Chapter 94: This Is Over
Keion Pov
Oracle is in jail.
Lorali is in the hospital.
Oril hasn’t been seen anywhere, he disappeared.
Torin doesn’t listen to anyone other than Lorali. He doesn’t even live in the penthouse anymore.
With all that happening, I think it’s safe to say we are fucked. Abysmally donezo. This is the end of Spade pack, and you know it’s bad when it’s only me and Augi , the two with the worst history in the pack, who are the only ones sane enough to see it.
"Walter’s going to be mad," Augi sings, dragging his words out like a taunt.
"He is," I groan, rubbing my temples.
Walter was right, and we thought he was being paranoid. I believe what Oracle said, Lorali is crazy. Really crazy. If she’s capable of stabbing herself just to get Oracle thrown in jail, it makes me wonder what else she’s capable of. What exactly has she whispered in Torin’s ear to make him turn a full circle on all of us?
We walk up to Walter’s parents’ porch, the boards creaking beneath our boots, and I’m about to knock when a voice rings out behind me.
"Uncle Kei, Uncle Augi, is that you?"
I turn to the small voice that sounds nothing like the appearance of the little person. Wally, Walter’s niece, runs up to us looking like a mud monster, her hair plastered to her forehead, her clothes streaked brown. Her sister follows closely behind, just as excited, their laughter carrying across the yard.
"Hello, Wally," Augi smiles, scooping her up despite the mud and twirling her around. He really does love kids. strange for someone with serious anger issues.
"Are you here to grovel and beg Uncle Walter to come back to you?" Valm gushes, her grin wide.
Marla adds, "Oh, that would be legendary. I need to get this on film." She laughs, pulling out her phone, already aiming it at us.
"Love seeing an alpha grovel in movies. Now I get to see it in real life," Valm smiles, her tone dripping with amusement.
My confusion is evident on my face. What are they talking about? Did Walter tell his entire family what’s happening at home? No. Impossible. My cinnabun has too much pride for that. He wouldn’t expose us like that.
Wally jumps down from Augi’s arms and pushes the door open, running in and announcing with her high‑pitched voice, "Uncle Walter!"
If it’s not clear, I’ll say it: I am not the biggest fan of kids. Not that I hate them, in fact, I said that wrong. I like kids. What I don’t like is what kids bring: noise and dirt. My point is proved instantly. The carpet is covered in mud from Wally running through it, streaks marking every step.
Wally pushes the kitchen door open, staining it with mud.
"Wally!" Beth shouts, Walter’s sister sounding like someone fed up with her children. "You’re covered in mud! How dare you come into this house like that!"
"Uncle Walter! Kei and Augi are here! They’re on the porch!"
We aren’t on the porch anymore. We’re stepping into the kitchen, both of us reeking of nerves as we meet Walter’s eyes.
If there was one thing I could say to describe his current look, it was happy. He looks like my Walter, the Walter before this whole Lorali thing even began.
"Wa..."
"What are you doing here?" Walter’s voice cuts through the kitchen, sharp and irritated. His scowl makes it clear he doesn’t want us here.
Augi shifts beside me, his usual bravado dimmed. "Walter, we—"
"Don’t," Walter snaps, his tone low but dangerous. "Don’t start with excuses. Why are you here? I told you both to stay in the city." Marla, still lingering behind us, frowns at the tension. "Why don’t I see begging? Are you guys going to fight?"
Her mother coughs nervously, trying to diffuse the moment. "Girls, come on. Let’s hose you down outside." She sets the stack of plates she was holding onto the table, her hands trembling slightly.
"Are you crazy? Why would I be hosed outside? There are bathrooms inside," Marla sneers, her attitude thick enough to earn me months of punishment if I had spoken like that to my mother at her age.
"Marla, I will not speak twice. Outside now, or you die in the countryside," Beth warns, her tone no‑nonsense. She lifts Wally up with one arm, drags Valm by the wrist with the other, and marches out of the kitchen. Marla groans but follows reluctantly, muttering under her breath.
The kitchen falls quiet, leaving only Walter, Augi, and me. His eyes burn into us, his irritation radiating.
"Go back to the city," Walter says flatly. "I don’t want you here."
"Walter, listen," Augi pleads, stepping forward. "You were right. About Lorali. About everything. Oracle’s in jail because of her. Torin doesn’t even live in the penthouse anymore. Oril’s gone. She’s tearing us apart."
Walter crosses his arms, his jaw tight. "And now you come crawling here? What do you want from me?"
Augi shakes his head, desperation in his voice. " We need you. We can’t bring her down without you. You saw through her before any of us did. You were always right. Please, Walter. Help us or Oracle will die in prison cell and Oril will take his own life"
Walter eyes quiver for a second as he bites his lip before shaking his head "So you came here because you needed someone. to play the wicked witch? To do to Lorali what you cannot."
Walter laughs bitterly, the sound hollow before adding. "You know, perhaps instead of coming all the way, you could try talking to Lorali, but no. You came here and want me, the person she probably hates the most to be in the same house as her and plot against,,Are you trying to get me killed?"
Augi steps closer, his hand brushing Walter’s arm in a gesture that’s meant to be comforting, maybe even romantic. Walter jerks away, his face twisting with anger.
"Don’t touch me," he growls. Augi’s voice cracks. "Walter, it’s not like that. We’re here because we love you. Because we still—"
Walter cuts him off, his voice rising. "If that was try you would have came weeks ago"
I decide to keep my stupid ass quiet and the way things are going and it spirals really bad to the point where she storms out the kitchen.
Augi Pov
Dinner is a disaster, not only because the food I know Walter cooked looks incredible but because of how tense the atmosphere was. The whole family sits around the table, Beth, Walter, their parents, the girls, and us. Walter’s father, a broad‑shouldered man with kind eyes, tries to lighten the mood. "Well, at least the food smells good," he says, forcing a smile as he passes the bread basket.
"Walter, you did the cooking, right? Looks better than my first attempt at stew."Kei laughs but no one joins him. Idiot he should have kept closing that mouth of his.
Walter sits stiffly, his eyes darting to us every few seconds, his lips curling into a sneer at Kei stupid choice of words and I wish the ground could swallow me whole. "Better than yours, maybe. But not better than Lorali’s, right? Isn’t that what you’d prefer?"
That comes out of nowhere, maybe we shouldn’t have come, but in all honesty we had no choice. We don’t have a clue where to start in helping Oracle and Oril, and the only two people who might have even a slight clue of what is happening are Yurena and Oracle. One of them can’t even speak at the moment, so Walter is the only real option. The two of them are both omegas like Lorali, so they should know what is going on in Lorali’s head. Well... that and the fact that they spent the most time with her.
Kei clenches his jaw, his voice tight. "Walter, stop."
"Why?" Walter tilts his head, slamming his tenth empty wine glass down on the table. The sound makes everyone flinch. This is not good.
"Who is Lorali?" Marla asks suddenly, flicking her gaze up from her phone, her tone casual but cutting through the tension.
"No one," Kei and I say at the same time, too quickly.
Walter laughs, the sound bitter. "She’s not a nobody, Marla. She’s my pack’s second omega."
Gasps fill the table, spoons clattering against plates. The girls stare wide‑eyed, Beth’s lips press into a thin line, and even Mom looks shaken.
Walter leans back, his eyes glassy from the wine. "You know, I hated her for merely existing and for bonding with one of my packmates. But now I think I misplaced my anger. It should have been directed at my useless mates, the ones who somehow managed to play me until the day she arrived at the penthouse." He scoffs, shaking his head.
"It wasn’t our fault, it was Torin’s father who got her," I exclaim, my voice rising, desperate to defend myself.
Walter rolls his eyes, the gesture exaggerated. "It’s that bullshit thinking that has Spade pack where it is today."
He rises from his chair, scraping it against the wooden planks, the sound grating. Without another word, he walks out, leaving the table in stunned silence.
The girls shift uncomfortably, their eyes darting between us and the door Walter disappeared through. Valm, always too bold for her own good, mutters under her breath, "Maybe having a pack isn’t so great after all."
Her mother reacts instantly, smacking the back of her head with a sharp motion. "Don’t say that." She sighs, trying to salvage the moment, her voice softer now. "Here, have some salad. It’ll lighten the mood." She passes the salad bowl across the table, forcing a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.