C11 Chapter 11: Unraveling Truths

The journey to the pack grounds was a somber one for Sebastian, his mind preoccupied with the weight of the responsibilities that awaited him. Seth had summoned him, and he didn’t like it one bit. As he approached the familiar territory, Sebastian couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. The dense forest looked daunting instead of its usual comfort.

Meanwhile, Lucas was making the same way towards the pack grounds, unaware of what and who was awaiting him. Seth had summoned him, and his grandfather, Clovis, had begged him to obey and come down.

Lucas raced down to the mansion where his grandfather’s office was, and his brakes screeched as he halted in front of the door. Lucas took a deep breath before pushing the heavy oak door open, the familiar scent of cedar and leather greeting him as he stepped into the dimly lit office. Clovis sat behind the ornate desk, his expression tense and weary, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Lucas.”, Clovis greeted him sounding relieved, his voice tinged with exhaustion. “Thank you for coming.”

“Yeah, right.”, Lucas said, sounding angry. “You know I want nothing to do with this pack. Why would you ruin my life by begging me to take over the Gamma position?”

Clovis leaned forward, his weathered hands clasped together on the desk. “I’ve called you here because…”, he hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words. “Because there are things you need to know.”

Lucas frowned and sat down in the chair. “What kind of things?”

Clovis sighed heavily, his gaze meeting Lucas’ with a mixture of sorrow and resignation. “You know that I’ve always tried to protect you, to shield you from the darker aspects of our world. But there are truths that cannot be hidden any longer.”

Lucas scoffed. “Yeah right. If you had, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

Clovis took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to reveal. “Seth…Seth has done terrible things, Lucas. Things that I never wanted you to be a part of.”

“Like I don’t know, just look at this damned place.”, Lucas interrupted.

“This is nothing, Lucas.”, Clovis shut him down. “Years ago, there were two packs. Seth used to be the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack.”, Lucas looked up, confused.

“That’s right. Eloy Ahearn was the Alpha of the Moonlit pack, and the Alpha of Alphas. He was kind, and a good leader. I was proud to be his Gamma. Then one day, Seth and the Blood Moon pack attacked us. Seth was blinded with greed and had made a pact with the humans. The weapons these humans had were terrifying, Lucas. They killed or wounded almost everyone from the Blood Moon pack, including Eloy. We didn’t stand a chance. Seth saw his chance, and he took the Alpha of Alphas position as if he was entitled to it, and he merged the two packs.”

Lucas had heard of the war before, but this was the first time that his grandfather ever spoke of it. It’s been years ago, but he had never known that his bloodline came from the other pack. He kept quiet, wanting to hear what Clovis had to say.

“Truth is, Seth is a terrible Alpha. The only way he knows how to get people to obey is by violence and repression.”

Lucas saw tears appearing in his grandfather’s eyes, threatening to spill.

“After the war, Seth needed a Gamma that knew how to fight and his had died in the war, so he forced me to take the position. I didn’t want to work with this monster, but he had made up his mind. So, he kidnapped Louise, my mate, and put her in prison. Every time he wanted me to do something, he would bring me down to see her, and he would torture her until I broke and would do everything he asked. I felt her pain, her desperation, I would do anything to make it stop.”

The tears that had welled were now streaming down his face. Lucas felt himself getting angry, and suddenly understood his grandfather much better.

“And now, he wants you to take over. Please, Lucas. I can’t endure one more of those torture sessions. I need you to do this.”, Clovis begged him.

“Did you ever try to defy him?”, Lucas asked softly. Clovis nodded.

“Many times, but the pain they inflicted on her. Those humans are cruel, and they hate us, werewolves.”, Clovis got lost in his memories.

“Did you ever talk to Sebastian?”, Lucas asked. Clovis scoffed.

“That guy and his grandfather are two of a kind. He’ll do everything Seth wants. I just hope that one day before it’s too late, you can convince Sebastian to free Louise.”, Clovis admitted vulnerably.

Lucas stormed out of the office, running into the woods, before he would tear this place apart. He needed air to breathe. His lungs burned with exertion as he finally came to a stop, his chest heaving with ragged breath. Lucas leaned against a tree, his mind swirling with a maelstrom of emotions. Anger, frustration, and betrayal roiled within him, threatening to consume him from the inside out. The weight of Clovis’ revelations bore down on Lucas like a leaden cloak, dragging him deeper into the depths of despair.

He had been there for minutes when he heard it. The soft rustle of leaves, the faint sounds of footsteps approaching. Lucas tensed, his senses on high alert as he prepared to defend himself against any potential threat. But then he felt this pull again, that wanted him to go to this person and bare his belly like a bloody dog. It couldn’t be Enora, so what was happening?

Adam emerged from the shadows with a concerned expression on his face. “Lucas.”, he asked, his voice filled with worry. “Are you alright?”

Lucas bristled at the sight of him, his anger simmering just below the surface. “Did you know about Louise?!”, he snapped, his voice laced with bitterness.

Adam’s brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes wide with shock and surprise. “Louise? Who is Louise? What are you talking about?”

Lucas clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he struggled to contain the storm of emotions raging within him. “My grandmother, Adam. Seth has been keeping her prisoner for years, torturing her to manipulate Clovis into doing his bidding.”

Lucas circled around Adam, like a predator does his prey. “How can you live with yourself? How do you sleep at night, not even having tried to stop Seth?”, Lucas said, his voice deadly calm and threatening.

Adam’s eyes widened in horror, his expression mirroring the shock and disbelief coursing through Lucas’ veins. “I had no idea.”, he whispered, his voice fragile. “I swear, Lucas, I had no idea.”

“We have to do something.”, Lucas said, his voice trembling with urgency, and he started to walk back to the mansion.

“Lucas, stop! Let’s think this through!”, Adam tried to reason with Lucas, as he tried to catch up with him. But Lucas was beyond listening, his mind consumed by a singular purpose.

Lucas felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, as they made their way back to the mansion. Somewhere halfway, Adam stopped to try to reason with him. Lucas was ready to confront Seth, to hold him accountable for his crimes, no matter the cost. Lucas never was the type of person to think before acting anyway.

Lucas stormed into Seth’s office, Adam following closely. They were met with a scene of chaos and discord. Sebastian stood at the center of the room, his voice raised in anger as he berated Seth for the abysmal state of the pack and the repressive rules that he had set in place.

“Really, Seth? What the fuck were you thinking?! You are forcing these poor people to live in the 60s!”, Sebastian continued to tear into Seth, no matter the spectators.

Adam was getting aroused seeing his mate standing his ground, putting his Alpha characteristics to the forefront. Adam tried to shake this thought from his head. He wasn’t into men, this mate bond had to be wrong.

Suddenly, Lucas was doubting himself. He had had no doubt that Sebastian would be on his side, that together they would confront Seth and put an end to his tyranny, but as Sebastian continued to rail against Seth, he wasn’t too sure anymore. Seth was Sebastian’s grandfather; he had always been loyal to him. Yet, he was also angry at Seth for some reason.

“What do you guys want?!”, Sebastian yelled at them, when he was done yelling at his grandfather. Sebastian was seething, tired of all the bullshit that had been fed to him by everyone.

Lucas felt a deep longing that he had never felt, staring at Sebastian. Sebastian’s dominance, his intimidating stance, and the fire in eyes, lighted a spark in him that made him want Sebastian to fuck him senseless.

“Don’t just stand there looking stupid! If you got nothing to say, leave!”, Sebastian yelled at his Beta and Gamma, annoyed that they interrupted him. Sebastian waited a minute, but neither spoke, so he turned around again, ready to tear into his grandfather again.

“Sebastian.”, Lucas called out, his voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. Sebastian turned around. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his eyes, and Lucas seized the opportunity.

“Seth has been keeping my grandmother prisoner.”, Lucas revealed, his voice trembling with emotion. “He’s been torturing her to manipulate Clovis into doing his bidding.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened in shock, his gaze flickering with disbelief. “That’s… that’s impossible.”, he stammered, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

But Lucas was resolute, his gaze unwavering as he confronted Sebastian with Seth’s crimes. “Clovis told me himself.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened with anger; his fists clenched at his sides as he struggled to come to terms with the magnitude of that revelation. He turned to face Seth. “Is it true?”, he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“Come on, you’re not really going to believe him, are you?”, Seth laughed uncomfortably, as he avoided Sebastian’s gaze. Sebastian stormed forward, grabbed Seth by his neck and pushed him up the wall with force, choking him.

“Is...it…true?”, Sebastian asked slowly, his voice cold.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”, Seth got out, his voice squeaky. Sebastian saw the truth in Seth’s eyes, the guilt and shame etched into his features as he struggled to maintain his façade of indifference.

“What the fuck, Seth?!”, Sebastian said. He let go of Seth, letting him fall to the floor. Sebastian turned around and ran his hands over his face.

“I did it all for you!”, Seth pleaded in a last effort to get Sebastian on his side. “The pack needed to be strong, and Clovis…”

“Shut up!”, Sebastian’s voice roared through the room, as he turned around to face Seth once more. “I’m sick of your excuses.” Seth crawled against the wall, scared of his grandson and what he might do.

“Lucas, get Clovis and get Louise out of prison. No more of this nonsense.”, Sebastian ordered.