Chapter 20

SAMANTHA

Emilia strode into the conference room with such determination, her chin high, one hand neatly folded in the other; a stranger could have been forgiven for thinking she was about to chair the meeting.

With Jackson and Jonathan flanking her on either side, they looked more like her bodyguards than her jailors, and I had to stop myself from flinching in front of the rest of the council.

Until that moment, Serena and I had been speaking about how Luke might or might not settle in, while Stephen and William congratulated Michael on being named the new beta.

A position he was yet to accept, but this didn’t seem to deter them.

The rest of the council milled about, chatting quietly.

I’d briefly met each of them but still wasn’t entirely sure who among them I could trust. Most of them seemed uncomfortable with the entire proceeding.

But Emilia’s firm, upright body language brought a sense of urgency and professionalism when she entered, and we all made our way to our seats.

It struck me I had been brought to this very room just a few days ago to sit before several of these very people; only now Emilia was the focus of everyone’s attention.

I hadn’t known Emilia as a luna, but she appeared neither scared nor intimidated as I stood to begin. Her cold, unblinking stare made my skin crawl.

When her eyes lingered on me a little longer than I felt was normal, I looked around to see everyone else watching me as well.

Michael tiptoed his way across the room and leaned over the table. “You’re expected to begin.”

A cold shiver worked its way down my spine, and Emilia’s scoff made my cheeks burn.

I half stood, though my fingers felt glued to the table, not allowing me to stand upright. “Um, hello, everyone.”

“Alpha,” the room chorused, and the council members bowed their heads.

I swallowed. “Thank you, all, for joining. Despite the unpleasant circumstances, I am happy to have the council in its entirety gathered for the first time as your alpha.”

“Aside from the beta, of course,” William chimed in and winked at Michael. “Although, we hear that role may be filled soon.”

I scanned over the crowd to gauge their reaction to this news. The entire group seemed pleased, and several council members nodded.

“I’m not sure what protocol is in these circumstances,” I admitted, “but if we have sufficient numbers present to sentence Emilia, I’d like to continue.”

I turned to smile at my defendant. “The sooner she is dealt with, the sooner my family can settle on the pack’s land.”

Emilia scowled at me.

“The numbers are fine,” Michael said. “What’s perhaps more of an issue is that many of the members are related.

“Alpha, you and your family have been threatened by Emilia Redding. Stephen, she is your mate. William and Serena, your mother and mother-in-law, respectively.

“How can we ensure a fair sentencing is heard?”

~I’ve chosen well~, I thought.

“It’s why I wanted you here, Michael,” I said. “I grant you the final say on any decision made today. If you feel we are being too biased in our judgment, you can intervene and suspend the session.”

Michael nodded and stepped back, and I gestured for William to take over.

“Emilia Redding,” he began, “you have been found—”

“Yes, son?” she interrupted, doing her best to look bemused.

William adjusted his stance and tried again. “Emilia Redding, you have been found guilty of leading a conspiracy to murder the alpha and her family.”

“Objection,” Emilia cried out. “I’m not an expert in law, but don’t I have the right to be represented? And what evidence do you have of this so-called conspiracy?”

Stephen let out a huff. “This is a sentencing, Emilia. You’ve already been found guilty. Everyone here has seen the texts and read the phone transcripts.”

~I haven’t~, I thought, and I leaned close to Michael. “Are you certain she’s behind the plot?” I asked under my breath.

“Yes, Alpha,” he whispered back. “I’ve seen the evidence myself. She’s just toying with everyone.”

“Mother,” William said, his tone betraying his annoyance, “take this seriously. What you’ve done is serious. Far too serious to be ignored.”

I got up from my seat and walked around the large conference table, Emilia’s eyes tracking me like those of a predator all the way.

I took slow, deliberate steps, eventually coming to perch just a meter or so from the mastermind behind my would-be assassin.

“Emilia Redding, why did you plot to have me killed?”

She looked away from me, keeping her nose and chin high. “I did no such th—”

“Why, Emilia?” I demanded.

“As a member of this council and former luna of this pack, I have a duty to protect it from threats, in and out.”

She snapped her gaze back to me. There was venom on her tongue. “Allowing a she-wolf to be alpha invites trouble; we all know this.

“And a cursed wolf at that. One with no knowledge of what it means to be a member of this clan or training to lead it.

“I did what I did because, unlike the rest of you, whose wolves were ready to roll on their backs the first moment she shifted, my wolf knows what’s best for all of us.

“I did what I did to save the pack from itself. From the incompetence this ~bitch~ is sure to bring.”

Stephen jumped to his feet. “Emilia, for Goddess’s sake, you know the penalty for the crimes of which you are accused. You will give this council no choice but to cast you out as a rogue, or—”

Emilia giggled. “Or what? You’ll execute me? It would be an act of war! We all know my brothers and nephews wouldn’t stand for such a scandal. They’ll raze Red Claw to the ground.”

Slipping into the chair next to Emilia, I reached over the table toward her hands.

She flinched, pulling them back into her chest. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Emilia.”

“No, keep your dirty paws off me.” She tried to move her chair back to get away from the table, but Jackson had planted his foot behind the leg, keeping the seat—and Emilia—in place.

I snaked my fingers around the back of her hand until I could hold it the way I used to hold Luke’s back when he was little and would get scared.

“Get off me at once! Stephen, William, get her away from me.”

For the first time, I could hear more fear than contempt in her shrill voice.

“Emilia.” I waited until she stopped resisting and made eye contact with me. “Emilia, I’m sorry for what you went through.”

Up close, the white-haired woman looked younger. Her face was adorned with the creases of age, wisdom, and pain, but around the mouth and eyes, I spied faint lines of laughter too.

She was beautiful on the outside, and I sensed she had once been beautiful on the inside—back before she’d been broken.

“W-what are you talking about?” Emilia said. “If you’re going to cast me out, then just do it. It won’t be the last you see of me, but it’ll buy you some time.”

Her nasty scowl reappeared. “Although I might not come straight back here, you know?! I might seek out little Luke first—snuff him out before he gets too strong.”

“Enough!” Stephen slammed his fist down, shocking the room. “Not another word, or we will be forced to administer the maximum sentence.”

“Mother, please,” William begged, “please ask for mercy and be quiet.”

I kept my eyes on Emilia but raised a hand up to silence the room. My other hand was still on the white-haired woman’s cold fingers.

“Emilia, you will not threaten me or my son again.”

She was about to fire another snarky remark at me, but I raised my voice over hers.

“You may not want to believe this, but we share a pain, you and I. Like you, I lost the one I loved.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking—” she said through gritted teeth.

“Your husband betrayed you; mine was taken from me. We both feel let down. You are angry at Stephen for cheating; I am angry at Travis for leaving me.”

“I was angry at the universe for ending his life before I was ready. You are angry at the Moon Goddess for allowing a match with someone who could be so cruel.”

The rims around Emilia’s eyelids were turning red as her gaze became misty. She blinked, and a single tear fell down her cheek.

“I don’t know what it means to be mated to another werewolf.” I attempted to take her other hand.

This time, she allowed me.

“But I do know what it means to love and to be heartbroken. No one deserves what you went through. I am sorry.”

Emilia’s bottom lip was shaking as her eyes shifted from me to Stephen. I followed her gaze and saw the heavy frown he was wearing.

“It wasn’t enough that he kept going back to her”—her voice was shaking—“but to bring that boy into our home…our family home with ~our~ son. It was the ultimate insult.”

“I was the laughingstock of Red Claw and every other pack.”

Stephen tried to speak: “Emilia, I—”

“You were the alpha. I was the luckiest wolf in the world, everyone said, never knowing how cruel you were to me. How you broke and tormented me by having me take care of your bastard.

“But if I couldn’t challenge you, and if I wasn’t worthy of your love and respect, then Elias and his family weren’t worth mine.”

Emilia doubled over as the tears started to flow freely. I put an arm around her, gave her shoulder a squeeze, and then stood up to return to my original seat.

“Michael, I am ready to announce my verdict.”

He nodded.

“Emilia Redding, you have suffered years of cruelty, torment, and humiliation at the hands of your mate, and it is something only he can atone for.

“As a woman who has loved, I can only offer my sympathy and support.”

I cleared my throat. “But, as a mother and the rightful alpha of the Red Claw Pack, I must protect my charges from all threats.”

Emilia’s face held no scowl now, just sadness.

“You are too well connected, and your hatred runs too deep for me to believe you will simply forget this ordeal. For that, I shall not banish you.”

Serena was on her feet like a shot. “Alpha, please, do not—”

I held out a hand. “But neither shall I sentence you to die. I have no wish to make a martyr of you, nor do I feel you deserve such a final punishment, given all you’ve been through.”

I glanced at Michael, who urged me to continue.

“My mercy is thus: you shall be placed under house arrest.”

The council members started mumbling, and even Emilia looked shocked.

When she started to protest, I spoke over her: “All those in favor?”

One by one, every hand around the table raised, assenting to my decision. When the circle reached Stephen, he averted his gaze before also raising a shaky hand.

Emilia growled low beside me, and another round of murmurs broke out.

“You can continue to live in your current home,” I said loudly, silencing everyone, “though it will be made secure to ensure you cannot leave.

“A spell will be cast to allow only a special few the right to enter, namely Stephen, William, and myself.

“This is a life sentence,” I said firmly and then softened my tone. “I hope you can find peace.”

William let out a long sigh and pressed his face into his hands.

Stephen came to stand next to me. “Thank you, Alpha. Thank you so much.”

I peered at him out of the corners of my eyes. “You did not plot to hurt my son and me, Stephen, but you bear much of the blame.

“You have scarred that woman before us, just as you have scarred my father. I trust you will work to make amends.”

Stephen bowed his head slightly. “On my life, I will do what I can to rectify my past sins. Thank you for your mercy, Alpha Paulson.”

I made eye contact with Michael across the room. “Don’t thank me.”

After nodding at Jackson and Jonathan to take Emilia away, I waited for the council to file out while I caught my breath.

Michael came over and patted me on the shoulder. “You’re a natural. Nicely done, Alpha.”

“Nicely done yourself, Beta.”

He frowned. “I told you, I need the evening to make a decision.”

I smirked. “Sure.”

Michael grunted and bowed his head before leaving the room and disappearing down the hallway.

~“We did it, Ayisha,”~ I said in my mind proudly.

~“A wolf needs its pack,”~ she said. ~“And a pack needs its leader. And Red Claw has got a damn good one.”~

I smiled as I made my way out of the conference room and headed down the hall.

Just as I rounded the corner, heading toward the main entrance, a voice rang out from behind me: “Look who it is, the famous Samantha Paulson.”

I halted in my tracks and spun around, my eyes landing on a curvaceous woman with dark hair, red lipstick, and a figure-hugging black dress.

She was standing with her arms folded, looking down her nose at me.

“Sorry,” I said, drawing out the words, “do I know you?”

“I believe you received my letter,” she replied, a smirk playing on her lips.

~Oh no.~

My heart skipped a beat.

~It’s Celeste.~

~Emerick’s Celeste…~