As he approached the healers small home a large crowd had began to form around it, a barely healed Ron and his friends at the centre.

Maybe if Zack knew how badly the situation would escalate once he got to the healers home, he might have taken his time getting there. Or he might had turned tail and run the other way, but he didn't, so Zack quickly made his way over to the healers cabin, oblivious to what was to come.

As he got closer he could hear the angry voices among them, mostly from his fathers former inner circle. When they saw his approach, James, his Dads beta, growled angrily and stormed toward him and immediately began screaming in his face. "That bitch of yours needs to be taught a lesson! Who the fuck does she think she is? Attacking a senior member of this pack, she should be brought before us and punished!" He demanded.

Zack felt his rage rise at the blatant disrespect his fathers former beta showed. Not only by his aggressive manner but also the fact he was questioning his Alpha in front of many of the pack. The kind if insolence and disrespect could not and would not be tolerated. "You need to step back right now James and watch your tone with me. I will not put up with your shit and posturing. Ron deserved what he got and more! My mate was defending a weaker pack member and herself. I am proud of her and her actions! If you don't like it James, you and your cronies are free to leave the pack anytime you want. In fact it might be a good idea if you all did just that!" He stepped even closer, till he was almost nose to nose with his fathers despicable friend.

"I have had more than enough of your crap over the years and I have reached the end of my patience. The only reason you are even still here is out of respect to my dad. But that respect has reached the end. If you and your fellow.......pack mates are not gone by morning you will be collected up by my beta and enforcers,one by one, and escorted of pack lands. And trust me, you do not want it to go down that way!" Zack stated calmly.

James's face was red and twisted with rage by the time Zack finished speaking. His wolf showing in his glowing eyes. "Your father will never allow us to be banished!" He spat.

"I don't need my fathers permission to do anything James, I am Alpha! And I have told you what is happening. Either under your own steam or at the hands of my enforcers, it's up to you. Now get out of my face before I loose what's left of my temper!" Zack finished on a snarl of his own.

James stepped back, looking around at the pack members who had been drawn to the scene, some looking confused, some angry but the most of them looked disgusted at the disrespect shown to their Alpha, who they had so recently voted to remain as Alpha. "Are you all going to stand around and just let this happen. Allow us to be driven from our pack and homes? I have been a loyal member of this pack for nearly fifty years! I served as our Alpha's beta for twelve of those years. I gave him my unwavering loyalty and now I'm being banished! For speaking out! For defending my fellow pack mate. If Ronan we're here he would demand I remain. He knows what loyalty is!" He shouted to the gathered crowd.

The stunned silence was broken by a soft feminine voice. "But he isn't here James! And he is not our Alpha. Zack is our Alpha. His word is law!" Rose said softly her voice carrying over the heads of the gathered pack. The healer looked out at her pack mates and friends. "And why isn't he here? He isn't here because of the decisions he and his mate made. Decisions that led to the systemic and prolonged abuse of a young female under their rule!"

James scoffed angrily. "You don't know what you are talking about healer! Go back inside where you belong and tend to your patients!"

"I will not! I have as much right as you to be heard!" She looked down at the aggressive male. "You also played your part in what happened to that child. What's your excuse James?"

Zack could feel the tension mount among the gathered pack. When he thought back on the events of this day in the future he wondered if he would truly have been able to stop what was about to be revealed.

James growled menacingly at the female wolf who was daring to question him. "I did nothing wrong!" He shouted. "I was my Alphas trusted beta. I carried out his orders without question!" He said, pride in his actions clear in his smug tone.

Zack should have guessed what was coming next.

"And what orders were those James? What did your Alpha order you to do to that young female?" Rose asked quietly.

"He never ordered me to do anything!" He said snidely.

"Ok then, he never ordered you to do anything. He never told you to keep quiet about things you saw? Things that he knew were wrong. Things that any decent male or female would know were wrong." Rose paused, looking thoughtful. "But then, he wouldn't have had to order you to do anything would he? Because you were one of his most trusted sycophants."

James stepped closer to the healer, still standing on the small porch of her home. "I would have happily carried out any order my Alpha gave me!" He looked around. "As should all of you!" He anger mounted at the animosity he could obviously see directed at him. "Can't you all see what's happening here? It's all the fucking bitches fault! If she had never come to this pack then none of this would have happened! My Alpha, your Alpha only did what he had to do to protect you all!" He screamed.

Zack hurriedly stepped forward. "That's enough James!" He growled.

The older male looked at Zack, contempt oozing from him. "No! It's not enough! My Alpha protected you all from the council. What did it matter that one snivelling young female was not treated as well as she might have been compared to the safety of all of you!"

Gasps and murmurs from around him had Zack lowering his head. It was out. The pack knew of his fathers crimes. Or at least one of them.

Questions were thrown from all around.

"Are you saying Alpha Ronan knew what was happening to that pup?" Shouted a male voice.

"You all knew what was going on and did nothing?" From another.

"Why would the Alpha allow that to happen? What possible reason is good enough could he have to allow a young female to be harmed? Why?" A female, tears heard clearly in her stricken tone.

James threw a panicked glance over his shoulder at Zack. He honestly thought the pack would agree and understand. "It was for you! To protect you all! The council would have punished us all for harbouring humans on pack land!"

"What humans?" Was shouted in various forms from all directions.

"James shut up you have said enough!" Demanded Zack.

"No Alpha they have a right to know what was done in their name!" Rose said furiously.

"The council will execute them for this alone Rose! Is that what you want?" Zack said sadly.

"It's gone on too long Alpha. You have done you best to protect your parents. Misguided thought it was. They do not and did not deserve your protection. They must atone for their sins against your mate and this pack!"

Deep down Zack had always known it would come to this. He had just never wanted to admit it to himself before now. He had failed! His pack, his parents and his mate. All that was left for him now was to try and minimise the damage.

He sucked in a huge breath, blowing out heavily before stepping up beside Rose and looking out over his pack. It looked as if every member had now gathered. His beta stood to the side nodding encouragingly. His best friends and inner circle stood close behind. And his beautiful mate standing right at the back.

"Rose is correct. It is time for the truth to come out. It's true my parents knew that Frank Danes was beating his niece. But he was blackmailing them into silence. At least in the beginning. My mother had been shot by hunters and as she lay dieing by the side of the road in her wolf form a car stopped. The humans in the car saved her life. What happened next is a long story but my father let the family stay in one of the old cabins. Frank Danes found out and told them if they tried to interfere in his "family" he would report them to the council. By the time humans found out of our existence it had been going on for three years already." Zack started at his mate, sorrow at his parents actions clear for all to see.

"By that time my parents had become greedy. The human male had been helping them with the packs finances and they continued with their silence. When Sophie came to me just after her eighteenth birthday Frank had already been giving her the scent suppressers for two weeks. But my parents knew she was my mate. They did not believe Sophie would make a good mate and agreed to keep silent. To keep her from me."

Shocked gasps and exclamations of disgust and anger rose all around me. But my eyes never left my mates. I tried to determine what she was thinking but I could not.

"Did they know he was.......hurting her in other ways?" Ask another voice.

"I can't believe they knew about the rapes!" Zack said firmly. "I know they made mistakes. I knew what they did or rather did not do was wrong, terrible even. But I do not believe they knew he was hurting her in that way!"

They looked around, his beloved pack members, looking at each other. Silently asking each other what to believe. And all the while James stood back, his smug ugly face almost beaming in glee. What came next was almost enough to make Zack smile.

"And his beta, James, the inner circle did they know what was going on? Did you know James?" Asked another pack member.

James puffed out his chest and faced the assembled pack. "I followed my Alphas orders!" He said full of self importance.

"You didn't answer the question!"

James began to grow indignant at being so blatantly questioned by what he plainly saw as lower pack members. "I was beta! It was my duty and my privilege to follow my Alphas orders!"

"Answer the question! Did you know what Frank Danes was doing to his niece?" Shouted another voice.

James growled in rage. "You're damn right I knew! We all knew what was going on. My Alpha protected us all. So what if some snivelling female got a few slaps. It was for the greater good. The good of us all!"

Zack shook his head sadly. The really disgusting thing was that James and his friends truly believed the crap they were fed for so long. He finally took his eyes off his mate and looked at his pack.

"I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping my parents involvement from you all. I thought I was protecting both them and you. I was wrong! I need you all to know how sorry I am. As soon as the wolf council representatives are back I will go to them and tell them everything." Zach said brokenly.

"You don't have to Zack!" Said Alpha Thomas stepping out from behind one of the cabins. "I heard it all. I'm sure you knew what the consequences of your parents actions will be. Either permanent banishment or even execution. It is not up to us to decide, but we will report our findings to the council and they will decide what it is to be." He stepped back and turned as if to leave before stopping and looking back over his shoulder at Zack.

"For what it is worth you did the right thing here today. It might have taken you longer that we would have liked but the end result is what is important." He paused thoughtfully. "Many many people failed your mate as a child. Her uncle, your parents......myself. But what matters now is how you move on from this, and move on you must, because there are still unanswered questions. We still need to find out how Frank Danes got hold of those scent suppressors." He turned to the assembled pack. "If anyone here knows anything about this myself and Alpha Jacob will be here at least until tomorrow afternoon. You can speak to us in total confidence."

He turned away once more but this time looked directly at Sophie standing silently at the back. To everyone's shock he raised his right arm across his chest, placing his clenched first over his heart and bowed deeply from the waist to her, the ultimate sign of respect given from one wolf to another and usually reserved for high ranking wolves like himself.

Sophie covered her mouth shock evident on her pale face, but very quickly pulled herself together and returned the bow graciously.

As Thomas walked away the murmurs of the pack grew louder, Rose stepped up to Zack's side and placed her hand on her Alphas arm. "Now if we could only find out how he got his grubby hands on those drugs this could all be over for good. I pray to the Goddess that someone knows and gives that information to the council. We need this to be over so we can heal as a pack." With that she turned to go back into her home. "I will Finnish getting Ron healed up so he is fit to leave. Good riddance to them all I say."

Zack stood alone, silently pondering the healers parting words. He knew what the right things to do was. He knew he should tell the council his parents were responsible and why. But he also knew he wasn't going to do it. Because he knew if he did he would definitely loose his parents to the executioner and loose beautiful mate forever. He could only pray to the Goddess that she she never found out he knew. Because even though he only found out on the day she killed her uncle it was still damning.

He had fallen in love with his mate. He could not loose her.

😉