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Silence.
Every pack member Darius had left filled the seats surrounding the stage at all angles. They turned in their seats and stared as I made my way to the stage.
I ignored the stares and faced the round stage in the middle. The king, the council, and Darius stood awaiting my arrival.
My eyes zeroed in on Darius. He stood; shoulders slumped and hair messy. He froze the closer I got. I walked past him and to the King's side.
The council and the king acknowledged me through a nod. The king faced the crowd of solemn faces. "The council has gathered evidence against your Alpha, Darius Sharp. For the last five months, your Alpha has been neglecting his responsibilities to his pack, and has led this pack to a beginning downward spiral. He has prioritized "finding his mate" over taking care of his pack." He paused and look at the crowd, most staring at Darius in disappointment.
"While it is common for Alphas to leave their second in command in charge to find their mate, this Alpha had already found his mate before his search and rejected her. His search were all attempts to find her again. At first, to make sure she was suffering. Later, to try and win her back. His actions reflect the actions of a sadistic and narcissistic Alpha."
The king spoke his piece and stepped back for me to speak.
I looked at all my previous pack members. "As you all know, I left abruptly five months ago. Some of you may have pieced it all together and realized I am the mate Darius rejected."
Many horrified gasps sounded through the pack. "The night he rejected me, he told me it was because I was weak. When he found out I was an Alpha, he came running to me to tell me he was wrong about that and asking me to take him back by gaslighting the whole situation."
I looked at Darius, finding it ironic that he was the one calling me weak. The whole time we have spoken, he has stared at the ground, not even daring to glance at his pack.
I stepped back, and the council stepped forward. "The council has chosen a course of action, approved by the king," Derek, one of the three present, said.
Mandy continued. "We strip Darius Sharp of his Alpha tittle." The bold statement made Darius head snap up.
"No!" He shouted, jumping to his feet. The King's guards were quick to detain him. "I want a second chance! I deserve a second chance!" He glared at the council and at me, while trying to fight the guards off him.
A man from the crowd stood up and walked to the stage. "Darius stop. You've embarrassed us enough." Darius stopped his fighting and stared at his second in command in shock. He looked at the pack and saw the many disappointed and disgusted faces. "You're my pack! Why aren't you supporting me?"
"It's a two way street. And lately, it's been one way," Estella said, from somewhere in the crowd.
Darius still looked furious but kept quiet.
"Because of your actions against your pack, and your current attitude, you will be sent to the king's prison." Massive, the third woman from the council stated. The guards, seeing the king's signal, lifted Darius up and dragged my to a black SUV.
"Now for the rest of the pack," the king started. "Y'all have the option to join with Alpha Rodriguez or appoint the Beta as the Alpha. We will give you the rest of the day to converse. And include the group that has been staying at Alpha Rodriguez's pack."
With the nonverbal dismissal, the pack left, leaving the council, the king, and I at the stage. "How are you, Cami?" Roman asked.
"I'm good. I put this all behind me a while ago."
Mathews smiled at me. "I'm glad."
"Thank you for coming here and helping, Alpha Rodriguez." Mandy said, coming forward and offering her hand.
"Anything to help," I replied shaking her hand. I offered my hand to the other members. The shook it, while offering a smile. "I know I'm a new pack, so if y'all ever want to come see how we run things, just give me a call."
"We'll take you up on that soon," Derek said.
"Now let's get lunch."
We ate and spent time catching up. It was a couple hours later, when the Beta and Gamma came up to us with a decision.
"I am not trained to take over the Alpha position, nor do I have the interest to do so. We all agree that joining Alpha Camila's pack would be best." The beta said, all in one breath. "It's settled then. You will be given a couple of days to pack before going with Alpha Camila to her pack."
My heart dropped at his words.
The Beta and Gamma nodded and left. I groaned and leaned back in my chair. "Now I have to stay longer."
The king smirked. "Missing someone?"
I glared at him. "Yes. Yes, I am."
The king's smirk turned into a genuine smile. "I'm glad you found him."
I grinned. "Me too."
After a moment of silence, I stood up. "I have a call to make. See you in the morning?"
"Actually, I have to leave tonight. I have a prisoner to transport, remember?" He said, standing up.
"Ah how could I forget?" He went around the table and opened his arms. I wrapped my arms around him.
"Take care, okay? And if you need anything, give me a call." He had a mock stern look and his face.
"Aye, aye captain," I saluted him with my best poker face.
He laughed at me before pushing me toward the doorway. "Go, now."
I went to my room, and took out my phone, dialing my mom's number. It rang a couple of times before I heard her voice.
"Hey, Mami. How are you?"
"I'm good, corazón. Y tu?"
"I'm fine. Just glad this is over with. I'm assuming they informed you of everything."
"Yes. Is he really going to prison?"
"Yup. He's gonna get the best treatment. Total isolation and rotten food."
I heard my mom's loud laugh over the phone. "It's what he deserves for what he did to my baby."
"Aww mamá, you're too kind."
"So, all of us are packing a bag and we'll be heading over there in the morning."
"That's good. I'm going to be staying here for a few more days while everyone packs. Do you think there is more room where you're staying until something more permanent is built?"
"Yes, I think we can manage."
"That's great. I was a little worried about that."
"I'm so proud of you, corazón."
I leaned back on my headboard. "Thank you, Mami. That means a lot." I sighed. "Ever since the Beta announced that they want to join the pack, I've had this knot in my stomach that is getting harder to ignore. I'm seventeen! What am I doing?" My voice breaks by the end.
"Oh honey, where is this coming from. You're doing a fantastic job?"
"It's a reoccurring thought but I find it easier to push it down and ignore it. Fake it till you make it, you know? But sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing, making the right decisions. What if I become the reason my pack fails?"
It's silent between us, as I stared at the ceiling willing the tears to not fall.
"It's okay to cry, baby," my mom said softly. My shoulders slumped and the tears began to escape.
"It's normal to question ourselves. There's no instruction manual for the things we do. However, you should take a step back and study your pack. You have a strong, United pack who are so loyal to you and adore you. You are doing an amazing job, and your age is not a factor."
I finally calmed down enough to speak again. "Thank you, Mami."
"I'm here for you, always, corazón."
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Thank you guys for being so patient with the late updates!!! It's been such a busy week.
I hope everyone in Texas and Louisiana was safe during the hurricane.
Thank you so much for reading and vote and comment if you liked the chapter!
Stay safe!!