If the truth were known, most of them didn’t care for Blane either, but he wielded a certain kind of power with his business that they respected, even feared. He presented himself as being so much more than he was, but there were those who saw through him. The kind of people who recognized him for what he really was behind the curtain. The kind of people who would give his wife a card leading her to a way out of a life with him.
“Precisely,” Tucker replied, pulling her away from the thoughts she had become sidetracked on.
“Okay. What do we do now?”
“We tell the council and let them decide where we go from here.”
Leslie nodded her head, afraid of what action they might take, but it was hardly the middle ages, when they would throw you in a dark hole or mount you on a wall of the castle. Still, lying to your pack to secure your position as their Alpha was a serious charge, and they had their own justice system - one that could involve death without the outside world even realizing you were gone.CHAPTER THIRTY-ONEThe following day, Tucker sat at the long table in the room adjoining his office at the motorcycle club. It was a table that had been used for generations to hold council meetings, but this one might be the first of its kind. Today, it became a confession table, and Tucker relayed his secrets and those of Leslie, one by one, as they listened with stern faces.
Leslie wasn’t usually allowed in these discussions, but he had insisted that she be here, since it concerned both them and their children. She sat quietly in a chair against the wall near Tucker’s head of the table. Both of them felt nervous as they awaited their fate, now in the hands of their pack leaders.
“Tucker, this is a lot to absorb,” said Gus. “What happened at our clubhouse yesterday was a tragedy that befell us because of a lie you perpetuated in order to gain a seat at the head of this table. I understand that it is your rightful place and that you were doing your best to protect us from the ill intent of your brother, but the consequences might have been prevented had we been aware of the situation.”
“Are there others in our midst that might still be involved in your brother’s interests?” another shifter, a guy named Brett, asked.
“No. I don’t think so. I’ve not flushed anymore out than those I sent away and those that left of their own accord.”
“I don’t think the head of this table is his rightful place,” another one advised. Cassidy, Leslie believed, was his name. “Not only did he take it by dishonest means, but his father before him did the same. Our bylaws were very clear that we do not allow humans or hybrids, and here we’ve had them in our midst all along. This one has paved the way for more of them. I guess we now understand why that seems so acceptable to him.”
Tucker made no attempt to interject any defense of his actions or those of his father. He had apologized for the pain he had brought to the pack. He had admitted all his secrets. There was nothing more to be said. Now, he just had to wait for them to make their decision. They both did.
“I think this is something we need to discuss further, without you present,” Cassidy growled.
“That is fine. Should we wait outside or go home until you call for us?”
“It could be a while. Perhaps you should leave for home,” Gus said amicably.
Tucker nodded and stood, reaching out his hand toward Leslie, so that she could join him. They walked hand and hand out the heavy door and through his office. The girls were at home with Marla, so they were out to the car quickly and on their way.
“How do you think it went?” she asked as they drove the short distance home.
“I don’t know. It could go either way. I don’t think they’re going to put me before a modern-day firing squad, but I’m not sure if they’ll accept me as their Alpha after this.”
Leslie nodded and looked out the window, wondering what all of this would mean for them. She had become a part of his pack since he had taken over as Alpha. She considering them friends, family. The girls were a part of the pack, as well, now. It was a painful thought that it could all just be taken away due to their own actions.
“It’ll be okay, Leslie,” he said, hesitating for a moment as they pulled into their driveway and began growing closer to their home. He stopped outside the garage, parking the car before continuing. “What is your name?”