36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Cain

I t's nearly morning when one of the enforcer guards comes to get me. I haven't been released from the silver cuffs since they arrested me last night, and the skin underneath them is burned and blistered. Apparently, locking me in a silver cage wasn't enough.

Honestly, it probably wasn't.

They had muted my wolf with the same serum we give wolves in interrogation to keep them from accessing their wolves and mind-linking with their Alphas, effectively keeping me from contacting not only Dante but Bri, too.

I could still feel her through the bond, but none of my messages penetrated the medical block.

She was safe, so I sat tight and didn't fight anyone.

Even as this guard walked me to the interview rooms, I kept myself in control.

My wolf was fighting it.

I felt him slowly pushing back through, which meant I'd be able to send messages soon.

Stupid of them not to redose me this morning. I'm not only an Alpha but one with a Fated Mate, which only added to my strength and ability. My guess is this dose usually lasted twenty-four hours, and I'd only been here about ten.

The closer we get to the room, the more I feel her. She's close. I chance sending a mind-link message to her.

Cain: You doing ok, Firefly?

Surprise and relief flood the bond, and I smile at her reaction.

Bri: Yeah, Noah and I are just waiting. They said they were getting you. I can feel you getting closer. How come you didn't answer me last night?

Her question pulls at me, and I wish we had more time to discuss how this would go.

Cain: They muted my wolf and my abilities, so I was less of a threat. It's wearing off now.

Bri: Did they hurt you? I couldn't feel you at all. I was worried.

Cain: No, just stuck me in a cell for the night.

The guard opens a door, and I know, without even entering, that she is inside. As soon as I enter, Noah springs from his chair.

"You still have him in cuffs!?! Remove them at once!" He demands, horror evident in his voice as he yells at the man escorting me.

"Apologies, counselor, I haven't got the keys. I'll send for them and have one of the prosecutors bring them," he says, dipping his head in a polite farewell before leaving through the same door we'd entered.

My eyes never leave hers as I stare, reconnecting with her and finding peace, knowing she is perfectly fine.

I take a seat on her right and lean over to kiss her, capturing her mouth with mine in a possessive exchange. Her moan echoes through the mind-link, and I have to physically push my wrists into the silver to force myself to stop.

When I pull back, her eyes are slow to open, and she smiles knowingly.

She can feel how much I missed her. How much I want her.

Cain: Forever, Firefly.

Bri: Forever.

She responds, her voice breathy even in my head, and I take her hand in both of mine, careful to keep the cuffs from touching her skin.

"I'm sorry it took us so long to pull you out. They were giving me the run around since there are two court dates now," Noah says, sliding into the open chair next to me. "Have they questioned or adjudicated you at all?" he asks, noting the cuffs in the leather-bound notebook before him.

"No, just had me locked up and dosed with a block," I say, not looking at him. "What's this meeting for?" I ask, not entirely sure why a special council for my criminal misbehavior isn't seeing us.

"Not sure. I tried to get your hearing moved up to today, but they wouldn't budge on it; then I went and retrieved Brielle, and suddenly, the council wants this negotiated first," he says, shrugging and drawing his brows together to show his confusion.

"What are my chances?" I ask, knowing they've added some inflated charges because I'd hurt their pride when I took her.

She's my fucking Mate.

Let's hope it's a defense that is strong enough.

"Well, on the witness tampering, you could get anything from probation to six months of hard time. The abduction charge can be anything from five to ten years, depending on the person's determination of whether it's aggravated or not, and failure to obey is most likely a slap on the wrist to a penance of community service, six months to a year," he rattles off, not adding any emotion to the information.

That's one thing about Noah. He is always collected. I've never met anyone who has held their patience more, and he has had to go through it with our pack over the years.

As Bri considers what that would mean for us, I feel the tension running over the bond, and I rub slow circles into her hands.

Cain: It's okay, Firefly. We knew this was a risk. None of these things will be the maximum sentence. Breathe.

She exhales, but her stress stays firmly seated on her shoulders.

Before I can ask my next question, I hear footsteps in the hall and center myself, pulling my mask on to keep my emotions to myself.

The door opens, and three men walk in. I don't recognize any of them but I feel my Mate tense and feel the anger she has simmering.

Cain: Talk to me.

Bri: The one with the long beard. He tried to use command on me earlier.

She sends, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep a growl from escaping.

Cain: Tried?

Bri: uh huh. I guess I'm stronger than he is, too.

She sends it, and I feel her pride. It matches mine, and my need to defend her dissipates, knowing that having him not be able to force her was its own kind of humiliation.

Cain: That's my girl.

The three men sit across from us, setting down a series of documents and folders on the table before the man at the center begins.

"Mr. Daniels, Mr. Mingan, Ms. DelaCourt," he begins, and I interrupt him.

"It's Mrs. Mingan," I correct, and nod for him to continue as I feel the surprise and subsequent joy that comes from her.

Cain: I guess we should have discussed that too.

Bri: No need. I've never been attached to her last name. I'd be proud to be a Mingan.

Her reply has my heart fluttering.

"Oh, apologies. I wasn't aware you'd had your Mating ceremony," the man says, turning to Noah. "Has their Mating paperwork been filed?" he asks, flipping through documents as if trying to locate it.

"Not yet; I've been busy with the more… pressing legal action and planned to submit them before returning to Vegas," he says, not allowing the question to rattle him. "However, before we continue, can you please remove my client's cuffs? He is no threat to you. He turned himself in willingly and has been nothing but cooperative," Noah says, crossing the fingers of his hands together and placing them in front of him, waiting.

The man nods, and the bearded man stands, producing a key from his pocket. I extend my hands to him, hating that I must release my hold on hers, even if only for a moment. A growl escapes her throat when he grabs my arm, causing him to pause before tentatively continuing.

Once he's seated, the man in the middle continues while I rub my sore wrists.

"We asked you here today to clear up some misconceptions and hopefully be able to set the record straight. We understand that sometimes these things need a second look, and with the new information we received, we would like to discuss some options going forward. My name is Oliver Horn, and I am assigned to the legal oversight committee here at the LLC. This is Alpha Douglas Martin, one of the committee members for the hearing that was just conducted, and this is Attorney Evan Hasting, legal counsel for your criminal charges."

He reaches for a document and picks it up to be read aloud.

"Cain Mingan is being charged with one count of witness tampering, one count of abduction in the second degree, and one count of failure to obey," he finishes setting down the document.

"Now we can agree that we may have been too hasty in our judgment regarding the placement of Ms. Dela… oh, Mrs. Mingan. Our laws clearly state that Fated Mate bonds trump pack affiliations. The gray area of this case was that she was neither Awakened nor Mated at the time of the hearing. That is no longer the case, and as such, we are willing to reverse our decision regarding her home pack. Hasting here will write up the overturned motion today and submit it to official records before the end of business." He tips his head to the younger man in the suit on his left, who nods in agreement.

"So the Reno Pack no longer has control over her?" Noah clarifies.

"That is correct," he says, and I see the bearded man on the left bristle in irritation. My hand finds hers again, and I give it a squeeze, knowing the future of the Vegas Pack and the war was her biggest concern aside from me going to jail.

"Where does this leave the criminal charges? If you agree that she was his to take all along, are those being dropped too?" Noah questions.

"Not exactly," he says, pulling a small stack of papers out and sliding them across the table for Noah to look at while he continues.

"Mr. Mingan still broke the law. His decisions came while orders were in place. We have avenues for appeal, and they should have been taken. However, we also understand that he may not have been thinking clearly when he believed his Mate was in danger of being taken by another pack, so we are willing to offer him a deal. It is outlined in the document before you. We believe it is more than fair considering the alternative. Take a few minutes to confer, and let the guard know when you've decided. This deal is good for the next thirty minutes. Then it's off the table, and we will proceed with all of the charges in court." He stands, prompting the other two men to follow suit, and they file out of the room without another word.

Noah reads the document silently for a few minutes before setting it down and explaining the terms.

"All I can do is advise you on what happens if you do or don't take the deal, but let me start with the fact that I think it's very fair. The LLC is offering to drop the abduction charges completely and only charge you with witness tampering and failure to obey. Additionally, they are willing to limit the punishment for each offense to six months of community service. Meaning you would only have to complete a year of service. They have also outlined a position that Brielle can fill here in Colorado in the… sustainability marketing?" he says, unsure if the term is correct.

My chest releases the air held there, and relief fills me.

No jail time away from her

Just community service for a year.

She gets to stay with me.

"So I just need to, like, clean up parks and pick up trash for a year, and I'm done?" I ask, knowing this is the best we could have hoped for under the circumstances.

I feel Bri's hope filling the bond as I wait for Noah to explain more fully.

"Usually, it would be something like that; however, they have added an addendum to the community service," his tone turns more serious.

"They are offering you the community service under the condition that it be carried out as a special assignment working directly for the LLC here in Colorado," he says.

"Doing what?" I ask.

"High-priority enforcement, detection, and elimination," he says.

Well, shit.

"What does that mean?" Bri says out loud, not knowing who to direct the question to, fear filling her as her eyes bounce between us.

"It means I would be tasked with catching, eliminating, or guarding the most dangerous criminals on the planet. They want my wolf. They want me to be their weapon," I say.

Bri: So, like, what Ghost does?

Cain: No, Firefly. Ghost gets to choose his targets. I wouldn't. I would be assigned to take the job, and if I were to breach their deal, all of the charges would be back, and I could go to jail for years.

Bri: I don't like this.

Cain: Neither do I, but what choice do we have?

Bri: They've blackmailed you into this. How can a system be set up like this?

Cain: The LLC has been flawed for a long time. Marcus, Dante's dad, was trying to fix it when he worked with them.

Bri: Maybe this is our chance to fix it from the inside?

Cain: It will be dangerous, Firefly.

Bri: Not if we do it together. You said it yourself: Packs like Marlo's need to learn to follow the rules. What if we use this time to tear it down from the inside? They want to use us; let's use them right back.

When my eyes meet hers, I see the determination there. She wants to make a difference, to regain her control. Maybe this is the best way to do just that.

Cain: To the end of the Earth by your side.

Bri: We bear our scars together.

"Make the deal," I say to Noah before grabbing her cheeks in my hands and setting my forehead on hers.

Cain: Forever.

Bri: Forever.

The End.