Father and Son – A Brief Reprise
by dc mallory – October 2014, November 2016
First off, let me prove my actions here of my rewriting the “Father and Son” Curran POV. Ever since I read it, there was something that just didn’t sit right with me. After eleven days in a coma, Curran might have been able to get down to the chamber and talk some trash, but as far as a battle was concerned, I don’t believe he would have been up to it. Especially with nothing more in him than a bowl of soup. More than that, attacking Mahon would really have served no purpose; the council needed to vote Kate to the female Alpha place. True, Mahon did not stop the challenges on Kate, but Mahon was not the acting leader either. Furthermore, while Mahon would not recognize Kate as his Alpha, he did not allow his clan to attack her either. I guess it could be conceivable that by Curran beating Mahon he would solidify his place, but his place was not in danger, it was Kate’s place in question; Mahon had already told Kate that Curran would always be “his liege.” So, to make myself happy, I thought I would write what I think would have made more sense when Curran recovered from his coma and found out what had gone on while being incapacitated. Please don’t be mad at me.
I climbed out of a pit of despair. I had been lost in darkness for what seemed like forever. I wandered around like a spirit, fighting a loneliness that tried to claim my mind. In the background, I could hear familiar voices, but I just couldn’t seem to find a path to reach them. I don’t think I had ever been so scared in my life; it was worse than the time the loups had taken my family from me.
Now I was back, at least mentally, and I was trying hard to stay awake enough that I could figure out where I was, and if I was out of the danger of the battle with Erra’s monster, Darkness. I heard Kate mumbling some nonsense about divorces and clans, but I still couldn’t focus on the here and now. I drifted back off, but this time no nightmares invaded my rest; I only saw Kate in my mind, and heard her ramblings as background noise in a quieting sea of static.
I continued to try to claw my way out of the darkness, and sometime later I came to again. I couldn’t have been out the last time very long, because she was still droning on about how she was stuck with making this decision. It sounded to me like they were trying to set her up to fail at Pack business. Hmmm. I’d take care of that shit later, but for now I’d throw her a rope; Kate meant everything to me.
“Use the Second Chance Law. Declare the pack member dead, then the person can apply as a member of the pack under a new name. This can only be done one time. The widow is free to marry someone else, and everyone is happy.”
“I’ll look into that,” Kate said, her voice filled with disbelief. It was if she was answering voices inside her head, threatening her with madness. It made me wonder how long I’d been out.
I sat up, and stared at a surprised Kate. She smiled, or at least tried to smile; that’s hard to do with your mouth gaping open. She threw her arms around me. She cried tears of joy, and held me tight all the while. When she finally pulled away to let me go, I noticed a tug in my arm. I looked down and saw there was a tube stuck in my arm.
“What’s this shit?” I asked of the tube.
“It’s an IV,” she said, gently tapping my forehead gently with her knuckles like she was trying to knock some sense into my head. “It’s been keeping you alive. It’s been keeping you alive for the last eleven fucking days!” Huh, Kate’s voice got a bit of a shriek in it there near the end. She must really have gone through the ringer while I was out.
“Well, I don’t like it!” I snarled, as I pulled it out of my arm.
She was still staring at me with her pissed off expression for joining in the battle when she had asked me not to, I could see relief in her eyes. She sincerely looked as if she was glad I was back in the land of the living. It made the horror of the dark worth the hellish fight to return to the light.
“So I was out for eleven fucking days?” I asked.
“Eleven fucking days.”
“You stayed with me, Kate! The whole time. I know, I could hear voices talking to me, but I couldn’t answer them.”
“Of course I stayed with you! Where did you think I would go. To get pizza?. Even though there could be problems that come up between us, I’ll always stay with you, no matter what.”
She reached in, and held me close again. I could get used to this.
“Let me get you some soup,” she said to me. “You need to get something in you and start working on your strength back.” She got up and walked away, but I noticed she kept peeking back over her shoulder as if I really wasn’t back and would disappear on her if she didn’t keep me in sight.
She came back a short time later with the soup. As I was eating it, there came a soft knock on the door. I knew without question that it was Derek.
The door opened, and Derek looked in. “There’s a wolf at the door, wanting to talk with you, Kate. I can tell him to come back tomorrow -”
His voice cut off when he saw me sitting there, awake. He smiled. I didn’t.
“What does he want?” I asked of Derek.
“He’s probably here asking for a challenge.” Derek replied, looking concerned as he said it. He knew I would be pissed about challenges so soon after I awoke from the coma, but he would also know I wasn’t mad at him; shit, he was like my son.
“I’m not even on my feet yet, and the bastards are circling like buzzards?” I asked him, totally pissed of at the situation.
“My Liege, it’s not you he’s here to challenge.”
He didn’t need to say anymore. Suddenly it was all crystal clear to me. It was Kate the asshole was here to challenge! I wondered how long this had been going on for. It really pissed me off that anyone would have the gall to challenge my mate.
“Send him down to the Council Chamber. It’s Wednesday, so they will have a meeting tonight. He’s to tell my loyal Alphas that I will be there shortly, and they should prepare for my mate and myself to show up to speak with them.”
Derek nodded, and began to make away. I stopped him before he could close the door.
“Oh, and tell the wolf that if he still wants to die after he delivers the message, Kate will have no issue with delivering him to the afterlife when we reach the chamber.”
“Very good, my Liège!” Derek was smiling as he closed the door. It’s good to know I made someone’s evening.
“Kate, we need to go down to the Council meeting and make a showing. We need to end this bullshit treatment of you once and for all. The Council needs to realize that I am leading this Pack, and that you, as my mate, are my right hand and co-leader. The female Alpha of the Pack. By blood and by death you have proven your right to the place. If we wish to continue to lead, we cannot be seen as weak. The Pack needs direction, and by God I am going to direct them!”
“So what you are saying is that they have to know that we are, unequivocally, the Masters of the Pack.”
“Yes,” I said back to her. “There can only be one set of uber-Alphas, and now, that is us. And unfortunately, the council has to approve you to the female Alpha place. Are you ready to go? I don’t know how long the strength I have will hold up, and I want to make sure we are strong for the meeting. The clan alphas are like sharks, and I don’t want them to smell blood in the water.”
“I’m ready, Curran. Let’s go take care of this now, so that when we get back here I can take care of you without worrying about a shifter sneak attack! You need food and sleep, and you won’t get either until we’re safe.”
I noticed her voice was deadpan, and she seemed either extremely tired, which under the circumstances would be understandable, or just fed up with all the shifter politics she’d been inundated with while I was in dreamland. I was going to see that there was hell to pay for her piss poor treatment at the hands of my council.
Kate and I walked down the hall. In front of us walked Derek. Derek was my personal bodyguard, or as close to my personal bodyguard as you could get. He was well suited to the place, being young and able. More than that, Derek was loyal, not only to me, but to Kate as well. The two of them had a special bond, and it only seemed to grow stronger the longer they were around each other. I trusted him to keep her safe with his life.
Just behind Kate was Barabas, one of the Boudas. I seemed to recall Kate talking about this good deal she got from Aunt B. Part of the deal was the Hyenas received special treatment in the pack. The other part was Kate had two Boudas assigned to her permanently, both as personal protection, and to instruct her on the workings of the Pack. Kate could pretty much take care of her own protection, but she would need the knowledge of Pack rules to survive Pack politics. Barabas, being one of the Pack lawyers, would be a good teacher for her. It was a good deal, but I didn’t trust Aunt B’s motives.
As we walked, thinking about the wolf showing up at our quarters to challenge Kate bothered me. A fair challenge during the day was one thing, but showing up late in the evening was another. It was wrong on so many levels, and it violated Pack Code. It should never have been allowed by the wolf’s Alphas. Or any of the Alphas for that matter. Time for atonement.
“Kate, how many challenges did you have while I was out. And were they all like the one tonight, where a lone shifter shows up at our rooms to demand you fight?”
“Twenty-two challenges, Curran. And no, they were not all like tonight. Sometimes they would just appear out of nowhere and attack. For my right to be by your side, I would have endured much more than they put me through.”
“You shouldn’t have had to endure any of this, Kate.”
Kate was a trooper. Of course, she was also an ass-kicker. I guess twenty-two shifters found that out right before she sent them on to Valhalla. They should have known better than to fuck with someone who could make two hundred demons kneel on command. Stupid bastards; I was pretty sure I could guess who put them up to it.
We arrived at the door to the Council Chamber and stopped just a few feet away. The door was closed, but I could hear a low-pitched discussion inside. They were probably trying to come up with some plausible excuse for their behavior over the last eleven days. If that’s the case they were wasting their time; no excuse was going to save their asses.
“Kate, you know I love you. You know I waited a long time for you to accept me, and to stand by my side. You have, and I am ecstatic about it. But just this one time, this one time only, I need you to keep quiet and watch my back. I need you to stand behind me, and stay alert. I need you to understand that what I am about to do will both shore up my place as the Beast Lord, and make the Pack understand once and for all that you are more than just my mate, you are the female Alpha of the Pack. And I also need you to understand that if things go wrong, if this doesn’t work like I think it will, we will need to kill them all. There has to be no hesitation, no indecision on either of our parts. They must accept us for what we are, their Lord and Lady.”
Kate nodded her acknowledgement of my wishes. I enfolded her in my arms, and pressed my lips against hers for a brief moment. I pulled away from her, and, before I turned to face the door, I gave her one last look. Kate, true to my request, stood two steps behind me and a bit to my left. Her face set in stone, her body tight. She was doing me proud.
I threw open the door and took a step into the Council Chamber. I stood there like an old Gladiator carved from stone. I had my right leg forward, bent at the knee, foot planted flat on the floor. My other leg was behind me and out straight, the toes firmly on the ground and the arch bent, allowing the heel to point towards the ceiling. My arms were down and to my side, my hands clenched in fists. My chest jutted forward; my head was held high. I felt like a Tyrannosaurs Rex preparing for battle.
Sure, I was posing. In a direct challenge, perception is ninety percent of the battle, and posture is the only way to them believe a superior force is facing them; more than an illusion it is a way to make it real. It tells your opponents that you are ready, and they should be ready as well. It sends out the fight or flight response to those around you, leaving them unsettled.
I curled my lips up, and in the final act of aggression, I showed my teeth for a few moments. Look, I had their attention now! Then I threw open my mouth and ROARED, long and loud. The epic sound that poured from my throat originated deep down in my chest, and picked up pitch and volume as I projected it out into the chamber. I lowered the volume slightly for effect, and then intensified it to such a level that the ungodly sound shook the glasses of the Alphas which were sitting on the table. I cut it off suddenly, and glared at the group through deep gold eyes.
The silence was deafening. I patted myself on the back for a job well done. Practice makes perfect.
“You have some explaining to do!” I bellowed, commanding their attention.
While they all stared back at Kate and myself, I went over to the corner and got a chair for Kate. I brought it back, and set it just slightly behind my own, and to my left. She was in the perfect position to make sure no one would be able to sneak up on us. I would rather have her at my back than anyone else I could think of. We both sat down in preparation for a battle of wits. Hopefully it could be contained to that.
“Pack Code dictates that with a challenge made to an Alpha, it’s clear it means both Alphas. Not just one. Both.” I was struggling to keep my voice calm as I began, but it was hard. I was so pissed off at the group that I was near to shaking in anger. I wanted to kill them all for the disrespect they had shown me personally by treating Kate like garbage.
“It is clear to me that you, all of you, did not afford my mate that particular courtesy. We will rectify that tonight. Each Clan will get a chance to declare a challenge on us. Lack of a challenge will indicate acceptance that my mate is the female Alpha of the Pack, and will be accorded the same treatment as if it were me.”
I scanned the table, looking at the Alphas gathered. Oh, look! A new set of Alphas sat at the spot reserved for the Jackals. Guess I knew who Kate had taken out first. It should have ended there.
“Let’s start with the Wolves, since I saw one of your clan this evening. Banging on my door. Looking to challenge my mate!” I was fairly spitting the words out by the time I finished, half up out of my chair. A small couch from Kate had me sitting back down in seconds.
I stared at the two with a glare that could have cut diamonds. Daniel, the alpha male, had the good grace to at least look contrary. His mate, Jennifer, looked at me like she wished I had died.
“Jennifer.” I began slowly, making sure the words I chose would have the most effect. “You sit here and blame my mate for your woes, the loss of your sister. But you know as well as any other at this table that it was your decision to clear the safe house, and you failed to do so! Whether you were unaware of the level of danger existing at that time, or whether you were trying to prove that you were more than you are, you kept the people in place. Any you paid the price!”
I sat and gave her the Alpha glare. The look that said even if I’m sitting here making the shit up you are going to buy it all; hook, line, and sinker.
“You lost a lost of good people, and you lost a sister. And you can’t accept it, so you try to pass the blame off on Kate because the creäture was after her.” I lowered my voice so that it was barely audible, just so that the next few words would sink in. “It’s time to take responsibilities for your actions. It’s time for you to shoulder the blame like a true Alpha, instead of trying to pass it down the line like an underling.”
She was definitely getting pissed off. Maybe she would be stupid enough to cough up a challenge. I wouldn’t mind a little action right about now. It might help to take the edge off.
“More than the loss of your sister. More than the loss of your people, Kate had to do what should have been left to you. It was your responsibility to put your sister out of her pain when she went loup, but you failed in that aspect as well. And the guilt of it all makes you hate Kate when, in truth, it is yourself you should hate. Hell, maybe you do. If so, it’s not enough.”
Jennifer looked as though I had hit her in the mouth. She was furious. I half suspected she would have been up and in my face if I didn’t see Daniel was holding her down in her chair. Smart man, that Daniel. Don’t know what he ever saw in Jennifer, though.
“My Liege!” Daniel made eye contact with me, and then gave a glance to Kate as well, including her in the effort. “Clan Wolf acknowledges your mate as our Alpha, and has no problem with her place in the Pack.”
I nodded, nothing more. They deserved nothing more. One group down, six to go.
“Jim. Where do you stand in this fucking mess?”
I liked Jim, and as far as my head of security he was good. Sure, there were a couple of mistakes behind him, but he had recovered nicely. Of course, Kate had helped with most of those recoveries. How soon we forget, eh Jim?
“She needed to prove herself. She did prove herself. None of my cats participated in the challenges. I accept Kate as the female Alpha of the Pack.”
Short and to the point, so Jim-like. But I noticed he did not take responsibility for the failure to enforce the code. Maybe that didn’t fall under security? Maybe in any world other than mine.
“In the future, when Pack code is violated, you will deal with it. If you can not, or will not, you can and will be replaced.”
Just a little slap. He would know it for what it was. Two down.
I looked to where the Jackals sat, shiny and new. I had no doubt they would make a better pair than the one’s Kate took out. Now it was time to see where their allegiance lay.
“How stand the Jackals?” Nothing but formal. And calm. And pissed off. I had to get a grip before I got to the real problem. Mahon.
Tracy, the new female, stood to address me. Nice showboating.
“The Jackals bow to your mate for giving us the chance to lead the Jackal Clan. We have no problem with the mate of the Beast Lord in the position of female Alpha of the Pack.”
She looked at Kate, nodded to her, then she sat down beside her mate. Three down. One more was a majority vote for Kate to lead. But I didn’t want a majority. They all needed to bow. And bow they would.
Before I could even address the Alphas of Clan Nimble, the male Alpha stood up to discuss me. He and his mate were of Asian descent, and his bow to Kate and myself was nothing but proper in a show of respect.
“Clan Nimble bows to the mate. Even before she being chosen by you, Kate had shown us respect. When one of our clan asked to wed outside of the shifter circle, Kate fought for her right to do so. Know that none of ours challenged the mate, nor would it have been allowed by us had any chosen to. We accept Kate as the female Alpha of the Pack.”
Aunt B, female Alpha and leader of the Bouda Clan was next. I was glad to see that her son, Raphael, who acted as the male Alpha, was not present. On the best of days I found him hard to tolerate. On the worst of days I found him unbearable. Today I would probably try to kill him.
“Curran,” she began. I knew I was in for the long haul as the windbag began to wind up the voice box. “You know that Clan Bouda and Kate have a special relationship. I know she must have spoken to you of it, because she told me she would, and Kate always keeps her word.”
Great, trying to lay the foundation for when Kate hadn’t yet talked to me of the special deal Aunt B had come up with when Kate was seriously injured.
“Yes, Kate talked to me of a ‘special arrangement’ you two had. I have to wonder why you chose the time you did to bring it up with her. I also have to wonder why you tried to feed my mate – a privilege reserved only for me?” Slap. Slap. Slap. The back of my mental hand was beginning to get sore from all the backhanded slaps I was doing to B’s face. Yeah!
“It was only my concern for your mate that instigated both offerings, Curran.” Hmmm. I just noticed she never called me anything but ‘Curran’ as if that were enough coming from her and I should be overjoyed at that much recognition. I’d have to work on changing that, but not today. Today there were bigger fish to fry.
“I knew that Kate would be your mate, even if you did not. I also knew that Kate would need help with the political ramifications of becoming said mate. I could offer her this in the form of my people. I gave her two of my best. The offer of food was only because she was hurt, and I thought it might aid her recovery. I would never presume to intervene where your privileges are concerned.”
She cast a slight smile my way. Maybe she expected me to catch it and put it in a treasure box to keep as a memento. Damn. She could really get under my skin.
“As far as the Boudas’ treatment, I’m sure Kate could fill you in on it better than I.” Slam duck – stick it to my mate! Maybe B’s been around too long.
“Because of our arrangement, you must know that none of Clan Bouda would ever consider inflicting any harm on your mate, and the clan certainly has no problem with Kate as either your mate or in the position of the female Alpha of the Pack.” Oh, oh, here comes the icing on the cake. “In fact, we are extremely pleased with the choice of the Beast Lord, and wish both of you the best of luck.” Oh, I think I’m going to be sick. I guess it’s a good thing I only had some soup before coming down here.
Thomas and Robert Lonesco, Alphas of Clan Rat, were next up. I guess Thomas must have been the designated speaker for the meeting.
“My Liege,” he started, trying his best to look humble. “While it is true we did not vote in favor of the mate staying in your chambers while you were down, we did make amends to the mate.”
I glanced back at Kate, and she gave me a quick assenting nod. Better, but not good enough.
“We forbade any of our clan from active participation challenging the mate. And Clan Rat cheerfully acknowledges Kate as both the Beast Lord’s mate and female Alpha of the Pack.”
And then there were one; time to bring Mahon to heel.“Mahon.” I spoke slowly, and clearly. “While by blood I am not your son, I have always considered you my father. When I had no one else you took me in. You treated me as family. What has changed?”
Mahon looked at me like he had no clue what I was talking about. Right. When I needed his protection, his help, he had withheld it. I intended to find out why. Obviously, I was going to need to dig for the answers as none was coming from him.
“A family sticks together, in good times and in bad. In crises we all come together to aid and to comfort those less fortunate, or those in need. When I was down and Kate was in need, you let the Pack run rough-shod over her. I want to know why.”
Mahon paused for a few seconds, as if deep in thought. His thought processes were probably like he didn’t think I would really fall for Kate, so this discussion would never take place. I guess he was wrong, so he’d better think fast. If I had my way Kate would be around for a long time. They all needed to recognize the fact and accept it.
“Curran,” he began. “Kate needed to prove to the Pack that she was Alpha material. The fact she is your mate does not make her Alpha. She is not shifter, so she is not Pack. You of all people should realize this better than anyone.”
He talked as if Kate wasn’t here, like she was nothing more than a whore I’d drug in off the street. Almost as if he still thought of me as a child he had found wandering around a mountain lost in grief.
“Are you telling me what I should do? Are you suggesting that anyone here, you included, should dictate my actions, or question my knowledge on Pack protocol? Is that your excuse for this huge lack of respect to me. Your Alpha?”
“No, Curran. I am not trying to make excuses. I am simply stating why I acted as I did in your absence. If you allow me to continue…” I cut him off. I was getting more and more agitated, and I wanted to know why the one man whose opinion mattered to me had fucked me in the ass.
“Mahon, are you going to accept Kate not only as my mate, but as the Pack’s female Alpha? Or would you prefer to do this the hard way?” I stared into Mahon’s eyes, and he knew this could go only one of two ways. He bows to Kate, or he and his mate battle Kate and I for leadership. Let’s see if he’s as smart as I thought he was.
“Curran. You know I always wanted you to mate with a shifter. I never made it a secret. You also knew that while I didn’t dislike Kate, I never wanted you with her. I hoped with all my heart that your infatuation with the girl would be short lived; alas, I was to be proved wrong.”
Once again he didn’t show my mate the respect she deserved. I guess he wasn’t so smart after all.
“I felt Kate was iffy as an ally, and I certainly did not believe she would bring anything to the table were you to mate with her.”
I was getting ready to go head to head with Mahon. I could feel Kate’s discomfort beside me, and could imagine her casting furtive glances in my direction. I was trying to gage her mood, but I was so hurt and so pissed off by my adoptive father’s attitude that nothing was coming through. I could feel my muscles flexing even as I began to lean forward in the chair. It was time to end this.
“However,” he continued, before I left the chair, “when we had basically written you off, your mate stood beside you. She dispatched the Jackal alphas, and challenged us against trying to remove you from your quarters. She told us to bring an army, because any less than that would be useless. Kate successfully defended the twenty-two challenges, even as seriously injured as she is. Twenty-two shifter’s tried her and lost. And when you came back to us from the darkness, it was your mate who helped you to your feet.”
I was staring opening at Mahon now. I don’t think I’d ever heard him talk this much in the entire time I had known him.
“Kate,” he said, now addressing my mate. “I may not agree with the reasons that Curran picked you over all others in the field, and I may still think a shifter would be preferable to you, but your actions towards your mate, my son, prove that you stand beside him above all others. To me, that is a trait that can’t ignored. I accept you, Kate, as female Alpha of the Pack.”
And just like that it’s over. The council had all agreed that Kate was not only my mate, but the female Alpha as well.
“So, by unanimous vote of the council, Kate Daniels, mate of Curran, is now female Alpha of the Pack.” I reiterated. I stared at the group, hoping they weren’t going to pull a fast one.
“Yes!” came the reply from all the Alphas, including the Wolves.
“Come on, Kate. Let’s go. I have some things I want to talk to you about.”
We got up from our chairs and, without a backwards glance, left the room. My stomach was growling like there was some leftover business to attend to.
The End.
You must be logged in to post a comment.