Chapter 67

                                    

                                          

Tee POV
Steam rolls off me as I stare across the desk at Shane.  I'm happy to see him back working, and his mating bond has formed properly after the rocky start, but the situation with the pack's attitude and the wild rumors circling around has my blood pressure going through the roof. 
I shake my head.  "This can't be happening.  Everyone has put in so much effort and time to make sure Alpha Marcus' hold on the pack was dissolved.  How can the pack be in this situation now?  They don't even know that Copter should have been their luna originally, or that the greedy Bambi conspired with Alpha Marcus to pull a scam over on Kimmon and the pack.  If they knew the truth, I would hope they wouldn't have the same prejudices, but deep down, I know I'm only grasping at straws.  They would have probably talked about Colton the same way."
My stomach twists and my heart aches.  How could things have ended up like this?
Colton doesn't need it.  He has gone through so much and deserves a happy ending, not a rocky one.
Shane sighs and shakes his head.  "You're right.  If we could only come up with some way to get the people to give Colton a chance.  I'm sure as soon as they know exactly what kind of person Colton is, they will like him."
I nod and glance to the chair beside me at Tae.  "You are the one with the great analytical mind.  Do you have any idea about what we can do to get the pack to like Colton?  I'm afraid this won't be good for him and his sanity if he has to fight this anger every day.  I know I would go crazy."
Crazy isn't exactly what I would call it.  If I had to put up with a pack full of people hating me because I'm a male omega, I would come unglued.
I quickly add, "I don't think we can leave until it is safe for Colton."
Tae's loving eyes soften.  "I agree.  We can't leave until it is safe for him.  Unfortunately, this is a little different from our usual battles, and I haven't had time to think through it to come up with a solution."
I pat his leg.  "We will think this through, and I'm sure we will come up with something that will work."  I wish I could have faith in my words. 
Shane slowly exhales.  "Unfortunately, I don't have the foggiest idea of what will work.  The only thing I know is we can't force it.  If we do, it won't work.  The pack will hate him more."
As we fall into silence thinking about our options, Shane's office door flies open, and Max and Tul run in.  
Max screams, "MOMMY!!  DADDY!!!"
I spin around in my chair, and my heart sinks. 
Behind Max, tears stream down Tul's face while rage burns bright in my son. 
"Shh...  What happened?  Did someone try to hurt you? Or scare you?"
The two boys run into my open arms and wrap their tiny arms around me.  Tul buries his face into my chest, while Max huffs, "The meanie tried it again.  I didn't have any choice.  I had to do it.  The big meanie was going to hurt Tul.  I had to stop him."
I shake my head.  "Who?  And what did they do?  Talk slowly, so we can understand."
Max leans back and pats Tul's shoulder.  A mix of anger, sympathy, and concern spread across his face.  "Don't worry.  I won't let the meanie hurt you.  We are safe here."
Shane sits up in his chair.  "Max, what exactly did you do?"  He raises an eyebrow.  "Should I be concerned?"
Max flashes him his big puppy eyes and shakes his head.  "No.  I did the right thing.  But you might be mad."
I tense slightly.  Nothing good ever comes when he says something like that.
Shane leans forward and rests his arms on the desk.  "Tell me exactly what you have done.  Don't wait any longer."  Concern is woven through his words. 
Tae nods and gives Max a stern eye.  "What is it?"
Max looks at Tul and hurt flashes across his face as Tul continues to sob. "The meanie grabbed Tul and made him scream in pain.  I told the big jerk to stop it, but he wouldn't listen to me.  Tul was screaming in pain, but the dog man didn't care."
My stomach sinks as I tighten my arms around Tul.  How could anyone do this to him?  He is Sun Moon's heir and will take the alpha position even as a male omega, with Max as his alpha mate.  It is proper manners to give him a certain amount of respect, just like any other alpha heir. 
Shane narrows his eyes.  "Dog man?  Are you talking about the guy you made bark like a dog?"
Max gives him a quick nod.  "Yes.  He was hurting Tul again."
Tae quickly demands, "What did you do?  You need to tell us."
Max glances around at us and takes a deep breath.  "He grabbed Tul's arm and called him a disgusting male omega who was a mistake."  My son shakes his head.  "Tul isn't a mistake."
My heart aches. 
Max lifts Tul's shirt sleeve until bruises appear, and small little cuts where fingernails dug into his delicate skin. 
No.  How can anyone do that to him? 
Tae quickly pulls his phone out and takes pictures of them before they disappear.    
"And here too, daddy."  Max lifts Tul's arm, exposing the underside of Tul's arm. 
Shane says, "Please, continue."
Max glances across the desk at him and bobs his head up and down.  "I told him to stop.  I told him Tul wasn't a mistake, and he was my mate.  He ended up getting a crazy look in his eyes and started shaking Tul and screaming other bad things at him.  I clawed at his hand to free Tul, but I tried not to use my power, like you said.  I didn't want to get into trouble, but..."
Max drops his head a little and looks at us through his eyelashes, while Tul sobs louder.  "Dog man raised his hand to hit Tul, and I snapped.  No one does that to my mate.  No one."  His last two words come out in a lower octave, almost in a threatening tone, as if he is an adult. 
My chest tightens. 
Shane leans farther over his desk and grunts, "What did you do?"
"I made him punish himself instead of Tul."  His eyes narrow as steam rolls off him. 
A sense of pride fills me.  My baby is growing up and is willing to do whatever he needs to do to protect his mate.  Some adults haven't learned how to protect their mate.
Tul's sobs grow louder, and I quickly push my pride to the side as the reality of the situation hits me. 
With a stern look, Tae grunts, "Only one punch?"
Somehow, I have a feeling I know the answer, and I'm not surprised when Max shakes his head. 
Shane demands, "How many times did you make him punch himself?"
Max goes quiet, and he looks down at the floor, losing the confidence he had moments ago.  Softly, he mumbles something, but even with my wolf hearing, I can't hear him or understand what he says. 
Tae grabs his shoulders and turns our son to face him.  "Son, tell us how many punches you made him do?"
Max kicks his foot back and forth and keeps his focus on the wooden floor in front of him. 
Tae's voice gets deeper, and it carries an underlying warning as he repeats himself.  "How many punches did you make him do?"
Tul's tiny hands pull on my shirt, and through his sobs he replies, "Until the dog man fell down."