Chapter 133

Chapter 133: Big Reveal

“Where is Caleb”? That’s the first thing Christian asked when he spotted Ashton, his brother’s mate as his replacement.

“He was... not feeling well, so he asked me to come”. Ashton sighed. Christian eyed him suspiciously, but nevertheless he let him off the hook. As if this interaction wasn’t uncomfortable enough, Ashton was also at the receiving end of prolonged stare from Christian’s friend. Finally, he decided to come out and snap, “What”?!

Sebastian blinked before he replied, “Nothing. You... seem familiar”.

“He is my brother’s mate. We introduced him at the banquet”. Christian prompted.

“No, I know that... but...” Sebastian frowned as he failed to recall where else did they encounter. Ashton glared at him for a moment before turning away his head.

“Can you drive”? Ashton asked Christian, the moment they reached Caleb’s beloved Porsche.

“Why? I just came back from a long flight, shouldn’t you be the one to drive”? Christian gave him an odd look.

.....

“I... I am not that good at driving” Ashton admitted. “It’s a miracle I made it this far without any damage”.

Christain frowned suspiciously, before he shook his head and got into the driving seat. While driving he couldn’t help but ask, “Do you even have a car? Now that I think about it, I don’t think you have a car, right”?

“I don’t,”Ashton admitted cheekily.

Christian’s eyes widened at that. “How the hell did you drive this thing to the airport then? Does Caleb know you can’t drive? Does he know you took his car despite knowing not to drive? Just how did you not get caught”? Christian bombarded him with his questions.

“Would you relax, he is just a kid who broke one rule. What’s the big deal”? Sebastian prompted with annoyance.

Christian rolled his eyes before he said, “Well”? To Ashton.

“He does know actually. He wasn’t... in the condition to drive, so he asked me to. When I told him I can’t... he said he would instruct me through the mate bond”. Ashton explained.

“You are telling me that the mate bond works that far?” Christian frowned, “The airport is too far for our pack links to work”.

“Apparently so”. Ashton shrugged. “I could hear him loud and clear, till the very end”. Ashton explained.

“Interesting”. Christian mumbled.

After a while Sebastian prompted, “Is it... what I think it is”? He looked at Ashton suggestively.

Ashton frowned, wondering what Sebastian was guessing, and a bit scared that he got it right. Clearing his throat, he asked, “What do you think it is”?

“The rut”. Sebastian smirked.

Both Ashton and Christian visibly stiffened. Sebastian failed to notice that since he decided to look something out of the window while Christian and Ashton stole a glance at each other. They both knew that Caleb being an Alpha was a lie, and that rut was not something he was capable of going through. It’s equivalent, heat was however an option, and somehow Christian believed it to be the case when Ashton mumbled, “Yes, it’s... that”.

“Oh yeah... I am so glad he is not the one driving us” Sebastian chuckled cluelessly while both Ashton and Christian, sighed with relief.

Once they reached the pack house they found Mr Wrisberg waiting for them at the gate. He was pleased to see them back when he noticed Ashton coming out of the car as well. “Well, where is Caleb”? He asked him with much distaste.

“He is... unwell” Ashton repeated the same thing. If it was not his fault for Caleb’s current state, maybe he would have replied more confidently. Yes, his regret was easy to mistake for sorrow regarding his mate, which is the prime reason for not getting caught for lying in this situation.

Mr Wrisberg pushed his tongue against his cheek before he mumbled, “Follow me”. He was about to leave when he turned to Ashton and ordered him coldly, “Not you”.

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One might assume that Ashton was offended, instead he sighed with relief since he was not in the mood to deal with Mr Wrisberg. He left to go on check up on Caleb as it’s been almost 6 hours since he left him once he helped him get dressed. He wasn’t entirely sure how to react around him, still scared to be around him, but he was still worried about him.

He knocked on the door twice until he heard a weak come in. Panicked, he ran into his room only to find Caleb looking for something in the computer. As if Caleb knew it was Ashton who walked in, he refused to turn around and spare him a glance. Under normal circumstances Ashton would have protested, or even at least have done something to draw his mate’s attention, but this time he felt like he deserved the cold shoulder. He remained quiet for a while before he asked, “How are you feeling”?

Following an exasperated sigh Caleb replied, “Been better”. Ashton was about to leave when he heard the chair creak, “But I can move now”. He continued. “I told you, I will be fine”. He huffed.

“That’s...” Ashton hesitated, “That’s good news”.

“Of course! I am a werewolf, not some fragile little bird who has never left it’s nest. I have dealt with worse injuries on a daily basis. Remember the time I got poisoned with Wolfsbane”? Caleb tried to reason with him once more. At this point, even he was frustrated.

“Just because you can take it doesn’t make it okay for me to hurt you”. Ashton declared. “I should get going” Ashton mumbled before their conversation escalated.

Caleb grabbed his wrist and glared at his mate, “Do you plan on running away every chance you feel like you screwed up”? Ashton jerked his head and looked at Caleb with many unexplained emotions. He was right, Ashton was being a coward by pushing him away, but he would rather be a coward rather than reckless. Especially when it came to his mate.

Ashton remained quiet for a long while, long enough to make Caleb give up with frustration. He let go of his hand, and before Ashton could leave his room, Caleb himself stormed out of his own room, unbothered by whatever Ashton chose to do next.

On his way out he felt his father trying to link him, asking him about his health. He assured him he was fine now as to which he requested his presence at the office as well. Caleb deflected his undetermined course and reached the office as soon as possible. “What is it”? He asked when he noticed the three anticipating gazes fall on him the moment he walked in.

“Oh, it’s just you” Christian sighed with relief.

“What’s going on”? Caleb frowned.

“Remember we were trying to figure out who framed him? Well, apparently Dad has figured it out.” Christian. “And he brought us here for the big reveal.” Caleb’s frown deepened as to which Christian filled him on with everything that happened. Starting from Quentin, to everything that he wasn’t aware of. Well, everything that was relevant to the case.

“I didn’t bring you here for any big reveal” Mr. Wrisberg added at the end earning curious gazes from the trio. “This is my office, not the home of criminals”. He shook his head. “I just wanted to wait for him. The real culprit is waiting at the St Demoir Cellar, and that is where we would be going”.

All of them nodded and followed Mr. Wrisberg. It took them a while, and with each step their anxiety increased. They were quite frustrated that Mr Wrisberg was making them wait this much. Why couldn’t he just go ahead and tell them? Was it someone they knew? Or was it because it’s some stranger that they thought it was the best idea. These kinds of thoughts were invading their mind, especially Christian.

Caleb on the other hand was still pretty distracted, making it hard for him to care for the situation at hand albeit it’s high importance. The guard let them in without much ado, and with the sun almost dipping at the horizon they walked through the empty, dimly lit hallways before taking the stairs that led them to the cells present below the ground level.

Serious Criminals, the criminals who were sent here for a lifetime as the sentence were the ones who resided here. It was given that their nature of crime was cruel enough to earn them a cell here. The level of cruelty this floor offered was so high that the suffering Sebastian had to endure during his time here can be easily classified for vacation.

With each passing cell they earned angry, brazen glares from the inmates which creeped them out. Sebastian was the most bothered given his first time here and he was genuinely curious how the Wrisberg brothers were seemingly unaffected. He finally realised the source of all those terrible noises from the time he spent here.

Finally, at the end of the alley, a familiar face greeted both the Wrisberg brothers, making them freeze at their spot. Sebastian on the other hand was a little bit confused, so he asked, “Who is he”?

“His name is Rexford Sullivan”. Mr Wrisberg Replied.