West POV
He left T.J. to take Jo-anne back to her room. Once they had both walked her from the pack hospital to the pack-house, she had not said a single word as she was walked between them. T.J. had a hand on the small of her back the whole way, for once, it did not bother West that his Beta had his hand on the woman. He was just trying to comfort her in a small way.
West went right to his office, while T.J. settled her in her room, he knew that T.J would try again to get her to talk to him once again. Try and get her to admit it was her own father. It was very odd that she wouldn’t even talk to T.J. West didn’t like it. T.J. didn’t like it either.
“Nothing.” T.J. banged the door shut as he walked into West’s office. Angry, it seemed, with Jo-anne herself, very unusual, West could not recall a single time in his entire life when T.J. was even slightly upset or mad at her. This was new.
Jo-anne did elicit a primal response from his Beta, as much as she did West himself. “Let’s go and talk to the man.” West stated flatly.
T.J. nodded “I got the first punch West.”
“Alright, I told her I wouldn’t punish the person.”
T.J. raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
“I never said you wouldn’t.” West smiled at the man, a little loophole.
“Good, that bastard is mine.”
They left the office and headed right for the North Eastern border, found Jo-anne’s blood trail, could see where the attack had happened, didn’t look like Clova had even seen it coming. Her wolf’s prints were static and then just bolting away. West was more than annoyed.
They found Jester, Heath’s wolf patrolling as expected, as though nothing had happened, the wolfs head lifted and turned to look at the two of them, bowed its head in respect, had not run off, it seemed. Perhaps he thought West wouldn’t find out, or maybe wouldn’t care. He was dead wrong.
Even if he hadn’t cared, T.J. would, and being the Beta, would have taken care of it, and with Jo-anne the target, his Beta would have been relentless even if West hadn’t cared. There was no way this man or his wolf would get away with it.
“Shift.” West ordered him, his Alpha Aura rolling out of him. The man would not be given a choice in the matter. He was forcibly shifted by his Alpha’s Order.
Heath stood before the two of them and sighed at them. He clearly knew why they were here, how could he not?
“What happened?” T.J. beat West to the questioning.
Heath’s eyes moved from West to the Beta of the pack. He knew just how close those two were, he was playing a deadly game hurting Jo-anne and had to know it. Hell Heath had actually let Terence name his daughter from what West under stood of it. He’d been four and had tried to claim the newborn baby girl for himself, West had heard. It must have been amusing to see a 4 year old boy, a future Beta to the pack one day, claiming a baby barely a few hours old, was his.
“Jester bit her, she appeared out of no where, startled Jester is all.” The man told T.J. without hesitation.
“Why didn’t you alert the Alpha right away and disclose the wound you inflicted on your own child?”
“Why would I?” he looked right at West. “He wouldn’t care, it’s Jo-anne. And Beta, you would have felt it and come running, you did I presume?”
West watched T.J. as anger rolled off him. “Not the point,” he snapped at Heath.
“Watch your words, Heath, I care about all my pack members.” West shot at him. The man had never been around to see the relationship between him and the girl, had only kept that bloody threat of informing the council if he rejected her.
Heath shrugged “She ran off, it was already done and I have a border to patrol. I couldn’t go after her. I did apologise, of course.”
West did not think that was true at all. The man didn’t even seem concerned, he realised. Was just standing there in front of him and T.J. answering the questions. Had not asked how his daughter was, in fact, it should have been the man’s first question.
“I want a written report on my desk. If I am unhappy with it, you’ll be put in the cells.” West stated calmly. T.J. was more than angry enough for the both of them.
West saw T.J. glare right at him, didn’t like West's lack of reaction to the situation.
“Yes, Alpha by 7am on your desk.” Heath stated, and then turned and shifted back into his wolf and returned to patrol. Interesting, he’d not been dismissed by him or the pack Beta, thought it was over did he and could leave.
‘Calm down T.J.’ West Mind-Link him ‘I was looking for something, he hasn’t once asked how Jo-anne is.’
‘I know that.’ he grated right back.
‘No remorse...when that report comes in, he’s all yours, be patient. He’ll be expecting nothing.’
‘I’m going to beat it out of him. Why he did it?’
‘You have my permission,’ West told him.
Better that T.J. do it. Jo-anne wouldn’t stay mad at T.J. for it, but West, on the other hand, she’d likely hate forever and he didn’t want that. T.J. he knew could likely get away with murdering the man. West not so much, they had too much history.
‘I didn’t dismiss him either, but he up and just left T.J. Perhaps the man still thinks he holds Rank and doesn’t need to explain himself to us.’
‘That is punishable in itself.’ T.J. stated
‘It is. Let’s let the man hang himself. Then you may have him.’
‘You coming to watch?’
‘Yes T.J.’ West thought that was a stupid question, of course he would be right there.
His whole Alpha Unit was in his office waiting for the man to arrive. Both Ricky and Cole had been informed of the man’s infraction. Ricky had frowned deeply and Cole had simply shaken his head and called the man stupid, as his eyes had moved to T.J. They all knew T.J. wouldn’t stand for anyone hurting the woman, not even their own Alpha. They’d actually seen the two of them slug it out once or twice. Stayed out of it, understood why he supposed. Seeing as everyone believed T.J. was likely to end up as her Goddess-Gifted Mate and West was Mated to her at the time.
Heath walked into Wests office didn’t even knock, he noted. That door did stand open, waiting on him, but that did not give the man the right to walk in unannounced. His eyes moved around the room. T.J. was right there next to the door, Ricky and Cole leaning on the back of the leather couch that they used sometimes to just sit and drink on at the end of a long hard day.
He was standing right next to his desk, would have been sitting but, like T.J. was expecting the man to try and run, he wanted a clear line at him. Not that he was likely to get past his unit at all. The man could fight though and very well. That’s why he was on border patrol, good at taking down rogues.
Liked it as well, from what West could tell. He’d stayed out on border patrol even when he’d been ranked up while West and Jo-anne had been Mated to each other, stated he was happy out there protecting the pack. West’s father had left him out there, less contact with West, seeing as he always pulled the night shift. Which meant the man slept during the day and had minimal contact with West. A bonus.
West held out his hand to the man. He stood 5” 10’ same as Jo-anne he noted absently, though didn’t look like him, he had black hair and brown eyes, “You want to hope it aligns with your daughters’ account of the situation.” West stated flatly. staring right at the man.
“It will. I assure you,” he replied, seemed quite confident about that.
West’s eyes were locked right onto the man, as he took the manila folder from him, opened it, then only looked away from him. He didn’t like the confidence he was hearing, it was possible he and Jo-anne had mind-linked each other to get the story on the same page. West’s instincts were telling him she would do that to save her father from being punished. Damned woman was causing him a headache.
It was the shortest report he had ever seen, I paragraph. More a statement.
Jester was startled by a wolf, did not recognise the wolf right away, lunged and bit her before he realised who she was. An accident. They had apologised as she had run off. Were unable to go after her due to needing to stay on the border to patrol. Then his signature.
“That’s it?” West looked right at the man again.
“That is what happened.” he replied curtly.
It had not escaped West, that the man before him had yet to ask about his daughter or her wounds, still it seemed uncaring about them.
“You realise it is an offence, to not report what you did, in itself, right?”
“I just reported it to you now, did I not?” Heath shot right back. Sounded somewhat angry.
West glared at the man, they had issues between them that were never going to be resolved, but he was now the Alpha, had always been the man's future Alpha, and he just couldn’t seem to show any respect at all. West dropped the folder right into the bin. “I don’t like you, Heath. You are a liar.” he stated calmly but honestly.
“Feelings mutual.” Heath replied right back, without hesitation, there had not been any niceties between them since the day he’d woken up next to the man’s daughter.
But that was outright disrespectful of the man. He was standing in front of his Alpha and calling him a liar. West had never once lied to the man, he didn’t care that Heath didn’t like him, couldn’t careless about that, to be honest, but to call him a liar. That angered him.
“Beta.” West pulled all his Alpha authority forward “What’s the punishment for not reporting, injuries to other pack members?”
“A day in the cells, Alpha.” T.J. replied, a smile in his voice.
“Beta, what’s the punishment for attacking your own family member, even accidentally?”
“A day in the cells and a lashing. 10 I believe.”
“Beta, what is the punishment for dismissing your own Alpha and leaving mid conversation?”
“A beating, by the Alpha himself I believe.” he could now hear the amusement in T.J.’s voice.
“Beta, I believe the man also dismissed you mid conversation, the Beta of this Pack. The punishment for that would be?”
“A beating from the packs Beta, Alpha.”
West nodded, “Two days in the cells, 10 lashings and 2 beatings, one by the Beta, one by...Me.” he looked right at Heath, the man looked to be fuming. “ Oh wait, there was one other indiscretion this morning, I believe.” his eyes locked right onto the mans ‘I believe you just called me a liar.”
Heath's jaw was ticking, but he said nothing, knew anything he said would only incur more punishment. West smiled nastily at the man, “Take him.” he waved a hand at Ricky and Cole.
Heath snarled at him all of a sudden, and lunged forward to attack his Alpha, found himself lying face down on the floor with both Ricky and Cole on him.
“I believe that was also a crime, Alpha,” T.J. said from his position by the doorway.
It was indeed, attacking your own Alpha was a very serious crime. But they had all been expecting it. That was why the whole unit was here, in fact, witnesses to the crime. Heath was hauled away to the cells, held onto by his Gamma and Delta as he and T.J. walked directly behind. He was not getting away and he knew it.
West stood back, leaning against the cell wall and watched as T.J. ripped Heath’s shirt off. He had already been cuffed and was now standing with his arms stretched up to the ceiling, his feet were on the floor but only just, he was able to stand, but that was it. He was pulled tight to the chains he was cuffed too. No escape for this man.
Leaned on that wall and watched as T.J. gave him 10 lashes with the barbed Cat of three tails. A three-tiered whip with three silver hooked barbs on each tail, to be dragged through the skin. The whip that was used for lashing people, usually not their own pack members, was usually reserved for enemy spies, caught skulking around, to get information out of. It was a very effective means to get said information. Or captured rogues working for enemy packs.
West, like Ricky and Cole, were all leaning casually, just watching, as the punishment was dealt out. West had not actually seen T.J. use that Cat so aggressively before. It appeared there was no restraint in the man at all. After each lash, he stopped and asked why he had bitten Jo-anne. Heath gave the same answer every time. Was ticking T.J. off to no end, it seemed.
His Beta could be very viscous, just like West himself it seemed. T.J. would not stand for Jo-anne being hurt by anyone, Not even by West for that matter. But what he was seeing here today? Was something completely new in his Beta. West knew that would have to do with his bloodline. T.J.’s mother was the youngest daughter of the Royal family that ruled over them all.
T.J. was part alpha-blooded himself. His father, Jonathan, a very lucky man, and that woman did love her Mate, had been through hell and back, only to return here to him and cling on for dear life to her Mate, a man who’d thought she’d been dead for 2 years at one point.
They all had thought she was lost to them, including her own family. She had disappeared without a trace and Jonathon’s mark had disappeared from his neck, indicating she had died. The man had been devastated, survived it only because he had T.J to look after. He’d been 2 at the time, didn’t even recall his mother had been missing. To young.
10 lashes dealt out and Heath was now sagging from those chains, unable to stand to take any more punishment, it seemed. Poor bastard, it wasn’t even close to being over for him.
West watched as T.J. washed the whip, carefully dried it and then casually put it away, before going over to the sink outside the cell and washing down his chest, arms and hands to get rid of the blood splatter on him. West indicated that there was still blood on his face. He washed that too, then turned and looked at Heath as he dried himself off on a towel, looking at his handiwork.
“Your turn, boss.” he nodded to the man hanging limply from his wrists, still sounded angry to West in fact.
West shook his head, “You seem to be really enjoying yourself Terence.” he commented, “And you’ve yet to give him that beating for disrespecting and dismissing you. Go ahead.” West was not going to interrupt the man. He was doing a fine job of punishing Heath.
T.J. turned to look at West, a raised eyebrow at him. “Might not be anything left for you to beat Alpha.”
“Mm, might not be.” West acknowledged with a nod, pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Heath, grabbed a fist full of the man's hair, and lifted up his hanging head, looked right into his brown eyes. They were filled with pain, “I promised Jo-anne. I wouldn’t punish him,” he told T.J. also letting Heath know it was the only thing saving him from his own Alpha right, that minute.
“You actually going to keep that promise? Boss!” T.J. asked, disbelieving what he had heard obviously.
“Yes, I am going to respect Jo-anne’s wishes.” he turned to look at T.J. a smile on his face “You, however, did not promise anything to her, I believe.”
“I did not.” T.J. nodded.
West looked back to Heath “You should respect your daughter as well...You ever lay a hand on her again, you’ll likely not survive it.”
“You’re one to talk.” he spat out, “After what you did to her.”
Volt snarled right at him wanted a piece of him right now. Not only did West have no memory of that day, neither did his Wolf, had been dosed with something to rid him and his own wolf of their own memories. Volt would never hurt her and he didn’t like the implication. ‘No Volt’. West urged his wolf to back off ‘Clova will be upset with you, do you want that?’
West felt Volt stalking off in his mind but didn’t go far. He wanted to rip the man's head off for the damage he’d inflicted on Clova, but it was very clear to West that Jo-anne had been protecting her own father. They could not kill him. It would hurt her. It was the only card West could play with his wolf and it seemed to work.
West stepped back and looked at T.J. “You may beat him to within an inch of his worthless life,” he stated, and went back to leaning on the wall to watch.
T.J. was not easy on the man, one hit after another, till the man was black and blue and barely recognisable to them all, was unconscious and dangling from the ceiling.
“Cut him down.” West stated ‘let him heal and put him right back to work the minute he can walk again, regardless of what wounds he still has. Still has 2 days in here as well.”
“Yes boss.” his whole unit replied in unison as West walked out of the cells, headed back to the pack-house. Walked himself right to Jo-anne’s room and pushed the door open, not locked again. He shook his head as he stepped into the room.
She was lying there asleep in her bed, safe for now from her own father. He did not know what was going on with Heath, didn’t like it, but at least the man was locked up for now, for several days, minimum two, depending on how quick and efficient Jester was at healing the man.
Her long hair was pulled up behind her on her pillow, out of the way while she slept, and she was covered in a sheet. He couldn’t see her wounds hadn’t gotten a good look at them, but he knew what a wolf bite looked like. She had not wanted her father punished for what he had done to her, but how could he not? She had enough scars and trauma in her life, she didn’t need anymore.
That bastard's wolf had attacked her and for what reason? They had not found out. Perhaps it had been as they had both stated an accident, even under T.J.’s punishment with that Cat, 10 lashes he’d gotten, still the man had not answered the question as to why he’d done it, stuck to his story that Jester had been startled and not recognised her.
West looked at her sleeping peacefully in her bed and wondered if she knew the real reason? Though from her saddened and very quiet demeanour, West doubted it. Could he get her to talk to him about it? Unlikely...Wouldn’t even give her father up to T.J. that in itself spoke volumes.
West sighed, what was he going to do with her? He left the room as quietly as he’d come, though flicked the lock on the back of the door handle before closing the door quietly. Returned to his office to document the crimes and the punishment dealt out. Sat staring at his own report, wondering how long it would take Heath’s Mate to come asking questions? If she had the guts to? Heath still had to spend several days in the cells, as part of his punishment, and the man would be getting all of his punishment.
Karen did not come to him asking questions. Did he ever go to the cells and ask about her Mate. She was not allowed to see him. No one was allowed to visit prisoners, another part of the punishment. Heath was just lucky that Jo-anne didn’t want the man dead right now.
The man was lucky to have such a loving and forgiving child, though how she had turned out so forgiving, still amazed West. He’d seen that when she talked to him, there was never any anger directed towards him, for their past. How he’d treated her. It did look as though she had truly forgiven him for his deeds. How, he didn’t know.
He could not understand how she’d recovered so completely, did like that she was healthy now, mind and body. It really did suit her, and he did like seeing her smiling. Just never let himself to let on. How could he be happy, even if she really was?
Too much between them. Things he could not forget, not ever, burned into his memories. Nor could he forgive either. It all haunted him, everything about her. Things he could not un-see, undo, things he couldn’t even recall having done, but knew he had. Closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and pushed the memories away. It was all he could do.