Derek's jaw clenched as Laura spouted hateful words. Her martyring attitude should have made him angry, but it just made him tired. They'd made their camps, on opposing sides, and they were Hales. There could be no compromising.
He'd spent the past six years compromising. Doing everything he could to help Laura be a better Alpha. Supporting her rather than questioning her. But he couldn't. Not in this.
"I want Kate dead more than you do. You weren't the one she used. But Mom would never take her anger out on someone who wasn't guilty. And you know that."
His voice was quiet, but firm, plaintive as he plead his case. "Allison isn't Kate. She could never be. You remember what I was like after Paige. How I walked around, angry and grieving. Kate fed on that. With Allison it's different. She's the one angry and grieving. And she chose me, Laura." He took a breath, still disbelieving. "I gave her the choice to go with Scott, but she chose me. And she chose this child. My child. I'm not throwing that away."
He collected himself, and breathed deeply. "You're the Alpha. These people are your pack. If I no longer have a place in that pack, that's your decision."
Uncle Paul had left for a time, and traveled. He could do the same. It would be a struggle, always wanting to go home, but he could do it. For Laura.