Chapter 67 - JACY'S EXPLANATION PART 2

Kyle had asked the very question I knew that he would. He wanted to know why I didn't step up and run the pack. This was where people could possibly call me a coward. I didn't care though, I needed to do what was best for me at the time.

"There are a lot of different excuses I could give you about that. There are good excuses and bad excuses. But when it all comes down to it they're still excuses and they don't matter. The truth is I was afraid."

"Afraid that he would kill you too?" Kyle didn't look upset or disgusted with me at all. How long was that likely to last?

"Yes. I figured if I took over the pack I would be in just as much danger as my parents had been in. I knew that if I took control and tried to command him he would just kill me. The only safe way for me to lead the pack was to marry Victor and let him rule in my stead. I refused to marry him and that pissed him off. So I thought if my options were to rule and die or rule and die on the inside from having to marry that piece of scum then I was going to make a third option."

"You left behind your entire life to save yourself?" Kyle's voice was calm and even as he spoke. I was still waiting for the moment when he turned on me for being a coward.

"Yes. I was still too young to lead the pack anyway. I could have done it. I know that others have run packs when they were that age, but I just wasn't ready. I thought the best thing for me and the pack was for me to leave. If there was any fighting between the new Alpha and a man who wanted to be Alpha then everyone would hear about it."

"Were there no pack members that were loyal to you?" He seemed confused now.

"There were a few. Some that truly believed that the line of succession should have gone to me and that I should be free to marry whoever I wanted. The problem was there were a lot that thought joining my strength with Victor's was a good idea. They wanted us to have the chance to breed strong Alpha children. What would be better genetics for a child if not for them to have a born Alpha mother and an ascended Alpha father. Those pack members thought that together Victor and I would breed a super strong family and they therefore threw their backing behind him. Unfortunately, being Alpha doesn't give you absolute power. There is still the council of elders and the masses that must be thought of. I refused to follow what any of those others said, so I left. It was the best thing for me, even if it was cowardly."

"I don't think it was cowardly at all."

I had been looking down while I was talking but at that moment my head shot up and I looked Kyle in the eyes. He didn't seem to be lying but I still couldn't believe my ears. He said that me running away from my pack wasn't cowardly at all. Huh?

"What do you mean?" I had to know why he said that. "I ran away. I abandoned them. That is the definition of cowardly."

"I don't think so. You were in a bad situation no matter what you did. If you stayed you would have died. Being an Alpha doesn't mean dying for your pack, it means leading them. You can't be a good Alpha if you're dead. I think you made the right decision."

"Seriously?" That was not something I expected a shifter, let alone an Alpha to say to me.

"Yeah, I am completely serious." He was smiling at me to show that he thought I was being silly. "Now, who was it that was at the house? The one you said would put you in danger? Was that Victor?"

"No, it wasn't Victor." I prematurely saw relief spread across Kyle's face when I said that, but his relief crumpled and was replaced with a grimace after what I said next. "It was his slimy piece of shit brother, Matthew."

"Tell me that Matthew is nowhere near as bad as Victor." I could see that Kyle was hoping for some good news here.

"In terms of being dangerous Matthew is a flea. He isn't the one to worry about doing something to me. The problem is, if I don't stop him then he will tell Victor where I am."

"So Victor is who you've been hiding from all these years. He is the reason why you're basically a ghost when it comes to finding records of you."

"Yes, he is."

"Well, if Matthew sends Victor here we will just make sure that we're gone before he gets here. It's that simple. Though, I am pretty sure I can protect you."

"It won't be that simple. Matthew heard that I was from Boston. He knows where to send Victor to search for me back home. He may not have my address but I am certain that he would bring some buddies and together they will try to hunt me down."

"I won't let him touch you. Not Victor, not Matthew, not a single one of their scummy friends. You're my mate and I am yours. We're in this together. We will beat them and then you won't have to hide anymore." Kyle's arms squeezed around me again, tighter than before.

"He won't fight fair." I pointed that out to him. "If Victor were to fight fair I would have beaten him years ago, but he won't. Victor will be sneaky and underhanded. He will worm his way in before you even know it."

"Not if I am waiting for him! Not if I am waiting and ready to rip his fucking head off.. No one will hurt my woman."