“Come on, Lavender. It’s time to get out of the car. Look, Mom is here, so is Dad. Zara will sit next to them until it’s time for her to go up front for questioning. Okay? Plus, the Alpha and Luna Regents are here. Their guards are all here and on high alert. No one is going to hurt you. No one is even going to try. They would be crazy if they did.” I hold my hand out to my scared little mate, while she shivers in the passenger’s seat of my Range Rover. We have been trying for twenty minutes to convince her to get out of the car and go into the packhouse for Rocky’s trial.
“Zara… er… Lavender, it’s Amy. Keller’s mom. Listen, sweetheart. I can’t even imagine how scared you are, but Phil and I will not let anything happen to you. Trust me, there are plenty of wolves in there that don’t like us either. We know how to handle them. You’re safe with us. I promise.” Mom stands next to me and strokes Zara’s hair. “I’ll hold your hand the entire time until you have to testify. Okay?
When I finally get Zara calm enough to sit by herself, Mike asks questions straight from the list he gave us. He tries his best to be calm and patient to get the best information he can out of her. “That was torture for me. I can’t imagine how she feels. Tomorrow is going to be a real treat.” Mike says when he gets back to his seat. I quietly remind him that Zara is my mate and should treat her that way before he gets too out of line. “Miss Wilson, is it true that you ran away from the scene of the crime?” The pack lawyer asks. He slams his hands on the table in front of him. I feel myself standing up to stop him, but Mike pulls me down. “Mister Craine, WATCH yourself.” The Alpha Regent growls, rumbling the room. His onyx black eyes glare at the lawyer, who bows his head in submission. “Treat this witness the same as any other who has a special consideration. I will not sit by and let you or anyone else in this courtroom intimidate her. Do I make myself clear
Mom makes Zara and me eat a few more bites of our food, and we head back to our seats. As we make our way down the aisle, more pack members growl or snarl at us. Guards promptly remove them and help us keep moving. For the afternoon session, the Luna Regent leads the proceedings. Her voice is beautiful, but doesn’t give me the odd sensation it had before. She calls Alpha Williams to the stand and the lawyers question him for over an hour. He has nothing productive to say, but I am acutely aware that he keeps looking over my shoulder at Zara. Before they dismiss him, the Luna a question that he seems prepared for. “Alpha Williams, why do you believe these seven guard trainees tried to attack Rocky?” “Hanlon’s Razor.” He says with confidence. The Alpha Regent sits forward. “Forgive my ignorance, Alpha Williams. What the Hell is Hanlon’s Razor?” “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.” Alpha Williams no
Zara is quiet when we leave the pack house and on the ride home. She perks up a little over takeout Thai food for dinner, but then excuses herself to the living room.I let her work and go to my office to read some of her journal, like she asked me to. The entries don’t seem to be in chronological order. Whatever page she opened to, is where she would write, giving the entries a sense of urgency. Some of her writings are dark and disturbing. Not like the Zara I know or love at all. This is beyond the walls she described trying to crush her. It’s like she has resigned herself to the shadows they have created, just waiting until the day they fall. I try to imagine the mind of someone who could write about hurting themselves, but I can’t, especially not her.As I flip through the pages, reading bits and scraps of paper that Zara has haphazardly pasted into the book. One scrap has my name on it. The surrounding words were random, mixed in with odd glyphs
When I wake up in the morning, I reach out my arm to pull my mate to me, but Zara isn’t there. I open my eyes to confirm what I already know, then sit up quickly and look around for her. The bathroom light is off and her scent is faint in the room. “Rocky, where did she go?” I jump out of bed and throw the bedroom door open. I try to swallow down the panic. “To get ready, I think.” But he doesn’t sound too sure of himself. I run down to Zara’s room and knock on the door. “Zara? Are you in there, Pocket?” I listen closely, but there is no answer. Her scent is stronger here, so she must be inside. I crack the door open and peek in. The bathroom is dark, but the bedroom light is on. I step in and look around. There is a minute sound in the closet. Shit. “Zara? Are you in there?” I approach the closet door and open it slowly. She is crouched down in her usual hiding spot behind the shoe boxes, trembling under a blanket, hoping to go unseen
Mom and Dad meet us in the parking lot of the pack house. I get out of the Range Rover and walk around to help Zara, but she tries to make a break for it before I get there. Dad deftly catches her by the waist and kneels on one knee, bringing her down to sit on his leg. “It’s alright, young lady. You don’t need to run. We’re here for you. Wherever your wolf thinks you need to go, that won’t help you. Not today at least.” Dad strokes Zara’s back to calm her, still holding her tight around the middle with his other arm. “We are going to be sitting right behind you. No one’s gonna mess with you.” “O-okay. Okay. Let’s go now while I have Lavender under control.” She stammers, shivering with tears in her eyes. Mom takes her hand and I take the other before Dad loosens his grip on her. We meet Mike just inside the doors to the pack house and let one of the Regent guards escort us to the front of the courtroom. “You’re going to be fine, Pocket.” I kiss her forehead
I try to stand up, but Mom and Dad pull me down. Mom hisses at me. “Keller, wait until you get permission.” “Let me go! I need to get to Zara. She needs me.” I try to escape their grasp when I see her shivering under the table. I can feel her fear and it’s overwhelming. What is it doing to her? “She can’t do this anymore. It’s too much! I need to get to her. Zara, hold on, Pocket. I’m coming.” The Luna Regent stands up and nods to the guards, who Rocky believes are the ranked wolves in disguise. She motions with her hand to the other guards, who all move without being given direction in a well-rehearsed maneuver. Two of them remain in front of the Regents, facing the audience, while the rest position themselves around Zara and Mike’s table. “Keller Joseph Marshall,” I hear the Luna Regent’s voice say my name, “you may collect your mate. Based on what we’ve seen so far, we can proceed without her. Someone will advise you when it’s time to bring her back for ou
I give Zara a gentle kiss, then take her hand and knock on the door so the guard will escort us to the front. Three angry looking girls are sitting at the table with Alpha Williams and his legal team. Mike is on the other side, furiously making notes. He holds up a paper that says ‘We’ve got this!’ in large scribbled letters as we walk in. “No need to stop to see your lawyer, Miss Wilson. You and your mate can come up to the witness stand.” The Luna Regent gestures to the witness seat up front. “Mister Marshall, we ask that you please refrain from speaking while Zara is on the stand. Unless it is necessary, of course. You are just here to give her support so she can complete her part of the trial.” “Yes, Luna Regent. Thank you so much for making this concession for us.” Zara and I both bow deeply and make our way to the chair. Zara grips my hand tightly while I sit in the chair next to her. Mike lets the pack lawyer question Zara first. “Zara, are you feeling
From behind us, I hear Mom and Dad approaching. I turn and see them hand in hand, smiling. “Well? What did they say?” I can’t help but be impatient. “Sorry, my boy. You heard the Luna Regent.” Dad shrugs and tilts his head toward Zara. “Zara, get in the car, please. I need to speak to my parents.” I open the door and help her in, not giving her a chance to argue, and close the door. “Okay? Spill.” Mom pulls me away from the car to make sure Zara won't hear. “They are being banished. They have tonight to collect their things. Mark said will go with them so he can stay with Sylvie. The Regents are providing names of other packs that may accept them for a probationary period. None of them are ever allowed to come into contact with Zara again or they will go to prison.” “We never have to worry about them again.” My heart skips a beat at the news. “I think the Luna Regent didn’t want Zara to feel guilty for the fate of those girls.” Mom fro