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Bolek had summoned Vika at the most inopportune moment, that was to say, on the exact same day that I'd been invited to visit the Bullets. My cousin and I both suspected he'd chosen today precisely so I wouldn't get moral support during my meetup with Keri and her pack. At first, Vika had been adamant to ignore him, but after we talked it over, we decided it would be best that she went. Bolek was already pissed off at me and I could use an ally - think: spy - in that family; if he cut Vika completely off, we'd have no way to observe what he was up to.

And thus, I drove alone, parked my car alone, and got out.

Alone.

The meeting was held at the Bullets' pub and everyone over the age of sixteen was free to attend if they wished, save for the Council for all of whom attendance was a must. But just because the other Bullets could skip, it didn't mean that they would.

The premise was packed, even the younger generations making an appearance. The triplets - Peter, Damon and Serenity - who were about my age were there, and so was Peter's mate whose name I'd never bothered to remember; Jared was, of course, present with his mate and so was the pub owner's son - Ivan, with his girl; Kennedy's friend - I grinned at the memory of little Ollie calling him 'Horse' - was also here... And so was Kennedy himself, too young, but allowed on account that we were related.

My whole shifter family was here, in fact: from grandma Jackie and grandpa Tom, to Uncle Rhys and Riley and Carter and that annoying bitch he called a mate, to my father and Lisa, and even Ollie.

They brought Ollie here.

Lisa was holding onto him as, once he saw me, he squirmed in human form and attempted to get away from her and closer to me.

I walked further into the pub, passing by many faces, most of them carrying not openly hostile but still unwelcoming expressions.

I didn't care about any of these people.

I knew I should, that their approval of me or at least their tolerance of my presence meant that I could have a presence here instead of being chased out of pack grounds because this was why we were having the meeting: to decide - based on certain truths coming to the surface - whether I was still allowed to mingle with the Bullets.

I realized that, and yet I couldn't bring myself to care, except for Kennedy and Keri. But as I thought deeper on the matter, I found out that I wouldn't mind being on good terms with Jackie and Tom, and Rhys, and Lisa... Kelly and her mate Steve were pretty cool too... And Jared had always tried to make me feel like one of the pack, even though I'd always gave him a hard time... And 'Horse' could be fun to tease, and Kennedy and Ollie liked him...

Alright.

So there were a few people I wouldn't mind being on good terms with. But they were few, especially when you took into account how big the pack was.

I walked up to the second floor landing where Keri and most of her Council along with Detective Callum - huh, one more person who'd grown on me - had gathered. That was where I saw the only openly hostile face among the crowd.

Jasper Owens' features were twisted with contempt, but while I didn't care for the opinion of most of the pack, I'd actually love to piss this particular member off. Anthony - Keri's brother and another Council member - also didn't seem happy to see me, but he seemed more resolute than aggressive. I grinned at the small group, then turned my back on them to look down over the staircase railing and at the people on the first.

My eyes strayed to the corner where my family had gathered, but I forced myself to look away as I listened to the whispers.

My name, along with words like "criminal", "dangerous" and "unforgivable" were the most common things slipping through people's lips.

I felt Keri's presence next to me and from the corner of my eye, I saw her raise her hand. Immediately, the whispers halted. The Council members and the Detective joined the crowd downstairs, leaving only Keri and I on the second floor landing, the space serving as a stage.

"Thank you all for coming," Keri began, her voice steady and even, authoritative without her having to raise it much. "You all know why we've gathered here today..."

Jasper huffed loudly, his arms crossed over his chest, but he didn't speak and Keri continued as if he'd made no noise at all.

"Everett Flemings has informed us that his firstborn - Alec, is able to shift. A joyous occasion it would've been..." Keri glanced at me. "... If he hadn't hidden it for so many years. Unfortunately, by doing so and not registering, Alec has broken the law. Worse still..."

Her inflection made the slightest tremble so she cleared her throat before continuing:

"Worse still, Alec is the white wolf who scared Riley last year. The one who appeared during the shifter murder spree, and the one we thought was here to kill us. The first offence we could overlook, but the latter was more than a mere prank. We are here today to decide whether that behavior is reason enough to permanently ban Alec from our grounds."

The tension in the room intensified, the majority of the people now glaring up at me and I couldn't exactly blame them.

Last summer, when I'd shifted in front of Riley, I hadn't thought it was that big of a deal, but now... Now that Ollie was born, it was easier to put myself in the shoes of all those parents who'd thought the serial killer had snuck in and was targeting their children. The thought of something happening to my baby brother filled my heart with horror and I actually felt guilt for putting others through that.

For that, I'd apologize.

I wasn't good at saying I was sorry, but I'd give it a go. And since words meant nothing without actions, I'd try to make it up to them. Hell if I knew how, but I was loaded; surely I could help out the pack with money.

As for not registering: no.

It wasn't their business.

Perhaps my shifter family's, but not the whole pack's.

"To decide whether his behavior is reason enough to permanently ban him?" Jasper repeated, a sneer in his voice. "Of course it is! We should've kicked him out long ago."

Some Bullets muttered their agreement. Encouraged, Jasper approached the stairs, climbing halfway up the staircase before going on:

"Vandalism, verbal and physical altercations with our young ones, breaking the law..." He turned as he talked, waving his hands to push the others to agree again. Then he looked straight at Keri: "And don't tell me that breaking the law doesn't count because he did it off pack grounds. He..."

Jasper pointed so dramatically at me that I almost laughed.

"... Could shift but didn't tell us. He didn't tell his family and we all know what often happens to shifters who grow up without guidance. They don't learn proper control of their shift and they end up exposing themselves - and in turn, all supernatural beings - to the humans."

I rolled my eyes.

Even though I was half-wolf, he'd never seen me as anything but a Dayer. Until today. Because today it served his agenda for me to be a failed shifter.

"And all that..." Unlike Keri, Jasper had to raise his voice. "All of it pales to the terror he brought us last summer. Because what? Huh?"

He had once again turned to the crowd.

"Why did he..."

"If you want to know, why don't you just ask me about it?" I suggested.

The startled look on Jasper's face was priceless. He quickly got a hold of himself though and crossed his arms again.

"Alright. Tell us. Why did you do it? Why did you..."

"Will you just shut up?" I cut him off. "You want to know, but you keep talking, and talking. Did you prepare a speech beforehand? Do you have some cheat notes in your sleeve?"

A few chuckles came from the younger crowd and I clearly heard Callum's amused snort.

Jasper had gone red, but before he could speak, Keri did:

"Enough you two. Alec, please answer."

I did not want to answer.

And then again, I did.

This was the perfect time for that apology, but my throat was constricting.

I really sucked at apologies.

"Alec?" Keri prompted and when Jasper opened his mouth to speak, she hushed him.

I took a deep breath.

"I did it because I'm an asshole," I said, my voice ringing in the silence.

" Pfft! We already know that; what else?"

The easy tone with which Kennedy had spoken brought a brief smile to my face. Then I decided to elaborate:

"I'm not going to stand here and make excuses, but I would admit that it was a mistake."

"No shit." Two of the triplets - Damon and Serenity, spoke at once.

"I was an asshole," I continued, "I'm still an asshole, and I'll probably always be an asshole. But I think I'm a little less of..."

"Let me guess? An asshole ?" Keri muttered, prompting another small smile from me.

"... An asshole. At least now I realize it was a mistake, a huge one, and I want to apologize for it. I'd also like to make amends..."

"And how do you propose you do that?" Jasper asked in the same derisive tone as before.

"I'd like to make a donation towards the Bullets' community fund..."

"Typical Dayer: thinks he can pay his way out of trouble."

It was then that I had to remind myself that punching Jasper in the face - as unpopular as he was - wouldn't sit well with the Bullets I was supposed to be winning over.

"Jasper!" Keri raised her voice. "I will not tolerate racist remarks in my pack!"

"Sorry." He sneered. "Typical Maksimoff."

To that correction, no one - even I - could object. Him being right didn't diminish my desire to punch him though.

"I'm sure," Keri began once more, "that Alec isn't trying to buy his way out of trouble. Why would I say that? Because we never asked him to do anything like it. He doesn't have to make that donation. The fact that he suggested doing something nice without us twisting his arm about it means - to me, at least - that he's genuinely remorseful."

Something warm and sorrowful began filling my chest, something like gratitude, but gratitude wasn't supposed to make you feel sad.

"I think," she went on, "that in the past few months - since Ollie was born - Alec has changed and that we should take that into consideration when we make our final decision. So now, I'd like those of us who know him better to tell us if they'd seen a more positive side to him lately. Everett, you are his father. You should speak first."

Now this was going to be interesting.

Writing an apology from Alec's POV was... Awkward. But given how he is, it feels right for him to feel awkward about apologizing. Anyway. What did you think of the chapter?

Who do you think is going to agree with Keri?

You know what? Let's make this into a GAME! I'll give you a few names of people who are going to vote for or against Alec; let's see in the comments if you'd be able to guess who will be supportive of our favorite hybrid and who will be against him.

The names are:

- Everett

- Lisa

- Rhys

- Riley

- Kennedy

- Carter

- Mel (Carter's mate)

- Horace

- Kelly

- Steve

- Callum

Whoever makes the most correct guesses will get the next chapter dedicated to them!

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it! ❤

PS: Do you think that a few 'yeah, he's not that bad anymore'-s are going to convince the Bullets not to ban Alec?