CH 9

Marcus But it was too late, he realized; half the words were out, Gregory held no concern or care at all for their Mate, and that was why he’d actually had to breathe her in to recognize her as his actual Mate. Marcus was the one that refused to betray their mate bond, and stopped Gregory from doing so. Gregory would go out there and bed anything that would let him, even while mated to Jessica, he didn’t care one iota for her. Referred to her as fugly when talking about her. Marcus wouldn’t betray the Mate Bond, regardless of not wanting to be her Mate, she was bound to them, and he’d seen the pains of betrayal before. The agony it caused, and he knew if they did that his mother and father would, in fact, force a rejection from them, and they’d not only have no Mate. They’d likely lose their place as the heirs to the pack and be passed over for their twin sisters, who were four years younger than them, and though currently away at Alpha College, they’d be notified while there. He’d seen that happen too. The Alpha Council members announced things like that formally for all there to hear and see. It would humiliate them, even though they weren’t there, a hundred or more future Alphas in that college; word would spread to not only their allied packs, but those also that were their enemies and those that weren’t affiliated but were looking to be affiliated would then have concerns, and the pack could lose potential support and business. He watched his mother hunker right down and grab Gregory’s shirt and yank his face right to hers. “That’s because guilt is written all over the pair of you. She was happy about asking your father to order the truth from you, because she knows what will be said by both of you will, in fact, match what she stated.” She let go and shoved him back. “I thought you had been raised better than this. I guess I was too lenient when chastising you. I guess your fathers didn’t make it clear how precious one mate between you two was.” She bit out angrily. “Well, no more leniency will be granted for either of you from this moment on, until you take over if you make it that far without me unseating you and putting your sisters up for the leadership.” She snapped at them. And there it was the one thing he didn’t want to happen, to be passed over, the one thing he’d always had in the back of his mind, because he didn’t know how long he could contain Gregory, who didn’t care to be mated, so didn’t feel as though he was mated for the most part. He saw Gregory turn wide eyes on his mother and, for once, Marcus didn’t try and stop him, or pull him into line. If his own twin couldn’t see what was wrong right now, then maybe he really wasn’t worthy of being part of the leadership. Marcus sighed internally and looked back to his mother. The chips had to fall. He’d save his own backside, Gregory was on his own now. “I meant what I said. Every day from now on, I will be speaking with Jessica about how you not only talk to her, but treat her, and tend to her needs. If she so much as states you didn’t take care of her, spoke disrespectfully or in a derogatory manner, “Pushed and shoved her about, threatened to hit her, or verbally threatened her in any way, shape or form. To stop her from answering me, and that you only took what you want from her, and didn’t take care of her in that bed you all share, I will have you publicly lashed, five lashes from myself and five from each of your fathers. “Every damned day that I hear those words come from her until you both learn your lesson and understand how to love and respect the Mate that Selena gifted to you. You will have only three chances to redeem yourselves. After that third time, regardless of it being before or after her Luna Ceremony, “The punishment that you’re now looking head on into. Let me lay it out clearly for you, I will not only unseat you, but I will also de-rank you down to omega status, and give you the worst omega chores to do. Going out there in the woods and scooping up all the wolves s**t to stop the pack from reeking. “I will have you both branded as traitors, so the pack can kick you around and talk s**t about you as they so please, which, from all I heard and understood from between the lines, is what you two do about your own Mate. “Regardless of you being my own sons, I will then force an acceptance of Jessica’s rejection from you and ask Selena to never gift you one Mate between you because you so clearly don’t deserve that blessing from her.” He was just kneeling there staring at his mother, horrified by everything she was saying, as she spoke words that he knew were meant to be a full and complete harsh reality check for them both. He didn’t want any of that, and de-ranked down to a s**t scooping omega, hell no, those omegas were the lowest of low in this pack. He’d knew she meant every single word she was speaking, because not only did dread fill him, but when he looked back to his fathers to see how they were reacting to their own Mate and Luna’s words, they didn’t look like they were going to defend them or arc up about them being unseated as the heirs to the pack. He got the distinct impression they were in fact in full agreement with their own Mate about everything she was saying. He even understood why, because they had been told all their lives they’d have one Mate between them, and were prepped on how it would go, what would be expected of them, where their one Mate was concerned. Only they’d been gifted a wolf-less overweight she-wolf that did not interest them, and so they hadn’t done what they were supposed to have done, treat her with any kind of respect, claimed her, because if they didn’t, they may never get another gifted to them if they rejected what the Goddess’ plan was for them. His own father looked right at him and likely the incredulous look on his face at hearing his own mother’s words. He was the Alpha to the pack right that minute, not a father figure, he realized as Hector raised an eyebrow at him as if to state ‘what did you think would happen?’ Or ‘Don’t look at me to save your dumb ass.’ “Steph, I’d like to hear if it’s actually true, just what we’ve not seen for the past three years about them being out there looking for another she-wolf. Have the heirs to this pack been so very disrespectful that they’re out there bedding other she-wolves and leaving their own Mate in agony?” Hector stated. “That would cause her to lose weight because it would see her eat less and be depressed, and the depressed thing could be why she continued to dress in her oversized clothes all the time, hiding even from us the massive weight loss,” Graham added. “I have never touched another,” Marcus stated, “Loyal to my mate bond.” His mother looked at him and shook her head. “If you think I’m going to take your word for it, you’d be mistaken. Because with what I heard and now what your own fathers are voicing, it is actually the most plausible thing for her continued dressing down when she didn’t have to…” she sighed. “Only now she’s decided to out you for it, she’s had enough, in other words, something you did or said pushed her past caring about keeping all your lies from us, the leadership of the pack… I wonder just what it was?” “There was no cheating on Jessica,” Gregory stated flatly, and Marcus honestly wished that his twin would just shut the hell up, because even with his statement of there was no cheating, that implied that one of them or both of them wanted to cheat. But the other had stopped them from doing so. ‘You need to learn to shut up,’ he shot down the mind-link to his twin, ‘or speak in a respectful or remorseful manner. Not in a way that implies we want to cheat but hold ourselves back.’ He found his mother looking from him to Gregory as he closed out that mind-link and realized he shouldn’t have done that either. Again, that made him look guilty because he was trying to silence his twin. “Do it,” she waved a hand at his father, “Did they ever cause pains of betrayal to their Mate, I want to know that first.” He watched both his fathers walk around to stand before them both, and his mother step back so as not to be hit with the aura that was about to be rolled over both him and his brother. He didn’t try to fight it. That would again just make him look guilty to all of them. He was bowed down to his father and Alpha after just a few seconds while Gregory struggled against it. “Have you ever touched another in a manner that would cause pains of betrayal to your Mate, Jessica?” he was asked under the weight of that aura. “No,” came from him. But Gregory still struggled against it and Marcus’ eyes widened as he realized that his own twin must have done so, at some point. He’d thought he’d managed to stop all of that. Spoken words to Gregory that would see him be deterred from it. “Yes.” Came from his own twin, and he fought against the aura himself in a need to punch his brother for himself. “How many times and what was the extent of it?” Hector grated out and Graham latched on to him as the Alpha stepped aside, and his aura was gone from him and only on Gregory now. Stopped him from turning on his twin, though he did manage to get a kick into him as he was forcibly held in place. “I don’t know… lots… but not s*x…” Gregory gasped, as more aura flooded over him. “I kissed a couple of human women and let some she-wolves touch me… slide her hand up my leg… and arm… my chest… but stopped it there.” “Where was your brother at the time?” Hector snarled out, full of anger now. “Not there,” Gregory stated as he finally stopped fighting against it and just allowed the answers to come. It was too late for him now the truth was out. “He would have stopped me… won’t let another touch him, turns away from it when the she-wolves try to touch him.” That very statement was likely going to save his ass and he knew it. His own reaction to hearing his brother’s words as well, showed that he’d never known about it, and would never let him or approved of it either. It was kind of seen like he was respecting her, but even he knew it was more about keeping his title, than actually respecting his Mate.