by Alanea Alder
“Shifter law sucks! And the council sucks!” Rebecca exclaimed loudly, sloshing her soda. Liam’s head came up and he smiled at the indignant Rebecca.
“Becca, my grandfather is on the council,” he said as her chin came up in defiance.
“What good are laws and councils when innocent people get hurt?” she asked. Everyone got quiet.
“You’re right, Rebecca. No one’s perfect. We can only learn as we go and hope that our changes benefit everyone.” Lachlan patted Rebecca on the knee.
“You don’t suck,” she said in a small voice.
“Don’t spread that rumor, I may never get lucky again,” Lachlan drawled and winked. Both of Rebecca’s hands flew to her mouth in an effort not to giggle. Kent looked up and saw Liam’s mouth hanging wide open.
“Grandfather?” Liam asked, stunned.
“Wonderful sandwiches, as always, Margaret,” Lachlan commented.
“Why thank you, Lachlan,” Ma said, hiding her grin.
“Okay people, enough play time. Back to work. Chop chop!” Rebecca said, clapping her hands. Grinning down at Rebecca, everyone stacked their plates and headed back out to the family room.
“Come on David, Daniel, we still have a network to finish,” Lachlan said, also standing and putting his plate aside. Sebastian reached up and closed Liam’s mouth for him before hopping down. He turned and grabbed Kent’s hands, pulling him up.
“Time for you to get back to the books. I get to fantasize about seducing you in the library as you flip through pages with your glasses on,” Sebastian said, leering at his mate, who blushed furiously.
“Maybe we can change things up a bit after we send that lawyer packing. I’m dying to feel you inside me, Sebastian. We’re going to put you between us and not let you go,” Liam said huskily. Sebastian swallowed hard.
“We can do that!” he squeaked. Kent laughed and kissed both of his mates before heading back out to the family room to continue his research.
Chapter 9
By morning, pack, pride and sloth had consumed more gallons of coffee than Kent could count. Despite the extra caffeine, everyone was yawning and rubbing their eyes when the sun began to rise. Rebecca stood and walked into the center of the room.
“Okay people what do we have? Jerk-o lawyer will be here soon, we need to have our defense ready,” Rebecca said, climbing on top of the ottoman so that she could be seen. Aleks scrambled and stood behind his mate to keep her steady.
“I have been looking at Liam’s Law, why can’t they just be grandfathered in?” Rex asked.
“Because by the time the law was passed, everyone who escaped and been declared rogue. We are not fighting to use Liam’s Law, we are trying to overturn the rogue status. Once they are cleared of those charges, we will be able to use Liam’s Law,” Rebecca explained.
“I have a case Davidson vs. Alcott, where a woman was declared rogue until she presented her case before the council. She was a legal member of the pack and left without permission. The Alpha declared her rogue but she was able to prove that he was abusing her and got the charges reversed,” Talon said, holding up a book. Aleks took it and put it in a pile at Rebecca’s feet.
“Great job Talon, that sets precedence. They have overturned rogue status before after someone has run due to abuse,” Rebecca said, clapping excitedly.
“I’m afraid that may be all we have, except for our testimonies. The council has rarely sided against their Alphas, which is why Liam’s Law is so important,” Lachlan said. Everyone looked defeated.
“We have Peyton’s written statement along with Felix and Sebastian’s accounts of what happened. It will have to be enough,” Liam said, holding Sebastian. Rebecca picked up the book that had the case Talon had found and began to memorize the case. She motioned to Daniel and David and whispered in their ears. Both men began to nod and ran off to jump on their laptops.
Less than an hour later, the doorbell rang. Pack and pride members lined both sides of the room as Liam opened the door, letting Salsiby and the wolves in.
“Let’s make this quick, we need to get these two back to their Alpha,” he said as the wolves stepped forward.
“Not so fast. We have a council session scheduled for this morning in Alpha Liam’s office. We will be presenting a defense for both Sebastian Wakefield and Felix Kilpatrick,” Lachlan said, gesturing to the hallway which led to the office.
“How do I know that it isn’t a trick?” Salsiby demanded.
“If we wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. Look around. Not only would these men gladly help me tear you limb from limb, but they would also help me hide the bodies.” Liam’s cold smile made the lawyer shudder.
“Very well, it shouldn’t take long. There is no possible defense for this case,” Salsiby said, following Lachlan, Liam, Kent, Sebastian, Felix, Bran, Gabriel, Aleks and Rebecca into the office.
Kent walked into the office for the first time since the video upgrades were installed by the twins, and he was impressed. Along one wall was a panel of monitors. Each LED screen held the face of a council member.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Lachlan began.
“Morning, Lachlan. Is your grandson ready to present his mate’s defense?” A deep voice came from the screen with an older man with black-and-white-streaked hair. Rebecca looked around, eyes wide. Lachlan placed a hand on her back in support. Kent could identify with how she felt. Looking around the room that held Lachlan, Gabriel, and the presence of the shifter council, it was easy to feel small and unimportant.
“We’re ready, Ora,” Lachlan confirmed.
“Rebecca, starting in the upper, left-hand corner, the gentleman that just spoke is Ora Takumi. He is the Whale Elder. Below him is Phillip Marah the Horse Elder. In the upper center slot is Olson Brock the Badger Elder. Below him is Giles Andor the Eagle Elder, and finally in the upper right-hand corner is Ramsey McGregor.” Lachlan introduced each Elder to the small Alpha Mother. She stepped forward and stood squarely in front of the monitors.
“It’s nice to finally have faces to go along with names,” Rebecca said and unleashed her potent smile. Kent turned his head to grin. He could visibly see each man relax. She really was too adorable to resist.
“Are you ready to start, Alpha Mother? Do you need to sit?” Ramsey asked. Kent saw Rebecca beam up at the man.
“I’m ready, and no, I can stand. I’m doing much better now. I know that Bran keeps you updated on how things are in town. I didn’t know I was a topic for discussion,” she said, turning to look at Bran who had a blush creeping up his neck. Ramsey laughed.
“Bran sings your praises, Alpha Mother.”
“I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but we do have business to attend to,” Salsiby said, stepping forward. Kent watched in fascination as each council member’s face shut down and became stoic. They clearly did not like the man.
“By all means.” Ramsey bit off each word.
“We’d like to cite the case of Davidson vs. Alcott,” Rebecca began before Salsiby interrupted.
“That case, though similar, bears no resemblance to the one before us today.”
“I agree that they are not the same but…” Rebecca started.
“Good, then moving on,” Salsiby said. Rebecca’s head whipped around until she faced the monitors.
“If he interrupts me again can I shoot him? I’ll use little bullets.” Rebecca asked. Everyone got quiet. Ramsey coughed to cover his laugh.
“I hate to disappoint you, Alpha Mother, but no,” Ora said kindly. His eyes hardened when he looked up at Salsiby.
“If you interrupt her again, I will order you silent for the rest of the proceedings,” he said.
“You can’t do that. I am my client’s representation!” Salsiby protested.
“Then it’s in your client’s best interest that you not interrupt her again,” Ora said.
“Thank you.” Rebecca practically purred.
“Now, in the case of Davidson vs. A
lcott, Helena Davidson left her Alpha. They were not mates and he had become abusive and she feared for her life. In the case notes, I see that there was no physical evidence, just Helena’s and the pack housekeeper’s testimonies about the sequence of events. It was enough to remove her rogue status,” Rebecca recounted.
“We would also like this council to forgo physical evidence on the basis that any abuse these men suffered at the hands of Alpha Devon have healed since leaving captivity, due to the accelerated healing rate of shifters.” Rebecca stood up straight.
“We will concede that point,” Ora said.
“I have emailed you gentleman the three sworn statements of Sebastian Wakefield, Felix Kilpatrick and Peyton Miller. Sebastian and Felix’s testimonies recount how they were sold to Alpha Devon because they were hybrids. They describe in detail how they were caged and abused while waiting to be shipped to vampires wanting their blood,” Rebecca said, holding up her printed copies.
“The statements of the men who are being charged can hardly be considered an objective testimony,” Salsiby argued. Ora nodded.
“As much as I hate to agree with the man, he has a point.” Ora looked at Rebecca gravely.
“Do you have any further evidence, Alpha Mother?” Ramsey asked.
Rebecca looked around the room helplessly. She was about to speak when a knock sounded at the door. The room turned to see Daniel and David pop their heads in.
“We have it, Alpha Mother,” he said, beaming. Kent felt a spark of hope flare.
“These are closed-door proceedings, they aren’t even shifters. They have no say here,” Salsiby objected. He motioned to one of the wolves, who stalked toward Daniel and David. They quickly moved to the far corner. Gabriel stepped forward, and Kent felt waves of power wash away from the prince. The wolf stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to stare at the prince in horror. Each wave seemed to weigh the wolf down more and more until he was on his knees. Kent could feel every muscle in his body screaming at him to get away from this powerful being. His lion was struggling to move away. Only the knowledge that this terrible power wasn’t directed at him kept his feet still. When he looked up he could see every other shifter in the room was tense, everyone except Rebecca, who smirked at the wolf.
“I am mated to Ashby Fairfax, who is bonded with Sebastian Wakefield, which very much makes this my business. Come forward Daniel, David, they won’t hurt you.” Gabriel held out his hand.
“What did you do to him?” Ora asked, sounding curious.
“I merely showed him that to me, he is nothing more than a pup.” Gabriel shrugged as Daniel and David moved to stand on either side of Rebecca.
“The Alpha Mother was not affected,” Ramsey stated.
“Rebecca has a nearly pure aura or what you would call a soul. I have only seen it once before. She does not fear me simply because she knows I would never hurt her. She has the absolute faith that we lose as children. In her heart she would never betray me, so she believes—and accurately—that I would never betray her.” Gabriel took a step to stand next to Aleks behind Rebecca.
Sebastian edged closer to Kent. Kent took his hand and gripped it tightly. Liam came up on their right and wrapped an arm around them both. Kent had never been so happy to have powerful friends.
David and Daniel held open their small laptop in front of Rebecca. Kent saw her eyes moving quickly and a smile broke out on her face.
“I am emailing new evidence to you now, gentlemen,” she said, her hands moving over the keys.
“I demand a copy,” Salsiby said, and provided his email address. After just a few minutes, the whale shifter spoke.
“I understand what I am reading, but not how it pertains to this case,” he admitted.
“Gentlemen, before you are the tax records for the twelve men that Alpha Devon has deemed rogue going back five years. Eleven hybrids and Peyton Miller. Does anything stand out to you?” She asked.
“None of the twelve have filed taxes in the past two years,” Ramsey said, his eyebrows rising. Rebecca nodded triumphantly.
“These twelve men are all educated, and up until two years ago had budding careers. But within the past two years nothing was filed, no income earned, no paper trail for them at all,” Rebecca said. Kent saw the light go off in Ramsey’s eyes.
“It definitely supports the claim that they were held in cages against their will,” Ramsey said.
“It proves nothing. Alpha Devon provides for his pack in much the same way Liam Lewenhart provides for his pride. I bet there aren’t many tax records for his pride members, either,” Salsiby said. Kent felt his heart sink as he watched the excited look fade from Rebecca’s face.
“I’m afraid he is right, Rebecca. Without an unbiased testimony similar to the Davidson vs. Alcott case, we will have to side with Alpha Devon and these men will have to return to his pack and face punishment,” Ora spoke sadly.
“This is impossible! How do you prove a negative? How can you prove a loss of freedom? Of course his own pack would testify in his favor. How else could eleven men disappear and be held against their will for so long?” Rebecca protested.
“I am truly sorry, Alpha Mother,” Ora said.
“No! You can’t take him from us!” Liam shouted.
“Please don’t send us back, they’ll kill us!” Felix yelled.
“It’s not right, I never asked to be sold!” Sebastian shouted.
“Unfortunately, we have to follow the law. Gentlemen.” Ora nodded to the wolves in the room.
Two wolves grabbed a struggling Felix and two moved to grab Sebastian. Lachlan and Bran fought to hold back Liam and Aleks as they stood between the wolves and Sebastian. Kent turned over Rebecca’s words in his mind and an idea began to form. He dropped Sebastian’s hand and picked up the folder from the desk. Sebastian stared at him with pain in his eyes. Kent turned his back so that he could read the contents of the folder without the distraction of his mate’s pain shining in his eyes.
“No! Kent, grab him!” Liam yelled. Kent ignored the room for a second more, before turning back to the chaos.
“Alpha Liam, if you continue this course of action you will be found guilty of obstructing council justice and executed!” Ora yelled.
“I don’t care! Give him back! Give him back to me!” Liam pleaded. Kent took a deep breath and pushed down the panicked emotions coming from both his mates. Placing his fingers to his lips, he released an ear shattering whistle. Every shifter in the room stopped what they were doing to cover their ears. The quietness which followed was deafening.
“Council, I have multiple unbiased testimonies I would like to submit for review,” he said, stepping forward, the knot from his stomach trying to claw its way up his throat.
“You are?” Ora asked.
“Kent Fieldings. I am Liam Lewenhart and Sebastian Wakefield’s mate,” he said.
“What unbiased testimonies could you possibly have?” Salsiby sneered.
“The ones that you provided,” Kent said coolly. Ramsey’s eyebrows lifted. Each council member sifted through the papers in front of them.
“Which ones are you referring to?” Olson asked, his gravelly voice gruff. It was clear why he wasn’t the main speaker.
“The testimonies of Marcia Earnheart, Anne Rafferty, and Milo Lagrange,” Kent said.
“Mr. Fieldings, I don’t understand. These are the testimonies used to prove that Alpha Devon was innocent of holding the eleven men captive,” Phillip said, his voice rolling out in a smooth cadence
“Each of the three in their own way said almost the exact same thing,” Kent said. “Marcia’s testimony says ‘I don’t know of any hybrids living on pack lands.’ Anne’s testimony is ‘There are no hybrids here.’ And finally, we have Milo’s testimony, which states ‘There are only wolves on pack lands, there aren’t any hybrids’.”
“Oh my God!” Rebecca whispered.
“There before you are three sworn testimonies from Alpha Devon’s own pack members t
hat there have never been any hybrids in their pack or on pack lands. Yet the tax records that Alpha Mother Rebecca has provided show that none of these men have any sort of a financial trail to support themselves in two years. If they were truly living off of Alpha Devon and in his pack, wouldn’t they have known about them?” Kent asked, looking up into the faces of the council. A slow smile spread on Ramsey’s face.
“Interesting, very interesting.” The wolf Elder smirked.
“It proves nothing. I can go back and get clarification,” Salsiby started.
“And coach those pack members on what to say? I don’t think so. I think in the rush to ensure his innocence to the Sentinels in his kidnapping charges, Alpha Devon overlooked the fact that he could claim that these men had gone rogue. If he had, maybe the statements taken from his pack may have been different. Either he is guilty of kidnapping and holding eleven men against their will, or he revokes the claim that they are rogue and must return to his pack,” Ramsey concluded staring Salsiby down.
The small man looked from council member to council member.
“What will it be, Salsiby?” Ora demanded.
“Alpha Devon is innocent.”
“Then I motion that Sebastian Wakefield and Felix Kilpatrick are cleared of their rogue status and are free.” Ramsey looked around.
“Agreed,” the other council members said smiling.
“Thank you, Elder. However, I would like to request that the rogue status be lifted from all twelve men, the eleven hybrids and Peyton Miller, so that they can finally be free to restart their lives, no matter where they are,” Kent asked, and held his breath. Ora stared at him for a long moment before nodding.
“I believe that to be fair. Congratulations on your mating Liam, I look forward to seeing you in council meetings. Though, you may want to bring your mate with you.” He grinned and his screen went dark.
“Congratulations gentlemen. I will submit the paperwork today.” Olson nodded before he too signed off. The last one to end his session was Ramsey McGregor.