Chosen Witch

by Rae Hendricks

  CHAPTER THREE

  “I thought you would at least wait a day or two for this, come at it with a clear head,” Tamara commented desperately, sinking down into her seat in defeat. She knew nothing she could say would change Isaiah's mind. After having just come back from talking with Orson, she didn't think she was ready to make that kind of decision. She didn't know if she would ever be ready to make that decision. It was her job to protect the pack along with the alpha, and she knew that. She took her oath seriously. However, Orson was still a member of the pack, even if he had committed crimes. She couldn’t protect both of them.

  “I had thought it would be best as well, but then Roman showed up and suggested we just get it over with. Like ripping off a band-aid,” Isaiah explained, nodding towards his younger brother. Tamara looked to Roman who was just sitting there in a stoic silence. It looked more like a distant desperation. Something had been knocked loose in him, and she wondered if he would ever get it back in place. Would she get herself back in place?

  Tamara nodded. She was not about to argue with Roman right now, not with the way he was handling everything. “Maybe it is for the best, so have I missed anything important?” she asked, looking to Isaiah for an answer and praying he would be strong enough to make the right decision, whatever it was. He had two votes to their one. That was how it worked when a sentencing counsel was formed. The alpha would have the tiebreaker and final say if necessary.

  Isaiah looked at Tamara, a question in his eyes. He wondered where she had been if Lacy had been so unable to find her. It meant she wasn't anywhere anyone had expected, and it worried him. This betrayal had the means to rip the Young family apart, which in a way, now included her. It could rip the pack apart if handled improperly. It was hard to tell if she would be on his side for whatever was decided. He hoped that his two votes would not make it all up to him. He didn't think he could handle that.

  “You have not missed much. We have gone over Orson’s crimes, and I have given the options for punishment. They are 20 years of imprisonment with a review at the end of the sentence, removal from the pack, or death.” Isaiah tried to say it with a straight face, without any reaction that could sway. He needed and wanted their true opinions of what should be done with Orson. He popped his neck out towards Hector. “Hector, I will let you go first.”

  Hector sighed and rubbed his hands together before he spoke, looking around the table at all of them. Isaiah was surprised and impressed, though, with his clear and calm speech. “I don't care what family he is a part of, the sentence for treason applies. He has committed one of the worst crimes of our kind, and death should be his punishment. It will show the pack that you are strong and not willing to bend any rules for family.”

  Isaiah nodded. It made sense. “That’s fair. Tamara, would you like to give your decision next?” Isaiah's eyes landed on her, and he could see the back and forth there. It was the first time that he felt he could read her since she had moved into the cabin with him. He thought back to when she had been with Orson, when they were younger. Had there been lingering feelings that Isaiah had missed? Maybe she hadn't even known they were there, until Orson was named as the mastermind of the whole thing.

  Tamara was startled. She had barely sat down, and here she was being asked to decide. A debate happened in her mind. She knew if he was released that he would try again, just like he had said. Orson was a criminal and needed to be treated as such even if she hated it. Tamara didn’t think she could let him be killed by his own brother, though. So, she went for the least evil option. “I vote for the jail sentence. He can’t harm anyone, but he won't have to die,” she said.

  Isaiah looked away from her and to Lacy, curious what her answer would be. “Alpha, I know I owe my allegiance to you, but Tamara has entrusted me with her safety. I vote for whatever she wants,” she answered. Tamara looked over at her guard in shock. Lacy barely said anything to anyone. Tamara had not known she felt such loyalty to her.

  “Thank you,” she told Lacy.

  “Alright, Roman, that leaves you,” Isaiah shrugged, looking to his brother. He thought getting answers would be harder, but it had gone smoothly so far. He thought he knew what his brother would say and then the decision would be made.

  “Death.” It was only one word, but it was a word that shocked the entire table into silence. One that stretched far too long for anyone’s comfort. “Hector spoke the truth,” Roman finally added like it was nothing; like it made perfect sense.

  “You would have your own brother killed?” Tamara asked in outrage, standing up so quickly her chair tipped over behind her with a loud crash. Isaiah stood up and looked over at Annalise, hoping she was still exhausted enough that it hadn't awakened her. It would not be the best time for her to be involved. Luckily, her breathing stayed even, and she was still.

  “He is not my brother if he has done these things, Tamara,” Roman told her flatly, seeming like he barely meant it himself. Tamara didn't get how he was being so calm about everything, when she knew he had to be breaking down on the inside.

  “Well, I hope that at least my mate will have enough sanity to decide against that one, Roman,” she said angrily, looking to Isaiah expectantly.

  “I need to think it over,” Isaiah said, scratching his head. “I just didn't expect to actually end up being the deciding vote, here,” he admitted, trying to explain it to Tamara, who was giving him a death stare.

  Tamara threw her hands up in the air, before heading to the bedroom and slamming the door. Isaiah cringed at the second loud sound she had made that night. The truth was that he could not so easily decide. Everyone had a point. While death was the obvious choice for anyone else, there could be benefits to keeping Orson alive and in jail. He could come out a changed man, and they could one day be a family again.

  “I would say the meeting is dismissed,” Isaiah told the rest of them with a groan dripping with stress. “I will make the announcement to everyone as soon as the decision is made. Thank you all for your input.”

  Lacy and Hector got up and went their separate ways as if it were any other day. For them, it pretty much was. Roman remained sitting there, even after Isaiah was ready to call it quits for the night. He had an angry mate to deal with and a decision to make. “If you want to stay here for tonight, that's okay,” Isaiah offered.

  “Next you’ll be telling me I can change my mind,” Roman commented, getting out of his chair and pushing it in slowly. He was in his element of calm. It was the only way to be right now. Sometimes, he felt like he had a switch he could turn off and on. Though this time, he thought the switch had a chance of short circuiting. “I made the right choice, for me anyway,” Roman told his older brother, not expecting to influence him in any way.

  “I respect that,” Isaiah responded with a nod. With nothing else to say to each other, Roman felt it was time to leave. He walked out and strolled aimlessly in the general direction of his home, though it hardly felt like that anymore. It was entirely empty, and there were more ghosts hanging in the air there than at the cabin. At least that was what it felt like.

  Isaiah looked around the cabin and wondered what he should do next. He knew it was a bad idea to delay the inevitable with Tamara. He gave a fleeting glance to the still sleeping Annalise and went to his bedroom, carefully opening the door. He found Tamara on the edge of the bed, facing away from him, in the dark. “You know, I do not understand what there is to think about. He’s your brother,” Tamara whispered, knowing he was in the room. Though, she did not turn to look at him.

  “I know this is hurting you and that we have our problems which are only adding to your pain. You were not there to hear his reasonings or any of the things he said. He had every intention of toppling my throne. In a way that is treason. I cannot just ignore the law, especially with everything so shaky. I still don't want to be my father, but I understand some of what he did, now. An alpha can be on shaky ground when they do not step up and do what must be done. Heart means li
ttle to a pack of werewolves, though I hope to change that one day,” Isaiah told her, approaching her and placing his hand on her shoulder lightly. Tamara did not shrug it off, but she turned to look at him with a hint of tears in her eyes.

  “Please, don't try to feel something you don't right now,” she pleaded in a serious tone. “I think this is a good time to start with the basics; support each other in everything and just see where it goes. I couldn’t imagine anyone being too worried about us mating right now.”

  Isaiah couldn't say he disagreed with that. He felt instant guilt at the relief it made him feel, to know he didn't have to try so hard anymore. He could just be the Isaiah that was friends with Tamara, and handle being alpha the best he could for the moment. He began to get comfortable, knowing she was his best bet for feeling more confident with his decision. “I am going to make whatever decision is best, Tamara. I want you to understand that.” He felt like he needed to be clear about it. He wasn’t just going to go with emotions on this one. He couldn’t.

  “I guess I will have to learn to live with that,” Tamara answered, as Isaiah sat down on the bed. Isaiah had nothing else to say. All he could do was lay down and close his eyes. A few moments later, he felt the bed move as Tamara followed suit. They both fell asleep then, and Isaiah hoped his dreams would give him an answer.

  The next morning was a busy one at the alpha’s cabin. Or at least, that was how everyone was making it seem. Isaiah had every intention in announcing the sentence for Orson by that evening. As he stretched and yawned, trying to go about his day like everyone else, he found himself in a strange outside fog. Everyone was hardcore focused on something; making breakfast, making coffee, meditating, it was never ending. He just couldn’t throw himself into things like that and be over what was on his mind, or rather, what should be on his mind. He had been so sure he would wake up with the right answer on the tip of his tongue, but it didn't happen. He didn't think he had a choice but to do exactly what Tamara did not want him to, in order to figure out what was best. The one thing about Annalise was, she wasn't going to hold back at all, not about this.

  Isaiah didn’t know how he was going to get away with asking her opinion in front of everyone, though. It seemed like a dumb idea to ask to see her alone as well. But an opportunity presented itself that was just too convenient.

  “I think I am going to head back to the coven today until or unless you need me here for something,” Annalise said. She was looking more like her usual self than she had when he was carrying her inside his house yet again. It was strange to think that she wouldn't be living there anymore. She had become such a fixture in all their lives. Those things had to end, if they were both going to be the best elders possible. He was going to have to let her go.

  “I think I will go over there with you, if that’s alright,” Isaiah volunteered. He knew eyes were on him, but he couldn’t care. This was his best shot at getting her help with this horrible decision he had to make. “I think I should tell Hyacinthe about the decision I made, what to do with Orson. He is her problem too, in a way,” Isaiah added, clarifying his reasoning. Tamara looked over at him with sad eyes as if she knew his answer before he had even given it. If only she understood that he was torn too. He just couldn’t afford to show that at the moment. He was on thin ice.

  “I wasn’t going to use magic to get there because I didn't want to push it. Are you sure you want to walk that far?” Annalise asked, glancing back and forth between Isaiah and Tamara. She was sick of giving that woman a reason to hate her. Isaiah being alone with her on that walk would be too much for Tamara to handle, and she knew it. She doubted Isaiah was going to change his mind, though. He clearly had his stubborn reasons like always. How could she be so infuriated with something about a person at the same time as she had feelings for them? Isaiah must have had a real fun time twisting panties in a bunch when he was younger.

  “I am alright with it,” Isaiah said with a shrug. He definitely wasn’t getting the memo.

  Annalise nodded. “Alright, let me grab some coffee to go.” She stood up and walked into the kitchen, trying her best not to bump into Tamara. She was trying to whip up an epic breakfast, probably to impress the man that was about to walk out the door with another woman. It was like she had landed herself in a soap opera. It was all going to be over soon, though. She would go back to the coven and take her rightful place with them. Isaiah would start having to work things out with Tamara. Their cooperation would go back to a necessary sort of thing, instead of these constant exchanges.

  Annalise sipped at the creamy mug she had made for herself and walked out the door, not looking to see if Isaiah had followed. There was no point, because of course he would. The first part of the walk was silent, and she began to wonder if he had told the truth about his reasoning for coming with her. Maybe he was actually just doing his job the way he thought he should, and it had nothing to do with Annalise at all. Then, he finally spoke up.

  “I still don't know what I am telling Hyacinthe,” he said, kicking up some rocks on the forest floor. Annalise looked at him like he had a huge beetle on his nose.

  “You mean you haven’t decided?” Annalise hissed at him in annoyance. Orson was not a person who should just be sitting there and waiting for sentencing. He would weasel his way out of it all somehow, if Isaiah didn't do something fast.

  “No, we had a vote last night, a tie. I didn't expect that. I didn't think it would truly be up to me,” he admitted with a dark scoff.

  Annalise couldn't help but be a bit surprised herself. She couldn’t imagine the others having a tie in their decision. She thought it would either tip one way or the other based on their moods. She had no siblings of any kind, barely any family at all, so she couldn’t even begin to imagine the position this put Isaiah in. Still, it was his job, and he needed to do it. “Well, now that it is, what are you going to do about it?” she probed him, hoping to help pull the answer out of his throat.

  “I don’t know, Annalise,” he admitted with that vulnerable tone of his. “What do you think I should do?”

  Annalise looked at him with a scolding gaze. She should have known he would try and get someone else to make that decision. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how he looked at it, Annalise was not going to stand down on her opinion about Orson. She had never liked or trusted him to begin with, and now she knew why. If it wasn’t now, it would be later.

  “I can’t always tell you what to do,” she let Isaiah know. He wasn’t going to just come to her with every problem. He had a brother and a mate for that. “But are you sure you even want to know what I think?” Annalise asked as a warning.

  “I do,” Isaiah said. “I do because it is my brother, and you have no ties to him. What is right, as a leader?” His eyes seemed to plead with her in just the way she hated, revealing a weakness she needed to learn to lock up.

  “Orson is dangerous. You heard everything he said. If you keep him around in any capacity, something is bound to happen. Besides, there is a specific sentence for treason, isn’t there? You can’t turn your back on the rules just because you don’t want him to die.” Isaiah gazed into Annalise’s blazing, blue eyes and knew she was serious and right. Orson had to die.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “So, you have decided to execute Orson Young?” Hyacinthe asked, looking Isaiah up and down with those cold, questioning eyes of hers. Isaiah was beginning to wonder if curiosity and anger were the only two things this woman could feel. How she had raised Annalise to be the woman that stood next to him right now, he couldn't even begin to fathom.

  “Yes, that is what I have decided. He has committed treason and will be treated just as any other who commits this crime,” Isaiah answered. His fists were clenched together in front of his body, to keep his cool. He could see why Hyacinthe irked his father so much. Her personality just lended to it.

  “Well, I don’t see why you needed to come all the way over here to tell me this, but I appreciate your dedication
to your pack as well as the coven. It is certainly a refreshing change from what I saw in the alpha before you,” Hyacinthe sighed. He knew exactly who she was talking about. Why would she mention his father like that, right to his face? This coven leader had balls for sure.

  “I wanted to ask if I could borrow you or one of your coven members to perform the execution. It only seems fair that you get to have a part in punishing him, and I want it to be as painless as possible.”

  “No need for explanations here, Isaiah,” Hyacinthe interrupted him. “I know you cannot kill your brother with your own bare hands. Annalise will take care of it,” she said dismissively, waving her hand at Annalise. The two looked like they were choking on the thought, as Isaiah looked over at Annalise. She was capable of performing the execution, but that didn't mean she should.

  “Anything else?” Hyacinthe asked, looking bored. Isaiah knew it was time for him to go. He had worn out his welcome. He bowed his head respectfully and left, knowing Annalise would come back when it was time. He had nothing else to say to her at that moment.

  Annalise waited until Isaiah was out of earshot and turned on her aunt with shock and anger on her face. She did not want to be the one to kill his brother, no matter the reason. “Hyacinthe, surely there is no need for someone of my caliber to perform this task. Any coven member could give him a painless execution. You have to make this right and give it to someone else. Things are too screwed up already.” Annalise knew Hyacinthe was not stupid. She would have seen what was going on with her and Isaiah the moment she stood in front of him to protect him from the coven.

  “I am not blind to the spark between the two of you, and I also know you have no intentions on fanning the flames because he has a mate. This has nothing to do with any of that,” Hyacinthe assured her, sounding more like the woman who raised her now that Isaiah was out of the territory. “I think it’s time we talk about something. I thought you would remember it and realize it, but you haven’t.”