by A. C. Katt
La Farge jumped up. “I object.”
“Take him,” said Thierry. Two Council Enforcers stepped up and took custody of La Farge. “I believe we have two other witnesses…”
Martin brought in the Russian who remained defiant. Alpha Daurensbourg spoke. “This man is under a writ of execution for the murder of a human in the open city of New York. What can he add to these proceedings?”
Martin poked Petrovich. “I have nothing to lose here, Alpha. I am a walking dead man but I’m not going down alone. I first discovered the Alpha Mate in New York City. He ran and found La Marche. When I found out about la voix I thought I could use him to buy my way back into Russia.”
“What has this to do with Alpha La Farge?” Thierry snapped.
“I approached Alpha La Farge in New York because I knew from rumors in the Russian Council that he wanted to overthrow La Marche.”
“Alpha La Farge conspired as Bernard has testified?”
“Yes, he planned to challenge Alpha La Marche while he was grieving for his mate and wouldn’t be able to fight to his full capabilities. Since they are almost equally matched, La Farge thought to get an advantage over Alpha La Marche.”
“Alpha La Marche, in light of these proceedings, your challenge against Alpha La Farge is accepted by the council. If you win, he will be executed and his pack given over to your care. Do you accept this decision?”
Before Armand could answer the question, Sean burst into the meeting room. The assembly gasped.
“What are you doing out of bed?” growled Armand.
“Well, since you’re going to be stupid enough to fight when you don’t have to, I’m here to stop you. I want no one dead because of me.”
“Alpha Mate, a formal challenge was issued.” Thierry insisted.
“Well un-issue it. No one dies today. Let La Farge get escorted to Russia with the Russian and their fate be decided there.” Sean used the la voix.
“And Bernard, Alpha La Marche?”
“We can work that out internally.” Armand sighed.
“Can you accept this solution?” Thierry asked.
“I believe that the Alpha Mate was given to us to engender an age of peace and prosperity. He has a cooler head than I do. If we meet the gift of la voix with violence, the gods are capricious, they could take it away. I agree with what the Alpha Mate has suggested.”
“Then there will be no blood spilt here today,” Thierry said as he handed the meeting over to Armand.
La Farge leapt across the table from the custody of the two Enforcers. He shifted in midflight and went for Armand’s throat.
“Stop!” shouted Sean. To the amazement of the room, La Farge stopped in midair. “There will be no violence here today.” Sean spoke with la voix in a tone other than his own; his eyes seem to glaze over and a golden glow appeared around his head. “For too many centuries the humans have depleted the people by their superstitions. For too many centuries we fought and killed our own in foolish bids for power and rank. This will stop here today. We, your gods, anoint Alpha La Marche as head of this council. Let no other loup-garou gainsay our will. Alpha La Farge as of this moment has lost his ability to shift and will accompany Petrovich to Russia.” La Farge fell to the floor in human form. The audience gasped.
“The Russian has committed the ultimate crime. He will be executed by the Russian Council as a reminder that our people are to live in peace with our human brethren. Thus we say through our representative. La Farge will live in exile in human form as a slave to the Russian Council. So we have judged.”
Sean fell to the floor as pandemonium broke out in the meeting room.
“Back! Back!” Armand shouted. Alpha Thierry ordered all of the wolves, including the council to leave the room except for Armand’s Betas. Armand picked up Sean and brought him to the master suite.
“No one dies today.” Sean smiled at Armand.
“No one dies today, my love.” Armand kissed his mate as he laid him gently on the bed. “You did well.”
“I don’t remember much of what happened.” Sean put his hand up to his eye, amazed that he could see.
“The gods showed you great favor today. They spoke through you and healed your body. My mate, I am blessed to have your love.”
Elena rushed into the room, followed by Lillian and Meg. “I couldn’t keep her away from her Daddy.”
“Daddy, you are all better.” Elena jumped on the bed.
“Yes sweetie, I am and we are a family again.”
“Armand, what will you do with Bernard and Adele? I’m sure Adele was coerced into cooperation.”
“I’ll pay off his debts. He will work off both the money and his transgressions in the compound. He will be forbidden to practice his vocation until his debt is paid. Adele will be put under house arrest as a surety for Bernard’s behavior.”
“Can I still see Aunt Adele and the babies?” Elena asked as she hugged her Papa.
“You can see the babies at Marie’s house. Lillian, I think it would be best if she slept in her own bed tonight. Meg will get you ready to sleep, princess.” Meg picked up Elena and carried her out of the room.
“Lillian, since you and your mate are the only pack members who have raised a child, will you raise the pups as your own until such time Adele and Bernard are deemed to be worthy parents?”
“Of course, if I had known what Bernard was planning, I would have taken Elena months ago. I’ll go get the pups and leave you to care for the Alpha Mate.”
“I love you, my mate.” Sean told Armand as he lay in his arms.
“And I love you too. I want you to go to sleep and dream of me.”
* * * *
Sean woke up the next morning full of energy. He looked at the clock. It would be at least an hour before Elena came in for breakfast. He uncovered his husband’s body and began to feast. Armand was ready to answer his mate’s need with his hands and lips. He turned, bringing Sean under him.
Armand took Sean down his throat and massaged his cock with his throat muscles. “I was supposed to make love to you this morning,” Sean protested as he stroked a lazy hand over Armand’s hair.
“I just got you back, indulge me.” Armand answered between kisses.
He did.
THE END
ABOUT A.C. KATT
Author A.C. Katt passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 21, 2017. As many authors do, Mary Lynn Hansel (playfully) wrote under the pseudonym of A.C. Katt at the start of her literary career in 2007. Actually, A.C. took the name of the family cat. You know, the one that couldn’t resist the urge to bite any AC line cord that mistakenly snaked its way across the floor!
Mary Lynn was born in NYC and grew up in Hazlet, NJ. A smart woman, she was once a contestant on the quiz show Jeopardy! Prior to 2003, she was a much in demand executive secretary with mid-sized New Jersey technical companies. Then a major illness almost ended her life. With her strong will to live and the support of her family, she recovered, but her illness didn’t leave her with enough stamina to continue her corporate ambitions.
Mary Lynn was an avid (speed) reader all her life; she could inhale a 200 page novel in something less than 3 hours and call it an evening’s worth of entertainment! She especially enjoyed science and fantasy fiction, as well as bodice ripper and all manner of M/F romance novels. And she became somewhat of an expert on 15th–20th Century English history.
Of course, all this entertainment didn’t come cheap—by 2006, she had accumulated well over 1,000 hardcover novels of her favorite books! At that point, her darling husband started grumbling about her $250/month book bill. So, by the end of her convalescence in 2006, he strongly suggested she should stop complaining about the (not so infrequent) trashy novels she read and instead use the time to write some of her own. Truth be known, she was continuing the family business. Her father John Welch was an engaging storyteller who would entrance her boyfriends with his stories. Also, during her high school and college days, Mary Lynn was fond
of expressing her feelings in poetry and song lyrics.
In 2008, A.C. and her husband relocated to Rio Rancho, NM, and she started her writing career in earnest. They found themselves a beautiful, 2,200 sq. ft. ranch with a huge kitchen and a backyard with an enchanting view of the Sandia Mountains. She wrote with passion and compassion about the LGBTQ community and connected with fans through her blogs. Her stories were filled with interesting characters and the plot lines always had an emphasis on character development. Also, while in NM, A.C. and her husband both loved to bake and cook, so her books always relied on tantalizing descriptions of food and locations. A.C. and her husband actively participated in Democratic Party events, hosting several successful political—you might call them money-grubbing—gatherings.
After 8 years in Rio Rancho, desiring to reconnect with family, Mary Lynn decided it was time to return to NJ. So she packed up the cat and the husband and took the 2,100-mile trip to her new home in Jackson, NJ. Finally, after 9 months of being surrounded by family, she was laid to rest under a large spreading oak tree in Freehold, NJ, on the northern edge of the Freehold Raceway Mall. Oh, did I mention she like to clothing shop?
Family, friends, and fans will dearly miss this lovingly creative personality. She is survived by her husband of 29 years, their four children, ten grandchildren, and many fans. She authored 34 gay erotic romance titles in ten years and was a valued member of the LGBTQ literary world. On her tombstone are written the words:
AC had stories to tell
Until she couldn’t!
For more information, visit ackatt.com.
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