She stared at me. “Marie. This is far worse than that. Josh deliberately flouted the rules set out by his own brother, so this is huge. He’s going to be made an example to others. We’re talking permanently exiled from the Alliance, which would make him fair game for any Alliance member. He’d be completely unprotected—anyone could attack him without repercussion.”
I swallowed hard.
Chapter Seventeen
It was three long, horrible weeks before the Alliance tribunal met at City Hall.
While we waited, I was kept under lock and key at the Russell house. Though only Sara and I were there, I could smell another shifter in the air the few times I was allowed out onto the grounds. We were being watched, even if it wasn’t overt.
I wasn’t allowed to go back to my apartment, so my father was allowed to occasionally visit me. Beau and the other Russells were carefully watching him, but I knew he would keep the secret. He didn’t have to be told.
Sara told me that if anyone asked, I was to say that Lily and I had been alone that night, and that we’d dragged Josh to the Russells’ without assistance. Lily was being kept at a secure location separate from me, and I knew she had to be frightened.
Sara was my shadow the entire time I stayed at the Russell house, always there with a helpful word. I shifted a few more times in the three weeks, each one messy and painful, but she assured me that was normal until my body adjusted. Shifting rarely pained her any longer, and she shared tips on easing into the process. When we made it to the woods she ran alongside me, her dog nipping at my cat’s heels. It was good to not feel alone, and I was grateful to have her at my side.
I’d have rather had Josh, of course; I missed him terribly. He was the last thing I thought of when I went to sleep, and the first when I woke up. Was he safe? Was he under the same lockdown I was?
Would someone really kill him just for turning me? It seemed ridiculous, yet Sara was quite grave.
I refused to accept the possibility. There had to be a way to reason with them.
• • •
As I entered the small courtroom in Little Paradise, I stared at the seated council. Every face there was stony and stern, and every member glared at me. I clung to Sara’s arm as she led me forward, soothing me with low murmurs. There would be no reasoning with them, I realized with dread.
I recognized some of the council members from the agency. The two werewolves at the end of the row were Alice and Jackson. There was an angry-looking man named Declan, who, I seemed to recall, was a were- lynx (and not a popular one). The leader of the were-tiger clan, Vic, as stern and fierce as ever. An older man I didn’t recognize, who likely didn’t use the dating service. The biggest clans in the area would be represented, and I mentally paired up the unknowns. Were-badger. Were-lion. Another man who smelled like a wolf, two others who smelled like cats that I couldn’t identify, and one who I was pretty sure was a were-otter. All of the local alphas.
At the end of the long row of leaders was Beau, shuffling paperwork. He was dressed in a gray suit and tie, and his mouth was pinched and unhappy. Bath sat in the audience, her long blond ponytail wrapped around her hand as she anxiously watched her husband.
Sara nudged me toward a chair at the center of the room and I swallowed hard, my muscles leaping and tightening in alarm. I fought back the sensation, hoping I wouldn’t go into a surprise-shift. That would be really bad.
I sat down in the chair and looked around at the sea of faces, but Josh was nowhere. My heart hammered in my breast.
Beau cleared his throat, then his piercing gaze scanned me impassively. “Thank you for joining us, Marie. I see that you are well. Have you had any problems with shifting after the first attempt?”
I shook my head, my throat dry. “I’m okay, thank you.”
His gaze shifted to Sara, hovering over my shoulder. “How many times has she shifted since turning?”
“Four,” Sara said, her voice small in the room. “Each time was successful, with no problems. She should be fine with practice.”
He nodded and glanced down the row. “Let the tribunal record that the turning has taken successfully.” He looked back to me and gave another crisp nod. “You may take a seat in the audience, Marie.”
Confused, I stood up. “Do you want to ask me anything else?”
“You’re not on trial,” he said, his voice neutral. “Please have a seat.”
I gave Sara a questioning look, but she only pressed a hand to my back and nudged me toward Bathsheba, and I sat between the two sisters. Bath smiled nervously at me, tugging at her long ponytail. Her scent was a mixture of human and cougar, and I noticed her neck was covered in mate marks.
Strange how these things were so obvious now.
“Let’s bring in Joshua Russell,” Beau said, his voice flat and emotionless.
My heart fluttered. I craned my head, desperate to see him. To catch a whiff of his scent. He appeared in the doorway a minute later, dressed in a plain black T-shirt and jeans. His hands were braced in front of him, handcuffed. My pulse spiked at that, and at the unshaven stubble on his jaw. A scowling Ramsey lurked a few steps behind.
Josh scanned the room as soon as he entered, and I held my breath until he found me. His dark eyes widened a fraction, that intense, possessive look came over his face, and his mouth curled in a hint of a smile.
Tears pricked my eyes. “
His smile curved a little more.
Ramsey gave him a bit of a shove, directing him toward the chair in the center of the room.
Someone in the row of alphas got to his feet, and I looked to see it was Vic, the were-tiger leader. He crossed his big arms over his chest and scowled at Josh, who lounged in the wooden chair as if this had all been no big deal.
Vic glared down at him. “The council has met to determine what to do in regards to your situation. Given that your brother is the leader of the Alliance, he has asked that you not be given special consideration because of his position. To do so would undermine his status as an impartial leader.”
Josh gave a jerky nod, as if he’d expected this.
Beau’s face was tight, the edges of his mouth strained and pale. He was upset, and trying very hard not to show it.
“The council has met and discussed this for several days. We have weighed the evidence, and before we pass sentencing, we want to know one thing.” His hard gaze leveled on Josh. “After all that has happened recently, we want to know why.”
I held my breath.
Josh said . . . nothing. I couldn’t see his expression, only part of his back, and I became intensely frustrated. What was he waiting for? Deciding whether to speak? Thinking his answer through?
“Because I love her,” Josh said after a long moment, and my heart clenched.
“That’s not enough,” said Declan furiously. “Just because you think with your dick doesn’t mean you let it make the decisions for you.”
“Quiet,” Beau said in a lethal voice. “Vic has the floor.”
The were-lynx leader’s mouth thinned, and he went silent.
The were-tiger alpha glared at the row, and then turned back to Josh. “No other reason?”
After a long moment, Josh added, “She was dying. I wanted to save her.”
“Humans die every day,” the lone female alpha—Alice—said. “Supernaturals, too. It is a part of life. We can’t go around saving everyone.”
“I didn’t want to save everyone,” Josh ground out. “Just the woman I love.”
“Did she ask you to turn her?”
