Even if the elders didn’t overturn their previous ruling, they needed to hear this in order to ensure the pack was protected. That everyone was aware of just how great a threat we were facing.
It was much worse than even the elders had suspected. And I would do everything in my power to stop Maddox from succeeding in bringing war to our pack and countless other shifter tribes.
"That's my girl. I'm on my way." Charlie's endearment made my heart skip several beats.
“I’ll meet you out in front of my house,” I replied, then ended the call.
As I waited for him on the front porch, my stomach churned with sudden nerves. Would the elders be willing to hear me out? I was still a member of this pack, regardless of whether I was Alpha or not. But that didn’t mean they’d listen to a word I had to say. Maybe I shouldn’t have been quite so discourteous when I’d ordered them from my house earlier. They weren’t likely to look too kindly on me at the moment.
The second I saw Charlie’s truck turn into the drive, I sprinted out to meet it and jumped in the passenger side before the vehicle had come to a full stop.
Charlie put the truck in gear and made a u-turn, driving across the grass before heading back out onto the road. "What did the psycho coyote have to say?"
"It certainly wasn't comforting." I pulled the recorder out of my purse and played the conversation back for Charlie.
He shook his head, incredulity suffusing his expression. “I can’t believe you got him to say all that, Lucy.”
“I told you he’d want to gloat.” And I’d been right. He hadn’t been able to keep the smug satisfaction from showing on his face. “Maddox is the kind of man who wants everyone to know how smart he is. Or at least, how smart he thinks he is,” I added, waving the recorder in the air as proof that the coyote Alpha wasn’t nearly as intelligent as he thought.
Charlie shifted his eyes from the road to focus on me for a moment. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
Warmth filled me at his words, despite the grim situation we were mired in.
Charlie returned his attention to the view outside the windshield. “I guess we now know exactly where we stand.”
“Yeah. The coyotes are going to keep coming at us until we’re all dead or we can find a way to stop them. But they’re not going to harm another member of my pack if I have anything to say about it. I just wish that Maddox had said more about why he’s so certain we don’t stand a chance against him.” His confidence worried me, especially since we still didn’t know what he had planned.
When we got to Eli's house, Dalton was out front, guarding the old man's door.
"The elders have no interest in seeing you," Dalton snapped as I climbed out of Charlie’s truck and closed the distance between us, with Charlie right behind me.
Dalton stood in front of the door, arms crossed over his chest. Disapproval radiated off him. Charlie started to take a half-step forward, but I held up a hand to stay him. I didn't need my Beta to fight my battles for me.
Charlie halted immediately at my silent gesture, and I realized it was the exact same signal my father had used on countless occasions to give a command which was instantly obeyed without him saying a single word.
In that moment, I realized that I could do this. I could be the kind of Alpha my father had been, the kind of Alpha he’d trained me to be. I was blood heir to the Blackburn legacy. This was who I had always been meant to become.
I stepped up to Dalton, chin held high, and glared directly into his eyes. I summoned every ounce of authority I could muster, silently calling on all my ancestors to back me up as I spoke. "Move, Dalton, or so help me, I will move you myself and you're not gonna like it."
His eyebrows arched in surprise then slammed back down over his narrowed gaze. "You're really gonna lay hands on a cop? That's not a smart move, Lucy."
I got right in his face. "I don't give a fuck that you're a cop, Dalton. First of all, you're not on duty. Second, it's pretty fucking weak of you to hide behind human conventions and rules when the matter at hand is clearly a shifter issue. Now...I'm not gonna ask you again. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." I was barely restraining my inner wolf, and that fact came through in my tone.
He stared at me for a long moment before stepping aside, shaking his head. "Eli's gonna kill me for this," he muttered under his breath.
"Right now, Eli's the least of your worries," I snapped as I let myself into the old man's house.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here," Eli growled as he walked into the front hall, with the rest of the council at his back.
"I'm here because you owe me a real chance at living up to my family's legacy," I snarled.
Even though I wasn’t Alpha now—even if I was never Alpha—I vowed that I’d ensure the safety of my pack. The Blackburn legacy was about so much more than just leading. It was about loyalty and sacrifice. Doing what was hard because it’s what was right. My father had believed in me, and I wouldn’t let him down. Not again.
"We're busy trying to figure out a way to concede peacefully and clean up the mess you made with Maddox and his coyotes." Eli gave a haughty sniff and a wave of his hand as if to tell me I was dismissed.
"Not gonna happen. Maddox isn’t interested in peace," I grimly stated the facts. "And if you don't believe me on that point, you better give this a listen." I held up the digital recorder.
"And what, exactly, is that supposed to be?" Eli snorted.
"I met with Maddox to see if I could get him to spill the beans about what he really wants." I crossed my arms and stared at the elders, refusing to back down until I was heard. “If you won’t heed my warning, maybe Maddox’s own words will convince you of the very real danger.”
Eli’s expression remained hard, but he waved for me to go ahead.
I pressed play on the recording.
Maddox’s taunting words filled the air, and I watched the shifting emotions on the elders’ faces as shocked realization set in that we wouldn’t be able to negotiate a ceasefire with the coyotes. This had gone beyond a few isolated skirmishes. The Sterling Pack had declared war on us—and they didn’t intend to take any prisoners.
By the end of the recording, the elders were all shaking their heads. Worry weighed down their lined features, making them appear even older. They muttered back and forth to each other in muted tones as Charlie came to stand beside me.
Finally, after a long couple of minutes, Eli looked up and addressed me. "Perhaps we were too hasty in stripping you of your title, Lucy. For that I apologize."
I shrugged off his apology. "That’s not the reason I did this, but thank you for that. Maddox was trying to sow strife and he succeeded. But that’s in the past. Right now, the main thing we need to do is focus on how we’re going to secure our pack's future."
The regret on Eli’s face was replaced with resolve. "You're right, of course."
"I’ve learned some additional information. I expect that Dalton told you I spoke to the Alpha of the Swift fox tribe this morning.” At the elders’ nods, I continued. “Marcus Swift’s pack had troubles with Maddox and his coyotes before we did, but he believes they lost interest and moved on to us because they thought we were the bigger threat to their plans."
"I would very much like to prove them right in that regard," Eli growled.
"So would I, but whatever we do, we need to play it smart from here on in." I explained the theory Darius and Marcus had about Maddox' supernatural help in this situation. I also told them in no uncertain terms that I had promised the fox Alpha access to whatever was necessary for them to research that theory.
A couple of the elders looked like they wanted to balk at that decision, but Eli sent them a quelling look that cut off whatever protests they might have made.
"What should we do about Brandon's alleged betrayal?" Charlie asked.
I was more than a bit surprised when the elders looked to me for the answer, but I quickly shook off my shock and focused on the problem at hand.
I thought about it long and hard. Part of me wanted to issue a death warrant for anyone who dared to betray our pack. But not without proof of the charge. I couldn’t be sure that Maddox had spoken the truth when he’d named Brandon a traitor. In fact, there was more than just a little doubt still lingering in my mind. And even if I knew absolutely that Brandon was guilty, that wasn't how my father would have done things. That wasn’t how I wanted to do things. It wasn’t for me alone to decide who lived or died. Otherwise, I would be no better than Maddox. And I was nothing like him.
Which made the way forward clear to me. "Let's call a pack meeting and put him on trial."
Chapter 20
The shell-shocked look on Brandon's face when Dalton, Charlie, and three other members of the pack surrounded him told a story. I could see the guilt clearly stamped on his features, though he tried to hide it. I stared at him, watching the fear and panic that flitted in his eyes as they darted left and right, searching for an escape. I hadn’t wanted to believe it—but he was acting far from innocent at the moment. I felt numb at this apparent proof of betrayal from the man who I had thought was my best friend.
The birds in the trees had gone silent. It seemed that even they realized the gravity of what we were doing here. The air felt heavy, as though the very earth was holding its breath. Sunlight glinted off Brandon’s blonde hair and sweat rolled down the side of his face.
"What's this about?" he panted furiously, trying to push his way out of the circle as it tightened around him.
"You know damn good and well what this is about," Charlie growled, shoving Brandon back into the middle of the ring of shifters.
Brandon stumbled, but quickly regained his footing.
"You're a traitor, and you're the reason an innocent, young, honeymooning couple was murdered," Dalton muttered from behind Brandon, making him spin around quickly to face the wolf now accusing him. “They were members of our tribe, Brandon. More than that, they were my friends.”
Brandon's mother rushed toward the circle of wolves around him, a wild look in her eyes. "You're wrong! There must be some kind of mistake. My son would never do that."
She tried to push past them to reach Brandon, but the men closed ranks.
"Unfortunately, we have reason to believe otherwise," Eli said, stepping forward with the digital recorder. He played my conversation with Maddox for everyone to hear.
"No!" Brandon's mother screamed and shook her head. "It's a lie, a vicious lie! You can’t trust that coyote.” She turned to her son with an anguished look. “Tell them, Brandon!"
The moment his mother had tried to intervene, he’d become noticeably subdued. Could he actually be regretting what he’d done? Not that it mattered. It was too late for regrets. No sudden onset of remorse could bring the Parkers back. And Brandon would have to answer for that.
“Tell them they’re wrong,” Brandon’s mother repeated in a choked voice.
Rather than making eye contact with his mother, or anyone else, Brandon shook his head and stared at the ground. "I’m sorry, but I can't do that, Mom."
The older woman gasped, then let out a scream of mortal pain and started sobbing brokenly as she fell to her knees.
Even though I’d already come to the conclusion that Brandon had done this terrible thing, as unbelievable as it was to fathom, it still felt like a knife had been stabbed into my chest to hear him admit it.
How could he have done this? I couldn’t stop one question from repeating over and over in my head. Why? But I guess it didn’t matter.
I tried not to take my former best friend’s betrayal personally. Even if all of Maddox’s words had been truthful—something I found hard to believe—how could Brandon have believed that my rejection of him was justification for his actions? Plenty of men suffered romantic disappointments when their love, or lust or obsession or whatever they felt, was not returned. But most did not resort to becoming an accessory to murder to salve their heartache. Most did not decide that they needed to take revenge, not just against the object of their so-called affection, but against anyone and everyone that mattered to her.
Brandon had helped Maddox and the coyotes target people that mattered to me.
Maybe he hadn’t realized how far things would go. Or maybe he didn’t care. I just didn’t know. But either way, the outcome was the same. His actions had led to the deaths of innocent wolves.
"Brandon Pierce, do you understand that you are now officially on trial for betraying your Alpha and your pack, as well as for causing the deaths of the young Mr. and Mrs. Parker?" Eli called out, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The circle of five shifters around Brandon opened up so that he faced the entire pack.
"I do." Brandon's voice was barely audible as he hung his head.
"Has everyone here had the opportunity to listen to the presented evidence firsthand?" Eli's voice boomed over the pack.
There were dissenting murmurs, some saying yes and some saying no. The recorder was passed around from group to group, allowing every member of the pack to hear what was said before the trial moved forward. Angry eyes turned toward Brandon and growls emanated from among the gathered wolves. They had all heard him affirm that everything Maddox had alleged was true.
They’d been the Parkers’ friends and neighbors. No one had been left unaffected by the young couple’s brutal murders. And none would overlook the part Brandon had played in the senseless tragedy.
"Do you understand the charges against you?" Eli questioned.
"I do," Brandon mumbled, not daring to look up, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
“Do you wish to refute anything that was said on the recording that all here have now heard?”
“No.” Brandon’s shoulders slumped in defeat, and I realized he wasn’t even going to try to defend himself.
But then, there was no defense for what he’d done. At least he’d had the decency not to try to deny it once his actions had been uncovered.
"Very well." There was a flash of sadness in Eli’s eyes before his expression turned stony. "How do you plead?"
"Guilty," Brandon said, condemning himself.
The word hung in the the air for several long moments before angry mutters rushed in to fill the charged silence.
"What punishment does the pack wish to see imposed on the traitor?" Eli questioned.
Dalton stepped forward, looking much less like a dispassionate cop and more like a dangerous wild predator. "The Parkers died as a result of what Brandon did. I think he should suffer the same fate as them."
"Dalton recommends the death penalty." Eli folded his hands and studied the rest of the pack. "How does the pack vote in this matter?"
One by one, every wolf present passed sentence on Brandon. The vote for death was almost unanimous.
I thought I would want his death more than anyone. He betrayed me. He got my father killed. He got the Parkers killed. He tried to force himself on me. When I didn't return his feelings, he sought revenge. Still, as I stared at the wall of shifters standing against him ordering his execution, I didn't feel elation that the traitor had been brought to justice.
It felt more like we were just perpetuating the cycle of killing. I was tired of the death and bloodshed. I just wanted it to end.
And I couldn't stand the sight of his mother’s heartbreak as her son was sentenced to death for his crimes. How much more pain and loss would we allow Maddox to inflict on our pack? No more.
"I'm asserting my right to intervene on the basis of blood legacy and Alpha status," I blurted. It startled everyone, including me.
But I didn’t try to take the words back. Didn’t want to take them back.
"Lucy, what are you doing?" Charlie hissed. "I know he was your best friend, but you can't honestly think he deserves to be saved after everything he's done."
"No," I shook my head and crossed my arms. "I don't think he’s worth saving. But I also have no intention of forcing Mrs. Pierce to watch her son die
a traitor."
"What, exactly, do you plan to do, then? Are you just going to let him get away without punishment?" Dalton sneered, his lack of respect for me apparent in both his tone and expression.
And he wasn’t the only one who appeared to be questioning my decision. Anger and shock and confusion were thick in the air. Everyone's mixed feelings slammed into me at once, threatening my hardwon control. But I wouldn’t back down from what I knew to be right.
I sent Dalton a quelling look. "What I intend to do is banish him."
"That might turn out to be a regrettable move," Eli warned.
Several voices rang out in agreement with him.
I held up a hand to silence everyone before proceeding. "I intend to let Brandon suffer as a shifter without a pack, a wolf without a home. The shame of being a traitor will follow him wherever he goes. No one will welcome him. And every day he will be forced to remember what he did. Forced to face it. I do not intend to give him the easy way out in death."
Surprised murmurs ran through the pack like wildfire. I stared down any wolf who had the nerve to meet my gaze, daring them to disagree with me.
A measure of respect entered Eli’s eyes. "That actually does seem quite a fitting punishment."
The other elders joined in with affirming murmurs and nods as I turned to Brandon with a hard look.
"I do, however, have one caveat." I didn't even blink. Cutting off any last lingering shred of emotion I had felt for him over the long years of friendship, I raised my voice to be heard by all the gathered wolves. "If Brandon ever steps foot on Blackburn territory again, he will be put to death immediately for the safety of this pack." Then I spoke softly so that only Brandon could hear my words. “Do not expect mercy from me. Because you will not find it.” I turned my back on him. "He has one hour to get his things and leave our territory. See that he’s gone by then.”
Chapter 21
Eli strode over to me as Brandon and his tearful mother were escorted away from the pack. She would have to say goodbye to him if she intended to remain living in the Blackburn pack territory. But at least she’d know he was somewhere out in the world. Alive. Which was more than Mr. and Mrs. Parker’s families had. I felt sympathy for Mrs. Pierce, but I had none to spare for her son.
Possessing the Alpha: A Wolf Shifter Romance (Southern Shifters Saga Book 1) Page 12