"Do not speak!" Tanner's mother snaps harshly.
"I wasn't drunk," the younger man begins, turning calmly to face the council. "I was fully aware of what I was doing, and I'm willing to face anything, even death, rather than stand here and lie that I do not love him. He wasn't sober, but I was. I've wanted this for a long time, and because I was afraid he'd reject me, I took the chance when he wasn't himself. So every bit of the blame falls on me. I was the one..."
Before he can finish, the one kneeling interrupts. "I was sober! I... I was sober. I knew exactly what was happening. And I didn't stop you."
The council hall erupts into outrage.
"What nonsense is this?" one council member shouts.
"Even in front of us, they dare speak such things?!" another exclaims.
The former Alpha rises abruptly, fists clenched, barely restraining himself from tearing them apart. But Tanner steps forward immediately, his voice steady, though pain flickers in his eyes.
"Father, not yet!" he says, each word tight with emotion. After listening to their words tear at him from within, he finally speaks his voice raw, barely controlled. "I can't deal with this right now. And killing them immediately doesn't even feel like enough. Maybe they should live a little longer, just to face the consequences... before I send them to hell where they belong."
The hall buzzes with murmurs of agreement, a few voices even calling for harsher punishment.
Tanner turns to the guards, his rage barely held in check. "Keep them in the cell until I say otherwise!" he commands.
"Separate cells!" an elder adds as the guards drag the two away.
Tanner storms out, emotions simmering just beneath his skin. He hurries to his study, slamming the door behind him with such force that the walls rattle.
His body trembles uncontrollably.
Every word, every accusation especially his father's, replays in his mind, each one making his chest ache more than the last.
He doesn't know what to feel or what to think.
He just marked a man. Claimed him. Mated him. And it wasn't because the mate bond compelled him, it was because it was all he had ever wanted, even before the bond came into play.
And now, they've made it feel like the biggest mistake of his life.
His breath turns ragged, erratic. He sweeps everything off his desk with a frustrated yell, the sound of crashing objects doing nothing to calm the storm within him.
Trying to compose himself, he forces his trembling body into the chair. Eyes closed tightly, he struggles to breathe deeply, but it doesn't help. His wolf features begin to emerge involuntarily.
Images flash in his mind, holding Jess last night, and even right before he left for the council.
He clutches his head, desperate to shove the memories away, but they won't go. What should he do? What can he do?
A sudden knock startles him.
He quickly straightens up, smoothing his hair and clothes, trying to mask the turmoil before the door opens without his permission.
His father storms in, his eyes burning with fury. He doesn't wait for Tanner to speak, he doesn't even give him a moment to breathe.
"What was that back there?!" His voice cracks through the room like a whip. "How could you stay quiet when the pack was looking to you for guidance? They were waiting for their Alpha to speak, and you just stood there like some lost boy! All that time?! Have you forgotten who you are?!"
Tanner's breath catches in his throat, his father's words slashing deep.
"Look at you right now!" the older man snarls. "You're standing there like a helpless omega, those pitiful things who don't even know their own worth! Look at me, Tanner! Don't tell me you're like this because of those two cursed fools! Since when is the solution to sit here and feel sorry? Think hard about what to do with them?"
His fury only builds. "I didn't expect this from you. After the way you judged those other boys in the past, I thought you'd be stronger, more perfect this time. But what did you do? You stood there. And stopped me from doing the right thing?! You need time to come up with punishment?!"
Tanner's heart races. His throat feels tight. But his father's words keep coming, merciless and sharp.
"This isn't what a leader from our bloodline does!" he spits. "What do you think the pack saw in you today? You think they'll respect a leader who hesitates?! A true Alpha decides fast and gets it right! You were born to lead, so start acting like it! If you want to prove yourself worthy of this position, find those two boys from the past, put them in with these two, and handle it the way you're supposed to!"
Without waiting for a response, his father turns sharply and storms out, leaving behind only the echo of his anger and a choking cloud of disappointment.
Tanner stands frozen, the silence pressing down on him like a weight.
His father's words spin wildly in his mind. What am I doing? What kind of leader am I?
His wolf stirs uneasily, unsettled by the mess of emotion and confusion swirling inside him.
Jess.
Is it wrong to love him? Would ending this relationship make everything easier? Would it fix things?
But the thought of letting Jess go tastes like poison.
He stands there, trapped between duty and desire, the weight of both bearing down on him until it becomes almost impossible to breathe.
Then, without thinking further, he turns on his heel and heads straight for the door, one thought cutting through the noise:
I need to see Jess. Maybe... maybe he's the only one who can help me make sense of all this.