Kelton moved outside the front doors of the building and took a deep breath. This was going to be a hard night, he knew that. All he wanted was for things to go back to how they had been. This was too much.
He knew that he didn’t have time to waste. He’d be meeting up with Patrick and the others soon enough.
“Where is he?” Kelton asked as soon as he stepped back into the mansion and stood in front of the security desk.
“I’ve no idea.”
“Dammit! This is the last thing I need right now. Keep looking. Tell me as soon as you find him.” Kelton stormed back to his office.
Everything was going from bad to worse. The phones were ringing off the hook from the council and Kelton refused to talk to them. He had more important things to think about.
Right now, his priority was finding Caleb or Rees. He wanted to speak to them before heading out to see Patrick. Verynai and some of the other warriors were currently getting the shifters ready to ship out and they’d have to leave soon. He wanted to speak with Caleb especially, to see if he wanted to talk to his pack leader. As much of a mess this situation was, he was still fully aware that Caleb and Rees had a big part to play in this. As much as he wanted to keep the trainees out of it, he couldn’t and wouldn’t keep the boys’ in the dark.
“Is there anything I can do?” Professor Fieldman stood in the doorway to his office, wringing her hands together nervously. She was a nervous person to start with and with the events of late, she was a complete wreck. They’d cancelled all classes and training for the day and it was obvious that the professor was at a loss as to what to do with herself.
Kelton took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted to do was snap at the fragile woman. “Can you check in with Marion? Make sure she has all the help she needs in the medical suite.”
He knew that Doctor Marion Phillippe would be rushed off her feet. She was still treating some of the injured warriors, as well as overseeing Trey’s treatment. The boys’ condition was a constant worry for them all and she’d barely had time to treat the injured shifters. Kelton had told her to leave them. He didn’t give a damn if they were in pain. The pack could sort them out when they handed them over. However, she was a doctor through and through and couldn’t leave the injured unattended to. Plus, she put the point across that it showed good will that the injured were treated while under their roof. Kelton couldn’t really give a crap about good will. They were the ones that brought the battle to them.
It was a difficult situation and the doctor was right, he didn’t want to make it any worse. How much worse could it get? That was a question he didn’t want the answer to. They’d lost one of their own in the battle and Kelton would eternally shoulder the guilt for not being there when his brothers needed him.
Glancing around the small office, he knew he had everything he needed. They were going to this meeting with a large team of warriors, each fully loaded with weapons. As much as he and Patrick had been friends over the years, that was gone now. Too much had happened. There was no way he would be able to forgive the shifters coming to their home and causing havoc and taking Dixon’s life. It was just too much.
Kayleigh had spoken to him about it at length, discussing all the pros and cons. In the end, she had to agree that there was no other way but to sever the ties between the shifters and the Sons. It was a shame to throw away those years of friendship, but Kelton didn’t think he had a choice.
The conversation between him and Patrick to arrange this meeting had been strained. Kelton had found out from Caleb after what happened to Trey that there was a leadership struggle and Patrick was holding on to the role by the tips of his fingers. There was nothing Kelton could do to help him, and frankly, he wasn’t inclined to.
Caleb didn’t want to talk about it. He was trying to shoulder this blame, but Kelton wouldn’t allow that. The warrior mark had appeared and this was the best place for him and his brother. If the pack hadn’t been so narrow-minded, they would have been able to see that.
Kelton had instructed the warriors to talk to Caleb in his absence while visiting Mira. None of them had been successful. The boy was hiding and drowning in his own guilt. Kelton knew he’d have to do something about it and soon. It couldn’t go on.
A knock on the door pulled him out of his dark thoughts. “Yes?”
Verynai poked his head around the door. “We’re ready when you are.”
Kelton nodded. “I’m coming.”
“We’ll meet you in the garage.”
“Do you need any help with the shifters?”
Verynai grinned evilly. “Not at all. We’ve got it covered.”
“Be careful. I don’t want to be delivering back damaged goods after all Marion has done to help them.”
“They didn’t deserve any help.” Verynai growled.
“I know that and you know that, but Marion couldn’t help herself. She’s there to help the sick and injured and couldn’t leave them in pain.”
“They should have died for what they’ve done to us.”
Again, Kelton couldn’t argue. “We’re handing them over. It’s up to Patrick what he does with them.”
Verynai nodded and left the room. Kelton grabbed his jacket and pocketed his phone. There was nothing else for him to do.
Stopping at the security desk, Mario informed him that he still hadn’t seen anything of Caleb. Unfortunately, there was no time to go and chase the trainee down. It would have to wait until they got back. Kelton wasn’t going to let this slide. He wanted to speak to Caleb and Rees and make sure the boys were okay.
Walking through the academy, he was surprised that no one stopped him with any new problems. That seemed to be all he was dealing with at the moment. Problems. They were piling up on him to the point that he was struggling to find solutions.
Things had got so bad of late that he’d had to sacrifice his training time and call in another of the warriors to take over his class. There was just too much for him to deal with to teach them effectively. Luckily, there were no classes today. They wouldn’t have been able to pull so many warriors to assist him with the shifters.
Opening up the door to the garage, Kelton saw that the convoy was ready to head out. Moving to the lead car, Kelton knew that the shifters were secured with several warriors watching over them. He didn’t need to worry that they’d cause them any trouble. All he had to worry about was what would be said when he saw Patrick.
They drove out of the academy and through the country lanes. Kelton knew that the warriors on security would be tracking their departure. Security had been tight, but after the ambush, it had ranked up yet again. They were putting more money and time into protecting the mansion. He knew Marion would be watching them closely.
Was it ever going to end? Was this headache ever going to go away? In the past, Kelton had been more concerned with the problems out of the streets, primarily with the Lamia Mortuorum, knowing that the place where they lived and trained was their safe haven. That feeling of safety had been blown apart, firstly by the betrayal of one of their own leaking their location to the enemy, and then by the shifters. Were they ever going to be able to live peacefully?
As the cars started to slow, Kelton looked out of the window for signs of Patrick. He’d told him that it would be a good idea to meet away from the mansion to hand over the shifters they’d captured. Shifters coming to the academy? No, that wouldn’t be a good idea. There was too much hostility. They’d agreed to meet at a safe location and Kelton knew that Patrick would be bringing some of his men with him. He would be stupid if he didn’t. Not only was he meeting up with several members of the Sons who now saw him as the enemy, he would also have to deal with the angry shifters. That couldn’t be done alone. Patrick wasn’t a fool.
Kelton knew that Patrick wasn’t having an easy time of it. They hadn’t talked much because Kelton couldn’t bring himself to act like nothing had happened and continue with the friendship, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have ways
of finding out information. The shifters were uprising. They saw Patrick as weak because he handed over Caleb and Rees to the vampires. Kelton wondered how long he was going to manage to keep hold of his leadership role.
The cars pulled to a stop and Kelton was the first out. Noting Patrick standing with several shifters, Kelton’s hand went to the gun in the back of his belt. He didn’t think he’d need it, but it was there all the same.
“Patrick.” He nodded.
“Thank you for coming, Kelton.” Patrick glanced over at the rest of the warriors standing guard over by the cars. Kelton had approached him alone. “Do you have them with you?”
“Of course.” Kelton turned to nod at Verynai, the signal to get the shifters out of the car. “They’ve received medical attention.” He said simply, not wanting to get into conversation, especially with the rest of the shifters there.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
The shifters were escorted over to Patrick. Kelton noticed that they all looked very irate, but walked normally and without any threat. He didn’t think that was going to continue and handed Patrick the key to the handcuffs they wore.
“Thank you. I’ll wait until you’ve left.” Patrick knew without being told what Kelton wanted. He looked over at his pack members and shook his head, telling them silently to keep quiet and to keep their cool.
It had been a hard time for him. He was losing it, and losing it fast. The pack didn’t want their boys living with the vampires. They didn’t understand that it was what was best for them. They needed to be with the warriors, to learn to train. Seeing how the boys were when they came back to pack land to visit, Patrick knew that there was no way he could keep them from their calling. The others didn’t see it like that, though.
He could feel the hostility radiating off the men the fangers had kept captive. They’d want blood. They’d want retribution. It wasn’t enough that they had killed one of the Sons. They’d want more. Hence why he wasn’t going to remove the cuffs until the warriors were far away.
The shifters were bruised and unkempt, but didn’t look too much worse for wear for their short time in captivity. Not that they would see it that way, though. Patrick was grateful that any of their injuries had been treated and he guessed that he’d have Marion to thank for that. She was a good woman and a doctor right through to her very soul. It would have been totally understandable if the vampires had left them in pain, especially after what they’d done.
Patrick still couldn’t believe that so many of his people had gone up to the mansion and caused such havoc. He’d thought he had a handle on the situation. Clearly not. He’d thought he’d been able to convince most of them that they were doing the right thing. Evidently not.
Where would they go from here? Patrick saw only two possible outcomes to the situation. Either he would have to stand down as pack leader and watch someone else tear apart everything he had built over the years, or he would be overthrown. Either way, he was out. He wasn’t sure which would be the best outcome. At least if he was overthrown, he wouldn’t be alive to see them destroy their way of life.
The last thing he ever wanted to do was make an enemy out of the Lamia Matris. They had lived side by side for so long without incident. They had enough enemies of their own without making more. But, unfortunately, it was now inevitable. Time could not be rewound.
“Walk with me?” Patrick nodded his head, indicating that he wanted to speak to Kelton somewhat privately. He knew that the warriors wouldn’t let their leader out of their sight. Patrick wasn’t so sure about the shifters. They probably wouldn’t care if Kelton tore him apart. At least that would save them a job.
Kelton took a couple of steps, but would go no further. It hurt him to think that this was the end of their friendship, but he had his priorities. He had to put the safety of his brothers and the trainees first. He had to put Kayleigh and their son first.
“What is it?” He asked gruffly.
“Is there nothing we do? We can’t resolve this?”
Kelton kept his eyes stony cold. “What is done is done. There’s no coming back from this.”
Patrick nodded sadly. “I thought that may be the case.”
“This cannot be forgiven. We lost a brother.”
“I understand that.” Patrick looked pained, keeping his face away from the shifters. “You do know that this was not an order from me?” He’d tried to talk to Kelton several times, to no avail.
“I know.” Kelton knew his old friend well enough that if he had a problem, he would have come to talk to him first. Patrick wouldn’t have attacked the mansion all guns blazing. That wasn’t his style.
“If you need me for anything in the future, you know you can call on me?” Patrick offered, even though he knew that it was empty. There was no guarantee he’d be around to help and that Kelton wouldn’t ever back down to ask him.
Kelton grunted. He didn’t know what to say. He knew the precarious position Patrick was in with the pack but couldn’t do anything to help him. Patrick was going to have to deal with this on his own. All Kelton could do was be ready for whoever took over the Alpha role of the shifters, doing what he could to keep Caleb and Rees safe.
“How are the boys?” Patrick knew this would be difficult for them.
“Not well. I haven’t been able to speak to them at length.”
“You’ll take care of them?”
“Of course.”
“They’ll blame themselves for this. You need to make them see this isn’t their fault.”
Kelton frowned. “What else would I do? They didn’t cause this. Your pack did because they couldn’t see reason.”
Patrick couldn’t respond. Kelton was right.
That was one of the things about this. The boys weren’t being kept at the mansion against their will. They knew what the warrior mark was all about and had tried to stay away, and failed. They knew that the best bet for a happy life was to stay with the other warriors and adapt. It hadn’t been easy for them and all this with the ambush had made it that much more difficult for them.
Kelton couldn’t let this go on any longer. He held up a hand to let the warriors know they were moving out.
They were heading back to the academy before going out on the streets. It had been too long since he’d been out on a hunt. There had been too many things going on and safety at home had been his priority. The warrior within him was dying to get out and tonight it was going to get its release. The mansion would be well protected but they needed to let off some steam. The enemy would be on the run tonight.
“Kelton,” Patrick reached out his hand. “Thank you.”
Kelton didn’t move but looked at Patrick. To not shake his hand went against everything gentlemanly within him, but it was time to close this chapter in their lives. “As the official representative of the Sons of Satrina, I hereby cut all ties with the shifter pack to which you are affiliated.”
He hadn’t wanted to do that, but he had no choice. The pack had made the decision for them, tearing their friendship and alliance apart. Kelton had to end this.
Patrick’s face fell, even though he had been expecting this. “As the representative of the shifter pack, I hereby confirm that all ties are cut.” He said solemnly. This was definitely the beginning of the end.
The shifters behind them growled menacingly, but Kelton had been up against bigger and better and didn’t flinch.
“Stop!”
“Stop?” One of them laughed without any humour. “They should have brought the boys’ with them. They belong with us.”
“Quiet!” Patrick roared.
Kelton shook his head.
Patrick looked apologetic. “I’m sorry it came to this Kelton.”
Kelton leaned in. “As a former friend, I’m giving you this warning only once. If any of your pack come onto our land again, no matter the reason, they will die.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“I won’t stop my men.”<
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“I wouldn’t expect you to.” Patrick could only agree while ever he was in charge. If there was a takeover, he couldn’t guarantee that the new leader would keep the pack away. “I need to contact Caleb and Rees. This changes everything.”
“I’ll deal with it.”
“This isn’t something you can deal with, Kelton. It’s pack business.”
Kelton growled under his breath. “They are part of the warrior hood. I said I’d deal with it and I will. If they wish to contact you, I won’t stop them.”
“Thank you.” Patrick conceded.
Kelton turned his back on Patrick, a deliberate move on his part. It showed that he was turning his back on their friendship, but also that he wasn’t scared of him. You never turn your back on your enemy, but Kelton wasn’t frightened of anyone, shifters included.
“That’s it?” One of the shifters still in cuffs roared. “You’re going to let him speak to you like that?”
“Enough, Reever.” Patrick warned. The last thing he wanted was to have the Sons’ witnessing his pack unravelling.
“You’re losing it, old man. No leader should let another treat him in that way, especially not a blood sucking fanger.”
Kelton didn’t acknowledge any of them as he made his way to the car, but as soon as he sat down, he saw Patrick pace across the small space that separated him from the other shifter to land a crushing blow to the side of his head.
“I am your Alpha! You will show me the respect that I deserve!”
Kelton shut the door to the car and could hear no more. Glancing at Verynai, he told him to get them out of there. They’d done what they needed to and now they had to get the hell out of there.
That had gone down just the way he thought it would, but it was still a shame it had to happen like that. They’d had years of friendship and had never had any problems with the shifters. That was all changing.
Plus, the shifters knew their location. Kelton had to seriously think if staying at the academy was the best thing for them. After the last time they had to move, he didn’t relish that kind of upheaval again. However, he would do it if it was deemed necessary.
End of an Era: A Sons of Satrina Novel (The Sons of Satrina Book 4) Page 10