Unforgivable

Luna Vanessa felt very sorry for her two colleagues and friends. She tried to support them as much as she could, but she herself was touched by so much injustice. After what had happened with John’s daughter and now it was at Liam’s door that misfortune had come knocking. The only good news was that Niels would come out of it without any damage thanks to John’s healing gift. Poor boy, he had arrived at the hospital in a bad state.

It was a good thing that morning that Violet had forgotten her phone and made her mother turn around to get it. They had arrived in time to save Niels, even though Violette had been traumatised and had remained silent for three days.

After visiting Niels - who had not yet woken up due to the amount of blood he had lost and the trauma of his attack - Luna Vanessa found Liam in the break room lost in thought.

“Hey, how are you feeling this morning? You shouldn’t be here.” She said to him, sitting by his side.

“Hey Nessa, I can’t stay home all this stuff is driving me crazy.” Liam explained.

“I know... I can’t sleep anymore so I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you.” Nessa commented in agreement with him.

“And at least here I can keep an eye on Niels... Violet is still as closed off as ever and absolutely won’t talk about what happened last night. She didn’t even tell us she was going to see Orion. We tried to ask her why and she just shut down again.”

“I’m so sorry our guards failed.” Luna Vanessa declared, feeling responsible.

“Don’t be.”

“Something is troubling you, isn’t it?”

“How do you know?”

“Liam, you’re my best friend, I know you. Do you want to talk about it?” She questioned him.

“Charlotte didn’t see anything and she’s my mate.” He commented.

“She’s full of it as well.”

“You’re right...”

Then he continued: “None of this makes sense. I’m sure Orion’s behaviour is related to Mara’s suicide attempt. But how? That what's scaring me...”

“Yes, he was obsessed with her protection and well-being... But they weren’t even mates so why?” Luna Vanessa agreed with him.

“I don’t know. Same as why attack Niels so violently?”

“Jealousy maybe?” She offered.

“In that case why attacking Niels’ genitals? That sounds more like revenge.” Gamma continued.

“Revenge? What for? For whom? You don’t think Niels had anything to do with what happened to him?” She asked surprised by her friend’s reasoning.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to be lucid because something is wrong. I feel that something is slipping away. You know how when he was six years old he witnessed the rape and murder of my sister-in-law and her mate?”

Luna Vanessa nodded her head. What a horrible story. A rogue attack, in Charlotte’s birth pack. Niels was there to spend the holidays with his cousins. The rogues had spared him but forced him to watch everything. Niels had been having a psychologist for more than 3 years to help him overcome this traumatic experience.

Gamma Liam shook his head so as not to relive that tragic moment and continued to explain, “Well a little over two years ago, while cleaning his room Charlotte came across a diary where Niels was describing his fantasies and it was dark, sadistic even. Horrific even. He described scenes of torture and rape... Anyway, he went to see a shrink that John recommended and I think it helped him. Or I thought it did. Now I’m not so sure about that because of the sexual nature of his attack.”

“My goddesses Liam! Why didn’t you tell me about this at the time? I could have supported you.”

“Charlotte begged me not to talk about it. She would let us talk to John about it so he could recommend someone but even the girls don’t know anything. We didn’t want them to be scared of their own brother.” Gamma Liam declared.

“So you think Niels did it? That he fulfilled one of his sadistic fantasies and Orion found out?” Luna Vanessa questioned him.

“I know it’s horrible! How can I think that about my own son. I'm a terrible father! You can’t imagine how much this is torturing me.”

“You are a wonderful father Liam. Don’t feel guilty. You have reason to have doubts. And right now, I admire how you want to find the trust and not only punish the person responsible.”

“Still. It’s so hard! If I share my doubts with Charlotte she’ll never forgive me. ” sighed Gamma Liam, putting his head in his hands.

Or she’ll be even more devastated, thought Luna Vanessa.

“You think Mara is the victim?” She asked instead.

“It’s a possibility... It would explain why she jumped, the assault on her in the hospital, and why Orion became her guardian.”

“It’s rare to have a guardian. Do you think Mara was in so much danger to have awakened that instinct in him?” Luna Vanessa asked, wanted to focus the discussion on something else then Niels. This was really disturbing.

“That or she’s important...”

“She doesn’t really have a rank but maybe her mate?” Luna Vanessa continued the reasoning.

“That is a possibility. But at the same time it doesn’t explain how Orion, who hasn’t had as much training as Niels and who doesn’t have a rank either, could beat a future Gamma so easily.” Gamma Liam says, relieved to be able to share and develop his ideas with his friend.

“Unless Mara is destined to be a Luna. In which case, Orion is also a Gamma.”

“You’re right! And it would explain why he was able to resist the Alpha's voice of your mate.” Gamma Liam agreed.

“Oh my goddess, you are right! When his Luna is in danger, the Gamma can resist his Alpha’s orders since she remains his priority no matter what!”

Standing up, Luna Vanessa stated: “We have to talk to Sloan about this! Let’s go ahead and do it now!”

As they approached the pack house, Alpha Sloan mindlinked her: “Babe! I need to talk to you and to Liam too. It’s a sensitive subject. Can you come now.”

“We’re already on our way. We too need to talk to you urgently. We’ll be there in a minutes, Love.” She replied.

“Sloan is waiting for us. He has some things to tell us too.” She said to her Gamma.He nodded and they quickened their pace.