All it Takes is Love
Chapter 16

“Then is there someone here who has any knowledge of medicine if she needs it?” Byron asked, once more moving his eyes over the crowd, searching.

A hand slowly went up, and a young girl came forward to say, “I’m Annie, sir. My mom was the Pack doctor when Alpha Johns was alive. I might could help if needed.”

“Good, you are now our pack doctor,” Bryon stated as he smiled at her. Glancing over his shoulder, he pointed at the two men who still stood there. “Men, go with Annie. See if there are more in the cells that shouldn’t be there. If there is, release them.”

“Yes, Alpha Rhodes,” the men each said.

“There isn’t anyone criminal like in those cells, Alpha Rhodes, sir. There are only people like the girl,” the guard mentioned then.

“Okay. Get them out, and if there is a medical building, take them all there for now. I’ll be by later to find out why each of them was in the cells,” Bryon said.

The old guard nodded and led the way for Levi, Annie, and the two warriors.

When they were gone, Byron turned his attention to the third man. He looked to be the saddest and the youngest of them all. Gently, he asked, “What is your story?”

The boy looked down and refused to speak.

Byron frowned and stepped closer to get a better look at him. Lifting his face with a hand under his chin, Bryon gazed deeply into his eyes then softy spoke, “Please, tell me your name, and then tell me your story. I only want to help.”

The boy whispered so softly that even with his wolf’s help, Byron had trouble hearing him. He said, “My name is Dan. Chester…” he swallowed hard, “Chester beat me almost to death because I told my mom…” A sob broke from him.

Byron pulled him into his arms. Tilting his head so that the boy’s mouth was at his ear, he whispered, “It’s okay, take your time. Chester is dead and can no longer hurt you. You need to tell someone what happened, and it will never go further than my ears.”

“I told my mom about him…(sob)…about him raping me. When he found somehow found out, he came to our home. First, he beat me before he raped me again, making my mom watch. Then he beat her too while I lay on the floor bleeding and unable to help. He hurt her so badly that she’s in a coma and has been for two weeks now. Chester was a sick man Alpha Rhodes, sir, and after his mate died, he went even crazier,” Dan whispered as sobs continued to come forth.

“Hush, now, it’s alright. He won’t ever hurt you again,” Byron told him as he held back the urge to be sick at what he had just heard. It sickened him how perverted the man had been and the damage he had done to his Pack. “Do you know if you were the only one?”

The boy shook his head.

Byron took a fortifying breath. He wished the man was in front of him so he could kill him again. “How many?”

Dan sniffled a bit, then said, “I don’t know, three, maybe four. That I know of anyway.”

“Okay, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to find these young men. When you do, let me know. After I settle some things here, I’ll tell you where to bring them, and we’ll talk. I’ll need to find a soundproof place because this is something that no one else ever needs to know. I know talking about it will never make it better, but I promise it will help.”

“O-okay, thank you, sir,” the boy said as he moved away.

Byron smiled at him as he walked back into the crowd. Then he turned his full attention once more to the four remaining friends of Chester who looked even madder than they had looked earlier.

“You four,” Byron said as he gave them a look of disgust. “I think you see no need to change your ways. You think that Chester and his father were right in what they did. Am I correct in this?”

They only snarled.

“Okay then. I believe for the good of the Pack then you….” Byron began but never finished because the first man suddenly shifted. Then he headed toward Byron with intent to kill evident in his eyes.

Byron did what any good Alpha would do; he snarled and shifted. Lunging back, Byron battled the enraged beast, and soon they were both covered in blood. One of his friends decided to join and jumped on Byron’s back, trying to bring him down.

Byron’s wolf took offense to their utter disrespect and snarled in Byron’s head, “Now they must die.” He agreed with his wolf.

So, Byron quickly lunged at the one in front of him, ignoring the one on his back, and tore out his throat. Next, Byron did a flip, which dislodged the second one, and ripped his throat out also. Then, he took a fighting stance between the two dead wolves and snarled at the other two as if saying, ‘who’s next?’

They stood looking wide-eyed at him.

Byron knew they wanted to live more than they wanted to fight.

So, kneeling in front of Byron’s wolf, they bowed their heads in submission.

Shifting back to his human form, Byron stated, “You are pardoned, but if you ever cross me, it will be your life.”

“Yes, sir, Alpha Rhodes,” they both said.

Byron walked back to Lynn, and she held him close as he shook at the loss of life. In a whisper, he told her, “This being Alpha stuff is hard.”

Lynn rubbed his back as she told him, “It will get easier now that you don’t have possible traitors among the members.”

“I hope you’re right because after hearing what has been going on here,” he paused to breathe out. “Oh, Lynn, it makes my stomach turn.”

“I know. I lived here, remember?” She asked.” Although I’m beginning to realize I didn’t know the half of it.”

Taking one more deep breath, Byron turned to face the crowd once more. “I’m going to go look around, but first, I want those that were servants in the Alpha’s home to step forward, please.”

Three women slowly stepped out of the crowd along with two young men.

“Did Chester have a separate home?” Byron quietly asked Lynn.

Lynn nodded.

“Now, I want those that were servants in Chester’s home to step forward,” Byron said.

Eight more women, the youngest one looking like she was no more than thirteen, stepped forward along with three young boys.

“Okay, those of you that worked for Raymond. I want you to go to his home and clean it out. In a few minutes, I’ll send two warriors with barrels. I want you to burn whatever will burn, clothes, pictures, papers, things of that nature. The only thing I ask that you don’t touch would be his office if he had one because I need to go through anything that might pertain to the Pack there first.

“Now, I don’t know if any of you have mates or families, but here is what I want you to do. You will sell everything he owned, cars, furniture, jewelry, anything of value, and divide it among you. When the house is empty, I’ll have someone burn it to the ground.”

The Pack collectively gasp as they stared at him.

“The servants of Chester will do the same thing with his home. Empty it of everything so someone can burn it as well,” Byron continued.

“But Alpha, don’t you want one of them as your home? Both are nice houses, almost new,” someone called out.

Byron shook his head. “No. Those houses are tainted with greed and perversion. If nobody else understands this, the ones who worked there do. Their lives were made miserable there, and I doubt one of them wouldn’t dance a dance of freedom as they watch it burn. Am I right?”

The servants looked at each other then back at Byron as they nodded.

“Then I’m doing the right thing by doing this. This Pack needs to be cleansed of pain. One way of doing that is to wipe out all signs of the one who caused the pain. It won’t wipe them from your memories, but at least you won’t have to pass by their houses every day and remember,” Byron said in conclusion. “Now, if someone will point me to Raymond’s office, I’ll start there.”

“No, Byron, you need to see the ones in the clinic first,” Lynn reminded him.

“Sorry, I forgot,” Byron rubbed his head. “Okay, Pack Clinic first.”

“Alpha Rhodes, sir. It’s well past lunch. Would you and your mate like a bite to eat,” a female off to his left asked.

Byron turned to find a girl who probably wasn’t more than seventeen. “That would be lovely, thank you…?”

“Sara.”

“Sara,” he murmured, smiling at her.

Sara gave a slight bow and hurried away as another lady stepped forward. “This way, Alpha Rhodes. I’ll show you where to go. My name is Margie. I was the Alpha’s… um, assistant.”

“Alright, Margie, lead the way,” Byron said. He was curious over her wording and figured there was a story there. Eventually, he would ask her, but for now, he just took Lynn’s hand and followed the woman.

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