Page 5

Ethan

“THAT’S HOW I interpret it,” I answer from my seat next to Xander, both of us bent over the dining room table, reading, and rereading one of the binders on pack law. Billie and Jax are in the kitchen making us all breakfast, while Xander and I read over the sections on pack law that his mother and Elder Allan referred him to last night. We need to understand the content before we head to pack lands so Jax can give his official statement.

Xander groans in frustration and pushes up to standing so he can grab another smaller binder, an abridged version of pack law, that we were given to review and study during our shifter schooling year. He flips to a tabbed page and pushes the binder in front of me. “Here,” he says. “Read this copy and tell me what you think.”

I pull the copy closer and keep the other at my side for reference. Noting that the section title and number along with associated headings are all the same, just the body of the printed information is much less. When I start reading the text, everything matches until... it doesn’t. “What the—” I mutter, keeping one finger on the page while I flip to the beginning to see when this abridged version was published and put into use. Answer: over fifteen years ago, under the supervising authorities of our alpha and approved by all the current pack alphas in the US at the time. Ken Kubrick’s father, Stanford Kubrick, was the legal advisor, which is not a good sign. I remember the man; he should have retired centuries before he did. Stubborn, old, and senile, he refused to step down as head of Kubrick and Associates until death finally took him. I don’t know much more, but Ken had started working for his father as an intern while in college, doing his best to keep the firm afloat and manage his father’s temper to the best of his ability.

Regardless, this was signed off by all the pack alphas, and in this section at least, there are glaring discrepancies. I look up at Xander, who’s still standing next to me, slightly hunched over with hands pressed onto the table, his head tilted down, eyes observing me. I hitch a brow and inquire, “Do you know which version our pack has been following?”

He cants his head to the side and tosses an arched brow back at me. “Do you remember receiving any information about being a member of a pack panel consisting of nine peers?”

I lean back in my chair and think about his question. I also think about any infractions of pack members that I can remember. Most were dealt with either behind closed doors and the sentencing coming after, or a hearing was given where all pack members could attend, but the judgment, the final outcome or punishment was decided by the alpha. I don’t remember there ever being a deliberation on what that punishment would be—or a deliberation on guilty or not guilty, for that matter. We’re too young to know what it was like prior to Xander’s father being our alpha, and if there was any uproar about him applying these changes, they probably happened early on. One thing about Xander’s father: His innate alpha power may have been weak, but he more than made up for that with ruthless determination.

Numbly shaking my head, I blow out a long breath. “No, I don’t remember any that were close to what is described in this unabridged version.”

Xander’s gaze flicks to the kitchen, seeing that Billie and Jax are still busy and in their own little world, before he sits down next to me, bringing his head close to mine. “I don’t know what to do, Ethan.” He lowly whispers, raking his fingers through his hair, “If I do what I feel is right, if I follow the laws as stated in the unabridged version, then I’m possibly forcing Jax to speak about what happened to him in front of a panel of his peers and his abuser. That means forcing him to hear Amber’s side, giving her the option to defend herself. But” -—his eyes shutter closed, and his throat bobs— “if I approach this as my father had, using this overarching Law of the Alpha, then I could determine her guilt and sentence her without putting him through any more than a written statement.”

“Which would have been easier to do if”—I tap the big binder with my finger— “your mother and Elder Allan hadn’t directed you to read this.”

“But they did,” he admits, flopping back in his chair and scrubbing a hand down his face. He groans, “They did. And this version, this process, seems much more”—his head rocks from side to side— “right, for lack of a better term. It still gives the alpha the ability to veto the pack’s decision, it still gives him overruling authority, but he has to do it in front of pack members. If the alpha decides not to agree with what the pack came up with, then he has to own it in front of them. If done too many times, that would create distrust and disloyalty within the pack, who would think their alpha doesn’t really care about their views or needs—that truly no opinion matters but that of the alpha.”

“I agree,” I say, nibbling on my thumbnail. “I also understand the difficulty you’re having with this. I wonder...” My stomach rolls, and bile creeps up my throat as I think about the moral dilemma and the true magnitude of each decision one makes when holding a position of power. With Xander now alpha, his decisions no longer affect just him or us, but the entire pack and, at least to some degree, packs across the US. Hell’s bells, it’s like he went from being a small-town mayor to a senator in a day.

Before I can try to articulate my thoughts, Xander scoffs a humorless laugh and interjects, “It blows, doesn’t it?” He waves a hand over the two different versions of pack law, his lips twisting and pressing together. “Just absolutely blows.”

“What blows?” Billie questions, approaching us on apparently very quiet feet, with a serving bowl filled with home fries in one hand and another filled with scrambled eggs in the other. Jax is right behind her with a platter of turkey bacon and a basket of toast. Xander and I slide the binders out of the way to make room. Laying the dishes in the center, they sit down across from us, all of us in casual morning attire—sweatshirts, joggers, or jeans—and Billie in yoga pants and thick wool socks that I’m going to blame for her ability to slide over here undetected.

Neither Xander nor I answer her question. Instead, we focus on dishing out food and filling up our plates as if breakfast takes precedence over everything. It is the most important meal of the day.

I’ve just about got a forkful of scrambled eggs, a quarter piece of bacon, and two home fries to my mouth when Billie huffs. “Really?”

I lift my gaze to her. She’s reclined back in her chair, feet tucked under her bum in a cross-legged position, arms folded over her chest, and her head tilted to the side with a look of accusing disbelief. “You just gonna not answer me? Or are you pretending that you didn’t hear me?”

Instead of waiting for Xander to reply, instead of waiting for him to tell me to speak or not to, I do what I can for him. He’s going to be responsible for so much, and take the lead on so many things, and be the point of contact for so many people—but here with us? I can speak up. I can initiate the conversation. He chose to share the information with me, which means he wanted my opinion and my viewpoint on not only the material but what to do with it.

“Luna Ophelia and Elder Allan advised Xander to read up on the unabridged version of pack law last night,” I say, motioning my free hand to the binders out on the table. “Xander found discrepancies between the version of pack law we were taught to live by and the more detailed version. He wanted me to read over the sections in question, which I did this morning. I agreed with his assessment, and now we’re unsure of what to do or how to proceed.” And just like that, by sharing the information with our pack-mates, some of that bile retreats back to my gallbladder where it belongs. Sometimes staying in indecision can be more stressful than making a decision, regardless of the choice. I slide my fork into my mouth and take a moment to savor the perfect bite while Billie and Jax digest what I just said.

Jax keeps his head down, focusing on pushing his food around his plate rather than actually eating. Billie bobs her head and leans forward, picking up her fork and stabbing some potatoes. “What is it that’s making you need to determine how to proceed? And which version is more accurate or lawful?”

“Either version can be used legally,” Xander states, swallowing down some eggs, his eyes narrowing on Jax’s barely touched breakfast.

“Then what’s the—” Billie starts, then she grumbles something under her breath and tosses her fork down on her plate with a soft clatter before standing up. “I’m not playing twenty feckin’ questions to figure out what it is you two seem to be having a hard time sharing fully this morning.” She waves a hand over the binders. “Give me the ones you’re referring to. Let me read them so I can understand the issue in as short a period of time as possible.”

“Here,” I say, grabbing the smaller one next to me and handing it to her. “This is the version we were taught. Read the tabbed section.” Xander puts his fork down and grabs the other binder with both hands, then passes it to me to slide over to Billie “And this is the unedited section, again where the tab is.” Billie looks at it and nods. Sitting back down, she picks her fork up and starts reading.

“Jax,” Xander softly murmurs, leaning over the table from his seated position. Jax lifts his head up and raises his brows. “If you don’t feed yourself, I will feed you,” Xander warns with hard eyes and a lick of his lips.

“Not an idle threat,” Billie mutters under her breath, switching out the binders.

“What will you feed me, Alpha?” Jax counters, in a sultry voice.

“Not sausage, Jax,” Xander replies without missing a beat. “I know you may not be hungry, but you need to eat. We have a long day ahead of us—you in particular. It would put me at ease to know you’ve been fed and that at least that bodily need has been satisfied.” He pauses and lays a hand over one of Jax’s, then quietly adds, “Please.”

Jax’s cheeks blush, and he dips his chin. “Since you asked so nicely,” he agrees, then lifts a forkful of eggs to his mouth and chomps down.

“Thank you,” Xander replies, pulling his hand away.

“Oh,” Billie mumbles around a mouthful of potato. “So yeah, that’s a big difference. But I mean”— she looks at the both of us and shrugs a shoulder— “I think the decision that needs to be made is pretty clear.”

“Which is?” Xander queries, looking at her with his head tilted to the side.

“The one you’d make if you were looking at these, and there was no case on the docket or whatever,” she states while twirling her fork around. “In my eyes, the unabridged one seems like the one that is most fair and considerate to the pack, letting them have a voice and chance to be heard.”

“You understand what that means?” Xander contends.

“Yeah,” Billie replies and angles herself to face Jax. He looks up at her, and there’s a mixture of interest and caution in his tight expression. She places a hand on his leg and asserts, “It would mean that Jax would need to share what happened to him. Evidence would be shown, and Amber would be allowed to speak, to argue her case in front of fellow pack members like in the human judicial system, except the jury can only suggest verdict and punishment. In the end, the alpha has the final say.” She raises a finger “But it also means that whatever evidence found, including the involvement of Veronica, Councilman Hogan, and the drugs injected into Jax, would also be shared, and discussed. I’m assuming and”—she flicks her gaze to Xander and raises a brow— “tell me if I’m wrong, but I’m assuming that if Jax or one of us wasn’t involved, then that is how’d you want to proceed. It’s his involvement, the fact he’ll have to speak about what happened and face Amber, should she plead not guilty, that’s the issue.”

I look to Xander because we didn’t discuss it this far yet. He nods his head. “Yes, and that it will prolong everything, and I’ll need to advise the pack on the changes regarding how we deal with infractions from this point out. But if Jax wasn’t involved, I’d be inclined to return to the way it was prior to my father taking over as alpha.”

“He’s strong enough,” Billie notes offhandedly, eating some eggs. “Jax can do this. He’s strong enough to face his attacker, and this decision holds more weight than this one instance. This sets the tone for your”—she rolls her eyes and mutters the next word as if it’s bitter in her mouth— “ rule . It’s about what type of alpha you’re going to be. Plus, Jax is a survivor, not a victim. He shouldn’t be ashamed about what happened to him. He did nothing wrong. Amber, Veronica, and possibly Councilman Hogan are the ones who should be ashamed.” Climbing out of her seat, she turns to Jax. He’s been frozen with fork in hand, watching her with wide eyes this whole time. She takes his fork and puts it down with hers, then pushes him back into his chair. Lifting a leg, she straddles him and cups her hands on either side his face. His hands loosely land high around her backside. In a tender voice, she promises, “I’ll be with you, playmate. I’ll be with you however you need me to be, if you need me to be. I know this is all coming at you fast, and everything is so new, but I know you can do this. I know you’re strong enough to face her down and expose the evidence of pack leaders messing with bonds. If those drugs are the manufactured mating injections that we think they are, then we need to show the real danger in them. That pack leaders are more than just choosing to go against the Divine but also enabling those in power to take the choice from others. Because”—she strokes his cheek with the back of her knuckles and sighs— “if she had succeeded, then I’d have to rip more than just her ear from her body. I’d have to rip out her black heart, because no one is taking my mates away from me or Little Fox. And”—she blows out a breath— “prison orange isn’t really my color.”

Jax’s hands fasten on her bum, and he hauls her in closer. Stroking her back, he bobs his head and admits, “You’re right. You’d look horrible in orange.”

She laughs while looping her arms around his neck. His arms tighten around her waist as he continues staring at her like he’s filling himself with the confidence he sees reflected in her eyes. “And you’re right about how we need to handle this. So long as I have you”—his gaze swings to Xander and me— “all of you, I can do this. We can do this.” His head drops forward to rest on her chest, and she brushes her hand over his hair. “It’s gonna totally suck, but...” He lifts his face back up, and it’s flushed with heat, and his eyes are watery. My chest constricts upon my seeing the pain and hurt so evident in his features. Inhaling a stuttering breath, he says, “But it’s the right thing to do. And this is a decision that matters to Xander. I want my alpha to be a real alpha, one that is for the pack, one that doesn’t hide shit or only concerns himself with what’s best for himself or those closest to him. But”—his lips pull up on one side while his hands slip under the hem of her hoodie— “I’ll need you like this, this close to me. Because I want to make sure every fucking wolf sees what we have, who we are to each other, and I want them all to know what you’ll do should any of them try to separate us.”

“I thought of bronzing the ear and wearing it as a pendant would do the trick, but this could work too,” she replies with a small grin.

“I don’t see the harm in doing both,” I observe. They both turn to me with shocked expressions. “I’m serious. Bronze that ear and wear it around the pack. We’re wolves, love. Viciousness in the right circumstances is respected.” And hot. So, cock-hardening hot.

Before Billie can respond, her eyes glow bright, and she says on a growl, “Oh, they have no idea how vicious this vixen can be, but they will.” And it’s all Little Fox. My wolf perks up, and he licks his lips in approval and excitement.