Controlled Surrender (2 page)

“Says who?” I demanded.

“Son, you must admit, she is the… how shall
we call her, the least of us?” My mother’s voice was low, her words
spoken with proper delicacy.

I stared incredulously at her. “Maybe she’s
the least to you, but she’s the most of me. She’s my fucking
mate!”

Gasps sounded all around. My mother paled. I
didn’t even bother looking towards Laina’s family.

“The loss of one is a loss to all, right?
Well all of you go! If she doesn’t eat, then no one eats.” They’d
officially tipped me over the edge.

Sputters flew. Several of the pack elders and
my family were attempting to calm me, but I was too far gone. Their
attempts to pacify me, to justify their judgments, fell upon deaf
ears.

I’d never felt so out of control. I’d never
been so close to committing mass murder. “Shut up! I’m ashamed of
every one of you. I’m ashamed to be your alpha! I didn’t raise you
this way. I didn’t teach you to alienate any one.”

“Surely we can do something,” Ramona
said.

“There is nothing you can say or do now,” I
bit out through gritted teeth. Each exhale was a loud huff. “Don’t
talk to me, don’t look at me, just go.”

“Damn it. I told you you should have given
her away,” Roberto grumbled as he stood.

My wolf poked through. Before I knew what I
was doing, I’d slammed Laina’s brother against the wall. “You want
her gone? Well, I want you gone. I won’t allow her to be demeaned
by her own flesh and blood. You and your family have twenty-four
hours to vacate.”

His eyes widened in terror. “You… you don’t
really mean that, right? I mean, I didn’t really mean it.” I loved
how he suddenly became a squeaking mouse despite being two years
older than his sister.

I growled, moving to mere inches from his
face where I could stare him down. “Try me,” I snarled low and
menacing.

“We’ll do better with her. Every family has
their issues,” Mirna sniveled.

I let go of Roberto. He tumbled down, his ass
smacking the floor as I spun towards her. “You should look up the
definition of family. You’ve treated your daughter, my mate, like
anything but. You think I don’t hear you? You think I’m oblivious
to your snide remarks, to the way you humiliate her with your
spiteful comments. My failure was not doing something about this
sooner. My disgrace, that I’ll have to live with forever, is
knowing that I allowed her to be bullied by the ones I dedicated my
life to protecting. I can’t blame her for rejecting me. I don’t
even blame her for finally running away.”

“We could do far more for this pack than my
daughter ever will,” Rupert stated. “As the alpha, you have to
understand the importance of choice.”

“I value choice as much as I value integrity,
ethics and morals. I want no one without them to represent me, the
same way I refuse to represent those without them anymore. If that
means I lose half the people here, then so be it. When questioned,
I could consciously explain why I released you all. But come your
day of atonement, you’ll be groveling when your mistakes are
slathered before you.”

Rupert put his arm around his wife. Tears
streamed down Mirna’s face, but her indignant expression ruined the
sentiment.

Roberto lifted from the floor and went to
stand behind his mother. “Come on, Mom. I don’t want to stay where
we’re not wanted.” He no longer cowered but rather played the role
of a rebellious teen, which wasn’t attractive on a twenty-eight
year old male.

“If anyone else doesn’t agree with my stand,
then leave with them,” I ordered.

No one moved a muscle. They all stood, scared
straight as they watched the scene unfold in horror. Perhaps this
was their day of atonement. Perhaps this was the night that needed
to happen in order to make them learn. My job was to teach them, to
guide them. There was no better way to mold them than with example
and discipline.

I ground my teeth, flexing my jaw as I glared
at Laina’s family. Despite what I’d done, I knew I’d still failed
her. That’s what hurt the most. Not their actions, but my own.

It was going to take a lot to earn my place
beside her, particularly when she deserved so much more than I’d
ever given her.

“Shit. I’m sorry, bro.” Aaron scrubbed his
face. I heard the apology in his voice, but it was too late. He’d
already made his true feelings known.

“Save it,” I snapped.

Slowly, the pack began filing out of the
dining room, making their way back to their homes around the
central compound.

I watched as Amanda’s dad yanked on her ear,
tugging her through the crowd. “You cost me my meal. You’re in deep
shit little one,” he grumbled.

“It’s Laina’s fault for not showing up,” she
whined.

I wanted to shake each and every one of them
the way my body shook with a fury comparable only to a category ten
hurricane, which was too far off the charts to define.

I turned away from them. Every step weighed
me down further. I sank into my chair at the head of the table. I
stared emptily at the food lining the center of the table. I didn’t
doubt most of the pack members would go home and eat, which was why
I didn’t bat a lash at dismissing them.

I ran my hand through my hair, yanking on my
roots. It felt like the bottom had been pulled out from under me. I
wanted to chase her. I wanted to hold her, to whisper a thousand
apologies to her as I snuggled in bed with her… after thoroughly
claiming her.

Fuck! That’s where I’d gone wrong. Damn it,
the alpha commanded a certain level of respect; therefore, so did
his mate.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling
her, on sensing her. She wasn’t near, but she wasn’t far. I took
several deep breaths, hushing my wolf as we sought the essence of
her soul in the air. When serenity was the only thing that
registered, I knew she’d escaped for solace.

She could have her solace tonight, but come
tomorrow, she was going to be mine. Part two of my off-the-cuff
plan was to finally claim her. She was going to surrender to me in
every part of her life. It was the only way I could assure her
equality; it was the only way I could fully protect her.

My wolf howled in agreement. His persistent
scratching slowed for a brief moment. His draw back confirmed that
this was the best move. My wolf and I rarely agreed, but we would
always do what was best for her. She was our common ground, as
nature intended her to be. She was the one who would balance us;
she was our unity. The beauty to my beast.

Chapter 5

LAINA

I rolled over. The cool grass tickled my
cheek. I smiled, taking in nature as she woke. She was
breathtaking. The mist that rose up over the mountains veiled her
glory before the sun revealed her splendor.

I stretched, birds chirping in the distance
fully awakening me. The river thrashed about; it was the equivalent
of Earth’s own lively music.

I inhaled deep; Mother Nature’s breath
invigorated me. It stilled my heavy heart and soothed my limbs.

Standing to my feet, I did a final sweep of
the area. I didn’t get out here much. I wanted to enjoy every
second before I had to face reality again.

I stood there a little while, absorbing
nature’s harmony. Feeling the minutes tick by, I sighed, knowing I
couldn’t put it off forever.

I gazed at the forest. The leaves created a
thick brush that kept the floor from basking in the sun’s light.
With one last glance back at the mountains and the river below, I
sprinted towards the trees.

It was about an hour before I crossed onto
pack property. The sun was high in the sky by then. I’d learned to
appreciate these last few days of warmth before cooler days of fall
took over and the sun disappeared for winter.

I headed for my family’s home, a small
three-bedroom house on the eastern perimeter of the pack’s
property.

I stood quietly outside the front door,
listening closely for them. I strained my ears for their
heartbeats, for their movements, for Papa’s soft snores, but was
met with silence. I frowned, pushing open the door and stepping
over the threshold.

I worried my bottom lip as I headed for my
parent’s bedroom. Throwing open their door, I was met with naked
furniture and stark walls. Fear pounded in my chest, churning my
stomach.

I ran to their closet and slid the doors
open. Nothing. There was nothing in there. It was as if they’d
disappeared.

I was on the verge of vomiting as I dashed
across the house to Roberto’s room. I stormed through his door, but
was met with the same emptiness. I tossed open his closet doors,
but it was all gone. Tears stung my eyes as the realization dawned
on me. They’d left me. They’d finally left me.

My wolf howled long, sorrowful whimpers. We
were family animals; we thrived off of those lifelong bonds.

Dazedly, I wandered to the kitchen in search
of a note, a letter, anything. When I found nothing, not even
silverware, I ambled to my bedroom. My hand hovered shakily over
the knob. It was my last hope.

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead to
the door. Regret washed through me. I knew I’d been a
disappointment to them. I knew my weight was an embarrassment to
them. My chest constricted as the truth stabbed my gut. I should
have been the one to leave, not them. I could have made a life
outside the pack amongst the humans. I could have saved my mother
many dirty looks, saved my father many scrutinizing glares over how
he’d raised me; I could have saved their reputations within the
community. I’d been selfish to stay.

Taking one final breath, I thrust open my
bedroom door. Nothing had been touched in my personal space;
likewise, nothing new was present. They really had just up and
left.

I batted at the disappointment, the desperate
ache settling in my core. I knew I wasn’t the ideal were daughter
they’d wanted, but I wasn’t the worst of the lot. I could have been
a rebellious nightmare to raise.

Anger breached the outskirts of my emotions.
I quickly tossed it aside though. In the end, it wasn’t their fault
that I ended up the size I was. Likewise, it wasn’t my fault that
they weren’t strong enough to handle the backlash with the same
dignity that I did.

I sighed. I knew there was only one person I
could make this right with: Jayson. I feared going to him, but I
had no other choice. He would be the only one willing to tell me
the truth; he would be the only one who would help me get them
back.

I took a shower and changed into a fresh pair
of clothes. I wasn’t dressed to impress, but then again, I’d long
ago abandoned my chances of attracting my mate on a physical level.
I donned a part of dark grey sweat pant capris, a navy blue tank
top that touched the bottom of my hips, and a pair of Nike tennis
shoes. I tossed my soaked strands into a tight knot on top of my
head.

I glanced around the living room. All the
large furniture had been left behind. It was the tiny details that
were missing. It was the inner pieces of the puzzle that were
missing.

I opened the front door and stepped outside.
I carefully closed the door behind me as I set out towards the
alpha’s domain: a large two-story home in the center of pack
property.

Chapter 6

JAYSON

I felt her getting closer. My wolf roused as
my heart kicked up its beating pace. I threw on a pair of athletic
shorts as I jogged downstairs.

The closer I got to the front door, the
louder her footsteps became. I didn’t bother putting up pretenses.
I immediately opened the door before she could knock. She was just
arriving at the steps.

My heart swelled, my mind blanked for a
moment as I took her in. She overwhelmed me. I wished everyone
looked at her the way I did. I vowed to imprint my perspective on
her. She should never hang her head in shame; she should always
hold her head high, appreciating her beauty for its uniqueness.

Her approach slowed as she reached the final
step. Her brows dipped in the center as she pulled her bottom lip
between her teeth.

“Come in.” I held the door wide. I inhaled
her intoxicating scent as she hesitantly brushed past me.

She wrung her hands, standing in the center
of the foyer as I closed the door. “Um, I’m sorry to bother you,
but I was hoping you could tell me where my family went.”

I stood behind her, my grip tightening on the
brass doorknob. I released it before I broke the fixture. “I
dismissed them.”

She spun around, her eyes wide with shock.
“What do you mean?”

“Your family is no longer welcome in this
pack.”

Her eyes glossed over. She immediately
averted her gaze. She fidgeted with her hands as she stared at the
floor. “I, um…” She slowly lifted her face towards me. “I’ll-“

Her features crumpled, and I couldn’t hold
back anymore. I tugged her to me, wrapping my arms tightly around
her.

She lazily pushed at my chest. “Stop.
Please.” There was no fight in her; her words were merely a
plea.

My wolf roared, echoing the outrage I felt. I
would never forgive her family for putting her through this.

“Jayson, please let me go.”

“Why? So you can run away again?” I didn’t
hold back my upset.

She slumped in my arms, finally giving in.
“It should be me.”

I jerked back, feeling as if I’d been
slapped. “What?” I growled.

She kept her gaze downwards. “You should have
kicked me out. It’s not their fault I am the way I am.”

Her self-disgust incensed me, shooting
furious bullets through my veins. “You don’t even know why I
abolished them.”

She peered at me through hooded lashes. “Why
did you?”

I didn’t realize the corner I’d backed myself
into until it was too late. I didn’t want to hurt her. The last
thing I wanted to do was to unleash their derogative comments on
her.