Heart of a Beast

Chapter 19 | Tiberius

Song: "Fix You" by Coldplay

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Crystal withdrew from Tiberius after her confession. She avoided meeting his gaze and added a bit of distance between them, keeping her head bowed and her posture submissive.

She was drifting from him, pulling back into herself and letting the poison consume her.

Even though he knew she would be pissed, he had to put a stop to the cycle.

While Crystal was in the bathroom, he beckoned her mother out into the backyard and briefed Rhonda about her daughter's past suicidal thoughts.

Rhonda buried her face in her hands when she read the words in the dirt. Her scent saturated the air around her in a mixture of fear, anxiety, and heartache. Her fingers slid up into her dark brown hair streaked with gray, digging into her scalp and tugging on the roots as a heartbreaking sound seeped out from her.

Tiberius rested his paw on her shoulder and whined.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and lowered her hands. They balled into fists before relaxing as she took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly out. Moisture gathered in her eyes and she blinked it away, her gaze fixating on something far away.

"Thank you for telling me, Tiberius. This shouldn't be happening, but we are responsible for not doing something sooner. We will handle this."

Suicide was shameful. It brought shame not only on the family but the pack as well.

Alphas and Lunas were responsible for the well-being of everyone in the pack. If something happened within families that they couldn't work out themselves, the Alpha and Luna had to step in and settle matters. In the case of suicides and the prevention of, Alphas and Lunas had to be informed.

In the afternoon, Alpha Jackson and Luna Leanne came over along with Crystal's brother and his mate, her aunts and uncles, and closest cousins in the pack.

At first, she was furious with Tiberius for telling someone. She glared at him, hurt, ashamed, and scared of what would happen next.

When Rhonda publicly confronted her, she broke down. The sight of her mother crying and father trying to stay strong for her sake shattered what little pride Crystal held.

"Suicide affects everyone. You might think no one cares about you, but you couldn't be further from the truth," Luna Leanne said. "Everyone here cares about you the most, but if you killed yourself, everyone in the pack would feel sorrow. It would shake the very foundation of it."

Crystal listened to everything her Luna said with her head bowed.

Alpha Jackson had given her another one of Kylee's calming tonics after a quick scramble to locate the witch so Crystal wouldn't break down into multiple seizures during the intervention.

Tamarack and her three other packmates of her age stepped forward and apologized in front of Crystal's family for teasing her in their youth and then turning their backs on her when they discovered the root cause of her absent wolf.

A few tears escaped Tamarack during her confession. Her guilt and shame was cracked open and pouring forth in front of those who treasured Crystal the most. Amidst growls and curled lips, she took ownership and condemned her actions and asked her pack and Crystal for forgiveness.

Crystal's bullies left after their confessions, and Crystal had to stand in the middle of the room while everyone took turns giving her hugs and whispering words of support, encouragement, and love.

The outpouring was overwhelming and Crystal couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face.

Tiberius hung back, giving her space to share these moments with her loved ones. When everything was said, they moved out to the backyard to mingle and fire up the barbecue for dinner.