Page 83 of War Games

As I looked back at Hasan’s broken body in the dirt, I saw a man I would never see in my human father—a man willing to die for his wife and children. He was always there.

I just needed to heal a little longer before I could handle the immense weight of what this scene had accidentally given me.

31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

HEATH

Heath walked into the basement of the pack house. It was time for him to face the full truth of what happened at the reception. He was ready. He felt better than he had in days, knowing Jacky was going to survive the poisoning, thanks to Subira and Olivia. He had that assurance; now, he had to make sure something like this never happened again. He wanted to do it before she woke up, so she wouldn’t worry about him. He was glad she was going to wake, yet worried she would try to stop him to protect him from facing what he knew he had to face, eventually. Not just the betrayal of a pack member but the fight he would have to deal with after.

She would try to stop me because she loves me. I have to fight because I love her. I want her to wake up as soon as she can, but I can’t have her stopping me.

I’ll figure out what I’m going to say to her after it’s all said and done.

Jenny and Carlos were still there in the basement. They had been alone now for nearly twenty-four hours. Neither of them spoke or even looked up yet.

He felt bad about leaving Carlos down in the cell, truly bad now. He’d hoped Jenny would confess her crimes beforehand to save the man from this. Now, he had to step in because it was time for her to meet her fate. They looked up as he approached and stopped in front of the cells. He could smell fear on both, but he knew the sources had to be different.

“Hello, Carlos, Jenny.” He put his hands behind his back, looking between them as he greeted them.

“Hello, Alpha,” Carlos said first. Jenny quickly repeated it.

“You both know why you’re still here,” Heath said softly. “So, let’s get started. Landon!” His sudden raise in volume made both of the werewolves in the cells jump. As Landon approached, Heath knew what he was about to do was cruel but necessary.

“Remain silent,” he ordered the pair. “Landon, take Jenny. I want Carlos alone.”

The smell of Jenny’s fear rocketed up, becoming the dominant smell in the room. Landon had to drag her out as she kicked.

“That’s enough. Walk,” Landon snarled, the order making Jenny pop to attention and walk correctly. “With me. Now.”

Heath waited, watching them go. Once he knew they were far enough away, he looked at Carlos.

Carlos wouldn’t have done this. He was letting Jenny believe for a moment that he blamed the werewolf in front of him, but he knew without a shred of doubt that Carlos wouldn’t have even known.

“You can speak now, but you should listen to me first.”

Carlos nodded, not saying anything, so Heath began.

“She was probably promised a full pardon for you,” Heath explained. He didn’t have the hard evidence he wanted. “She loved you but didn’t know you well enough, did she?”

“I guess not,” Carlos mumbled.

He’s never wanted a pardon. He’s going to feel guilty for what he did for the rest of his immortal life. Even if it fades, it will linger and bother him.

Heath knew Carlos’s story. He’d been married happily to a human woman. They lived with and supported her family. They had a child together, only a year old when everything happened. His wife died suddenly, failing to become a werewolf when she tried to survive being Changed, and everything turned upside down for the werewolf.

His in-laws had blamed him for their daughter’s death.

Carlos was forced to hand over everything he knew about any vulnerable werewolves. The single werewolves, the lower-ranking ones that many would lose track of in larger packs, and any loners who passed through. Those werewolves would disappear and never be seen again, most probably murdered by humans looking for the thrill of killing a werewolf. He did it all so his child’s grandparents would tell him where his son was once they felt he paid the debt they believed he owed them for their daughter’s life. It went on for a year.

None of the humans survived the situation. Only Carlos, a young werewolf who had betrayed his own kind and ended up with nothing, not even the one life he had risked everything for. His son wasn’t found alive, having been neglected by the vengeful, greedy in-laws who didn’t want to help raise the son of a monster they believed Carlos had been. The in-laws were just greedy. That was all there was to it. Carlos had just been a desperate father, unable to find his baby and too young to know how to ask for help, grieving the death of his wife and worried any wrong move would mean he never saw his son again.

So, Heath had taken him in, understanding that Carlos could have made better choices, but rationality had left him under the strain of the misfortune in his life.

Carlos had never wanted forgiveness. He certainly hadn’t wanted a second chance at a normal life. He wanted to die fighting to help people, wanted to get himself killed for it all. He had until Jenny and he met. They all knew Jenny helped heal him better than anything. There had been hope.

“Were there any signs she might betray us that you might have missed?” Heath asked softly. “No blame. We all miss things. Clearly, Landon and I missed everything, too.”

---