Fox Dish (Madison Wolves #6)

by Robin Roseau

  Then she let me up, giving me a flurry of licks. I returned them.

  I set off in a run.

  We didn't play, we only ran, my friends clustered around me the entire time, jockeying for position. I was still in a dire situation, and play was inappropriate.

  We ran until I was dead tired. And still I wanted to run, but I grew slower and slower. Finally, Lara stepped in front of me. She licked me and then pointed me back towards the training center that housed my cell.

  I huffed at her, but she nudged me with her shoulder.

  I huffed again, but turned back towards my cell.

  Partway back, however, Elisabeth jumped in front of us, blocking our path. I came to a stop and sat down, wondering what was going on. Lara lay down on one side of me, and Serena on the other, so I lay down between them. Elisabeth backed away several paces, then she barked at me.

  It wasn't her normal voice. I cocked my head, puzzled. She did it again, and I realized something. She was mimicking someone else. I cocked my head in the other direction, and she barked a third time.

  She sounded suspiciously like Christopher West.

  I launched myself at her, from still to full speed in the blink of an eye. I flew at her, growling for all I was worth, and threw myself at her neck.

  I was only thirty pounds; any of the wolves were easily five times my weight. With any warning at all, there was no way I could ever possibly knock Elisabeth from her feet like this. But she let me knock her over, coming to a rest on her back with me perched on top of her. Still growling, I plunged my mouth towards her throat, clamping down firmly.

  I harried her throat, not causing real damage, but I wasn't looking for submission. I was simulating a kill.

  Wendy came from the side, intent on breaking up what she perceived as a fight. Lara launched herself into the space in front of Wendy and growled menacingly. Wendy backed off immediately.

  I harried Elisabeth's throat for a while before slowly climbing off of her. She rolled over, looked at me, and chuffed repeatedly.

  I had the last of my answers.

  Defense

  My wolves were in business suits again on Monday, their tattoos peeking out below the hem of their skirts. I had requested "feminine business attire" before bed on Sunday night, and was surprised to find my own business suit waiting for me Monday morning. I didn't even own one, or hadn't, and it didn't fit perfectly, but it was close, and I was comfortable wearing it.

  Everyone who mattered knew what the skirts meant, but Scarlett went out of her way to make sure I got a good long look at her tattoo. I smiled at her in thanks.

  Daniel convened the meeting, asking if anyone had issues to raise before I began. No one did.

  I stood up. "Boulder Alpha," I said. "I am Michaela Burns, Madison Alpha. Does anyone dispute that claim?"

  "Of course not," he said after a moment.

  "I would like to know something. Since when does the alpha follow orders from the head enforcer?"

  "Excuse me?" he replied. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

  "There are four charges of insubordination leveled against me for failure to obey my head enforcer's orders. I happily accept recommendations from the head enforcer and consider them very carefully, just like I do from the head of my security or even a member of the pack council. But they are recommendations, not orders, and I cannot be charged with insubordination for not obeying them. Those four charges should be dismissed."

  "Madison Alpha," Daniel said. "Do you have a response?"

  She, in turn raised an eyebrow to Christopher West.

  "Oh fine," he said. "She won't wriggle out of the rest."

  "We withdraw four counts of insubordination," Lara responded.

  "Thank you," I said. "We're getting down to a manageable list of offenses. There are two more charges of insubordination for my failure to return to Madison at the alpha's orders. I do not recall receiving those orders. Would you care to refresh my memory?"

  "One was a text message to your phone delivered the day after your departure. Did you receive it?"

  "I received several text messages from your phone," I said. "Three, I believe. None I recall receiving were orders. Perhaps you still have a copy and can read it to me."

  Lara withdrew her phone from her suit pocket, paged through it, and then said, "A text message from me to you saying, 'Please come home so I can forgive you'."

  I smiled. "Ah, that message. I remember that message. But where is the one with the order?"

  "That is the one with the order," she said.

  "Since when is the Madison Alpha so wishy-washy in her orders. We all saw last Tuesday what an order from Lara looks and sounds like. She doesn't use words like please. She states very firmly what she wants, and there is no doubt in anyone's mind that she is making an order as alpha, not a request as my mate."

  "A request from your alpha is as good as an order," Daniel said.

  "Is it?" I asked. "Lara, how long would we be married if every time you opened your mouth, out popped an order?"

  "We wouldn't have gotten much past a first date," she said.

  "Are there times you have made an order to me that I have interpreted as a request, and you have had to clarify the nature of the order?"

  "Yes," she said.

  "Do you know how to phrase yourself so I can determine the difference between a request and an order?"

  "Yes."

  "Did you do so this time?"

  "No."

  I looked at Daniel. "The charge stands," he said. "But you have made your point. Again."

  "Madison Alpha," I said. "There is another, perhaps similar charge?"

  "A voice message. You weren't answering your phone."

  "I did not intentionally avoid your calls," I said. "So if you got voice mail, the phone was probably turned off; it was off a lot to avoid easily tracking me."

  "That was my assumption," she replied.

  "And was this so-called order phrased in as wishy-washy a fashion as the text message, to the best of your memory?"

  "Yes," she said. "I know I said, 'Please.' "

  "I believe the voice mail is the same as the text message," I said. "Neither were delivered as orders, were intended as orders, or were interpreted as orders. They were requests from one mate to a next, not from alpha to pack member."

  Daniel nodded understanding.

  I was working my way around the edges, dealing with the easy issues. I was also walking a tightrope. I was pretty sure they needed to find me guilty of something, and if I was able to discredit too many of the lesser charges, that would only leave the more extreme charges. I had to leave them something.

  But I wasn't done cutting down the list of charges to a manageable length.

  "I would like to discuss this issue of Endangerment of a Valued Pack Asset." I looked at Daniel. "Am I property?"

  That question left them uncomfortable, one no one answered.

  "All right, let me rephrase. Can anyone offer any precedent where this law has been used against someone for endangering her own life?"

  "I cannot," Daniel said. "I would not choose to do so."

  "Does anyone in this room wish to declare me a slave, some sort of pack property? If so, then I will plead guilty to those charges."

  Again, no one said anything. Even Christopher West looked uncomfortable.

  "Is it possible for me to know what idiot pressed for this particular charge?"

  Lara's eyes flickered to Christopher briefly before returning to me. "No, we will not answer that."

  "All right," I said. "Either drop those charges or, as Madison Alpha, I will level similar charges against most of the people participating in these proceedings, beginning with Christopher West and moving on from there."

  "What?" he said suddenly. "I haven't threatened any valued pack assets."

  "Then you admit that charge does not apply to your threats against me?" I didn't wait for his answer. "Or Elisabeth last Tuesday when she gave me a concussion. Or
events during bride ransom night. Or Serena during particularly rough training sessions. Or perhaps those few times when my mate has been somewhat more exuberant in our play, and I have actually suffered damage. But no, we'll definitely start with Christopher West."

  He sputtered, and no one else said anything.

  "Alphas," I said. "Dismiss the charges or not, but they would be a horrible precedent. I would be guilty of those charges every time I climb a tree, or engage in play. One could argue for those charges during most of my self-defense training, as there is risk to my body every time. One could argue I shouldn't be allowed to get near a small airplane due to the risk. One could even argue I shouldn't be allowed to cross the road, and I certainly wouldn't be allowed on a hunt or most pack play nights. Furthermore, most of you would be just as guilty as I am."

  "Withdraw the charges," Christopher West said sullenly.

  "Very gracious of you, Mr. West," I said. "I am somewhat puzzled why you are even here, much less feel you have the influence to make that recommendation. Lara, will you withdraw the charges?"

  "Yes," she said.

  "Very good," I said. "Thank you. I would like to discuss all the charges of insubordination. Several people in this room have referred to me as 'Alpha', including you, Daniel. If I am alpha, then what obligation do I have to follow orders issued by my co-alpha, and how can I be charged for insubordination when refusing those orders?"

  Daniel turned to Lara, and she immediately stood up. "Scarlett," she said immediately. "You helped to officiate at my wedding to Michaela. Part of the ceremony involved elevating her to alpha. The part I wish to address was actually conducted by two of our younger enforcers, but I hope you can remember the proceedings."

  "Of course, Alpha," Scarlett said immediately, rising to her feet.

  "When Michaela was asked if she would fulfill the duties of alpha," Lara asked Scarlett, "do you remember her response?"

  "Not word-for-word," Scarlett replied.

  Lara looked at me for a moment, then said to Scarlett, "Please relate them as best you are able."

  "She talked about how some of the duties of the alpha were duties everyone in the pack had. I think she mentioned protecting the pack and teaching the young." Scarlett turned to me. "Then you said you would stand beside Lara as Alpha, but only because that was what Lara wanted."

  I sighed. "I said, 'Any authority I wield, I wield because it is Lara's wish.' "

  "Thank you, Scarlett," Lara said before turning to me. "I believe that addresses my right to issue you orders. You are alpha, but you are second to me."

  I didn't think it was going to work, but I had to give it a try. I nodded agreement. Lara and Scarlett both sat down, and I consulted my notes. "Let us address the remaining charges from last Tuesday. There is one count of insubordination, the severity undetermined, presumably for ignoring Lara's order to 'stop'. And there is an equal issue regarding Dereliction of Duty." I paused. "At the time in question, I had every reason to believe I had been banished from the pack. Furthermore, I am convinced everyone in this room knew I was under that impression, and no one had done anything to remedy the misunderstanding by that time. If I had been banished, then Lara's orders to 'stop' carried no weight."

  "That is a good argument," Daniel replied immediately. "Would it have mattered if you knew you hadn't been banished?"

  I thought about it. "No. I will plead guilty to the charge of insubordination. I do not feel it was aggravated, and I absolutely deny it qualified as extreme insubordination. I will accept the Boulder alpha's decision if the Madison alpha will withdraw the most grievous level of the charge."

  "Withdrawn," she said immediately.

  "I will render my decision at the end of these proceedings," Daniel said.

  "Of course," I replied. I considered taking a moment to argue for leniency but decided that particular charge was the least of my concerns.

  I was down to two more charges of insubordination, one related to defying Lara's orders for no retribution and one for ditching my protective detail. I wasn't happy about the second one. I thought I could wriggle out of both of them, but I wanted to leave them for now.

  "I would like to move on to the charges of Dereliction of Duty. Let us start with the least, dereliction of my teaching duties." I paused. "Serena, after I was returned from Iowa this past autumn, you overheard a conversation I had with Michele Lassiter. It was a conversation you interrupted. Do you recall this conversation?"

  "I do," she said.

  "Would you relay the details? Paraphrasing is fine."

  "Michele had been teaching your classes in your absence, sharing the duty with a few other adults. You asked her if she would be available to continue to do so because you had unfinished business in Iowa. That is when I interrupted, stating you most certainly did not, and pointing out that was not a conversation to have in front of civilians."

  "Quite so," I said. "Do you recall what Michele said after that?"

  "She said she would always be available to help with your classes as necessary."

  "Thank you, Serena." I looked around, my gaze settling on Lara. "When I wrote the note to you, I also sent an email to Michele. Do you know about it?"

  "Yes."

  "Do you know the content well enough to describe it?"

  "You asked her to handle your classes until you got back."

  "Do you know what else I left with her?"

  "Three months of class planning notes," Lara replied.

  "Does anyone wish to say anything else on this matter?" I asked. I didn't ask for the charge to be dismissed. I knew Christopher West would love to hear me convicted of dereliction of my teaching duties, but I didn't think Daniel would do so.

  "No," Lara said after a pause.

  "All right, there are four charges of dereliction of duty related to the four different days I engaged in violence in Iowa. Basically, by killing the Iowa City wolves, I am charged with Dereliction of Duty. Before I address that, does anyone wish to argue they didn't deserve to die?"

  "It's not about whether they deserved to die," Lara said.

  "I know. I'll come to that. Did they deserve what happened?"

  "Yes," said Daniel. "They deserved what happened. There are no murder charges on the table."

  "Thank you. I would like to address the first three charges of Dereliction of Duty." I paused. "Is it your charge that there were other duties I was to be engaged in at the exact time I was doing those, or only that if it had gone badly, I wouldn't be able to fulfill my other duties."

  "Both," Lara said.

  "Refresh us with the duties I was skipping, please?"

  "You were not seeing to your personal safety. You were not protecting your children. You were not protecting the pack."

  "Thank you, Alpha," I said. "I believe the fact that I am standing here, alive and well, is proof that I was most certainly seeing to my personal safety." I turned to Greg. "When you last visited Madison, you explained in detail why retribution against the Iowa City wolves was not something I could do. You and everyone else here went to great effort to convince me I would do nothing but get everyone else and probably myself killed. Is that correct?"

  "Yes," he said.

  "Were you wrong?"

  "Yes."

  "And why were you wrong?"

  "Because I underestimated you." He paused. "The main targets were not the enforcers; the main targets were Brody Mortens and Johnny Mack. A direct assault on their home would have led to deaths."

  "And yet, I succeeded in killing six enforcers as well as Misters Mortens and Mack. Could I have done so if I had not attended to my personal safety in the process?"

  "I don't know."

  "Anyone? Does anyone want to argue I was foolhardy while killing the enforcers?"

  "I will not dismiss the charges," Daniel said.

  "Fine. I have made my point, I believe. So that leaves protecting my young and protecting the pack." I turned to Lara. "Would you again read the letter I left you?"r />
  She read the letter, and when she was done, I asked, "What reason did I give for moving forward with my plan?"

  Lara again read the pertinent part of the letter.

  We will never be safe when people believe they can mess with us and get what they want from doing so. Lessons must be taught. I cannot allow any wolves to believe they can kidnap a member of our pack and live to tell the tale. As long as any of them is alive, our babies are not safe.

  I will make our babies safe.

  I turned to Elisabeth. "During one of our phone calls, I asked you if I was wrong. It was the phone call you told me I would be banished. Did you argue I was wrong?"

  "I told you half of them would be dead from the impending implosion."

  "And I argued that still left the other half, who would now be desperate and looking for trouble. I also argued the rumors they spread about the weak women of Madison would cause us widespread trouble. Did you argue that I was wrong?"

  "No," she said.

  I turned to Greg. "You and I had a similar conversation. Did you argue I was wrong?"

  "No," he said.

  I faced Lara. "Is the pack safer with those wolves dead?"

  "Yes," she said.

  "Is the pack reputation stronger because those wolves are dead?"

  "Yes."

  I turned back to Greg. "What rumors did I ask you to spread once this was all over?"

  "That the Madison pack was under your protection, and anyone who messed with them would get a visit from you."

  "I was not derelict in my duties!" I stated firmly. And then I thundered, "I was doing my duty!" I pointed at Lara. "I was doing your duty, and yours," I said, pointing to Elisabeth. "Those wolves were a continued threat to me, to my babies, and to the entire pack. I put them down like the rabid dogs they were, and I would do it again!"

  Daniel didn't even yell at me for my tone, but I caught Brooke nodding. "Alpha," she said quietly. "I would have done the same thing, no matter how firmly you forbid it. And you know it."

  "Hush, daughter," he said. He turned back to me.

  I looked at the clock. "Perhaps it is time for a break."

  * * * *