14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Dante

A t five minutes to twelve, I walk into the courtroom with Noah at my side. We spent the whole flight discussing legal options and ramifications.

Not that we have many.

Our entire argument focuses on the fact that Brielle has spent her life in Las Vegas.

It's weak at best.

They won't likely care if she was raised in Antarctica. She hasn't been Awakened; we have no idea where her lineage comes from. Worse, Deacon has proof she was with his pack and that we took her out of his territory after killing his Second.

We have to hope that proximity is enough.

The courtroom is smaller than one available in the city. These are used for less significant pack disputes and hold only a dozen people when full. We've been assigned a special committee to oversee Marlo's claim, and we will be at a disadvantage since he works with the LLC members quarterly as our state representative.

A job my father held until his death.

The memory of him pulls at my heart, and I push the emotion away. I don't have time to feel his loss today. My best friend, Cain, needs me focused. My Second needs his Mate.

Straightening my shoulders, I note that Marlo is already seated at one of the two tables with an older man I've known as his lead counsel, Brian Concord. Both men stop talking as we enter, and we find our way to our seats at the table next to theirs.

"I must say I'm surprised you decided to waste your time coming all the way out here. This is merely a formality, Stone," Marlo's voice taunts.

"You seem awfully confident for a lying thief," I state, fighting to keep the anger out of my voice as I undo the button on my suit jacket.

"I think you have me mistaken for your father," he replies, making my blood boil.

Kill him.

My wolf pushes for control, and Marlo's eyes flash as a grin slides into place.

Fuck you, asshole.

Ever since he broke into our pack house on the day of my mother's funeral, I have hated him.

How could anyone try to kill an Alpha the day he lost his Fated?

He's pure evil, and had my dad not let him go to spare me seeing another death, Marlo would be dead, and I would have all of Nevada to rule.

He's lucky it wasn't me. I wouldn't have shown him mercy.

The doors behind the bench open, pulling our attention. Five committee members, two guards, and a court reporter enter, taking their seats above us, effectively cutting off our conversation.

I scan each, identifying four members immediately.

Doug Martin

Jonathan Barton

Oliver Horn

Mark Goodman

The fifth is the largest of the men. He appears to be almost 6'8" and probably 250 lbs with a full barrel chest. He's dressed casually in a deep blue shirt and jeans. His dark brown hair is knotted at the top of his head, and a full beard adorns his face.

My eyes flash to Noah, the mind-link message immediate.

Dante: Who is that?

Noah: No idea, not a sitting Alpha or Council Member.

Keeping my demeanor relaxed, I quickly glance at Marlo, noting that his expression remains disinterested as he twirls a pen.

"Good Afternoon Alphas. Counsels. We appreciate your timely response to our request for this hearing. After reviewing the evidence submitted, we decided this could be handled more quickly in person. To begin, would each committee member state their name and affiliation for the court record, after which we will have each party do the same," he finishes pointing to his left for the men to begin.

"Jonathan Barton, Alpha assigned to LLC Security oversight."

"Mark Goodman, Alpha for the Portland Pack, Oregon State LLC Representative."

"Douglas Martin, Alpha for the Redding Pack, California State LLC Representative, Presiding member"

"Oliver Horn, Alpha assigned to Legal Oversight."

"Mo."

The man doesn't elaborate or provide any more information; he just leans back and casually crosses his arms.

"Let the record show the fifth member is Massimo Bjorn, here for interspecies transparency from the Colorado grizzly sleuth," Martin adds before pointing to Marlo to continue.

"Deacon Marlo, Reno Pack Alpha, Nevada State LLC Representative."

"Brian Concord, Reno Pack Attorney, Bar #15463."

"Noah Daniels, Vegas Pack Attorney, Bar #82917"

"Dante Stone, Vegas Pack Alpha."

After everyone is introduced, Martin opens the folder in front of him and begins the hearing.

"Let's begin. This is Marlo vs Stone, in the argument over ownership of one Unawakened female, Brielle DelaCourt. Both parties have completed written statements. I will start with you, Mr. Concord. Please explain your claim to the committee," he says, turning his attention to him.

"Thank you, Alpha Martin, esteemed committee. My client is requesting the immediate return of the Unawakened female, Brielle DelaCourt, to the Reno Pack territory. Her illegal removal from our territory last month is clearly the Vegas Pack's sick attempt to start a war between our territories after negotiations fell through last spring. We believe that, in addition to the blatant disregard for the LLC's strict border policy, and their deliberate attack on our pack, which resulted in the death of our Second, the Vegas Pack's actions should not only lead to the immediate return of our property, but also result in severe punitive repercussions, including not limited to the dissolution of their pack with all respective land, property, and territory rights reverting to the Reno Pack establishing a united single pack in Nevada," Concord states with pure seriousness in his delivery.

My jaw clenches, my teeth threatening to crack with the pressure it takes to keep from countering his statement.

He can have my pack over my dead body.

Noah: Stay calm. You're growling.

Dante: I will never hand over my pack to him. I'll kill him first.

Noah: Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

"You are making large accusations. What proof have you provided?" Horn asks, flipping through the papers in front of him.

"We have submitted photographs showing the female walking into our main business establishment of her own free will, photos of her meeting with our Second in his office requesting asylum, and video footage of her being loaded unconscious onto a private jet owned by VP Securities, a Vegas Pack front."

The atmosphere on the panel shifts as each member examines the evidence. Jonathan scrunches his face before asking his question.

"Who is the man in the photo entering with her?"

My breath catches for the briefest of seconds before Noah speaks up.

"Hudson Healy, Junior Enforcer for the Vegas Pack. He escorted Brielle to her meeting with the Reno Pack Second, Antonio Russo."

Movement on the panel pulls my attention to another member.

"I don't see a statement from Mr. Healy in our files. Is he on site to be questioned?" Alpha Goodman asks Noah, his eyebrow lifting in irritation.

Great, he thinks we aren't prepared.

"Apologies, but Mr. Healy was also killed in the exchange. The Reno Pack's Second shot him," Noah states, letting the information hang in the air.

"So, of the three people at this apparent meeting, you are telling us that two happen to be dead? This doesn't feel like a coincidence," Oliver Horn says, disapproval written on his face.

"Mr. Daniels, the evidence provided appears to be rather damning against your pack. And without key witnesses to the exchange, we are not getting a clear picture of this situation." Martin states, and I take in the committee members.

Due to their alliance history, Horn and Barton will be on Marlo's side. Goodman's a wild card as a new addition to his LLC seat, and Mo has no skin in this game since he isn't even a wolf. Our best hope is that it goes two against two, but even then, Martin votes in the event of a tie between the other members, and unfortunately, I have no idea if he would go against Marlo.

They went through their Alpha retreat together with my dad.

Pain laces through me without any warning, and every part of me wishes he was still here.

He would know what to do.

"We will now hear your argument for claim," Martin continues, pulling me back to the hearing. Noah stands, adjusting his jacket before addressing them.

"Thank you, Alpha, committee members. Brielle DelaCourt has lived in our territory for her entire life. Due to the foster system, she never knew about her lineage or our rules until recently when one of our pack members identified her as both Unawakened and his Fated Mate." At those words, the four Alphas inhale, surprise evident on their faces when the words are left to linger.

Only Mo sits without any reaction, his face masking his opinions on either side. I also notice he hasn't looked at any of the papers in front of him; instead, he listens as each lawyer pleads their case.

"Due to her affiliation to our Second, Brielle was used in a blackmail scheme, the result of which ended with both a member of our pack and a member of the Reno pack being killed in the exchange. Ms. DelaCourt was severely injured and needed immediate medical attention. Her Fated Mate did what any of us would have and brought her to our pack facility to be taken care of, where she eventually healed. At no time did the Vegas Pack violate any territory restrictions as Ms. DelaCourt lives in our territory as does her Fated Mate," Noah says, allowing the committee time to consider our testimony before he continues.

"We have provided Ms. DelaCourt's University transcript, High school diploma, birth certificate, and medical records from the staff who fixed her after the exchange. We're requesting that the Reno Pack's claim be denied and the case be dropped in its entirety. It is clear she has resided within our territory her entire life. One trip up to Reno does nothing to change her residence, nor does it give their pack claim to her. They can say whatever they want about her reasons for being there. It changes nothing and has no way to be verified. Brielle DelaCourt is an Unawakened under the protection of the Vegas Wolf Pack until such a time as she can be officially Awakened and Mated."

"Why is she still Unawakened? Surely you realize this hearing wouldn't be necessary had this been completed?" Barton questions, unconvinced.

"Due to her upbringing, time was allotted for her to come to terms with the knowledge of her new reality. While allowing her to adjust, the event in question took place, which resulted in her being hospitalized for several days. During that time, the claim was filed by the Reno Pack, stating she belonged to them. In an effort to prevent retaliation, and in a show of good faith, we held off her Awakening until this case is concluded," Noah replies, confidence filling his tone.

Silence falls over the panel momentarily as they consider the arguments. Meanwhile, I'm fighting to keep a casual appearance as I scan each of their movements, hoping to glean some insight into how this will go.

Noah returns to his seat next to me, a slight nod his only communication as we wait them out.

"After hearing from both parties and reviewing the evidence, I will now turn this over to a vote for ownership," Martin begins before Goodman speaks again.

"Apologies for interrupting, but once you discovered Ms. DelaCourt, how come your pack never ascertained her lineage? Generally, It's pretty standard when an Unawakened is found that testing is used to reunite them with their home pack. Why wasn't this completed?"

Before I can even turn, Noah sends a quick mind-link.

Noah: How do you want me to play this?

Dante: Fated Mate bond trumps home pack and limited time.

He rises from his seat again, answering calmly.

"Brielle being discovered at nearly twenty-two years old was quite an anomaly. Most Unawakened are toddlers or young children, so reuniting them with their Awakened parents is necessary. In this case, however, the delayed discovery allowed our Second to not only identify her as an Unawakened but also as his Mate. Because the Fated Mate bond supersedes all others, finding her home pack took a backseat to revealing her new reality."

Goodman nods, returning his attention to the page in front of him as he speaks again.

"Well then, I believe we have another party to this claim. Her home pack deserves to know she exists and have a say in how this case should be determined," he finishes, turning to Alpha Martin expectantly.

"We can certainly perform a lineage test while she is here and see how that comes out," he responds, but his clenched jaw tells me he hoped to get this over with and voted on today.

The council appears satisfied with that response—well, all but Mo, who finally looks confused.

"Twenty-two? Why aren't you just asking the female which pack she wants to belong to or what happened?" he says, and for a moment, I want to smile at the obvious nature of his question.

Because they don't give a shit what any female has to say, especially not an Unawakened human female.

"Mr. Bjorn, Unawakened are not allowed in these proceedings, and as she is unranked without a wolf, her Alpha would normally speak for her. Unfortunately, we have at least two who feel they have that right at the moment," Martin states.

"Not allowed?" he shakes his head before whispering under his breath. "Fucking wolves…." Clearing his throat, he continues. "Okay, well couldn't she be used to sort out what happened at the meeting? An adjudication to see what it was about?"

Irritation flits across Martin's face before he responds.

"Adjudicators are generally reserved for more important matters around here," he snaps before a deep growl rolls out of Mo, causing Martin to lean away physically. He shifts uncomfortably, shuffling his papers before continuing. "But I suppose we could see if one is available while we wait for the lineage bloodwork. We will check into an adjudicator and have her bloodwork pulled immediately. Let's reconvene tomorrow once the results are in. Does noon work for everyone?"

After waiting for a consensus, he closes his folder and quickly escapes the room while the rest of the panel begins to gather their own paperwork.

A full smile lifts on my face that I can no longer cover, and my eyes don't leave Massimo's oversized form until he catches my gaze. I nod thanks for his support, and he surprises me by double tapping the three fingers on his left hand under his eye. I freeze, recognizing the signal immediately.

Fucking Ghost.

At least I know he's an ally. I return the sign before rising from my seat to leave, Noah at my back.

Deacon's face looks far less amused than when we arrived, and I stop before crossing the aisle.

"You did a pretty good job at coming up with complete bullshit there. Impressive really. Sad it won't matter once the adjudicator sees that she never wanted to be a part of your pack in the first place."

I smile, arrogance rolling off me as I bask in this moment. In knowing I beat him at his own stupid game.

To my surprise, he doesn't look defeated. He isn't angry and doesn't even appear stressed. Instead, the side of his mouth tips up in a smirk, and he winks at me without a word before walking out of the courtroom.

Fuck….What am I missing here?