Fated Forgiveness (Kindred of Arkadia Book 4)

by Alanea Alder

  "We would also like this council to forgo physical evidence on the basis that any abuse these men suffered at the hands of Alpha Devon have healed since leaving captivity, due to the accelerated healing rate of shifters." Rebecca stood up straight.

  "We will concede that point," Ora said.

  "I have emailed you gentleman the three sworn statements of Sebastian Wakefield, Felix Kilpatrick and Peyton Miller. Sebastian and Felix's testimonies recount how they were sold to Alpha Devon because they were hybrids. They describe in detail how they were caged and abused while waiting to be shipped to vampires wanting their blood," Rebecca said, holding up her printed copies.

  "The statements of the men who are being charged can hardly be considered an objective testimony," Salsiby argued.

  Ora nodded. "As much as I hate to agree with the man, he has a point." Ora looked at Rebecca gravely.

  "Do you have any further evidence, Alpha Mother?" Ramsey asked.

  Rebecca looked around the room helplessly. She was about to speak when a knock sounded at the door. The room turned to see Daniel and David pop their heads in.

  "We have it, Alpha Mother," he said, beaming. Kent felt a spark of hope flare.

  "These are closed-door proceedings, they aren't even shifters. They have no say here," Salsiby objected. He motioned to one of the wolves, who stalked toward Daniel and David. They quickly moved to the far corner.

  Gabriel stepped forward, and Kent felt waves of power wash away from the prince. The wolf stopped in his tracks and turned slowly to stare at the prince in horror. Each wave seemed to weigh the wolf down more and more until he was on his knees. Kent could feel every muscle in his body screaming at him to get away from this powerful being. His lion was struggling to move away. Only the knowledge that this terrible power wasn't directed at him kept his feet still. When he looked up he could see every other shifter in the room was tense, everyone except Rebecca, who smirked at the wolf.

  "I am mated to Ashby Fairfax, who is bonded with Sebastian Wakefield, which very much makes this my business. Come forward Daniel, David, they won't hurt you." Gabriel held out his hand.

  "What did you do to him?" Ora asked, sounding curious.

  "I merely showed him that to me, he is nothing more than a pup." Gabriel shrugged as Daniel and David moved to stand on either side of Rebecca.

  "The Alpha Mother was not affected," Ramsey stated.

  "Rebecca has a nearly pure aura or what you would call a soul. I have only seen it once before. She does not fear me simply because she knows I would never hurt her. She has the absolute faith that we lose as children. In her heart she would never betray me, so she believes—and accurately—that I would never betray her." Gabriel took a step to stand next to Aleks behind Rebecca.

  Sebastian edged closer to Kent. Kent took his hand and gripped it tightly. Liam came up on their right and wrapped an arm around them both. Kent had never been so happy to have powerful friends.

  David and Daniel held open their small laptop in front of Rebecca. Kent saw her eyes moving quickly and a smile broke out on her face.

  "I am emailing new evidence to you now, gentlemen," she said, her hands moving over the keys.

  "I demand a copy," Salsiby said, and provided his email address.

  After just a few minutes, the whale shifter spoke. "I understand what I am reading, but not how it pertains to this case," he admitted.

  "Gentlemen, before you, are the tax records for the twelve men that Alpha Devon has deemed rogue going back five years. Eleven hybrids and Peyton Miller. Does anything stand out to you?" she asked.

  "None of the twelve have filed taxes in the past two years," Ramsey said, his eyebrows rising.

  Rebecca nodded triumphantly. "These twelve men are all educated, and up until two years ago had budding careers. But, within the past two years nothing was filed, no income earned, no paper trail for them at all," Rebecca said.

  Kent saw the light go off in Ramsey's eyes. "It definitely supports the claim that they were held in cages against their will," Ramsey said.

  "It proves nothing. Alpha Devon provides for his pack in much the same way Liam Lewenhart provides for his pride. I bet there aren't many tax records for his pride members, either," Salsiby said.

  Kent felt his heart sink as he watched the excited look fade from Rebecca's face.

  "I'm afraid he is right, Rebecca. Without an unbiased testimony similar to the Davidson vs. Alcott case, we will have to side with Alpha Devon and these men will have to return to his pack and face punishment," Ora spoke sadly.

  "This is impossible! How do you prove a negative? How can you prove a loss of freedom? Of course his own pack would testify in his favor. How else could eleven men disappear and be held against their will for so long?" Rebecca protested.

  "I am truly sorry, Alpha Mother," Ora said.

  "No! You can't take him from us!" Liam shouted.

  "Please don't send us back, they'll kill us!" Felix yelled.

  "It's not right, I never asked to be sold!" Sebastian shouted.

  "Unfortunately, we have to follow the law. Gentlemen." Ora nodded to the wolves in the room.

  Two wolves grabbed a struggling Felix and two moved to grab Sebastian. Lachlan and Bran fought to hold back Liam and Aleks as they stood between the wolves and Sebastian. Kent turned over Rebecca's words in his mind and an idea began to form. He dropped Sebastian's hand and picked up the folder from the desk. Sebastian stared at him with pain in his eyes. Kent turned his back so that he could read the contents of the folder without the distraction of his mate's pain shining in his eyes.

  "No! Kent, grab him!" Liam yelled.

  Kent ignored the room for a second more, before turning back to the chaos.

  "Alpha Liam, if you continue this course of action you will be found guilty of obstructing council justice and executed!" Ora yelled.

  "I don't care! Give him back! Give him back to me!" Liam pleaded.

  Kent took a deep breath and pushed down the panicked emotions coming from both his mates. Placing his fingers to his lips, he released an ear shattering whistle. Every shifter in the room stopped what they were doing to cover their ears. The quietness which followed was deafening.

  "Council, I have multiple unbiased testimonies I would like to submit for review," he said, stepping forward, the knot from his stomach trying to claw its way up his throat.

  "You are?" Ora asked.

  "Kent Fieldings. I am Liam Lewenhart and Sebastian Wakefield's mate," he said.

  "What unbiased testimonies could you possibly have?" Salsiby sneered.

  "The ones that you provided," Kent said coolly.

  Ramsey's eyebrows lifted. Each council member sifted through the papers in front of them.

  "Which ones are you referring to?" Olson asked, his gravelly voice gruff. It was clear why he wasn't the main speaker.

  "The testimonies of Marcia Earnheart, Anne Rafferty, and Milo Lagrange," Kent said.

  "Mr. Fieldings I don't understand. These are the testimonies used to prove that Alpha Devon was innocent of holding the eleven men captive," Phillip said, his voice rolling out in a smooth cadence

  "Each of the three in their own way said almost the exact same thing," Kent said. "Marcia's testimony says 'I don't know of any hybrids living on pack lands.' Anne's testimony is 'There are no hybrids here.' And finally, we have Milo's testimony, which states 'There are only wolves on pack lands, there aren't any hybrids'."

  "Oh my God!" Rebecca whispered.

  "There before you are three sworn testimonies from Alpha Devon's own pack members that there have never been any hybrids in their pack or on pack lands. Yet, the tax records that Alpha Mother Rebecca has provided show that none of these men have any sort of a financial trail to support themselves in two years. If they were truly living off of Alpha Devon and in his pack, wouldn't they have known about them?" Kent asked, looking up into the faces of the council.

  A slow smile spread on Ramsey's face. "Interesting, very inter
esting," The wolf Elder smirked.

  "It proves nothing. I can go back and get clarification," Salsiby started.

  "And coach those pack members on what to say? I don't think so. I think in the rush to ensure his innocence to the Sentinels in his kidnapping charges, Alpha Devon overlooked the fact that he could claim that these men had gone rogue. If he had, maybe the statements taken from his pack may have been different. Either, he is guilty of kidnapping and holding eleven men against their will, or he revokes the claim that they are rogue and must return to his pack." Ramsey concluded staring Salsiby down.

  The small man looked from council member to council member.

  "What will it be Salsiby?" Ora demanded.

  "Alpha Devon is innocent."

  "Then I motion that Sebastian Wakefield and Felix Kilpatrick are cleared of their rogue status and are free." Ramsey looked around.

  "Agreed." The other council members said smiling.

  "Thank you, Elder. However, I would like to request that the rogue status be lifted from all twelve men, the eleven hybrids and Peyton Miller, so that they can finally be free to restart their lives, no matter where they are," Kent asked, and held his breath.

  Ora stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "I believe that to be fair. Congratulations, on your mating Liam, I look forward to seeing you in council meetings. Though, you may want to bring your mate with you." He grinned and his screen went dark.

  "Congratulations, gentlemen. I will submit the paperwork today." Olson nodded before he too signed off. The last one to end his session was Ramsey McGregor.

  "Rough luck, Salsiby, you almost had that one. It's really too bad that the wolf packs statements were so damning. I expect that the wolves you borrowed will leave Arkadia immediately without causing any trouble. Is that clear?" The wolf Elder leveled a gaze at the five wolf bodyguards Salsiby had brought, before his eyes shifted from amber to wolf yellow.

  "Yes, Alpha," they all agreed, and as one turned to leave Salsiby standing alone in the office.

  "Have fun," Ramsey said, and winked, his yellow wolf eyes laughing. His screen also went dark.

  "I suggest you leave town immediately, old boy," Lachlan said, grinning, his eyes also shifting to a tawny lion color.

  Salsiby grabbed his suitcase and scrambled out the door.

  Kent felt his legs give out and suddenly he was on his hands and knees on the floor gulping for air.

  "Delayed reaction, give the boy some room." Lachlan said, when everyone crowded to see if he was okay.

  Seconds later Liam was beside him on the floor pulling him into his lap, as if he weren't the shorter of the two. Sebastian cuddled up close on their side.

  "We'll leave you three alone," Lachlan said, grinning.

  "Don't think you have all day, we're going to party like rock stars to celebrate!" Rebecca said.

  "Yeah, make it a quickie," Felix said, blowing them kisses.

  Giggling, Sebastian buried his face in Kent's neck. Everyone filed out before shutting the door behind them.

  "I'm so sorry I doubted you!" Sebastian gripped Kent's shirt tightly.

  "You weren't the only one, kitten. For a second there when you turned around, I thought you had given up." Liam squeezed Kent tighter.

  "I'm so sorry for that. I didn't mean to ignore you, I just couldn't see and feel your pain and think at the same time," Kent explained softly.

  "I love you both so much. I few minutes ago my whole world was falling apart now I have my friends and family celebrating in the back yard." Liam leaned his head back against the desk with a loud thump.

  "I need you both!" Sebastian said, starting to claw at his mate's clothing.

  Kent smiled and pulled Sebastian onto his lap.

  "You have us. Because, I'm never letting you go." Kent smashed his lips to Sebastian's, he could practically taste the desperation.

  Suddenly Sebastian pulled away from their kiss and moaned loudly. Kent looked to see that Liam had snaked his hand down their small mate's pants.

  "Baby, are you wearing a butt plug?" Liam asked, his fingers moving rhythmically.

  Kent could feel a rising heat between them as he began to harden.

  "Holy shit, kitten, how big is this thing?" Liam asked, looking at Kent with wide eyes.

  Sebastian panted and looked at his two mates. "I have something to tell you," he said, sitting back on his knees.

  Kent looked at Liam, who shrugged.

  "What is it, kitten?" Liam asked.

  "Whatever it is you can tell us," Kent said, hoping that after the morning they had, he would be able to handle whatever his mate was about to confess.

  * * * *

  Sebastian sat back and wondered how in the hell was he going to tell his mates his deepest secret.

  "Kitten, you're scaring us. What is it?" Liam asked.

  Sebastian was terrified he was about to ruin his mating. He had kept things from Liam before and they were just moving past that. He wasn't sure if Liam or Kent could forgive him this.

  "Do you remember when you asked if there was anything else I needed to tell you, and I said yes, but wanted to tell you later? Well, it's later." Sebastian twisted his hands in front of him.

  "Okay, kitten, just blurt it all out. Rip the band aid off, then we'll deal," Liam said, moving Kent to sit beside him.

  "Okay, here it goes. Icangetpregnant," Sebastian rushed out.

  Liam and Kent stared at him, not saying anything.

  Unable to take the silence, he began to babble.

  "All hybrids can, we can shift anything, literally. I didn't know if this would really freak you out so I didn't say anything since I didn't want to ruin our mating. I put in the XXXL butt plug in hopes that if we won the case, you could take me, you know, together."

  That was as far as his mates let him get before jumping him. His mates' hands were everywhere, pulling his clothes off and stroking his hot skin. Sebastian felt a hand wiggle the butt plug. He couldn't help the deep moan that escaped.

  Sebastian opened his eyes when one set of hands disappeared. He saw Liam quickly shucking his pants as Kent stroked up and down Sebastian's leg while playing with the butt plug. When Liam was completely undressed, he took over from Kent while their last clothed mate quickly removed his clothes. Sebastian cried out when Liam swallowed him down. He felt the tip of his cock hit the back of his mate's throat. Wanting both his mates, he opened his eyes and looked for Kent. He saw his mate coming towards them from behind the desk.

  "Hurry," he whispered.

  "Liam," Kent said. Liam pulled off of his new favorite treat as he removed the butt plug. Kent lay down on the floor before Sebastian climbed on top of their gentle mate and straddled his waist. He stared down into his shining eyes before he reached behind him and guided Kent's huge cock into his ass. As he slowly sunk down, he dropped his head back at the amazing feeling of his mate inside of him. He began to ride his mate.

  "You really don't mind or think I am a freak?" Sebastian asked and looked down at Kent.

  "What are we feeling, baby?" Kent asked.

  Sebastian paused in his movements and reflected on what he felt in his soul. Joy. Pure joy. When he turned around to look at Liam, their Alpha had tears on his face and he didn't even bother to hide. Sebastian, still half-turned, watched as Liam came up behind him. A second later he felt Liam slip a finger in beside Kent's dick.

  "Yes," Sebastian hissed.

  The finger was removed and he felt the head of Liam's cock begin to slowly push its way forward. Sebastian gasped. He had never felt so full. Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore Liam finally bottomed out inside of him. Both Liam and Kent were panting hard.

  "We're going to make a baby. It will be a part of all three of us. God, baby, I love you both so much." Liam whispered the words into Sebastian's ear.

  "Do you want to try now?" Sebastian asked, surprised. He felt Liam's forehead nod against the back of his head. He looked down at Kent, who was nodding, his tears traili
ng down his temples to disappear in his hair line. Sebastian took a deep breath and concentrated on shifting just certain parts of himself.

  Finally, he relaxed against Liam's chest.

  "It's done," he said. That seemed to be the catalyst for his men to move, because suddenly they were pistoning themselves in and out of his body.

  "Full, so full." Sebastian felt his body being pushed and pulled by their cocks ravaging his hole. He began to push back against Liam before thrusting against Kent. Feeling utterly free, he moved his hands up his body to pinch his own nipples.

  "Let me, kitten," Liam said against his ear, sending shivers down his neck. Liam reached around and savagely twisted and pulled his nipples, causing him to keen loudly.

  "Almost there!" Sebastian whispered.

  Kent leaned up on one elbow and reached forward to tightly fist Sebastian's dripping dick. That was all it took to send Sebastian over the edge, taking Kent and Liam with him.

  Sebastian was unsure of how much time passed. When he opened his eyes he was face down on the floor. He watched Kent clean himself. He grinned when Kent caught him looking. He suddenly gasped when a large, unyielding object was thrust inside him.

  "We're keeping our seed inside of you baby," Liam said and kissed down his spine. Sebastian held up his hand, showing his thumbs-up. A sudden slap across his ass cheeks brushed against the butt plug, causing him to groan.

  "Come on, kitten, time to celebrate with our family," Liam said.

  "Sadist," Sebastian whimpered.

  All three were grinning wildly when they joined the others outside. Sebastian walked behind Liam gingerly, and when they made it to the back porch they watched as pack, pride and sloth were running amok setting up an impromptu party. He had to admit. He was definitely home.

  Chapter Ten

  "You didn't shift last night," Liam said, as he munched away on his Lucky Charms.