By the time the meeting was over, two hours had already passed. Everyone who needed to leave left with heavy expressions. And those who stay behind were obviously the core family members of the four involved.
Kent's gaze was far away as he stared at the table in front of him. His two hands covering his mouth as he ran scenarios of anything he could think of that would not involve the council.
"We have no other way, Kent," Jason softly said. It was the first time he had been spoken in a long time. Kent raised his gaze from the table to across the table to where the Maddox family sat.
Jason's face was cold, his gaze was frighteningly calm as tranquil water. No emotion was seen on his face. This was different from his mate's swallow red eyes and his parent's anger.
He then looked at Anderson, he sat there with his head lowered, and his arms folded across his chest while his mate, Renee, who hadn't said a word in protest sat beside him rubbing her swollen belly absentmindedly looking lost in thought.
Kent slowly cast his gaze at everyone in the room. Who was angry, who was sad, who held fear and who held guilt. Everyone in here was directly involved with those children.
"I know Jason," Kent finally opened his mouth and answered Jason. It may have seemed as if minutes had pass by, but it wasn't so. "I'm so sorry to you and Anderson."
"No, this is me being selfish. It protocol to report to the council. I wanted to at least save my daughter from that fate." Anderson replied, but what he said shocked everyone. "She'll hate me, Aurora will never forgive me, but anything is better than having her die in the hand of the council."
"Anderson," Renee face said it all, they didn't know the full story about what happened back then. But as his mate, Renee knew. Her strong mate still struggles with not even being able to save his sister, brother and parents.
Anderson raised his head and turned to his mate. Tears streaming down his face as he looked at her. "Oh, Andy." Renee got up and hugged him. His face buried into her side and his arms fell limp as he sobbed into his mate.
Nailiah who had fought against the rejection at every turn felt like someone had hit her in the gut. Hearing his sobs did something to everyone in the room.
"One day they'll understand it," Richard spoke up as he saw the mood took a turn for the worse. He didn't want to have to deal with a room filled with crying people.
"No she won't," Anderson's voice came out muffled. "You won't understand, only when you see it."
"That's enough," Renee cut Anderson off before he could say anymore, she could see Jason and Hailey wavering. She hated the fact that she had to force it, the rejection must be done. "We need to prepare, the witch will be here soon."
'Shut up, Andy!' Renee shouted at Anderson through their mind link. Anderson was shocked out of state, he silently cursed at his stupid mistake.
"I'm sorry, I just have so much on my mind." Anderson pulled back from his mate and used his shirt to wipe his face. "The thought of Aurora hating almost made me go crazy."
"Are you hiding something from us?" Hailey couldn't help but ask Anderson. Anderson gave Hailey a soft smile and shook his head.
"She's here!" Anderson said, halting everyone's curiosity. She was the witch, of course. They almost suspected he said that to trick them out of asking questions, but when a woman suddenly appeared on the table sitting in a lotus pose, they understood.
"To think you contacted me, Anderson. And rush me to, why have you called my friend?" The woman tilted her head in Anderson's direction and asked.
"Morel, I need you to help me with two rejections." Anderson told her, explaining nothing else.
"Ayah," Morel sighed, "Andy, I told you fate has a funny way of playing tricks on you. Now your daughter needs a rejection done for Aurora."
"Will you do it?" Anderson ignored her words and asked again. "Will you help us."
"What choice do you have? No other witch will help you, especially when the Lynx family is involved." Morel sneered, casting a glare in Kent's direction. "You Lynx men, always so disgusting."
"Morel!" Anderson shouted, slamming his hand on the table, making it rattle. "Please." he added softly.
"Tsk," Morel sucked her teeth in annoyance. "Fine, but are you sure you don't want me to end their disgusting line of perverts. Much simpler than rejection."
"I have no right to make that decision, nor do you." Anderson said while rubbing his aching forehead, "How much longer?"
"Well, I'll give you two hours. Then I'll come back to help you with it. I hope this is the right choice, Andy." Morel said before disappearing as if she had never been there.
"Jason," Anderson called out. Jason looked towards Anderson with a questioning gaze. "You better go to Jace. Morel woke them up."
"How do you know that." Jason furrow his brows and asked.
"Because she told me." Anderson tapped his head to gesture how she told him before adding. "Two hours is what we have with them before the rejection ritual. Take this time to explain to him about all that has happen and is going to happen."
"Okay," Jason replied while standing and took his family to leave in a hurry, he didn't even spare a glance towards Kent. Although he was rude, Hailey and his parents wasn't. They sent their regards through the mind link and went along with Jason.
Anderson also stood up and grabbed Renee's hand, his intention clear to leave.
"You should tell your children what they will have to do." Anderson said to them before leaving. George and his mate Faith, Maya's parents, along with the Lynx family, including Nailiah and her mate, were the only ones left in the room.
"I guess we should separate those kids for now. We'll each break the news to them. It's easier that way." Lily suggested, and everyone all agreed. Thus, they left to separate Maya and Alaric.
Kent decided to leave the Francis family in Nailah's office and brought the bit disoriented Alaric back to the meeting room. He also chose not to have Nailiah there with them, allowing her to go about her business.
So, with his parents and grandparents all silently watching him, Alaric broke down in tears.
"I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry. It was stupid of me!" Alaric sobbed into his hands. Richard gritted his teeth and looked away from his grandson. This had gone beyond apologies. There are consequences for your actions, and Alaric was about to learn his first lesson.
"How could you be so foolish!" Kent slammed the table with his palm. The sheer force of his strike broke the table, or maybe it was because Anderson hit it earlier too. But whatever it was, the table broke, and it represented Kent's rage and disappointment in his son. "You fucked her, but did you need to get her pregnant? What a stupid thing you have done!"
"Dad, I thought, maybe I." Alaric fumbled on his words as he tried to calm down. He took a deep breath in and out before raising his tear filled face to look at his father. "Dad please, I thought she was my mate, we had a connection."
"That's faux connection, because she was meant to be the mate of your beta. You felt a pull or connection towards her." Kent sneered, "If the wolf in question is not eighteen yet, then everyone knows to wait. Wait till it's confirmed."
"You, the future alpha of the lunar pack, has had this drilled into you since you were young because faux connections are more common in alpha line wolves. Why? Because an alpha of the pack has a left and right-hand man. The beta and delta" Richard chimed in as he sighed in disappointment.
"Grandpa, I." Richard held up his hand, cutting off Alaric's tearful words. He didn't want to hear Alaric's poor excuses anymore. You felt a pull to that girl and decided to get her pregnant before her coming of age?
What a load of utter bullshit. This idiot was to be the future alpha of the lunar pack, or maybe he thought they were idiots.
"It doesn't matter what you say anymore, this mess will be cleaned up and swept under the rug." Richard said while standing up. Lending his hand to Kamila (His mate), he nodded at Kent and Lily before briskly leaving.
Kamila glanced at her grandson with a sad gaze, what was there for her to say? It's best to leave the rest to his parents. With that, there were only Lily, Kent and Alaric left in the room.
"Listen carefully to what is going to happen," Kent pointed his index finger at Alaric in a stern manner. "One, you're going to become a father. Two, you're going to reject Aurora Dale. Three, you're going to become mates with Maya."
"What did you just say." Alaric asked his father, his eyes wide in shock, and he felt like all the wind was knocked out of his body. "Rejection!?"
"What else you thought would happen? Can we kill the baby?" Kent asked, and Alaric involuntarily growled at Kent. "Exactly, we can't kill it. But do you think she won't try to kill it and Maya again? What about Jace? Wouldn't he try to kill you again? Then where would that lead us?"
Alaric was silent, that was all the answer Kent needed. "Whether you like it or not, in less than an hour and some minutes. You'll be rejecting that girl."
"Kenneth!" Lily shouted at Kent as she saw how increasingly bad Alaric's expression was becoming.
"What Lilian? Want to baby him? Tell him gently, he and Maya ruined their lives? Don't you think I know you blame Maya alone?" Kent sneered at Lily. Lily did indeed blame Maya alone secretly, it was the bias of a mother.
"That's not fair, Kent." Lily clenched her fist and glowered at him.
"Life is not fair, Lily, but I try to be as fair as I can. There is no bias here. Alaric fucked up, let him regret it forever as he is forced to reject his mate and take another as his luna. This is the consequence of his own actions, let him suffer for it!" Kent scoffed at her and said. His words may have been said directly to her, but it was also for Alaric.
Though he said nothing wrong and made valid points towards everything. Little did Kent know that his words and actions of tough love would break his son at this moment.
This became the catalyst for the disaster that was caused by Alaric. And brought ruin to the very people and pack they were trying to save. But that's for later on.