Renee took a breath in, then out. She looked Anderson in the eyes and asked, "What exactly were you trying to accomplish?"
"When Arya was rejected, it was the worst day in her life. That bastard did it in the woods. She was alone and in pain. Unable to shift and unable to use the mind link. When I found her, she was curled up in a ball, shaking." Anderson began.
"Arya's skin was hot to the touch, when I gathered her into my arms and lifted her off the floor, I'll never forget what she said to me." Anderson bit his lip and looked down at Aurora in his arms.
Renee clenched her fist as she forced herself to ask him, even though she knew it hurt him. She had to ask, for the sake of Aurora. She knew the topic of what happened back then was hard for him.
All these years she never asked him about it, not once, and yet here they were.
"What did she say?" Renee forced herself to ask. Anderson raised his and looked Renee in her eye and smiled.
It was a sad self-depreciating smile, one she had never seen before. "She told me, she could feel it, she could feel her wolf struggling in pain, roaring, dying. She knew what she had to do, but refused to let her wolf go."
"If you knew this. Why would you convince us to do this?" Lily spoke up, reminding them that they were still here.
"Would Jason do it?" Anderson asked. It was rhetorical. It was obvious Jason wouldn't do it. A werewolf without a wolf was simply unheard of. "I did what was right for my daughter, if that ruins a few lives. I'm okay with that because it's better than the alternative method."
"Anderson, you crossed the line," Kent stood up and walked towards the bed in anger. "How could you take this choice away from them?"
"And how would Alaric rejecting Aurora alone have any meaning? Jace would still try to kill him. Hell, he might have tried to rip that baby out of Maya's stomach." Anderson shook his head and explained. Kent knew he was right, but he was still angry at the fact Anderson hid this from them.
"And what else did you keep from us, hmm?" Kent sneered at Anderson.
"The process of a dying wolf is long, it's painful. Not only for them, but for the people around them. Surviving rejection isn't the hardest part. It's what comes after," Anderson told him. "Until then, there should always be someone with the kids. To ensure their life."
"Why?" Renee asked this time. Anderson looked at his mate, pursed his lips. He didn't want to answer, that was clear, but he had to as it would not only help Aurora, it would help Jace.
"What would you do if your other half was slowly dying? You can hear its screams and feel its pain, and when that is all over you're left with half of yourself. You're nothing but a weak human, maybe even weaker. What would you do?" Anderson asked.
"So that's why she tried to kill herself so many times?" Renee asked, and he nodded.
"The Arya you knew was more or less an improved Arya. Sure, she still tried to kill herself, but she did it weeks apart. Compared to the beginning, Arya had to be constantly watched to ensure she didn't kill herself. So much so, we took shifts," Anderson told her.
"Then what are we going to do? Take turns watching her? Making sure she does try to kill herself? Anderson, you were the only person who saw what rejection was like, and yet you still did this. In what way is this better?" Renee looked at him with rage as she said this. She felt as if she was filled with rage and sadness, but also helplessness.
"Everything I did, I did for us, for her. Anything is better than the council!" Anderson shouted at her.
"Is it? Andy, maybe it's your prejudice against the council that has brought you to make such a rash decision," Renee argued. Anderson looked at her as if he was looking at an idiot.
"Has water flooded your brain? Or did you lose your fucking mind? My Prejudice against the council? How dare you, Renee! I expected more from you. I expected others to question my decision, but not you.You were there! You witnessed what they did to me, what I was forced to give up and yet," Anderson growled as he gathered Aurora in his arms and shifted his body to the edge of the bed.
With Aurora in his arms, he stood. Her head rested on his chest as he cradled her carefully. Even amidst his anger, he carefully held her limp body in the most comfortable position.
"Don't act like you weren't there when the council came carrying their heads. Don't act like you didn't have to bare your neck in submission to those fucking bastards. Renee, you have greatly disappointed me." Anderson looked Renee in her eyes and said before striding out with Aurora.
Renee felt weak in her knees, she stumbled, but luckily Kent moved forward to catch her before she fell.
"Anderson, how could he do this? Keep something like this from me and then ask me to understand his choice." Renee whimpered, she clutched Kent's hand and asked him. Kent looked at the pregnant woman in front of him and honestly had no words to comfort her.
He was even having a hard time accepting what was to come. "You met his sister, did she ever seem like someone who didn't have a wolf?"
"Arya was weak, the smell of her was weak. I always thought her wolf was weak because of the rejection. I never knew her wolf had died. To me, she just seemed like a girl who sought death." Renee mumbled.
"Ah fuck," Kent cursed. "Everything is becoming so complicated. Everything is a fucking mess already, and we haven't even fixed the most pressing matter."
"Don't worry, the rejector will wake up in an hour or so." Morel popped back in the room suddenly and said.
She glanced around and saw Anderson and Aurora left. So her eyes landed on Renee. Seeing her distressed expression, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Anderson had stormed off.
"You know, Anderson is right," Morel suddenly said. The three of them looked at her with questioning gazes. She had no choice but to explain herself. "About not going to the council, he was right. And you know it, Renee."
"How would you know anything?" Renee aggressively shouted at Morel, who simply glanced at her with annoyance.
"Why would I help a werewolf? My kind is not particularly fond of you mutts." Morel said, insulting them straight to their faces fearlessly. Growls came from the three of them as a warning, but Morel didn't care. "That group of leaders has gotten on every other race's bad side with their heretic belief."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, though Morel had just insulted them, she felt as if Morel was going to tell them something very important.
"Haven't you ever wondered what would happen if a werewolf were to be mates with a witch?" They all paused when they heard her words. Her words played on a loop in their minds and when it clicked, a solemn expression overtook their faces.
"I will say it again," Morel paused, looking them all in their eyes with quick glances to make sure they were paying attention. "Anderson made the right decision!"