Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Last Bearers ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 22 )

Bryan and I continued to do these things together in secret. I knew our fathers would not approve of our relationship so I begged Bryan to keep it a secret. He agreed, if only for my sake. He wasn't bothered with our relationship at all and if it was up to him, our fathers would have known from the very start.

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Chapter 22

The following morning, they returned to the Council at the same early time as before. This time, however, they didn't go see the Council as a group; they were escorted to the same small chamber as before to wait until they were called in one by one. Daire was the first to be summoned.

“Good morning Daire,” the raven-haired woman greeted him.

“Good morning,” Daire responded politely.

“We have some questions for you,” the woman said.

Daire frowned. It was an obvious statement.

“You said that you initially didn't know it was Halen who grabbed you?” the raven-haired woman inquired.

“No.” Daire shook his head. “I was grabbed from behind so I didn't know who it was.”

“Did you try and fight him? Try to get away? Scream?”

“Of course I did,” Daire answered, slightly agitated. “He was so much bigger and stronger than I was. He covered my mouth with his hand so I couldn't scream.”

“This next question will be a bit crude and personal,” the raven-haired woman warned. “Did Halen…uh…um…”

“Did he cum?” Rusty asked bluntly.

Daire flushed bright pink at the question and couldn't answer for several minutes.

“Must you be so blunt Rusty?” the bald-headed man asked, sounding peeved.

“Yes,” Rusty simply answered. “It's a simple question. Did he or didn't he?”

“He didn't,” Daire finally managed to answer. “Aleksei stopped him before he could.”

“And you are sure of this?”

“Yes,” Daire answered confidently. “I know what it feels like.”

Several Council members muttered softly.

“So Aleksei was the one who pulled Halen off?” the raven-haired woman regained control of the questioning.

“Yes,” Daire answered.

“You mentioned that you were scared?”

“Yes.” Daire nodded. “I wasn't sure if Aleksei would think I was being raped or not. He could have thought that I was just having sex with Halen. That I was willingly participating.”

“Were you?”

“No!” Daire burst out loudly. “I would never have sex with someone else behind Aleksei's back! I love him!”

“Now you said Bryan helped you get back to the dormitory?” the raven-haired woman questioned.

“Yes,” Daire answered.

“Did you see Aleksei and Halen?”

“No. I didn't look. I got myself…decent then left. I...didn't want to think about it at the moment.”

“Bryan mentioned that you were afraid to be touched. He said you jerked away from him when he touched you on the shoulder.”

“Yes.” Daire flushed slightly. “I…I thought it was Halen the first time Bryan touched me. I was scared that he had come back and try to hurt me again. After I realized that it was Bryan and he meant no harm at all, I calmed down.”

“Bryan never made any sort of threatening movement? You didn't feel at all threatened by him?”

“After I realized it was him and not Halen touching me, no. I didn't feel threatened at all. Bryan kept his distance and only came close to me when I stumbled a couple times. Even when he had to grab my arm to hold me up, he was very careful.”

“Did you know that Bryan was the one who told your friends Caelyn and Aidan what happened to you?”

“No.” Daire looked surprised.

“Are you upset that he did?”

Daire reflected for a moment. “No. Caelyn and Aidan are like my brothers. I can tell them everything and I know Bryan did it for my own good. Those two are my support system. I couldn't have made it this far without them.”

“And what about Aleksei? Did you know that he was the one who attacked Halen?”

“I sort of figured that he would. He has a temper, I can't deny that.”

“And do you think Aleksei did the right thing by giving Halen what he deserved?”

“I want to say no,” Daire whispered. “But I can't. Aleksei is my mate and I'll stand by him no matter what.”

“What if your mate raped another Bearer? What if he raped Aidan or Caelyn?”

Daire hesitated. “I…don't know. I pray that never happens.”

“You are very loyal to your mate,” the raven-haired woman observed.

“Yes.” Daire smiled fondly. “I know he's treated me badly in the past, but it doesn't change how I feel for him.

There was a brief pause.

“I believe that is all we needed to ask you. Thank you, Daire. You may leave.”

Daire nodded and exited the chamber. He returned to the small room where the others waited and sank on the couch next to Aleksei. Half an hour later, Aleksei was called out of the room.

Daire turned to Caelyn. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” Caelyn answered with a small smile. “I don't think the baby's going to come for a while yet.”

“That's good.” Daire smiled. “It would suck if you went into labor.”

“Agreed.”

It was almost as if things had gone back to normal, but Caelyn knew as well as Daire that things would never be normal again.

Aleksei returned after half an hour of questioning looking extremely drained. He dropped onto the couch next to Daire with a soft groan and closed his eyes.

“Caelyn?” the same plain-looking woman as before asked. “The Council wishes to see you now.”

Caelyn nodded and heaved himself to his feet. He followed the lady to the Council's chamber.

“Would you like a seat?” a man whose face was completely obscured by the shadows asked.

“Yes, please,” Caelyn answered.

A hard-backed wooden chair was brought in for him to sit on.

“Now Caelyn, you are how many months pregnant?” the raven-haired woman asked.

“Nearly nine months,” Caelyn answered, resting his hand on his rounded belly. “My due date is in a couple weeks.”

“And this is your first child?”

“Yes.”

“Are you excited?”

“Oh yes. I've wanted a child for a very long time.”

“You are very close to Daire?”

“Yes, very close.”

“What did you feel when you first learned about what happened to him?”

“I was very distressed. Daire is like my little brother so it was very upsetting for me.”

“And Aidan?”

“He seemed very upset as well. Like me, he thinks of Daire as a little brother.”

“Yes. It's a shame he wasn't able to make it here today. But no matter…” the raven-haired woman cleared her throat. “What was your first reaction after you had been told?”

“I instantly thought of Daire and went to comfort him as soon as I could.”

“Are you angry at Halen for doing this to Daire?”

“Of course.” Caelyn's tone was bitter. “He may be my mate, but that doesn't excuse his actions.”

“You do not get along with your mate, do you?”

“Not as well as Daire and Aleksei, no.”

“What do you dislike about him?” the raven-haired woman asked. Caelyn stared at her incredulously. “All right, what do you dislike most about him?”

“He doesn't care!” Caelyn blurted out.

“What do you mean?” the raven-haired woman frowned.

“He doesn't care about me at all! All he cares about is the sex! He never says anything to me, not a kind word or anything! He's not gentle either.”

“In bed?” the rusty-haired man asked.

“Yeah, in bed. I mean, I know Aleksei was the same way with Daire, but he was at least gentle with his mate in bed. And he changed. Halen hasn't changed.”

“I see,” the raven-haired woman murmured.

“So you don't care about what happens to him?” the rusty-haired man asked.

“Of course I care!” Caelyn said, his voice rising. “He's my mate. I do still care about him. Probably more than I should. I hate him for what he did to Daire, but that doesn't mean I don't have any compassion for him.”

“You are aware of what may happen to him?” the raven-haired woman asked.

“Yes.” Caelyn's breath caught in his throat. “John told me that he faces execution.”

There was a pause.

“John said something interesting,” a woman with straw-colored hair suddenly spoke up. “He said that if Halen is allowed to live, you will refuse to let him touch you ever again, is that right?”

“Yes, that's right. Despite the outcome, Halen won't touch me ever again. I realize I have no say in the matter, but I don't care,” Caelyn said boldly. “I won't ever forgive him for what he's done. Mate or not, he took a Bearer without his permission. He's made Daire's life hell. I can't forgive him.”

“What do you mean `he made Daire's life hell'? What are you talking about?” the raven-haired woman frowned.

Caelyn realized that he had slipped up and flushed. “I don't think…”

“Tell us!” The harsh tone made Caelyn flinch.

He could not disobey a direct order from the Council. To do so would invite death.

“Daire has been suffering nightmares for the past couple nights,” Caelyn said softly. “He relives what he saw when Halen raped him. He wakes up screaming and crying.”

“Why wasn't this mentioned before?” the bald headed man asked.

“Because it's taking its toll on us all, but especially Daire and Aleksei. We're just so overwhelmed with going on that we didn't want to add this into the mix.”

“I see,” the raven-haired woman murmured.

“We have no further questions for you,” the rusty-haired man said. “You are dismissed.

Caelyn heaved himself up from his chair and walked back to the small room. He sank down in the same armchair he had occupied earlier and exhaled softly. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he left the Council's chamber. Bryan was called in next and then John. After that, they were free to go. They dined in the hotel's restaurant again, this time with John present. They stuck to water this time around. That night, Daire woke up screaming from another nightmare. All Aleksei could do was hold him and hope that Halen got the punishment he deserved.

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They did not even leave the hotel room on the third day. It was because the Council was deliberating and they were not needed. The Council would send word when they had reached a verdict. The air in the room was thick with tension. Bryan had the TV on, but wasn't really paying attention to the soap opera that was on. He watched Caelyn sitting on the edge of his bed fidgeting nervously. He didn't blame the blond; all of them were jittery.

Bryan glanced over at the other bed. Daire and Aleksei were curled up together. Although Daire looked extremely nervous, Aleksei's face was as calm as ever. Bryan envied Aleksei's ability to remain calm, even in the most tense of situations.

At five that evening, they received word that the Council had reached a decision and their presence was requested at the Council headquarters. They hastily got ready and were escorted down to the lobby. There was a large crowd of people waiting there for them when they arrived.

“Just ignore them,” one of the guards advised.

“Easier said than done,” Bryan muttered under his breath.

Aleksei protectively wrapped his arms around Daire and started walking. Bryan stuck close to Caelyn. Although he wasn't the blond's mate, he felt a need to protect him, especially since his mate wasn't there, and he was pregnant.

They slid into the limo, all four of them on one side and several guards on the other side. Caelyn was shaking badly as they drove to the Council's headquarters. Daire took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“It's going to be all right,” he whispered.

Caelyn looked like he wanted to believe Daire, but couldn't. They finally arrived. An even larger crowd had formed outside the Council's headquarters. Members of the Police Force were holding them back the best they could. Clearly, word had spread about what had happened.

“They found out,” one of the guards muttered, glancing through the tinted windows.

“It was only a matter of time,” another said. He saw Daire's confused glance and added, “the Council and John tried hard to keep The Institute a secret for all these years. The public knows that it exists and they have a general idea of what goes on, but they don't know the intimate details. They were not informed that you guys would be in town for a couple days and that you'd be standing in front of the Council. Now it seems they know. Otherwise, they wouldn't be flocking to the streets to see for themselves.”

“It's my fault,” Caelyn murmured, placing a hand on his rounded belly. “They must have realized what I was, seeing me like this. If I wasn't there or if I wasn't so pregnant, they probably wouldn't have figured out that we were from The Institute.”

“It's not your fault, Caelyn,” Daire said quietly.

“Yeah,” Bryan agreed. “Even without you, we still stand out pretty vibrantly. Especially Aleksei with his vivid red hair.”

Aleksei made a rude gesture with his middle finger.

“All right, it's time to go,” one of the guards announced. “Remember, don't look at anyone. Ignore the people. Don't answer their questions. Stick close. We're here to make sure nothing happens to you. All right?”

Caelyn, Daire, Aleksei, and Bryan nodded. The guard closest to the door was the one to open it. All the guards exited first and formed a protective barrier as Aleksei climbed out, followed closely by Daire. The two of them stuck together. Bryan exited third, and finally Caelyn.

“Hey,” Bryan whispered so only Caelyn could hear. “Stick close to me, all right? I'll make sure the crowds don't give you a hard time.”

Caelyn looked surprised. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Bryan looked slightly embarrassed.

Outside was chaos. The Police Force members were standing with their arms linked, trying their best to hold back the unruly crowd. Reporters shouted out questions that overlapped, contributing to the confusion.

Aleksei wrapped his arm around Daire and gave the crowd a frosty glare. The crowd became slightly subdued. Bryan was careful to place himself directly in front of Caelyn to block him from sight. A handful of guards surrounded Caelyn, effectively blocking him from the public's view. The procession into the Council's headquarters seemed to take longer than it actually did.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd. Bryan realized too late that he had unintentionally allowed Caelyn to be exposed. The crowd stared not at Caelyn himself, but at his belly. It was fairly obvious that he was pregnant. After the initial shock wore off, the questions started anew. They hurried inside, ignoring the questions.

They were rushed up to the third floor and were immediately shown into the Council's chamber. Halen was already there, handcuffed as before. The Council sat in their usual places, all of them impassive, including Rusty.

“We have decided upon a suitable punishment for Halen,” the raven-haired woman said in her booming voice. “Halen is to be executed.”

Caelyn gave a sharp gasp. He felt like he had been hit with something extremely heavy. The world seemed to be swimming around him. He was scarcely aware of someone holding his arms, trying to keep him up. He fell to his knees anyway. Arms were wrapped around him and his head was directed to a shoulder. Caelyn closed his eyes and took in the unmistakable scent of Daire.

“I'm sorry,” Daire whispered. Caelyn could hear the tears in his voice. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” He repeated it over and over again until he was crying.

“It's okay Daire,” Caelyn finally managed to reply through his own tears. “It's okay. It's not your fault.”

They hugged for a long time. They pulled apart, both of their faces heavily streaked with tears.

“Caelyn, you will not see Halen again so you must say your goodbyes,” the raven-haired woman said. “We shall give you some privacy. You may use the small waiting chamber, but know that the guards are stationed right outside.”

Caelyn silently followed his mate into the small room. They were silent—Caelyn had no idea what to say to his doomed mate.

“The baby isn't mine, is it?” Halen asked.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Caelyn instantly denied.

“I'm not naïve,” Halen said. “Dr. White may be an idiot, but I'm not. The due date is off by an entire month. There's no way the baby is mine. Please, Caelyn. Don't think of me as an idiot.”

“I…honestly don't know for sure if you're the father,” Caelyn confessed. “But I don't think the baby is yours.” He looked at his mate. “How long have you known?”

“From the beginning,” Halen replied. “From the moment you told me you were carrying a child. I knew it wasn't mine. I don't know how I knew. I just did.”

“So is that why you raped Daire?” Caelyn asked. “To get revenge on me?”

“If I wanted revenge, I would have told John about your little secret,” Halen sneered.

“Then why…?” Caelyn asked.

“I wanted to know what it felt like to have sex with someone other than my mate, so I chose Daire,” Halen answered.

“Look where it got you,” Caelyn said.

Halen grinned evilly. “It was so worth it to have someone besides you screaming in agony.”

Caelyn glared at his mate and he looked like he wanted to hit him so badly.

“You fucking bastard!” he snarled. “You're a sick, twisted monster!”

Halen moved in closer to Caelyn so they were only inches apart. “So are you.”

Caelyn's eyes widened.

“No I'm not!” he hissed. “I am nothing like you!”

“Are you sure?” Halen asked.

Caelyn was silent. Halen was as well, but he seemed satisfied.

“Halen…why didn't you tell John?” Caelyn asked after a long silence.

Halen frowned. “You were…so happy. Something I'd never seen before. I couldn't take that happiness away from you. I know I can't make you happy—it's not in my nature, but I know the father of your baby will.”

“How do you know?” Caelyn asked.

“I just know,” Halen answered. “I have good instincts.”

Caelyn started crying. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did.”

Halen shrugged. “I shouldn't have either.”

“It isn't fair,” Caelyn whispered. “You have to die and I get to live even though we did almost the same thing.”

“There's one difference,” Halen said patiently. Caelyn looked at him curiously. “You had a choice. Daire did not. I did not give Daire a choice. I'm guessing your partner did?” Caelyn nodded. “See?”

“But…” Caelyn protested.

Halen pressed his index finger to Caelyn's lips. “It's not the same. One day you'll understand how. For now, just know that this is the way I want it to be, okay?” Caelyn nodded. Halen withdrew his finger. “You've shown nothing but kindness to me. All I've done in return is hurt you. You deserve to be happy and you will be. Think of this as my way of saying thank you.”

A guard knocked on the door and stuck his head in. “I'm afraid your time is up.”

“Just give me a minute,” Halen told him. He turned to Caelyn, who had started crying softly again. “Can I kiss you one last time?”

“Yes.” Caelyn nodded, wiping his tears away.

Halen slowly moved forward and gently pressed his lips to his mate's. Halen was surprisingly gentle, his lips barely caressing Caelyn's. They broke apart and Halen went to the door where the guard was waiting for him. He stopped and turned around. Caelyn was watching him through tear filled eyes.

“Goodbye,” Halen whispered.

Then he was gone.

To be continued…

Notes: Halen, what are you doing?? You're not supposed to be nice! You're not supposed to make the audience feel sorry for you! -starts whining pathetically- Why do my characters insist on torturing me? It's not nice!! Finally, the Council scene is wrapping up. I didn't think it would ever end. Now we can move on and I can start thinking about the end. Yes, the end is coming. Not right away, but I'm starting to think about the end. There are still a lot of things that need to happen before this ends, so you can expect at least a few more chapters. I'm not sure how many yet. But I am starting to think about the end.

About Aidan: the reason he didn't come is because he barely had a role in the incident. Caelyn also played a minor role, but he also happens to be Halen's mate, so he had to be present. John also didn't want Aidan to stand in front of the Council because he'd lose his temper at least once (with Aidan, it's pretty much a given) and probably piss the Council off. Since Aidan's role was incredibly small and they could get all the important details from Caelyn, the Council was willing to overlook Aidan.

About Halen: (besides the fact that he actually turned out to be a decent human being) he doesn't appear much during the scenes with the Council, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't there. John brought him to the Council the night before where he was detained as the custom. He's also questioned, both times right after Daire so that's why there's a longer break between Daire's interrogation and Aleksei's.