Rejecting, Your Broken Promises
Chapter 124

Peyton’s POV

Royal Knight pack

It has been hard to hold it together for Cassidy’s defense. I had been rejected too, and the pain of it hurts you to your core. It stays with you, even if you get blessed with a second chance mate. I can remember Timothy’s rejection like it had just happened to me yesterday. In my therapy sessions when we were working through it, my therapist told me that even though I couldn’t prevent it, it wasn’t all a bad thing. To look at it from the Goddess’s standpoint. Originally, I was indeed created to be Timothy’s mate. The situation changed though, it changed because Timothy changed with the pain of losing his mother. Then changed even more with his being allowed to do whatever he wanted to do, with no consequences or correction.

That changed him from the man that he was originally supposed to be, into someone else. Into someone who thought that it was OK to take another man’s mate, even though I had already been marked by Percy. Timothy made some real mistakes in his life, but I do think that when I accepted his rejection in the kitchen that it truly hurt him. That he was thinking about the mistake that he made, rejecting me. That he did want me on some level, but just wasn’t brave enough to stand up to the pack that had abused me for so long to do it. He just went the easy route, to not cause any waves, and I am so thankful for his rejecting me. After all that he had done to me at B***d Claw, and taking Fallon as his chosen mate, when he knew I was his mate. I am just thankful that at least he didn’t try to mark her before he tried to reject me.

I heard the testimony that those ladies gave. Their words were real, and heart-wrenching. You could feel the pain that they still felt from it. The fact that all six of them were so careful to note that as much as they went through with their rejections, Cassidy suffered more than them. All of the women left the pack that they were in after their mate marking their chosen mates. Usually because seeing their mate with their chosen would hurt them too much, seeing them together day after day, and building a family with the she-wolf who took their mate. They all ended up accepting the rejection though, none of them wanted to keep any further connection. Cassidy though was still bound to Jasper as her mate and had felt the betrayal each and every time he slept with someone in the pack. They were all amazed at her strength. They all had noted that, in both the live testimony and the two that had recorded theirs, to try to help her. It spoke volumes to the courtroom about how much respect they had for her, to have survived all that she had with Jasper. It was also clear to the courtroom that it was his plan to try to kill her by marking another, on both occasions. He was angry that it hadn’t worked. He should have learned from that, that maybe she wasn’t as weak as he thought she was.

I was scared for Cassidy when Carrie’s parents stood up to address the Council. I can imagine what they want to say. I can also imagine the horrible amount of pain that comes with losing your child. For them to lose their only daughter, had to have been a nightmare for them. We are not downplaying that at all. We are trying to show that Jasper’s actions were the reason that she had been driven out of her mind, in her pain, in her grief, and in an effort to make it stop. She just picked the wrong people to poison. It was Jasper who hurt her so much, so she should have killed him. But with their bond as true mates still in place, Cassidy couldn’t bring herself to do it. She loved him so much, she just couldn’t kill him, no matter how much pain and anguish he put her through. It wasn’t right what she had done, but just thinking about how many she-wolves he had slept with there at Dark Savage. How many times she had felt his betrayal, the pain coming, over and over again. It really is a testimony to her strength that she was functioning as well as she is.

“You are free to speak,” Council Lead Miller told her.

“We are Laura and Peter Henderson, Beta’s at the Wind Song pack, and Carrie was our daughter. She was a beautiful girl, happy and kind. She had developed a crush on Alpha Jasper when she first saw him at 16 for a training event. She knew he was not her mate when he approached her a few years later and started to court her. She did not lie to us about him not being her mate. She told us that even though she respected the mate bond, she was willing to be with Jasper for the rest of her life. That if she ever met her mate, she would reject him. We knew it was a bad idea, that there is nothing better for you than your mate, but she would not listen to what we were telling her. She insisted on being his Luna, so we allowed her to become his chosen mate. We were not worried for her, we have known him for numerous years, and have had many dealing with him, and his pack. He seemed to be a good man, and she was a strong Beta female” Mrs. Henderson had to stop talking as her voice broke, and we knew that she was getting emotional. Her husband rubbed her back gently and held her as she tried to calm herself down. There was silence as we all waited for her to be able to speak again.

“We had asked Jasper before we allowed them to get married, we specifically asked if he had found his mate yet. He told us that he had not, and that was why he was picking a chosen mate. One that he found to be beautiful and strong and be able to provide Dark Savage with strong heirs. We believed him. He lied right to our faces and never gave any inkling that he wasn’t telling us the truth. We wouldn’t have allowed it if he had just told us the truth, and our daughter would still be alive. I am disgusted by the callousness of your actions Jasper. How you could not just hurt your true mate, over and over again, but deliberately try to kill her by marking a chosen mate. Are you not aware that Cassidy could have provided you with strong pups? Or were you just so focused on her being an Omega, that you just couldn’t see past it? You did this, you are the sole person responsible for my daughter’s death. If she could have ignored your charm and good looks, she would still be alive today, and I would have some grandpups. You took that away from me, from us. I will not forgive you or let this go. Your actions and lies are the reason for Carrie’s death. I do not want that young woman punished any further for Carrie’s sake. Cassidy has suffered enough, more than two lifetimes, because of this” she paused trying to think of a word strong enough to describe Jasper, but ended up shaking her head and then nodding to the Council before sitting back down.

“We would like to say something too, if we may” a strong voice rang out in the courtroom. It was Jasmine’s dad Beta Mixon from the Dark Shadows pack.

“While I agree that this poor woman has suffered a great deal, she still killed our daughter. I wish I could give her full grace, or a full pardon, and say that we understood, but I can’t. She had a choice, she could have left the situation that she was in. But she didn’t, and she was the one who took our daughter’s life. My wife, Brenda, who you need to thank because she knows the pain of rejection. I think you and your excuse are just a convenient lie, but my wife assures me that it is not. She had to go through it herself, as we are second-chance mates. She understands the pain that you went through, as her true mate cheated on her, multiple times, trying to force her into accepting his rejection. Which I am happy that she did. She does not know the pain of having your mate mark another, while still bonded to you. That is your saving grace, as she believes what these ladies have told us today. I still think that some form of punishment is required here. I know you feel bad about it, I can tell that you are being honest in your feelings of regret, and I see that you are acknowledging your wrongdoing. That will not bring my baby girl back to life though, will it? I do not think that you should be put to death for it, as your actions, although premeditated, stemmed from the pain that Jasper put you through at Dark Savage. I believe that originally you were planning on killing Jasper. That way if he changed you could pull back on your plan” Beta Mixon stopped speaking and looked to his wife. We could all tell that he was overcome with emotions on this. The pain that they still felt was palpable in the room. Jasmine’s death was more recent and still very fresh in their minds. I bet you never get over the pain of losing your child. He squeezes his mate’s hand, and then straightens his shoulders, and started talking again.

“I place the full blame though, on Alpha Jasper. He lied to us, and our daughter, to get us to agree for Jasmine to be his chosen mate. She saw what she wanted to see. He was attractive to her, and she fell hard for him. She fell for his charming words, and actions toward her. She spoke to her mother every day on the phone, and he cheated on her and didn’t attempt to hide it from Jasmine that he had. It was like a switch was flipped about a month after she got to Dark Savage. He became another man, one that she no longer wanted to be with, but was ashamed of her choice at having accepted being his chosen Luna. It was like now that she was there, he didn’t care about her anymore. That her whole purpose was just for her to give him an heir. I didn’t know, and it took two more months of it happening before she told her mother what was going on. She was humiliated by what had happened as she had been waiting on her true mate when he in and swept her off her feet. She did not deserve what happened to her, she loved him, and he deliberately broke her heart. I came here originally to make sure that both he and Cassidy were given the death penalty for their actions. But after hearing the testimony of these women and hearing my mate’s thoughts on it. I am OK with what the court decides to do for Cassidy. I will never get my daughter back. I only hope that Jasmine thinks that what I am doing was fair and just. She was a sweet girl, and she figured it out. She told her mother that he had lied to her, that he did have a mate, one that his wolf wanted, but one that Jasper refused to accept. She felt terrible at what had happened, and I believe that she would have wanted us to allow this woman to have a happy life, with her second chance mate. I will defer to your sentence, I just wanted to speak for my daughter. Her life was cut short because Jasper wanted someone young, that he could control because there was no bond there. He picked innocent young women and preyed on them. He is a deceitful man and has hurt so many. I pray that it ends here, today, as he should not be allowed to harm anyone else” Beta Mixon finished, and he and his wife sat down. Everyone could see the pain that they were going through from this, and my heart breaks for them. But I am very glad at what he said, both sets of parents were going to be OK with the verdict. They were not going to pursue the death penalty for Cassidy. That is a good thing.

“I wanted to say one more thing in Cassidy’s defense. It isn’t widely known, but it may bring some peace to these two families here that lost their daughters. Cassidy was overcome with guilt. She knew what she had done was wrong, and she used the same poison on her own self because she wanted to die, for having taken her anger out on Carrie and Jasmine. She realized too late that she should have just accepted the rejection and left Dark Savage, but she had nowhere to go, no friends, or family to help her. She drank the same poison that she had been giving them, in a much higher dose, and she did indeed die. She died in front of a number of people; including myself, Leader Miller, King Sebastian, Peyton, and a number of witnesses who are also present in this room. She is only alive because Peyton jumped in and saved her with her healing power. Cassidy knew that she deserved to be punished, and she went through the same things that both girls experienced with their death. She did get punishment, at her own hands. She was then brought back by a kindhearted girl, one who knew the pain of rejection and couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t try to save Cassidy. I wanted you to all be aware of that, as it wasn’t known. I happen to agree with what Beta Mixon said. I believe that this whole thing had been caused by Jasper. So, I am good to leave my vote for the death penalty for Jasper himself. I believe that Cassidy has suffered enough at his hands for several lifetimes, and as the Council goes to take into account what the witnesses have said. The facts as they have been given to you should stand for themselves, especially the fact that she was willing to kill herself, to make it right. Please acknowledge what the families have also said, which is now a matter of note as the proceedings are all being audio and video recorded. I personally believe in my heart, that the Goddess has forgiven Cassidy. It is rare to receive a second chance mate, especially for an Omega-ranked wolf. But Cassidy has received her second chance mate. We all know that mates are gifts straight from the Goddess. This is a clear indication that the Goddess knew Cassidy’s heart, and knew she really felt bad for her actions. If the Goddess can forgive Cassidy. Remembering that we all know that the Goddess knows much more than we do. Who are we to further punish Cassidy?” Council member Phillips finished speaking and looked around the gallery. She turned to the front and had the tech then play her recorded video.

We all hear her voice ring out into the hall speaking her opinion of what has happened, and her defense, laid out clearly and concisely for all to hear it. She speaks with no emotions, just telling the facts, and then why she believes that Cassidy should be spared. I glanced over at Jasper who is livid. I see him clenching and unclenching his hands, and I know for a fact that he is about to lose it in the courtroom. I am worried about Cassidy. His eyes keep going back and forth between Teresa, and Cassidy like he doesn’t know who to attack first. I can see that his wolf is close to the surface, but his wolf is not going to allow him to attack Cassidy. I can see where the problem lies now. Just like in my situation, the wolf wanted his true mate. He never wanted anyone else, and Jasper wanted a ranked wolf. He was able to suppress his wolf, probably because he was an Alpha. But with him stripped of his rank now, I am interested in seeing how this ends up playing out for him. Since people can hear Teresa’s voice all around the room, some have started watching Jasper too. They include my dad and Percy, who are both ready to leap to my defense at a moment’s notice if needed. But I don’t think that he will be coming for me. I think that he will be trying to hurt either Teresa or Cassidy, depending on who wins this battle of the will going on inside Jasper.

I feel bad for his wolf having to live with Jasper, all these years wanting his mate and Jasper refusing to allow it. It must have been so hard for him. I feel a tear falling as I member how much Malachi loved and wanted me. How Timothy had to leave the pack early because he knew that it was a matter of time before Malachi was going to try to mark and mate me. How I wasn’t good enough for Timothy to want to accept me. I look forward and I see from my dad’s face, he knew exactly what I was thinking about. He glanced back to Jasper to watch for any aggressive moves on his part. Teresa’s video comes to a close, and silence is all over the room. No one is speaking because we are all waiting on Jasper to do whatever it is that he is fighting over.

We see his head come up and I gasped as I see that Jasper has won the battle of control for the moment. I see his eyes narrow on Cassidy, and I know that he is about to attack her. His intent is clear. He didn’t get to kill her before, so now he is going to try again before he loses his own life. He is cuffed to the chair, but the chair, although heavy, is not fixed in place. He jumps forward dragging it behind him screaming, “This is all your fault, Cassidy. I am so sick of you and you’re wanting to stay with me. I rejected you for a reason. You are a worthless she-wolf, and I am going to kill you, just like I should have years ago”