บท 14: Chapter 13: Punishments
After sending Amber off at her home, despite her protests of wanting to help Erick with his foot, the two of them finally arrived at the pack house.
The pack house was located just a few metres from the Alpha and the Beta's house. But it was shrouded by the vibrant blanket of trees. And one could not see it unless they went into the forest themselves. The pack house was hidden from view to ensure the safety of the shifters living there.
The pack house was a huge but modest cottage with a high thatched roof and thick walls. It has more than ten bedrooms to accommodate the pack with another two separate houses for the kitchen, dining area, common room and more. It was more than double the size of the Alpha and Beta's cottages. Inside the pack house, other than the bedrooms, there were the nursery, bathrooms, offices and the doctors' rooms. It looked quite modern with its contemporary design and architecture.
In fact, to get to the pack house, one would need to go passed several houses, which actually belongs to the pack mates who already have mates.
Hamish had to call a cab to send them nearby the pack house. They could not risk of having the pack house being exposed so they only had the cab driver to send them to Erick's house. The cab driver was worried when he saw an injured young man being helped by another young man. Throughout the journey to Erick's house, he kept telling them he would send them to the hospital instead. But the two of them insist on going back to Erick's house.
Once they arrived at Erick's house, they waited for the cab driver to drive off before setting off for the pack house. Luckily, the pack house wasn't that far from Erick's house.
Few minutes later, Hamish helped Erick get inside the pack house, leading the way to the doctors' rooms.
Melody was one of the pack doctors. There were actually four doctors in the pack house, including Melody. But Melody holds one of the highest positions in the pack, due to her identity of being Latham's mate. She looked young for her age where she can be mistaken as a high-schooler. She always wore her dark brown hair in a high ponytail, hence why she always was mistaken as a teenager. She has a sweet disposition, always cheery. And she was the only one who can tolerate Latham's lame jokes. To everyone's amusement, whenever Latham made a joke, she would laugh it off and then quickly changed the subject.
Melody stood up abruptly when she saw Erick staggered into the room, with Hamish supporting him on his side. "What the heck happened?" she asked, looking appalled at the bloody gash on Erick's foot and the gash on his arm. "And why does your wounds smell of a rogue??" she further demanded.
Hamish gingerly helped Erick onto a patient examining bed. Erick propped up his wounded foot onto a pillow while cradling his injured arm with his other arm.
Melody immediately went into her doctor's mode, getting her needle, gauze pads and so forth. While she was helping Erick with his wounds, bandaging them, she told Hamish to return home. Apparently, the Beta had mind-linked her to tell him that.
Hamish reluctantly went home. Not sure whether he felt bad about leaving Erick alone or because he did not want to face his father's wrath. Then again, it could be both.
It took Melody less than an hour to examine Erick and to bandage his wounds. She gave him advice on what to do and whatnot. She also gave him some antibiotic ointment to help with the healing. Though, Melody thought it wouldn't help much. Because Erick has a shifter blood. Even if he has not yet fully shift but he still has their fast healing rate. And it was much faster than a normal human's.
Once his foot and arm were all wrapped with bandages, Melody told him to take it easy and sent him back home. Apparently, the Alpha was waiting for him at home.
Soon after, Erick found himself in front of his father's office. Earlier before, when he entered his home, his mother greeted him at the entrance with a disappointed frown. His heart clenched at the sight of the disheartened look on her face. He hated knowing that he had disappointed her. Seems like his curiosity had brought him trouble.
Although, he knew that his father was aware he was waiting outside his office, Erick still knocked on the door. It was after five minutes, only then did his father called out for him. He probably was letting Erick wait a bit longer on purpose.
"Come in," his father's voice sternly called out.
Erick cautiously opened the door and poked his head in. "Uh, hey dad."
Lachlan frowned deeply. "Get inside."
Erick slowly trudged slowly into the office and sat himself down in the seat in front of his father's desk. On top of his father's desk laid several papers and photos spread out. In the photos, there were black and white pictures of several werewolves in some buildings. The pictures were very likely taken from security cameras nearby the area. And apparently, before coming here, his father had been investigating further about the rogue attacks.
Lachlan leaned back against his seat, his elbows rested on the armrest of his seats. He linked his fingers together and stared at Erick broodingly. He stared at Erick for a few minutes, with Erick not meeting his eyes as he looked down at his lap.
Erick began to fidget in his seat, feeling awkward. He felt like he was back to being a kid, when he was first scolded by his father.
Suddenly, Lachlan shouted at him for disobeying his orders, abruptly standing up. He went on, saying that Erick could have gotten a human killed or even worse, killed himself!
Lachlan was so furious, his veins popping in his temples. He scolded Erick for being irresponsible. "Is this how a future Alpha would do?" Lachlan yelled, pointing at Erick.
"Soon, you're going to be a full shifter! But you are still acting like a pup! Ignorant, selfish and reckless!"
Lachlan continued, his face still furious, "If you weren't my son, I would have kicked you out of the pack! That's how serious your offence was!"
Lachlan took a deep breath and sat back down again. He tried to calm his nerves and emotions. Knowing how close Erick was from being killed, Lachlan had felt scared and at the same time, tensed.
"There will be a punishment for you and Hamish," Lachlan stated calmly. "Both of you will be suspended from the school football team for three games. I've already talked to Coach Gundlach. You will still join practice but it will be double the practice. After practice, you will go straight to the pack house, get your assigned tasks from Roel. Do the chores for the elders and the single mothers in the pack for two months. And listen to everything Roel says, for once!"
"Don't worry, you will still do your shifting ritual, which will be in the next month but once that's over, I will assign more tasks to you and Hamish."
Erick inwardly groaned. But he could not do anything because he knew that he was in the wrong. He could only nod and accept his punishment with a bow of his head.
Lachlan nodded and said, "Now, get to your room and think about what you have done. You have brought this to yourself. Oh, and you're grounded for two months too. Once you're done with your tasks, go straight back home."
Erick inwardly groaned again. 'FML,' he thought as he grudgingly stood up and left the office.
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