The Four Beta Brothers
Chapter 152

ETHAN

I opened the door to the prison for Kalli, allowing her to enter first. I followed behind her and nodded to the guards already standing in the room. Charles sat on the other side of the table, shackles restraining both his hands and feet together. I knew the shackles weren't necessary. I had already faced him once, and despite being an alpha, he was just a sniveling puppet master. He had no fighting skills, wasting his alpha bloodline.

Kalli sat down first, and I followed. She was in charge of the interrogation, and I was curious to see what kind of skills she had. She had already impressed me on the training grounds, showing her strength and cunning like it was as natural as breathing air. I couldn't imagine a better luna for this pack or for Winston, but I also couldn't imagine her succeeding at interrogating someone.

She was sweet and always talking about one thing or another. She supported those around her in a way very few did. She was especially good to Juniper, which was enough for me to like her. Juniper deserved more love in her life.

However, that very personality trait made it difficult to imagine her being as brutal as necessary to get information out of someone. I knew personally how cold hearted you had to be to inflict pain on someone for information. I hated the times I had to do it, but I learned over time that sometimes it was necessary to act in morally gray spaces if it meant the safety of the good.

"How has your time in prison treated you?" Kalli asked, as if she was asking someone how their vacation was.

Charles scoffed. "You don't know how to treat your prisoners correctly. I requested a better bed, and your guards scoffed at me. If you're going to keep me prisoner, then you could at least make my life comfortable."

"Have you forgotten why you're in prison in the first place?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I couldn't believe the audacity of the man. He was used to getting his way, and he still didn't understand that his life would never be like that again. Charles clicked his tongue. "What I've done doesn't matter. I'm under your care. You need to treat me like-"

"We don't have to treat you in any particular way," Kalli said, her voice turning to ice. "You aided in the capture of Juniper Johnson, a new and dear friend of mine. Because of you, she was drugged and shot and nearly died. Not only that, but you helped Anthony Burrell try to overthrow Alpha Williams and kill his entire family. You nearly helped start a war with vampires in the process. You are not simply in prison for a mistake you made. You are in a prison because you are a terrorist to all werewolves. You will never see the light of day again, and you're lucky to even still be alive."

Charles paled as Kalli spoke. "I warned Anthony not to get in bed with the vampires. I told him that they were bad news. I never wanted to start a war. I just wanted-" He cut himself off suddenly, realizing he was saying too much.

"You wanted what? More power?" Kalli asked. "You were the principal of one of the most prestigious schools for all werewolves and the alpha of your pack. You had more power than most even dream of, yet you were willing to risk the lives of the innocent to get more. You were willing to kill to get more."

Sweat started to gather on Charles' forehead. I had been through this once with Winston before. Charles admitted to his crimes as a plea to get a lifetime in prison instead of the death sentence. According to his story, the only time he got his hands dirty was when he attempted to kidnap Juniper. I had no doubt that was the truth. He didn't have the backbone to actually kill someone himself. He was the type to sit on a throne and order others to dirty their hands on his behalf.

"I never killed anyone. I swear." His voice quivered, just like the first time. He would never have what it took to take a life with his own hands.

"Yet your hands are still stained red," Kalli said simply. "You may not have been the one to actually kill someone, but your actions, your choices, your words led to countless deaths. Children lost their mothers and fathers during the attack on our pack house, and even though you weren't there, you aided Anthony, allowing him to attack us. Cry all you want, saying you never pulled the trigger, but I know the truth."

The laugh lines that normally decorated Kalli's face were nowhere to be found. There was no mercy in her eyes, making her look like an entirely different woman. She may have been one to smile and laugh every day, but there was a fierce warrior underneath the surface, and I knew I had underestimated my luna.

"You already granted me a life in prison," Charles stammered. "You can't take that away. I already told you everything that I know."

"I don't believe you." Kalli wasn't affected by the pathetic show Charles was putting on. "You see, Elijah Williams was attacked last night. We thought we had tracked down all of Anthony's associates, but clearly we missed someone. I'm sure you know something we don't, so now it's your time to start talking."

Charles stilled, and the corner of his lip twitched. It was the slightest facial expression, and a single blink could've caused me to miss it. However, it was a glimmer of hope or amusement. I wasn't sure which it was, but that didn't matter.

"It's a shame he was attacked," Charles said, staring Kalli directly in the eyes. For a spineless man, he had guts. Or maybe he found the attack to be a win.

Maybe he knew Kalli wouldn't do anything to him.

"Who attacked him?" Kalli asked, her tone turning sweet for just a moment.

Charles shrugged. "Who indeed would do such a thing? I suppose Elijah made many enemies during his time as alpha."

Kalli stood up, grabbing Charles' finger and bent it back until it snapped. Charles screamed and attempted to pull away, but Kalli held onto his finger, ready to twist it. With her other hand, she grabbed a dagger from her belt and held it to his throat. I got whiplash from her sudden movement, and I was sure Charles was ready to piss himself again.

Kalli's voice lowered, so even I could barely hear her. "I'm not interested in playing games, so I'd suggest you choose your next words carefully. Lie to me, and you'll prove that you're useless. I'll drive this dagger into your throat without a second thought." "If you kill me, you'll never find out what I know," Charles muttered, sweating profusely now.

Kalli twisted his finger, causing him to scream again. "If you refuse to tell me what you know, what does it matter if you're alive or dead, and don't try to say you don't know anything. You just made it clear you know something."

Charles opened his mouth, but then he quickly shut it, as if he realized what he was about to say would be a terrible mistake.

"Anthony made a back-up plan in case he failed," Charles said.

"What plan?" Kalli growled, showing a feral side to her that I hadn't seen, even during sparring sessions.

Charles took a slow breath, clearly hesitating. Kalli reached for another finger, and Charles panicked. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you everything."

"I'm listening," Kalli said.

Charles glanced at me, a hatred in his eyes. "Anthony had such high hopes his children would follow in his footsteps. He was convinced Ethan had been trained enough to be like him that when Ethan found out the plan, he would go right along with it. He saw the ice freezing over your heart, and he thought he could use it to win you over."

I kept my face neutral, not daring to give away how I actually felt. My father was dead, but he still had a hand around my throat. Giving into those emotions would only mean he won.

"Of course, he hadn't anticipated Juniper getting in the way," Charles continued. "She messed everything up. He thought that if he could just get rid of her, not only would he ensure the Williams family bloodline ended, but he'd also get you to join his side." "We know all of this already," I said. I didn't want to hear about my father and his plans for Juniper again. It was still too fresh.

"Tell us about who tried to attack Elijah, or I'll break another finger," Kalli threatened. She was just as eager to move on in the conversation.

"Anthony's biggest problem was that he was overconfident, but I convinced him to create a backup plan, in case he failed." Charles' mouth curled. "We played it safe, and didn't send our team to attack the pack. There are more out there ready to take Elijah down, and you will all suffer." He turned his attention to me. "Especially you for killing my brother. And you can t*****e me all you want or even kill me, but I'll never tell you who is working against you. Even if I die, revenge will be ours."

Kalli spun the blade in her hand and slammed it into Charles' hand, pinning his hand between the table and the hilt of the dagger. She ignored his cries and stood up, walking away. Before she left the room, her voice cut through his screams. "You'll change your tune soon enough."

I followed my luna out of the room, completely astonished by her sudden actions. As I left, I gave an order to the guards to deal with Charles' wounds.

Kalli continued walking, heading straight for the forest. I followed her, giving her space but making a point to keep her in sight. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I needed to know. If Charles had any information, we had to stop at nothing to- "You don't have to follow me, Ethan."

I didn't slow my pace. "I'm not going to let you wander off by yourself, especially knowing there are still enemies out there."

Kalii spun on her heels and pointed at my chest. "I mean it. You don't want to see this side of me, and I can take care of myself just fine."

"What side of you?" I asked, looking at her.

"The side of me that was ready to put that blade in his throat instead of his hand. The part of me that is ready to do whatever it takes to stop that man and anyone associated with him from hurting another soul." Kalli's shoulders slumped. "I saw the look on your face when we walked in there. You didn't think I had such a dark side. You see that I like wearing pink and want to go shopping. You see my smiles and encouragement, but what you don't see is that, as much as I like wearing pink, I'm ready to wear the blood of my enemies."

I blinked at Kalli, seeing her in an entirely new light. Before, I thought she was the perfect luna, someone who was caring and supportive. Now, I saw that she was so much more. She wasn't just the perfect luna. She was meant to be a queen, ready to do whatever it took to protect her people.

"I nearly killed Charles the day he helped his brother kidnap Juniper," I said. "If I wasn't so worried about rescuing her, I have no idea what I would've done to that man. So why don't we go back in there and make sure he tells us everything we need to know to make sure this ends once and for all."

Kalli hesitated, looking at my hand as if she wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Her face slipped, showing the vulnerability she felt, torn between the person she showed everyone and the part of her that she kept locked away. Finally, she nodded and took my hand. "Let's make him regret everything he's ever done."