Comfortably Numb

Chapter Thirty Two

"Alpha Ajax." He nods to the screen.

"Alpha Ben. You remember my beta Thomas, My Gamma Derek and my Delta Clarke."

"Of course. Nice to see you boys again. You remember my Beta Nick, my Gamma Bruce and my son Ryker?" There is a chorus of hellos from the other screen.

"What's this all about, Alpha Cardinal? We haven't been told anything other than to come quickly, and to bring my mate." This must be Clarke, then. His voice is smoky and fierce. Over the computer screen, Alpha Cardinal runs his eyes over my stiff form. He brings his attention back to the screen.

"We need some information regarding an individual that we believe has a connection with your pack." I grit my teeth.

"I don't understand what you mean or what it has to do with my mate." Clarke practically spits. Alpha Cardinal releases a quiet growl, and there's a rumbling on the other side of the screen. "Calm, Clarke." Ajax humms. He growls but says nothing further.

"It has to do with her brother." Ryker speaks up.

"I have no brother." The words are sharp and broken. Her voice is musical, lilting and airy. If it had been from anyone else I might have even called it comforting.

"I don't think that's entirely correct..." Alpha Cardinal responds.

"We need some information about Seth Meyers." Ryker cuts in again. Multiple growls echo through the speaker. "We have done some research and it seems that he knows about werewolves."

"So you just decided to call us and bring up all of the pain and suffering my mate has been through for the last year?" Clarke roars.

Ryker straightens his spine and hardens his jaw.

"Suffering? You think your mate has been suffering? Was your mate beaten and starved, tortured and terrorized for months on end? Was your mate abducted from her life, pushed into handcuffs and forced to endure the sounds of her loved one being brutalized? Was your mate hunted and stalked and gutted like a fish? Was your mate bathed in the blood of her partner and left to rot in a cement hell hole unsure if her torturer would return before her insides splashed onto the floor?" He seethes; each word cuts into my heart. I hadn't known he knew so much. "Your mate doesn't know suffering. That poor girl her brother mutilated was suffering. The woman he nearly killed knows suffering. The man he did kill, knows suffering. Your mate might know pain, but she also knows the reasons for his madness. The least you can do is answer our goddamn questions."

Ryker is shaking so badly that I can see it from here. His father places his hand on his shoulder and both men haul in a deep breath together.

"What do you want to know?" Alpha Ajax calls out.

His voice sounds solemn. He sounds like a young man now, no longer the confident alpha we'd been listening to before.

"Everything." Alpha Cardinal orders. "Start at the beginning."

There is a sniffle through the speaker, and then shuffling. A woman clears her throat- Kelly.
"Ok." She breathes. "I'll tell you whatever you want.... just please, don't call him my brother." She chokes out.

"Why?" Beta Deacon questions.

"He's a monster." She whimpers. "And I don't want anyone to connect me to him. Not after everything he did."

Ryker flicks his eyes up to me. It seems that he believes her. I roll my eyes. This could just be a story to get us to let our guards down.

"Seth and I share a father, but have different mothers. I was born six years before him, and my parents split up shortly after dad met Seth's mom. My dad was a drinker.... He met Seth's mom through rehab when my mom forced him to go. They had Seth not too long after my parents split and he was immediately removed from their care. Seth's mom hadn't stayed sober during the pregnancy, and he came out addicted to crack and some other things. My mom offered to raise him alongside me, after he was clean and able to be sent home. My dad hadn't wanted that, but Child Protective Services thought it was a good idea, so Seth came to live with us." Kelly pauses and I hear someone whispering comforting words to her. I focus back on my breathing as she starts up again.