Depths of Darkness

0.5

Chapter 5

Saturdays were my day off from the club. The only time in the week I was able to go to the library, reading was something I had always loved but now I held a new kind of appreciation for it too. It was an escape that didn't involve spending eight hours on your feet.

After making sure Alaric ate his breakfast, getting all the grocery's for the week I would sneak off to the secluded room at the back of the house and read. Not coming out until it was time to make lunch.

This Saturday started off exactly the same. It was only when I had finally picked out a book and settled down, comfortable and ready did the shouting begin.

"No, no, I said no!" An angry voice bellowed, getting louder by the second. It was Alaric's voice.

"Did you hear me? No I won't accept it!" He went on.

I sprinted to his room to find Beta Samuel attempting to calm him down.

"He will kill us, all we have to do is accept his terms and he will leave us all alone. We can pretend it never happened." He sighed "Look I know it's hard for you but we don't have the numbers to defy him, you know what he has become, you've known for the past year his power and influence is growing it would be unwise to pick a fight with him." The Beta although respectful of his Alpha looked beyond frustrated.

What was going on?

"No!" he bellowed, his voice coming alive, there would be no reasoning with Alaric when he was angry. What had gotten him this angry? He had showed no emotion, not a peek in months and now here he was obvious anger radiating off him in waves, very large tidal waves to be precise.

"Think of your pack, you're the alpha would you have all our blood spilled over this? We need you to be reasonable. This is a fight we cannot win. Most our pack has gone don't let the rest of us fall too. I need to keep my wife and children safe, if you reject their terms there will be no one to protect them for when I fall. Think of the women and children" The Beta tried to reason.

"I want to be able to continue waking up to Anne every day for god sake, you of all people know what losing the one you love does, I can't do that to my Anne I refused to make her feel the pain I've seen in your eyes when you lost Maria then Celeste. She has already lost our son, it's time to make peace" He went on. Samuel's son had been one of the blood brothers that had sided with Alaric's son. Aunty Anne had always talked about Sebastian Samuels her beloved first born.

Alaric said nothing, Samuel struck a chord. Alaric would now retreat back to the place he had been for the last several months I was sure but after a long moment of silence he nodded.

I decided it was time I knew what was going on. "Um." I looked between the two of them "what's going on?" Beta Samuel jumped "Thalia I didn't see you there" I had startled him, a wolf with better eyes and ears than any of us simple beings. It was laughable, had their faces not been so serious.

"What's going" I repeated "what's all this shouting about"

"Well the terms have finally been accepted so there won't be any more shouting." He smiled, I didn't miss the relief it was as if a weight had been lifted of his shoulders. My confusion only deepened "the terms?"

A frown began to form on his face as if he couldn't quite work out how I didn't know. He turned to Alaric "You can't possible, have not told her. Surely you would have". The beta was only greeted with silence Alaric simply stared not uttering a word. "How could you keep this from her when it will affect her too, possibly a little more don't you think? You're going to have to tell her now, she deserves to know." With that Beta Samuels turned looking at me as he walked out, an expression I had seen too often was now vacant on his face.