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She grins at me. “Of course I am. And you’ll see. I’ll be right about the trial, too.”
Luna, I hope so.
CHAPTER15
A LITTLE DEMONSTRATION (A WHOLE LOT OF PAIN)
The trial is set for noon the next day. By then, the last of the twelve Alphas should be ready to meet with me. Ryker offered to stand in for one if they needed him to, and though I doubt they will, Dash agreed. That allowed Gem and Ryker to stay.
Thank the Luna. At least, if this all goes sideways, I won’t be alone.
To be honest, I’m hoping this all works out. The three Alphas I already met with yesterday didn’t seem too disturbed by my abilities, though that could be because they only heard what I could do, and saw examples of me reading other supes’ bonds. If I walked up to somebody and snapped their mate bond for shits and giggles, I doubt that they’d be as unconcerned.
Not that I would. I never have. The only times I broke bonds were when unhappily mated pairs asked me to, or when my former Alpha forced me. He used me as another tool, a way to keep the Western Pack and its enemies in line, and he turned me into a broken, shattered mess of a she-wolf the entire time I was trapped in the district.
I’m better now. Stronger. I’m not completely whole, but I think I’ve become something different. Forged in the fire of Aleks’s love, I’ve remade myself into an Elizabeth that’s a whole lot more unbreakable than she was a few short years ago.
The Luna helped, too; more accurately, not having her there to rely on for the last two and a half months did. I had to deal with my own thoughts, my own insecurities, and figure my own shit out by myself for the first time in my life. Even now that she’s back, her presence isn’t as noticeable as it used to be. In fact, I think I filled the spot she occupied with my feeling for my vampire.
If only he was here with me…
When Dash and Bishop walk me into the den where the trial will be held that day at noon, I gulp. Maybe it’s a good thing that I convinced Aleks to stay behind. If he saw the set-up, he’d know that this is a lot more serious than I let on.
I certainly do.
Every pack has an Alpha cabin. It belongs to the leader of the pack, and is his personal home on pack land. Since most Alphas take a mate shortly after they perform their Alpha Ceremony, their mate lives with them. Any pups they have will, too. Other than that, no one else is allowed in the Alpha cabin—except for the den.
Because packs are so community-driven, there needs to be a place where packmates can go to talk with the Alpha without encroaching on his personal territory. That’s how dens were formed. In each Alpha cabin, there’s a room designated as the den. So long as the Alpha is in residence, any and all packmates can go to the den and be sure that their Alpha will see them.
In the Northern Winds Pack, the den is attached to the back of the cabin. In a suburban human home, it would be the garage; in a shifter pack, it’s the den. The inside is carpeted, the walls paneled with woods made from the trees that surround Dash’s land, and I can see tracks in the carpet from where furniture usually stands.
Today, anything that might have usually been in the den was removed. In its place, there are two cafeteria-style tables placed back to back, plus enough chairs for the twelve Alphas preceding over this trial. Ten are lined up, each one more dominant and imposing as the last. Two chairs are vacant: one on the end and one in the center. After pointing me toward the spot where I’m expected to sit, Bishop plunks down in the chair on the end. Dash takes the center seat.
Across the tables, there are two stools. One is set on the right side of the room, one on the left, with a good twelve feet separating them. I sit on the one to the right. The left one is empty.
Behind me, there are four folding chairs for some reason. A little overkill, since Ryker and Gem are the only ones sitting back there, but I disregard it. Maybe they expected a bigger turnout or something, I don’t know. I’m just glad that Gem and Ryker are close enough to lend me their support.
One I sit down, the door flings open again. Peyton comes stalking in.
She glances at the back, scowling when she sees the two empty chairs. Mumbling under her breath, she says, “Fucking Kyle,” then angrily drops down on her stool.
The trial begins just the way I expect it to. As the host Alpha, Dash runs the show. He explains what we’re doing here, and has Peyton repeat her accusations. Then, when Peyton’s done, it’s my turn to refute them.
Too bad I can’t.
For about an hour, I have to explain what I can do. From the way my eyes change colors, to how I can conceal a shifter’s scent, and my family’s long relationship with the Luna… they want to hear about it all. One suggests we might be descendants of the first female alpha, but since I don’t know why my maternal line has always been gifted, I just shrug.
And that’s when they ask me about my skill with sensing and breaking bonds.
I tell them everything. These are all Alphas here so, even if I was a good liar, they’d know. It’s not worth risking pissing them off by lying.
Finally, Peyton has had enough. When the Alphas aren’t quick to condemn me, her silent fuming becomes a sudden explosion.
“Is that all we’re going to do? Listen to her run her mouth? She’s admitted that she can do just what I said she could. So let’s get on with it. No more questions. Sentence her!”
Okay. Now, Peyton had made a bunch of comments while I was talking. I ignored her. The Alphas asking for clarification in regards to what I was saying ignored her, too.
But Gem… I think she’s hit her limit.
