Gray Valley

e i g h t y - t h r e e

WE WENT DOWN TO THE CELLS.

Anna waited for us at the entrance; the expression on her face, serious and her voice, steady, as she spoke.

"Did he tell you?"

I knew the meaning of her question.

"Yes."

There was silence.

I caught sight of my brother behind her.

There was a complicated expression on his face and I could understand him.

Mary.

She had betrayed him, poisoned him for years, turned him into a monster, abandoned him, hurt him, started a war and killed those important to him. She killed Liam.

But she was still his Soulmate.

And that was... Forever.

He did not know the  decision I had made about her.

I could understand his complicated emotions.

"And have you made your decision?" Anna asked.

She was considerate with her choice of words. She could see the expression on West's face and as his Soulmate, she knew of the disturbance within him, so she was considerate.

"Please, take me to her cell, Anna. I have made my decision."

She led the way through the entrance and into a corridor with rows of cells.

I could sense the others behind us.

West, Blayze, Bryan...

But there was one person who was not behind us.

"Where is Martyn?"

"He didn't want to come," I heard from Bryan.

Mary had hurt her brother as much as she had hurt West.

"I can't forgive you."

I let out a breath.

Those were the last words Martyn had said to Mary.

And even time had not changed those words.

He couldn't forgive her. Even if I had made the decision to kill her... He couldn't forgive her.

We reached the last cell in the corridor.

The cell was surrounded by guards, from the Pack, who tensed when they noticed me.

"Alpha." 

They lowered their heads in respect.

"We have come to see the prisoner."

They hesitated, as they looked between themselves, before one of the guards responded.

"With respect, Alpha, it is not safe for you to see the prisoner."

I may have agreed with the guards in the past.

I did not have the confidence.

But...

"She is Weslyn Grayson... And she will be the Alpha of the Luna Pack."

"There's no one more perfect to be our Alpha than you and I'm sure... Mother and father would think the same if they were here."

"It doesn't matter. You may be a good Alpha. And... You may be a bad Alpha. But you're Weslyn Grayson. We want you as our Alpha. And... We need you as our Alpha. So... It doesn't matter if you're a good Alpha." 

But the past was not the present.

I was Alpha Weslyn Grayson.

I smiled at the guard who had responded to my command.

"Do you think your Alpha is that weak, Gregory?"

The guard, Gregory, shook his head. "No, Alpha, there is no person as strong as you."

I knew that his words were out of respect but I knew they would become true.

I was going to be strong.

I was still weak, mentally and emotionally, but I was going to be strong.

I was going to be strong... For myself. For those that I loved. For the Pack. And... For Liam.

I had the confidence that it would become true.

The guards opened the cell to allow my entrance.

And I stepped in.