Chapter 91
Amie
smiled at Luna Beatrice as Finlay and I took our seats for the second dayI of the Alpha meeting. According to the plan, we were to discuss trade opportunities between packs today, but because of what happened yesterday, the plans had changed. Finlay was a bundle of tensed, packed nerves. I had tried to get him to relax in every way I could think of. It worked for a while, but before I knew it, it all came right back to him. The only solution was to get through the day and get some closure. I knew he was afraid that neither of our plans would work and the only option left was a hostile solution. The idea scared me as well, but I had faith that others saw how truly horrible the situation in the Ocean Shore pack was. The stage had already been set to continue the council’s hearing and as soon as everyone was in place, the head of the council called Alpha Ryder to come forth. He walked up on the stage and took the same spot as Alpha Lars had done the previous day.
“We have heard Alpha Lars’ accusations towards your pack, Alpha Ryder.
Please, the floor is yours and once you are done, the council may have questions for both you and Alpha Lars,” the head of the council said and then took his seat.
“Thank you. I have to say it is a sad day when I, as Alpha, have to step onto this stage and defend how I chose to rule my pack,” Alpha Ryder started. His emphasis was on the word ‘my’. “Since when do we get involved with how others run their pack? Should I petition the council every time I don’t agree with how another Alpha rules their pack? If that is
the case, we will have to prolong the Alpha meeting by a couple of months.
It is tradition to let each Alpha run his pack as he chooses. I think it’s sad that Alpha Lars has taken the steps he has, but I know this is all because of my brother. He wants to take revenge for me suggesting, in an attempt to protect my former pack members, that our packs should be unified. My brother took offence and is now out for vengeance. He isn’t brave enough to do it on his own, so he is using his allies to do it. It’s pathetic and a coward’s way. If he wanted to strip me of my Alpha status, he should challenge me.” There was silence as he stopped speaking. ‘That is the worst defence I have ever heard, was it even a defence?’ I mindlinked Finlay. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what to say,’ he linked back, obviously as shocked as I was.
“Erhm, was that all?” the head of the council asked.
“Yes,” Alpha Ryder told him.
“Well, yes, good then. Do we have questions from the council?”
“How many members are left in your pack, Alpha Ryder?” a man on the council asked. We all wanted to know the answer to the question.
“I don’t see what that has to do with this hearing,” Ryder said, squirming a little.
“Please, just answer the question, and let me remind you it is a crime to lie to the council,” the head of the council said. For a moment, it looked like Ryder was about to refuse and I wondered what would happen if he did.
Then he spoiled it all by opening his mouth.
“Twenty-five,” he said.
“Twenty-five families? It’s not much, but I thought it would be worse,” the man who had asked commented.
“No. Not twenty-five families, twenty-five individuals,” Ryder corrected him. There was a stunned silence and then a murmur. I could hear comments from a few rows behind me.
“Twenty-five wolves? Is that even a pack?” one Alpha asked.
“I don’t know. No wonder they aren’t having pups. There is no stability in a group of twenty-five. How are they even supposed to protect their borders?” another one answered the first.
“True. I’m guessing not all of them are warriors, so they may have even fewer to cover patrols. Even if we don’t take away his Alpha title and
disband the pack, another pack will overrun them within months,” the first one said. I could see how pale Finlay had got. ‘Are you still with me?’ I asked in a mindlink. ‘Yeah, I just… Twenty-five,’ he answered. Sometimes I forgot the Ocean Shore pack wasn’t just Finlay’s brother’s pack. It was the pack Finlay had grown up in and had thought he would spend his life in. It was the pack his family had protected and ruled over for generations. I couldn’t imagine how hurt he must feel knowing the state of it now. I took his hand and put both of my hands around it, keeping it secure. I leaned in and put my head on his shoulder. ‘Are you tired?’ he asked. Always worrying about me. ‘No, I’m just giving you some social cuddling that is appropriate for the occasion,’ I told him.
“Alpha Ryder, you say you would prefer your brother to challenge you?”
a woman on the council asked.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“Is that your way of telling us you wish to step down from your Alpha position?” she followed up.
“What? No! Why would you assume that?” Alpha Ryder asked.
“Because a year ago you met your brother in a one to one combat and you lost. That was when you had marked and mated your true mate and was in your prime while your brother had no Luna. Now he has his Luna and is expecting a pup while you have declined in strength. Do you see such a challenge ending in any other way than his victory?”
“You don’t know… That is not… You are twisting the truth!” Alpha Ryder said, sounding taken off guard.
“Now, now. We are all adults. Let’s keep this civilised,” the head of the council reminded everyone. It wasn’t hard to see things weren’t going Alpha Ryder’s way, and it confused him. “I think we will break here. Let’s have lunch and then we will hear Alpha Ryder’s defence for Alpha Jonas’ accusation, have the Alpha vote and the council’s verdict,” the head of the council said.
“No need. I have the same defence for those accusations,” Alpha Ryder said.
“Are you sure? It would be wise to take the lunch break to think it through.”
“I’m sure,” Ryder insisted, and I sighed. He was an idiot.
“Well, does anyone have a question for Alpha Ryder?” the head of the council asked. No one spoke. “Okay, do you want to take the lunch break to think about how to vote?”
“I think we are ready,” an Alpha said and there was an agreeing murmur.
“Nothing ever goes to plan when you are dealing with Alphas,” the head of the council murmured. “Okay. Alphas, those of you who agree with Alpha Jonas that Alpha Ryder should be stripped of his title please raise your hand now,” he then said. I could see Finlay, Lars and James all raise their hands, I looked back and saw a sea of hands. There was no questioning the outcome. I kissed Finlay’s cheek. “Thank you. And could those of you who don’t agree with Alpha Jonas raise your hand now.” I looked back again and saw a few hands sticking up. It took a moment but then the head of the council stood up. “The voting has concluded. 132 agree with Alpha Jonas, 12 are against him and 3 stand mute,” he told everyone. He stepped around the table and walked up to Finlay’s brother. “Ryder Cadwick, you no longer hold the title of Alpha. You may no longer lead a pack. You no longer have the right to attend this meeting. A short extension will be given so you can join us after lunch to hear the council’s verdict,” he told Finlay’s brother. “Now. Let’s break for lunch.”
For lunch James, Elder, Jonas and Beatrice joined us again. The mood was a kind of shocked silence. We had all hoped for this outcome, but it was still overwhelming to see an Alpha being stripped from his rank.
“I didn’t think it would be that easy,” Alpha Jonas finally said.
“After listening to those horrific testimonies yesterday, the worst possible defence had to be; I can do what I want and you should mind your own business,” Elder said. Then he looked at Finlay. “Sorry,” he added.
“No need. It was a terrible defence for a terrible crime,” Finlay said. I kissed his cheek. Some of his colour had returned and I took it as a good sign.
“I didn’t realise stripping him of his rank would get him banned from the meeting as well. Silly of me, but I didn’t connect the dots,” I told them.
“I think it’s a good thing. It will give him time to run away and lick his wounds,” James said. We all agreed and finished our lunch. No one wanted to be late for the council’s verdict. I wished I could sit on Finlay’s lap and keep some of my dignity, but that wasn’t an option so I sat in my own seat.
Finlay put his arm around me and I took his other hand between mine. The council walked in and got settled. Finlay’s brother stood where he had stood
before they went for lunch. He looked smaller and more fragile than he had before. The head of the council stood up.
“I would like to say this was a hard decision, that we struggled with it and its consequences. Revoking a pack's right to be a pack is not something which should be taken lightly. But this decision was easy. We, the council, find enough proof and credence in the evidence presented by Alpha Lars, and in Alpha Ryder’s answers, to disband the Ocean Shore pack. From today, no pack shall use that name. The pack land will be sold by the council and the profits will be split equally amongst the wolves of legal age who were members when it ceased to exist. The members will not be turned rogue, this is of no fault of theirs. They will be considered lone wolves and are free to seek homes in other packs or to roam free. This is the council’s decision. It is final, and it is in effect immediately,” he declared. There was silence. Ryder seemed to sink in on himself. “As this was the final matter for the day, we will end it here. We all could need some time to decompress and grasp what has happened,” the head of the council told us. We all nodded and stood up.
We all walked in a daze out of the auditorium. It had been a double victory and we should celebrate, but losing one of the oldest packs on the continent didn’t feel like something to rejoice about.
“I’ll just go to the ladies,” I told Finlay as we headed for the elevator.
“Wait until we get to our room,” he said. I could tell his mind was elsewhere.
“Finn, I have been brave and held it in this long. If I get on that elevator, there will be an accident,” I told him. He looked at me as if he was trying to register what I was telling him. Truth be told, I hadn’t needed to go two minutes ago, but now it felt like if I didn’t get to the toilet within the next two minutes all hope would be lost.
“Right, okay. I will go with you,” he said. I had started walking towards the bathroom but stopped.
“You can’t go into the ladies’ room. Do you know how many Alphas would come for you if they thought you were trying to peep at their Lunas?” I told him and heard Luna Beatrice giggling.
“I will go with her,” she offered.
“Thank you,” Finlay said. She hooked her arm in mine and we hurried off. The bathroom was empty, which thankfully meant I didn’t need to wait in line.
“Alphas, they are all the same when it comes to their mate being pregnant. I remember when it was Jonas. And I remember needing to pee like fifty times an hour,” she told me from the stall next to mine. The last words sounded a little slurred.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I was ready and stood up. Why was the floor swaying?
“Something’s wrong,” I heard her say. I could barely make out her words.
I tried mindlinking Finlay, but my mind wouldn’t focus. A darkness was creeping in around my field of vision. I shook my head and stumbled to the sink.
“Finn,” I meant to shout, but it wasn’t louder than a whisper. The only thing keeping me on my feet was my grip on the sink. No way I was going to black out. I had no clue what was happening, but it wasn’t good and if I lost consciousness, it would be worse. The darkness grew as my vision faded. I looked in the mirror, trying to shake off the blurred vision. A ventilation grate in the ceiling silently swung open and blurry figures dropped down. Hands. They grabbed me roughly and I tried to fight, but the darkness claimed me and I made one last attempt at mindlinking Finlay.
My arms hurt, it was the first thing I registered as I came to. I was sitting in a chair, slumped forward with the weight of my upper body on my arms which were tied to the back of the chair. My head felt fuzzy and there was a dull ache all over my body. I was alone in a mostly dark room. There were no windows, the only light came from underneath the closed door at the other end of the room. It was enough for my night vision to take in my surroundings. I was sitting at the back of the room. There wasn't much else in here. A couple of mattresses were leaning against a wall. The smell coming from them made me happy they were nowhere near me. ‘Finn?’ I tried to mindlink. ‘Amie! Oh thank the goddess! Sweetheart, where are you? What happened?’ he answered. The fear and panic was clear through our bond. ‘I don’t know. Things just went black. Is Beatrice okay?’ I asked. ‘She is fine, Red. We found her passed out in the bathroom. She is still unconscious, but the healers say she will be fine. Where are you?’ ‘I don’t know. It’s a windowless room. I’m tied to a chair,’ I told him. ‘Can you get free?’ His question made me want to kick myself for not trying sooner. I twisted my arms and heard the clunk of metal hitting metal.
I moved my arm to try and feel the restraint that was holding me to the
chair. I felt the chair, it was made out of metal. I then came to something which felt like a handcuff. The moment my fingers contacted it, I felt a sharp pain. It was like putting your fingers on a hot stove. I hissed and pulled them away. ‘I’m tied to a metal chair with silver handcuffs,’ I linked Finlay. ‘Fuck! How are your wrists?’ he asked. ‘They are fine, the cuffs are on top of the blouse I’m wearing. I didn’t realise it was silver until I started to feel around. Finn, how long have I been gone? I have no sense of time.’ ‘Almost two hours,’ he told me. I could hear how he was trying to hold it together to make me feel better. ‘I’m in a quite large room, the walls look to be concrete or something.
There can’t be too many buildings like that within two hours of the hotel,’ I said. ‘No, there can’t. I’m talking to the head of the council now. They have given me full access to all their people and resources. I will find you, Red. I will come for you and I will kill my fucking brother,’ he told me with so much conviction it caused a tear to fall down my face. ‘I know you will find me. But Finn, we don’t know if this was your brother or not. I haven’t seen who is keeping me here,’ I told him. I didn’t want him to do something he would regret. ‘I know it’s him. I can feel it in every bone in my body. Just stay with me Red, keep talking to me so I know you are okay.’ ‘It just doesn’t make any sense for him to grab me. He has to know everyone would suspect him, right? And he has done nothing to stop our mindlink. I mean, it would have made sense if he stuffed me into the back of a car and drove until we couldn’t connect to each other. But he has me set up in this room which obviously is in mindlinking distance to you,’ I said. I got the sense in our link that Finlay was chuckling. ‘Did you just rate your own kidnapping and give my brother an F?’ Finlay asked. I had to smile. Having the link to my mate kept the fear and panic at bay. ‘I’m a little insulted they did such a sloppy job,’ I told him. ‘Don’t be too harsh on them. It makes it easier for me.’ Somewhere, a door opened and closed. I could hear footsteps. ‘Finn, someone is coming,’ I told him.
‘Listen to me, Red. You don’t do anything stupid. All you have to do is keep yourself safe and I will find you. Don’t be a smart ass and provoke my brother,’ Finlay said. He knew me too well. ‘I will do my best.’ The door to the room opened and let in sharp, white light that momentarily blinded me. I turned my head away from the light and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to lose my dark vision.
“Well, looks like she is awake,” someone said. I recognised the voice. I squinted in its direction and saw the door had been shut. I opened my eyes fully and looked at Finlay’s brother and his former Beta.
“Are you two insane? How stupid can you be? Did Finn get all the brain cells in the family?” I asked. Then I remembered my promise to Finlay and sighed. At least I had kept it for half a minute.
“Shut the fuck up, you bitch!” Karo, the former Beta shouted. I looked at him. He looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel any moment. I switched focus to Ryder. His anger was just under the surface, bubbling, seething, and it made me ten times as nervous.
“Didn’t you like my way of inviting you to some family time?” he asked with a wicked grin. “We are family now, aren’t we? You being mated to that brother of mine and even expecting his pup.” His words made something click in my mind. ‘Finn, you can’t come here. The reason your brother has made it so easy for you is because he wants you here. He has something planned. Stay away,’ I mindlinked my mate. ‘Not going to happen Red. I’m not leaving you there with him. I don’t care what he has planned for me. I will get you and our pup to safety,’ he replied. I cursed in my head. He was going to be stubborn and come rushing into this without thinking. I had no one else to mindlink, no one I could ask for help to at least make Finlay think it through before he acted. We should have brought Sam, I thought. We could have let him stay in a camper some distance from the hotel. I just hoped our friends and my brother would help him.