Joshua Bowman as Beta Ronan Grey

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I arrive at pack lands thirty minutes before my warriors. My powers have increased as shown by my speed. Waiting for them is not an option. My wolf Titan is going crazy and out for blood. I have a hard time calming him down. I say nothing to my pack members until I speak with my brother Ronan, and verify Julian's story. Ronan betray me? That's just not possible. He wouldn't do that to me. I have looked up to him all my life. I trusted him enough to make him my Beta. This has to be a mistake somehow.

I change back and rush into the main building, grab some clothes from laundry room and head straight for my office. I sense my mates and Esme. I hate the fact that they can teleport and arrive at my pack land before I do. The sight that greets me is now the norm and that in itself is scary.

Ronan is on the ceiling, an eerie reminder of my first meeting with Esme. Rafe is sitting at my desk watching Ronan, Jeffery is Jeffery, and Cal sits beside Esme, pulling on her arm. "Esme let him down," I hear him tell her.

"No, leave him up there, Esme," I say as I walk into the room and stand directly under my brother. I refuse to look at him, instead, I look around the room while I speak to Ronan.

"Ronan, you're my older brother and I have loved and looked up to you all my life. I am going to ask you a question, and your answer will determine whether I kill you right here or beat you to a pulp and kill you in front of the pack, your choice."

Rafe gets up, walks towards me, so does Cal. Ignoring them I continue, "did you work with Julian and Sierra to kidnap my mate, with the intention of also kidnapping Rafe and me, and plan to kill all three of us. And before you answer know two things: one Julian is dead, may his soul rot in hell and Rafe has the power to tell if you are lying."

"Drop him, Esme." He lands on his face, rolls over, moves to the closest corner to him, his eyes narrow, darting back and forth.

"I don't know what you're talking about Darric," voice quivering.

"That will be your first and only lie, try again." My teeth and claws elongate in anger.

"I'm your older brother, Darric, why would I do anything to hurt you?" he asks.

"That is what I will like to know. You're my older brother, I've looked up to all my life. I loved you, followed you around even made you my Beta and..."

"Made me your Beta?" His quivering voice changes to a loud, angry one. "Do you know how insulting and condescending that sounds to me? I am older than you, but you are the Alpha? You know how many nights I've stayed up wondering why the goddess will give you my younger brother the Alpha gene and not me?" His face morphs into one I have never seen before as he spits out his words.

"You blame me for what the goddess bestowed on us? I made you my Beta because I trusted you. I wanted you bedside me making this pack strong."

"Pack strong? Look around you brother, this pack is not as strong as it used to be. Your changes have crippled us. Omegas in schools? Warriors cooking? You are mated to an Omega and a bloodsucker and you think the pack is strong? No little brother, you have weakened this pack and we plan to make it strong again."

"We?" I look him straight in the eyes, moving closer to him, and ask. "Who else is in this with you? Speak or I swear on the goddess above I will slice you from head to toe where you stand."

Rafe walks closer to me and lays his hand on my shoulder. I brush it off. No calming my wolf down, not now.

"It's your mother, Darric," Cal whispers to me.

"Shit," I hear Esme say.

I turn to Cal, "my mother? How do you know?"

"Seems I have gained some additional powers. I can read people's minds, move things, freeze folks in ice, for now." He whispers to me.

What the fuck is going on in my life? Is the universe on its axis or what?

"Find my parents and bring them to me now! And my sister Katreena," I link a few of my warriors.

"Darric, there's another way to deal with this," Rafe says.

"I have no interest in another way at the moment, mate." I walk over to Ronan, I look him in the eyes, and yell out my next words.

"I want answers. I want to know how many of my loved ones have betrayed me, us. I want to know how many of them I will kill today." I brush pass Rafe to sit at my desk. "String him back up, Esme."

Ronan is sent flying up to the ceiling, held there to wait for my mother.

Everyone in the room is quiet. I shut out my mates. I wait for my mother. If she's involved, can I kill my mother?

His mother, too? I didn't see that one coming. I know they've had a cantankerous relationship since he mated with us but working to kill your own son?

I need to protect Darric at all cost, that means also stopping him from killing his mother, brother and anyone else involved.

"Cal, we must stop him at all cost. He cannot kill his mother."

"I agree. His brother is a surprise, but his mother not so much."

"She's that vile?"

"Wait till you meet her. She oozes evil from every pore."

"He's shut us out too. Not good."

I link Georgiana to reach out to her contact and update our list to possibly four, not one werewolf. I hope to the Sun god this works.

My parents march into my office as usual with Katreena trailing them. I realize this attitude of badging into my office unannounced and raining demands on me show their lack of respect for me and my position. Why didn't I ever recognize that?

Cole, Minerva and the rest of my warriors arrive just as my parents make themselves comfortable in my office.

"Cole, Minerva you may stay. The rest of you, dismiss!"

"Darric, what is your brother doing on the ceiling. And a witch in my pack?" Luna Rowena screeches.

Ignoring my mother's tantrum, "Cole, Minerva, you are here as witnesses before I rain judgment on Beta Ronan Grey, Rowena Grey, Kodan Grey and possibly Katreena Grey for kidnapping my mate and plans to kill my mates and me."

"What?" Cole says.

"So mother, I'm giving you the same choice I gave your son. Did you plan to kill me and my mates? Think carefully because my mate the 'bloodsucker' can tell if you're lying or not. And my other mate the Omega can read minds." I finally look up to the woman who gave birth to me, holding to a shred of hope that Ronan is alone in this conspiracy.

"Darric, what's going on? Mother? Kill you? That's crazy, right mother?" Katreena turns to Rowena.

"I don't understand what nonsense your brother is spouting, Katreena. I mean look around you. You have a witch and a bloodsucker in the pack. Unheard of. And witch, you will release my son now," she screams at Esme.

"Rowena, she will not. Darric asked you a question." Cal walks up to me, stands beside me and lays his hand on my shoulder.

"Who are you calling Rowena, Omega?"

"You, a deluded and vile woman, who corrupted her son with the help of a power-hungry vampire."

"How dare you call my mother 'deluded' you stupid Omega?" Ronan yells from his ceiling prison.

Cal points to him and his body except his head is encased in ice, "you will shut the hell up now if you don't want me to freeze you to death. Now that you have an inkling of what I'm capable of, Rowena, answer Darric's question."

"Darric, I had such high hopes for you." She sighs. "Imagine my disappointment when my first child got the Beta gene. Beta gene? I am the Luna and mated to an Alpha, all my children should have the Alpha gene. I could tell the pack members felt sorry for me. I thought about killing my first-born son, but I stopped, waiting to see if the goddess will correct her mistake."

"Mother, you thought I was a mistake? You tried to kill me?" Ronan cries from his ice cocoon.

Rowena is now in her own world and continues her rants, much to the shock of everyone in the room.

"But then the goddess favored me and my second son finally got the Alpha gene. That in itself was unusual. I dotted on you and raised you in the old ways and you were a magnificent Alpha in training. You were feared and respected. I finally have an Alpha son to be proud of. And then the goddess screws up again and gives you an Omega and a vampire for mates? What was she thinking? I wasn't going to leave things in her hands any longer. You turned out to be a disappointment as an Alpha. An Omega and a vampire for a mate and you refuse to reject them? An abomination." Her eyes widen, her body shakes in anger.

"You are psychotic." Rafe injects.

"Psychotic? No, you bloodsucker! Just keeping things, the same. Ronan still believes in the old ways even if he doesn't have the Alpha mark. I can make him an Alpha this pack will revere. And he will make a better Alpha. Once you're all dead, he will assume the position and make this pack strong again," her eyes widen in glee.

"Rowena what have you done?" asks Kodan fearfully.

"Something you didn't have the balls to do, mate," she replies jeeringly.

"But Ronan doesn't have Alpha gene. You know only the child with the alpha gene can resume leadership of the pack," Kodan continues.

Esme walks over to me and whispers, "Darric, your father is under a strong love spell."

"What are you going on about Esme," I reply frustrated, I am not in the mood for any of her shenanigans. My family is erupting in front of me and now is not the time for jokes.

"That explains why I can't read his mind. All I see is a blank slate," Cal agrees.

"I'm serious, Darric. From what I can feel, it's been a long lingering spell."

"That explains Sierra's involvement," Esme concludes. "How long has he been under this spell?" Esme marches up to Rowena.

"Wouldn't you like to know, witch?" Rowena laughs.

"HE'S NOT YOUR MATE?" Cal yells at Rowena.

"How do you know?" Rowena looks at Cal, her voice cracks in fear.

"We're not mates?" My father asks Rowena and she gives him a berating look and he collapses.

"You keep forgetting that I can read minds, bitch! Oh my god, you, you, you killed your previous mate? Because he was a Gamma? How sick and vile are you to kill for power?"

"He refused to fight the Alpha for his position. I wasn't going to mate with an ordinary Gamma. I am born to be Luna..."

Cal cut her off, "and Sierra's mother gave you the spell. She also introduced you to Julian. And you introduced Julian to that imbecile on the ceiling?"

"This is insane, what kind of mother are you?" Rafe shakes his head.

"Who are you? What are you? Are you even human?" whispers Darric as he jerks up, looking at his mother with watery eyes.

"I am a werewolf and proud of it. I will make a deal with the devil himself for the survival of this pack."

"I AM YOUR SON, WOMAN! We are your children. We are not pawns in your sadistic game."

"No son of mine mates with an Omega and a vampire. I told you before it is an abomination, as Luna of this pack..."

Cal interrupts, "you are not the Luna of this pack, Roweena, I am."

Over my dead body, she tells Cal.

That can be arranged, he replies with a smirk.

"What kind of fucked up family are we? My mother kills her 'undesirable' mate, puts my father under a spell to nab an Alpha, my brother tries to kill my mates and me? Katreena you're the only one left, is there anything I should know? Are you involved in this whole mess?" Darric asks Katreena.

I look at my sister who is crying softly where she stands because I don't know who to trust anymore.

"She's clean Darric," Cal tells me gently. "She has no idea or involvement in their plans."

"Darric do you want me to neutralize the spell your father is under? Esme asks.

"Do it."

Esme walks over to Kodan, sits beside him on the sofa, holds his hands and starts to chant.

"Stay away from him, witch. Don't touch him," Roweena yells as she tries to pull Esme away from Kodan. She is thrown against the wall and slumps down. "Don't mess with me, bitch!"

"Cole?"

"Yes Alpha?"

"I want everyone in the yard now! And take these two into the yard and we'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Cal?" I nod to the ceiling. He releases Ronan who falls to the floor shivering. Cole grabs him, Minerva grabs Roweena and march them out of my office.

I sit back and watch Esme continue her spell removal process. I don't know what will happen to my father. He has been under this spell for all this time, only the goddess knows how he will be when he comes out of it.

"Will he be okay Darric?" Katreena asks.

"I don't know, we'll have to wait and see."

Another twenty minutes later of chants, songs, rhymes, and whatnots, Esme releases my father's hands.

"He's clean but..."

"But what?"

"Here's the thing. His memory is scrambled."

"Scrambled?"

"A spell is like an invisible hold over someone's actions, thoughts or mood. Your father could see and feel things but couldn't fight against what the spell caster wanted him to do or feel. So right now, your father is waking up from a dream and he will need your help in remembering things. He's like a jigsaw puzzle that hasn't been arranged yet."

"Katreena?"

"Yes, Darric?"

"Bring him to the yard. His memory rebuilding starts now. I won't have to tell him I killed his wife and son; he'll see it for himself," I sneer.

"We won't let you kill them, Darric." Rafe stands in front of my desk, slams his hands on the surface and leans in my face.

"Like I said mate, TRY. AND. STOP. ME!!!" I growl.

"Everyone, will you give us a minute, please?" Cal tells Esme and Katreena.

"You cannot kill your mother and brother, Darric. You will regret it, believe me," Rafe begs.

"Were you not in the room when they both admitted to planning our own demise for their gain? I know I was, so were the both of you so tell me MATE, why is okay for you to kill your cousin for the same offense, and I don't get to do the same?"

"Because of what it will cost you. I love you Darric. I reacted in haste. If you ask me now if I will do it over again, to be honest, I probably will. I was blinded with anger and filled with rage, just as you are now. And I am being punished for it with immense guilt and sadness. The weight of my action is too much, and I don't want that feeling, that emptiness for you."

"Darric please listen to us, don't kill them. I can't bear to watch another mate live with that much burden of guilt every day." Cal holds me from behind crying.

"There's another way to punish them," Rafe tells me.

"How?" I ask resigned.

"Demote and banish them. I have a pack that is willing to take them in. They will take Ronan as an Omega and your mother as a pack member with no status," Rafe hands me a piece of paper.

I open it and the name of the pack makes me smile for the first time since this debacle started.

"This is..."

"I know," Rafe smiles back.

"What?" Cal leans over to read the name of the pack.

"No way! Oh, they will regret this for the rest for their lives. I think they will much rather prefer death."

"Now I won't give it to them. I want them to rot in this hellhole as long as they live. Let's go, we have a pack to address."

"Rafe, you sly Lord you," Cal laughs as we all head to the yard with Jeffery closely behind.

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I lead my mates to the yard and newly erected stand. We sit down and my mates flank me on either side. My mother and brother are bound in silver cuffs and I nod to Cole to lead them in front of us. I tap my mates on the leg, get up to address our pack.

I give them a few more minutes of loud whispers, murmurs and talking while I look over my pack. Regardless of what my mother believes, their faces look happy and relaxed. There is excitement that was never there before in this pack. So, mother, you're wrong, this pack is changing for the better.

"Good afternoon, everyone."

"Good afternoon, Alpha."

"You know my mates?"

"Good after Luna, good afternoon my Lord." My mates tip their heads in response.

"I just found out that Beta Ronan Grey and Roweena Grey have been part of a plot to kill me, and my mates."

There's a collective sound of growls all around the yard as they all look at Ronan and Roweena in anger.

"Silence!" They quiet down and I continue, "My mother is under the delusion that our pack has gotten weaker. That because we have incorporated some much-needed changes, we are no longer strong. I beg to differ. I have learned that our strength is in our diversities and differences. Your physical prowess is not what makes you strong, in fact, it is not what will last. Physical prowess changes and diminishes over time. What will sustain our growth and strength lies in our diversity and ability to genuinely care for one another. What makes us strong is the ability to work together, live together and support each other regardless of what our station in life is or who we are."

"I will say this again, if the new direction of this pack does not work for you, leave now!" No one moves.

"My changes stand. There will be no abuse due to ranks. The ranks are there for leadership purposes not a tool to abuse those weaker than you. Respect will be earned not demanded and by the same token respect will be given to the leadership position. I have two amazing smart mates whose preside over million- and billion-dollar companies respectively. And they will help me make our pack stronger and able to withstand whatever the future holds."

"Now as for Beta Ronan and Roweena Grey, their punishment has been decided. It will be carried out immediately."

"Beta Ronan Grey, you are hereby demoted to Omega status and banish from BloodRose pack effective immediately. You will be relocated to the Vagabond Keepers Pack."

"Nooooooo" screams Ronan and tries to fight his way out of Cole's hold. Cole yanks his hands back, restraining him. His link to the pack is immediately severed and pack members turn their backs to him.

"Roweena Grey, your Luna status has been stripped from you. Your Beta status demoted to omega status and you also shall live the rest of your days in the Vagabond Keepers Pack..."

"How dare you, I am your mother. I am the Luna of this pack..." Roweena rants on.

Her link to the pack is immediately severed and pack members turn their backs to her.

"Permission granted, you may enter my pack," I reply to the two voices asking permission to enter the pack and retrieve their members or as my mother and brother now realize, prisoners.

Two men walk into the yard and their build and attitude make my pack members part down the middle in fear and make way for them as they march up to the stand. They are dressed in black from head to toe, and part of their faces is also covered with the same black cloth. Only their eyes are visible. They are about seven feet in height and massive in size. I really will not want to run into them in the dark.

"Alpha Darric, we're here to pick our new members," says the taller of the two and they bow in respect.

"Cole, Minerva?" They both drag my brother and mother screaming and struggling to the men.