Chapter 29 - Rehabilitation

---Zayne's POV---

I was extremely tired after this whole stressful day but whined happily when Marcus held me in his arms. The pack had taken care of whatever followers Anton had, and Anton himself had been taken into custody.

At first, I had thought they were going to kill him on the spot but I realized what Cain and his three brothers were going to do, was crueler. They were going to bring an Alpha wolf in front of the Pack Law representatives, along with all the Alphas.

Anton was going to be publicly humiliated and executed like a lowly wolf would. Who knows, they might strip him from all his rankings and let him get chased down by the ruling Alphas.

Werewolves didn't take kindly to rogues, especially not Alpha's who knew what a threat Anton could be. Anton was any Alpha's biggest fear; a rogue killing the true monarch of the pack, forcefully submitting pack members to his whim.

I yawned again, twisting my head as I heard pups whimper and whine softly. Pack law was guiding them down to the pack house, keeping an eye out for any wolf that might be inclined to attack.

Luckily that didn't happen, but when the trees gave way for the houses of my former pack... Bile raised in my throat and I had to swallow down the sudden rush of nausea as I started shivering in fear.

This was my world of pain and misery. A pack that didn't support me yet chose to abuse me simply because they feared one wolf and his followers.

A gush of warm breath rushed over my face and I sighed in relief as Marcus nuzzled my fur and squeezed me closer to him. "They could've fought against Anton, yet they were too afraid of what would happen. Fear is irrational Zayne. We'll never know what happened if the pack actually fought back against their intruders."

My ears hung sadly as I huffed and laid my head on Marcus' arm. He was right though; the past was fixed, no way to change what has happened. I guess we could only focus on what was happening now and look forwards to the future.

I couldn't stop the fearful whimper when I spotted the gathering wolves and the few familiar faces in them. My eyes shot back and forth as I pressed closer against my mate.

"I don't wanna be here."

Marcus' hands rubbed over my chest and stomach in an attempt to sooth my growing nerves. "I know love, I know. We need to do this though, both to fight your demons and to see what damage Anton has wrecked on this place."

I knew he was right but still.... The wolves of my old pack were watching us warily, some glancing at me with recognition, others with growing disgust.

Pack law gathered everyone and it was quick to spot the difference in the pack. All the high ranking wolves were muscular and well fed while the lower ranks were thin, frail and malnourished.

I felt Marcus' warning grumble when one of the older teens couldn't stop glaring at me. "Watch it kid." Marcus snapped, making the boy scoff slightly. "What are you doing with the runt? Don't you know that interacting with the weak will cost you your rank?"

Marcus' temper was seconds away from exploding, in fact, several of Pack Law snarled at the boy's words but the leaders grew more concerned than ever. The quads stepped to the forefront, quieting the murmuring crowd.

"Who are you people?" A smaller boy asked, hugging Anya's leg tightly as he gained attention from the others of his pack. Several teens sneered but didn't say anything as the adults of pack law watched them closely.

"We're Pack Law, wolves that are dedicated to the packs and make sure that the rules are followed. Your previous Alpha, Anton, broke all the pack rules."

A few murmurs sounded as kids seemed to relax while others tensed. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through their heads.

"So now what? Do we have to join your packs and fight for our rank?" A young woman asked before flinching when several of the pack law wolves snarled loudly. I could hear their voices through the link as they eyed the children.

"Fighting for ranks? What kind of fucked up things were they taught?"

"I doubt we even scratched the surface yet."

"Look at them! They're walking sticks!"

The rush of voices created a throbbing headache as everyone kept arguing through the link, the Alphas unintentionally allowing the other pack law members to be heard through their links.

A small whine left my muzzle as my head felt like it was about to explode from all the suppressed anger and disgust. Luckily Marcus realized this and growled sharply, snapping the other wolves out of it as I weakly laid down in my mates' arms.

"They need rehabilitation, that is certain. But, to what extend?" One of the older Pack Law Alphas murmured, rubbing at his chin while glancing at the teens and young adults from the pack.

As he let his eyes roam, he wandered through the pack until stopping in front of a man seemingly just past his teen years. "Name?" The guy blinked distrustfully, clenching his jaw for a moment before chewing out "Riley."

"Well Riley, I have a few questions and I would like you to answer them to your best capabilities. What do you know of mates?"

Riley scoffed, rubbing a hand through his wild blond hair. "You're kidding right? Mates are reserved for the higher ups, meant for breeding strong pups and taking care of the pack. Alpha Anton didn't let the lower-class wolves mate. He didn't want anyone making another mistake like that little runt there."

I squirmed pitifully as Riley motioned with his jaw towards me, his words harsh yet there was no real hatred detected. It sounded more like how a child would recount his times tables or a lecture.

Disinterested, bored yet confident of what they were saying. The perfect parrots for Anton's plans.

As several of the Pack Law shifted back and started questioning the rest of the adults, Riley's interrogation kept going with simple questions. Simple questions that sadly had a terrible answer.

"What about the ranking?"

"We fight for it? I-I mean, Alpha used to make bouts where we would fight others to see how strong we were. Sometimes he and his brother even joined in, those that managed to hold either one off were talked to privately. None returned from those 'talks' though." Riley added softly.

Cain nodded to himself, scowling at the floor. "Clearing out the opposition before they had a chance to strike back." I shivered, not surprised that Anton was capable of killing pups that nearly matched his strength.

"Things got worse after they got rid of the Omega though. It seemed like Anton was containing himself when the pup was here. But as soon as they got rid of him, everything went downhill." Riley's face turned grim, eyes distant at the memory.

"Food became a privilege to the higher ups while the rest of us had to fight for scraps. Practice fights were banned and any pups under the age of fifteen were deemed hunting practice."

Alpha Lee nodded grimly, eying the rest of the teens quietly. "And nobody dared to stop him?" Riley shook his head instantly. "No, we didn't know who to trust. If you spoke up against the Alpha, you risked being imprisoned or being forced to watch him torture your family members."

Oh...My eyes flitted towards Anya, remembering her mentioning Clair... Her little sister. Maybe that was the reason why Anton gave her away to his brother. Part of it for standing up to her alpha and protect me.

I blinked and felt confused when our surroundings had changed but realized quickly that I had dosed off in Marcus' arms. We were in a room, probably somewhere in the old packhouse.

There was a bowl of water provided for me near the doorway along with a jug and a few glasses. Squirming out of the covers, I hopped off the bed and quickly went to drink a bit. After a few deep gulps, I was satisfied...until I started hiccupping.

"Oh no. Not again."

Hic.

Hic.

I whimpered and pawed at my muzzle, turning when Marcus stepped out of the bathroom with a smile. "Hey love, didn't know you were awake." He lifted me up and set me down on the bed, where I circled on the spot, tense.

"Zayne?" Marcus hesitated, eying me as I laid down before licking at my paw and the sheets, wanting these annoying hiccups to stop. "What's wro-"

"Hic!"

The sudden jolt of my ribcage startled us both slightly before Marcus chuckled. "Ah, I see. It makes you even cuter than normal Zayne." I growled at him in annoyance but hiccupped halfway through.

"I'm sorry love. You'll just have to wear it down." He chuckled again before sitting beside me. I yawned in stress, hiccupping again before I laid my head on his thigh. "What's going to happen to the pack?"

Marcus sighed, his amusement disappearing like snow in the sun. "They'll be split apart and will live in Pack Law. Once we're sure they're rehabilitated, we're going to find the right packs for them to live in."

I nodded before frowning. "But what about the traitor?"

That earned me a small growl as Marcus curled his nose up in disgust. "Its one of the low ranks from the Eastern Pack Law. According to them, a middle age woman." Marcus glanced at me, seemingly torn for the moment before he added softly. "Might be your mother."

I gulped, averting my eyes and licking my paws. Weirdly enough, I didn't know what to feel about the woman that birthed me. If she truly wanted me, she would've found a way to take me along with her.

She left me behind, and my own father has never reached out for me either. Both of them never wanted me in the first place. So why would I want anything to do with them?

Fingers sifted through my fur and made me relax slightly as I turned on my side. Paws kicking when Marcus' nails softly scratched over my sensitive belly. "It'll be okay Zayne. Even if it is your mother, we can question her about her actions later."

I nodded sadly but didn't say anything. "And regarding your father... I don't wanna get your hopes up Zayne, but perhaps he never knew. Your mother could've hidden her pregnancy and gave you up without his knowing."

Oh... I never thought of that. My tail wagged slightly before I stretched out under Marcus' hand. I didn't know if it was the truth or not but we'd have to find out later. For now, I was more than content to relax and receive a nice scratching from Marcus.