Risen From the Ashes

XI

I stormed off from the fight we had in the throne room. I told myself I wasn't going to leave Alex by himself through all of this, but while he was passed out on the throne room floor and I couldn't get him up, I started thinking about what I wanted so long ago for my family. Justice. Mercy. All the things they deserved before him. 

Just because I was stuck with him, doesn't mean he's a good person. 

I made my way down the hallway and burst into a room to cry in by myself. I ended up in Alexander's study room. There were books that lined both sides of the wall, some ancient books and some newer books, all of them dealing with some type of government or pack history. Something compelled me forward and I moved to his desk. What had been more important than me and his daughter for the past half week. 

It was a large, thicker book. The pages were sun-tanned and withered, some of the words had faded and that's why there was a mangifying glass pushed to the side to read the faded words. I dragged my finger on the leader bound side, feeling how rough and dry it was. This book hasn't seen the light of day in years. 

I finally found myself in Alexander's chair and started to trace my finger over the words. I wasn't particularly reading the words, because there were in old english and had spelt simple words differently. 

I lifted the front of the cover and examined it. There were inticate details in the leather edges that bordered the title. "THE INDOCTRINE OF ALPHA." 

I recalled back to the conversation that had just occured in my home. "Indoctrine." was thrown around a lot. This must have been what he was talking about. I turned the pages, quickly skimming the information packed pages for any ideas as it spoke. It read like The Bill of Rights. Old timey and detailed. I was going to need a translator if I wanted to understand what this said. 

I was about to close the book when I saw a piece of paper stuffed under the back cover. I pulled it out and read it over. This was more familiar wording. This was Alex's handwriting. There was a lot of scratch marks on the lines, but there were parts on the paper that were legible. I skimmed the page. 

"Murder of packs. 5? 

Extravagence of deaths?? 

Abuse of war powers

Creation of offspring-" 

The word offspring had been stopped halfway through, like he didn't want to right it. As I looked over the page again, these were almost exact repeats of what The Council had charged him with officially. The paper in my hand got crumbled into my fist as my blood pressure was rising once again. 

He knew. 

He knew they were coming to my home and taking away my daughter and denouncing him. He knew. For how long? A day? It must have been that night his father pulled him to the side. And he lied right to my face. I felt betrayed. Hurt that he would lie to me when we promised each other we would rule together and equally. No secrets. No backtalk. No undermining of power. He went behind my back and lied to me. 

The thought of testifying against him didn't seem that bad anymore. I wouldn't have a mate, but he already broke my heart twice. What is going to stop him for trying it again. And again and again. Nothing matters to him. Nothing can change him. The Goddess gave me a killer and a liar. I was sick of it. 

I stood up from the desk and threw the paper on the ground, marching my way out of the study and up the stairs to my bedroom. I wasn't being overdramatic. This is what needs to happen. I needed to leave. 

Once I opened my bedroom door, I saw that Alexander was already laying on his back across the bed.  His head shot up and I met his eyes, but I continued forward, going to the closet and swinging it open to grab a small travel bag. He got the energy that I wasn't here to apologize. He stood up from the bed and followed my movements to the dresser as I pulled drawers open and started stuffing clothes in the travel bag. 

"What are you doing, Ke'aysha?" I didn't answer him. He was probably going to lie to me again if I said something truthful. I wasn't going to stand for him anymore. I began focusing on the things going into my bag. Shirts. Pants. Underwear. Bras. Socks. I went back to the closet to grab another pair of shoes than the ones I was wearing now. "Ke'aysha!" 

"Don't." I turned around to him and stuck my finger in his face and he stepped back from my sudden aggression. He gave me enough room to slip by him and out of the room. My next stop was Jazmyne's room. 

"Ke'aysha, wait. Talk to me!" He called. He was close behind me, trying to keep up with my elongated strides of rage. "What are you doing?"

I finally turned on my heel to him, everything I was holding in came spilling out again, "I'm giving you what you want and leaving you alone!"

I heard him scoff as I opened her door and started to gather some of her clothes together into the travel bag. "Of course I don't want to leave me alone. Where is this coming from?"

I began to rant as I worked, "You lie to me, you tell me I'm overreacting! I can't believe I thought you changed. I thought you were finally different."

"I am different, Ke'aysha! Come on!" I lost it.

"You knew about The Council! You knew about the Indoctrine! You knew about the charges! You knew about everything and you kept me in the dark like an idiot!" The realization of what I was talking about finally came to him. "You lied to me three nights ago and went off and undermined me! You broke your promises!"

He was much quieter now. Not trying to stop my movements of zipping up the bag of clothes. I made sure to pick up her bookbag to take with me. "Ke'aysha. I didn't mean to-"

"But you did! You did and there's nothing you can do to change that, Alex!" I pushed passed him. Stepping out and into the throne room. I heard his footsteps behind me, but I ignored them.

"I wanted to tell you," he muttered.

I was the one to scoff this time, "Oh, please. If you wanted to tell me so bad, you would have told me."

He couldn't argue with me. He knew I was right and there's was no excuse he could come up with to tell me. He gave up.

I picked up the travel bag and her bookbag to take it to her. He didn't stop me. I walked out of the house, not looking back, and started to head to my daughter who was taken away from me because of Alexander.