by SJ Hayslett
Now that she was finally in the room, she questioned on whether she should take a nap or go for that run. Instead of deciding, she pulled out her phone and sent Reed a text.
EVONY: I'm here, are you in a meeting?
Evony sighed with sadness while she waited for a response. She honestly couldn't wait to be connected with Reed thanks to the mate bond. Her smile led her thoughts to think of a time where they'd play in the forest, their furs, even though she had yet to see his wolf, would flow luxuriously behind them as they ran. She was so into her daydream that when her phone buzzed with a text notification that she nearly jumped of the bed.
REED: Just finishing up now. I have something to show you.
Evony tried her best to patiently make her way to Reed's office. There were very few people in the house, maybe getting ready for the visit? Evony wasn't sure, but she was definitely surprised that she didn't run into anyone on the way to the office. She was even more surprised when she saw Reed waiting for her at his door.
"Good afternoon Ms. Morris." Evony's steps faltered for a split second because she couldn't figure out why he was being so formal. At least until a male she had once encountered stepped out of the office. She remembered him from the mixer that Blood Moon had set up for all of the new transitional members. He quickly grabbed her hand and started shaking it furiously.
"Ms. Morris, I wanted to personally thank you last week for saving my daughter's life last week. I had wanted to jump in and fight but my daughter prevented me from joining in the fray because she was too scared."
"It's quite alright Mr.?"
"David, David Wesley. See the thing with my daughter, Arielle, her mother was just killed by rogues right in front of her. I brought her to join here, hoping that a change of scenery would help her cope."
"I'm sorry to hear that. And I'm terribly sorry for what my previous pack did to her. I understand that it could be traumatizing for her to be put in that situation again." Tears welled up in Evony's eyes and she longed to find comfort in Reed's arms.
"No, please, you don't understand. I didn't mean to make you cry. My daughter would love to meet you. You're her absolute hero right now. I was asking Alpha Reed if there was a way to get you together with her. Even though they weren't rogues, she doesn't get the difference just yet, but, nonetheless, you stood up to her nightmare."
Evony stared at Mr. Wesley in shock. She'd never been anyone's role model before and the concept seemed foreign to her. She looked at Reed briefly before looking back at Mr. Wesley. "I would love to meet Arielle. If she'll be at the council meeting tonight, I'll try to find you. If not we can do it tomorrow after breakfast. Does that work?"
"I will probably be the best father in the whole world! Thank you so much Ms. Morris." The joy on his face was evident and Evony was glad that she could make a difference for him and his daughter.
"Please call me Evony and you're welcome!" Mr. Wesley shook her hand once more and left the office. Once he was down the hall, and around the corner, Reed ushered Evony into the office and shut the door. "Is that what you wanted to show me?"
"Yes and no." Reed didn't answer her until he released her from a hug that allowed him to inhale her scent once more. "Yes, because I thought it would help uplift you since you were feeling down last week on the life your father forced you to take. David came to me earlier this week and wanted to talk with you. When Paul called and told me you were headed here, I arranged to have David meet me in my office. And no, because I was using that as a reason for you to be here so nobody raised any questions."
Evony smiled as she followed Reed to his desk and sat in the chair. She climbed into his lap so that her legs hung over the armrest and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"But I did have something else that I wanted to show you and talk to you about. First the showing." Reed's arms held onto his little mate as he stood and walked over to a door that had previously always remained closed. When he opened it, Evony was confused why she was being shown another office. Her brows furrowed together as he walked her over to the desk and sat her on top of it. There were no decorations in the room, and the only adornment in the office was a desk, a chair, and a computer. Everything else was bare.
"What is this?"
"This is your office. The previous Luna's belongings were taken out of here and never replaced since I didn't have a mate, obviously. It'll be yours once I claim you. You can furnish it anyway that you want."
She stood up from the desk and walked around the office space. "Does this mean that you'll continue being the alpha?"
Reed looked down at his feet and loudly huffed air from his nose. "I thought a lot about what you said, and you're right, I love the pack. It's been my home for years. We're mates, and we may not be completely at love yet, but we both know we're headed there fast, and there is nothing more that I want than to have the one person I love by my side running the pack."
Tears of joy punched through her eyes and she jumped into his waiting arms. "Of course. When and if the council demands this of you, I will be where I want to be, by your side." Reed brought her lips to his and he couldn't help but relish in her scent mixed with the salty tears. Having Evony in his arms was pure ecstasy and he could only imagine what it would be like to make love to her.
"There's something else I needed to show you." He placed her back on the ground and held her hand tightly as he lead her back to his office. "If we're ever under attack, I need you to get to my office and press this button." Reed flipped a panel open that was on his workstation. Evony looked at the three monitors on his desk and saw that while one was for his computer, the other two were dedicated to security monitors that were set up around the territory and house.
"What does it do?"
"The office goes into lock mode, it's a panic room of sorts. There's a similar button on the desk in your office, but I have it temporarily disabled at the moment. But for now, just get to my office."
"If we're under attack, I'm fighting alongside you and Blood Moon."
"Listen, just listen. What if you're pregnant with our pup? You can't shift and if you can't make it to the barracks with the other women and children, I need to ensure your safety. Promise me, that you will get here safely. There's storage for water and food. These offices will be the safest place to be and I need to know that you'll get here."
Evony looked into Reed's eyes and knew this was important to him and decided to give him the peace of mind and conceded. "I will." Her wolf bristled at the idea of not joining in on a fight, but both of them knew that if Reed couldn't concentrate on battle because he felt her in harm's way, it was more detrimental to his health and survival. She could grant him this.
"When is the council set to arrive?" Evony asked while nibbling on Reed's ear and planting soft kisses along his jawline.
"Not for another," Reed paused to concentrate and take a look at the clock on the wall, "hour or so."
"You wanna go on a run? I've been itching to complete the tour of the territory." Evony was disappointed that the run was interrupted by her father's pack attacking Blood Moon. She hoped that some time soon, she'd get a chance to actually complete the run.
"Can't babe. I need to complete some more work before they get here."
Evony's attitude tersely changed and she unwrapped herself from around Reed. "Okay, I'll find something else to do." She knew at the moment that she was being childish. He needed to run a pack, and couldn't cling to her every time they were together. It just seemed like a dream to her that he'd put her in front of the pack. Evony left the office without a backwards glance at Reed and proceeded down the hall and made her way back to her bedroom.
She needed to shower Reed's scent from her before she went anywhere. Even if he was going to claim her in front of his entire pack, she still preferred no one figuring it out until the moment had come.
'That's not fair to our mate. He's put us ahead plenty of times. You're not marked because of those reasons.' Evony's wolf pleaded to ma
ke her see reason and it wasn't until she remembered that he was ready to give up the pack for her but she was the one who talked him out of it, that she began to calm down.
EVONY: I'm sorry
She texted before throwing her phone on the bed and hopping into the shower.
Chapter 12
As Evony made her way to the meeting hall, where she first met Reed, she didn't know what it meant that he never answered her text. Did it mean that he really was too busy? Or did he think her apology wasn't worth answering?
'Ugh! This is why I never wanted a mate to begin with. I start questioning everything.'
'You'd question everything anyways. Get over it.' Evony was annoyed that her wolf was still miffed at her being selfish earlier.
The room was already crowded; all of the chairs that were once stacked against the wall were set up classroom style facing the small platform. The chairs that were on the platform were empty, but the tables were covered with white tablecloths and pitchers of water were spaced out along the tables.
She saw Denise, Maddie, and Nick but there was no way to get to them through the crowd of werewolves that were milling about. 'It's probably for the best since they might feel betrayed.' Evony's wolf threw out there. The thought caused Evony's steps to falter. She looked back at the friends she made her first night at Harvard and wondered if in fact they would be hurt that she didn't mention that she was the mate of their Alpha. But then again, it wasn't like they were so close that they told each other secrets. 'You're overthinking things.' Evony tried telling herself and her wolf.
Painstakingly, Evony made her way to the front of the crowd and leaned against the wall. There was no need to wait long as the back door opened and several people came out and, in single file, walked up the platform steps and choose a chair. The order they walked in was the order of the chair they chose. Her mate, while he wasn't the first to walk into the meeting hall, ended up in the chair directly in the middle. Garrett walked in before him and was in the chair to Reed's left. The seat to Reed's right was left empty. Evony assumed the other four chairs, two flanking each side, were occupied by the members of the council.
Being the alpha's daughter, Evony had been to a few council meetings before, but none like this. None where the whole pack was addressed at the same time. Evony bit into her bottom lip with anticipation. The murmurs of the congregation slowly dissipated into silence so thick there was little thought that the next voice that would be heard would be from anyone of the imposing people on the stage.
"I hereby call this town hall meeting to commence," Garrett announced and like a well-oiled machine everyone on the platform sat in synchronization. "I open the floor to Councilman Casper."
Evony watched on as one of the men who joined Reed and Garrett on the stage stood. He was elderly, very few werewolves made it to their senior years, especially alphas, for the simple fact that if they held a title, anyone could challenge them. Most challenges were to the death. Alphas who were able to keep their title until their heir was of age simply rescinded the title and were inducted into the council. Each time the council was called or sent out to different packs, the council members were rotated so that they weren't overseeing a case from their own pack and so that it made it harder for current alphas to bribe a member of the council.
"Thank you, Mr. Williams. For those that do not know me, I am Councilman Duncan Casper. I am the former alpha of the Red Mountain pack in Arizona. We've gathered you all here today for a number of reasons. First on the agenda, was previously discussed in a closed-door meeting, was in regards to Blood Moon's current campaign for more land has been resolved. The council commends your ability to absorb smaller packs into your territory, but for the time being, Blood Moon will not seek new lands or packs. This order will stand for a year.
"Next on the agenda." Councilman Casper waited for a sheet of paper to be handed to him before speaking again. "The grievance set forth on Saturday, September ninth by Alpha Jermaine Morris of Silver Fang, Colorado has reported that Blood Moon is harboring runaway and daughter of the alpha, Evony Jaymes Morris. Will Miss Morris step forward?"
Evony took the necessary steps she needed so that she was standing front and center before the stage. For the life of her, she tried her hardest to not look at Reed even though she could feel his eyes boring into her skull. Now would have been the perfect moment for them to be able to mind link.
"Miss Morris, what say you to these charges?" Councilman Casper asked.
"Any allegations made by my father are preposterous and an attempt to have the council be made to look like fools. That's what I say."
"You deny the charges?"
"I do. I was eighteen when I filled out the paperwork for amnesty, as I longed to attend university at Harvard. All of the paperwork I handed in to Alpha Nelson was hand delivered by myself the day I arrived in Boston. I made the phone call to my father after my arrival and told him that I was safe, and that Alpha Nelson granted my amnesty personally. He tried to convince me to come back home and I refused. We finally agreed to a compromise where I would complete a certain amount semesters at Harvard and in return, I would marry the wolf he intended for me."
"I see, and this intended of yours, is Alpha hopeful Alex Daniels, correct?" Reed's low growls could be heard over Councilman Casper's question. Evony spared him a quick look before turning back to Casper's inquisition. She briefly wondered why none of the other members were questioning her.
"That is correct."
"But he is not a true mate?"
"That is correct. It is an alliance, not a marriage."
"When was your eighteenth birthday?"
"July fourteenth."
"Alpha Nelson, can you or your Beta confirm when the paperwork was filed with your pack?"
"Filed only last week. Last Friday to be exact." Garrett confirmed. Reed was still in a mood over the mention of Evony's engagement. He knew she was he's but the fact that in her father's eyes, she was still engaged to the alpha hopeful.
"Alright, I don't believe there is any need to deliberate on this matter." Councilman Casper looked to his other three colleagues who shook their heads. "All charges against Blood Moon in the matter of harboring Evony Jaymes Morris as a runaway have been cleared. Councilwoman Gloria please make a notation against Alpha Jermaine Morris for filing a erroneous and unnecessary complaint. Next?"
Evony went back to her place against the wall, infuriated that her father dared to even call her a runaway.
"The grievance set forth by Alpha Jermaine Morris of Silver Fang, on Sunday, September tenth, has requested that Evony Jaymes Morris of the Blood Moon pack be returned to Silver Fang to face the charges of the murder of Eduardo Romero, and the murder of Georgia Wilson, daughter to Silver Moon's Beta, George Wilson." Evony thought she was livid at her father before, but now she only felt downright outrage for the man.
"Presiding over this case will be Councilman Mike Lawrence. Councilman?"
Evony took her spot front and center once again and waited to see which alpha she would need to address. She was surprised at the alpha that was now looking her over. Most alphas had a broad linebacker build, however, Councilman Lawrence was of slender frame and was quite the silver fox. He reminded Evony of Anderson Cooper.
"In the murder of Eduardo Romero, how do you plead?" Evony couldn't get a bearing on the mood that Councilman Lawrence was in. With just the one question, his voice seemed bored and indifferent, but the gleam in his eye betrayed the look that he wanted to portray. He almost looked akin to excitement.
A rush of air flowed out of Evony's mouth before any words could. "Not guilty. And in the case of Georgia Wilson, I plead not guilty as well."
"So you didn't kill them?"
"No, my father did."
"Young lady that's a high accusation to throw about. You might want to rethink your words."
Fire was burning within Evony and she was shaking with the urge to shift. "I apologize Councilman Lawrence," Evony grit through he
r teeth in rage. "As stated in the previous case against Blood Moon, it was established that I was eighteen when I instigated a transfer to this pack. Therefore, I am here legally within the confines of amnesty set forth by the council. So I ask you, why would my father then send his wolves to retrieve me? I'd like to say that he entered Blood Moon territory illegally and tried to kidnap me. It is Blood Moon that should be seeking retribution from my father to answer for his crimes. I defended myself and members of this pack in self-defense. He knew what would happen when he sent his people to sneak into another alpha's pack. He instigated an act of war, while I and Blood Moon merely reacted."
"But were you the one who dealt the final blow to the two victims?!" Lawrence yelled at Evony. However, her wolf was not having it.
"SEND A WITCH, SINCE YOU REFUSE TO SEE REASON." Her wolf blasted the command with her alpha voice. It wouldn't do much good to anyone on the platform, excepting Garrett, but it got the point across. For Evony, or any wolf really, to rather go under the interrogation of a witch, was somewhat telling.
Lawrence nodded and the outside door opened to reveal a young girl, about fifteen years old. Her extremely pale skin was offset by the braided jet black hair that ran down her back and to her calves. Evony expected her to have piercing blue eyes, but was somewhat disappointed when she saw only brown eyes staring back at her.
A chair was brought forth for Evony to sit in, and she immediately tried to relax without thinking about the amount of pain she was going to endure.
The last thought she had before she felt the initial tingles of the witch's magic in her head was, 'I hate my father.'
Chapter 13
Reed had a tough time keeping his wolf under control when Evony's first scream ripped throughout the meeting hall. Evony's teeth clashed as the witch searched which memories she needed to access.
