You will carry out all the duties given to you diligently. Should you fail, you will be punished accordingly. Most importantly, you will treat the wolves that rank above you with respect keeping in mind that you are no longer a Beta and as such, you no longer hold the respect and privileges that go along with it. Do you understand?"

Thomas' hard gaze didn't change. I couldn't even sense what he was feeling as he had cut off the link between us. The only tell-tale sign was the constant flickering colors of his eyes.

"I understand."

I sighed. This was harder than I thought it was going to be.

"Now, moving on to the matter of your human. Since she has turned down our offer and has decided to stay with you in the pack -"

"What?! That's not what I said! I said that I wanted to talk to Thomas first!"

All eyes fell on the human who looked like she was going to burst into tears at any moment. I frowned, confused at her sudden outburst. When Alex had said Plan B, I assumed that she had given him a direct "No." Turning to my side, I noticed Alex glare at the female before addressing her claims.

"I clearly explained everything to you, little girl. And in the end, you didn't say yes to my offer. So that leaves us with only one other answer."

"B-but... I didn't... you tricked -"

"SILENCE!"

Alex's Alpha tone emerged, jolting everyone in the room. Thomas growled, immediately pushing the female behind him.

"We've had enough of the two of you! Marcus finish this!"

I felt unsettled. Did the female want to stay or leave? Feeling the push from Alex's wolf, I went ahead. "She will stay with the pack and have no contact with the outside world unless such contact is approved by the Alphas. The two of you will live in one of the patrol cabins assigned to you in your sector. The human can have no contact with the rest of the pack unless such contact is approved by the Alphas. Should she try to escape or cause any problem, she will be punished accordingly. You are not to mark the female without the consent of your Alphas and your Betas who also happen to be her mates. And because of that, she will not be allowed onto the main pack grounds or the packhouse or any place that we might be. Understood?"

Thomas grits his teeth before answering. "Yes."

"Finally, everything that happened here will not be spoken of outside of these walls. That goes for everyone. Tomorrow at the pack dinner, Thomas will announce that he has found his mate and that he will be stepping down from his duties as Beta to help her while she integrates into our world. No one in the pack must know that she is mated to all of us and the true reason behind Thomas' demotion. Let them assume that we have different mates and that we do not share a mate bond. Liam, I hope you understand the seriousness of the issue. Should you tell a soul, you will pay with your life. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"And how long do you think you can pull the wool over their eyes, Marcus? The pack is bound to find out someday."

My insides twisted uncomfortably at that question. I stared at Thomas who waited for my answer with a challenging look in his eye. "It won't be for long. The four of us intend to take choice mates within the next month or two."

"And is this what all of you want or is our famous big brother just pushing his agenda on everyone as always?"

Alex growled but I cut in quickly, not keen on witnessing another fight. "No. It's a decision that we took together. The human is not fit to be our mate nor is she fit to be a Luna. Which is why we will be choosing our own mates and the two of you will keep your distance from us until then and also hold off with the marking."

Before Thomas could argue, Alex stepped up, clapping his hands together with the intention of wrapping this up. "Alright, that's enough. Think we covered everything. The meeting is over. If you have more questions, then too bad brother. Liam, make sure everything is carried out as per our discussion. Let's go. I'm starving."

Finishing his hurried instructions, Alex quickly made his way to the door, completely ignoring the enraged look from his little brother and the female's soft cries. After a moment's hesitation, Kole, James, and I followed. Reaching the door, I stopped, my beast urging me to go to his sobbing mate.

Glancing behind, I watched Thomas hold her in his arms, soothing her while Liam looked on at the two of them. Feeling the ache creep back again, I quickly exited, closing the door after me. I hastened down the corridor, trying my hardest to rid my mind of the day's events.

But as hard as I tried, I couldn't help but wonder if we were doing the right thing.