Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
RAWLING
“You know what you have to do today.” Phelan tapped his head. “You had most of it on the whiteboard, and you’ve told and retold and added to the story countless times. You can do this, and I’ll be by your side.”
Eira wouldn’t be in the room, but she’d be just outside with Scottie and the security guard.
“I’ll stand up with you and take over if you want me to.”
We’d spent the night in the infirmary along with Atticus, Jack, Mrs. Ardilla, and members of the Sable Hounds outside the door. Why them, I wondered? They must have been there for Atticus because the rest of us weren’t members.
None of us got much sleep, and early this morning I’d been FaceTiming with Eira, wanting this day to be over.
The shifter council had commandeered the dining hall, and members of the shifter community, plus the faculty and the students, would be in attendance. As we walked down the stairs, Jack and Atticus were behind us, with some of the Sable Hounds in front and the rest behind.
I gulped as we entered because a raised platform had been assembled at the back, and six shifters sat at a table atop the platform. The dining tables had been pushed aside, and the rows of chairs were filled. Many people were standing at the back of the hall, and I waved to my in-laws.
The chatter faded as we entered and sat in the front row, across the aisle from Atticus’s parents who had also been summoned. They both bore downcast expressions and tried to catch Atticus’s eye, but he ignored them.
A twinge of guilt tugged at my heart. Dumping me was terrible—though the best thing in the long run—but I’d known or assumed I was a hunter and had stayed here and not warned the council.
I’d also wondered if Eira was a hunter. I could never have abandoned my daughter, but I wondered what I would have done if I’d been faced with their quandary.
It was almost time. Channon and Bardoul brought out a small desk with a laptop. They were manning the PowerPoint presentation for me.
I was instructed to step forward and begin my defense.
My voice was scratchy as I introduced myself and told them I was starting at the beginning.
This was excruciating because I had to speak about the ring and being human, what I’d been told about my parents, and the journey of discovery after my godfather died and I arrived at Sombertooth.
There was a collective gasp when I spoke of my humanity, the hunter inside me, and the path to finding my wolf.
Though I didn’t mention names of the people who knew or thought I was human or a hunter, it wouldn’t have been difficult to piece it together.
The images in the presentation flicked from one to another on the screen as I spoke of the recruitment emails I received supposedly from Sombertooth, through to learning about Charlie and Arnie, how the professor wanted to mate my mother, and eventually to my friends and my subsequent unearthing of evidence.
But when I spoke about the professor meeting Mika the day of his death, I glanced over my shoulder at his parents.
Phelan had contacted them this morning, and while we weren't allowed to meet, we both spoke to his folks on the phone and relayed what we had discovered.
And now they were understandably shaking, pale-faced and in tears.
The council head stopped me and offered his condolences to Mika’s family, saying it was regrettable they hadn’t located Coach, but they would continue their search.
I related what the professor had told me yesterday, the day of his death. That everything he did was about wanting my mother, loathing her rejection of him, killing her and my father, and continuing to assert his dominance over her. I also said where my parents were buried.
“Even his friendship with my godfather was a means to an end, so he could get closer to his sister, Charlie, my mother.”
I was swaying, and Phelan stood at my side and steadied me.
“My wolf insisted the blood debt had to be paid. And so we did.”
Though I didn’t turn around, I couldn’t ignore the sounds of weeping from the spectators.
“The professor confirmed he and my godfather stumbled upon or overheard something about me soon after my birth. Rawlins and my parents knew who I was and gave me the name Blakesley to protect me, and my godfather told me to always wear the ring.”
The council head had Atticus’s parents come forward and asked them about the ring. Peregrine confirmed that it had been passed down for generations.
“And yes, the child scented human, not latent, and that suggested he was a hunter.” Peregrine stared straight ahead.
So they’d always known or thought that I was human. Them saying I was latent was a lie.
“And yet with your family history, you didn’t understand some hunters were also shifters.” The head peered at the pair. “Or did you?”
He didn’t wait for their response and told them to sit.
The council members conferred, and we waited. Atticus folded his arms and closed his eyes. I wanted to block everything out but rested my head on Phelan’s shoulders and longed to be with Eira. My mate showed me his phone with a photo of our daughter just outside, and tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Not long now, my darling, and we’ll be together,” I whispered.
The council head held up his hand.
“We have long known that the hunter gene was extinguished in all families who carried it.”
That caused an outcry in the room, and people shouted, “Why didn’t you tell us?” until he glowered at everyone.
“Let me finish. We suspected there was one family remaining, but the ancient texts didn’t specify which family that was.”
He told Atticus and his folks to stand.
“I understand you feared people discovering your family carried the gene. I can’t fault you for that. It had been dormant for hundreds of years, but you were aware that if you had twins, one would probably be a hunter and the other a shifter.”
He tapped his tablet. “What you were possibly not aware of was that some shifters were also hunters, as Rawling discovered in his research.”
It was Holden’s doing, digging up that fact, but I didn’t look for him in the crowd.
“But you chose to dump an unsuspecting child in an orphanage, not necessarily because he was human, but you suspected him of being a hunter. You left him to an uncertain life and left shifters in danger. That is unforgivable.”
Atticus hung his head and refused to look at his folks. I didn’t welcome that my birth parents were being exposed, but they set this in motion before I was born.
“And now for your sentence. You and your son will be banned from shifter society. You will not participate in shifter affairs, attend school or college, work with shifters or interact with them. You will leave your home and place of work and move far away from civilization.”
Oh, that was a lot, cruel maybe, but I had no power to stop it. Beside me, Atticus sagged and slumped into the chair, putting his head in his hands. That could have been me, but I had a mate at my side who adored me and our daughter.
Jack put an arm around Atticus, though he didn’t appear to notice.
Please, don’t let them do this.
Of course my wolf chose this moment to speak up. He’d not been interested in any of the proceedings up until now.
“What can I do?”
Phelan gave me a look and put his head against mine. “If you’re talking to your wolf, keep it internal.”
Damn, this brother of mine had brought me nothing but grief and aggravation. But he didn’t cause any of this. Other than being born with me, he played no part.
I glanced at Phelan who whispered, “You’re a good person, babe.”
“How did you know what I was going to do?”
“Because I know you.” He kissed my brow.
I stood up but still hung onto my mate’s hand. “May I speak?”
The council head sighed. He’d probably heard enough from me, but he motioned me to continue.
“I can’t predict how shifter society will treat my birth parents, but one of the many things I’ve learned is that hatred and fury hurts the person carrying it in their heart. Professor Shaw was the perfect example of that. It ruined his life and ultimately led to his death.”
Squeezing Phelan’s hand because I needed a reminder of why I was doing this, I continued. “I forgive my birth parents, and I don’t want them exiled. They made a choice, and they have to live with it.”
With my free hand, I yanked Atticus up. “But this guy is not responsible for what his folks did. Like me, he was a baby and had no say in abandoning me in an orphanage.”
Atticus grumbled, and I elbowed him and told him to shut it.
“But he’s my twin and I am his big brother, and he didn’t get lucky like me and grow up in a loving home.”
“It was a minute, Rawling. You’re sixty seconds older than me,” he hissed.
I ignored him. “So if it would please the council, I would like Atticus to be allowed to stay at Sombertooth and live a normal shifter existence. Maybe I can teach him a thing or two.”
“You teach me? Unlikely.” But he gave me a shoulder bump.
“You’re staying?” Jack leaned over Atticus and hugged me.
“Assuming we’re allowed to.”
Atticus was blinking rapidly and wiping his eyes. Awww, somewhere deep down inside him, he was a softie after all.
The council members talked among themselves and agreed with my plea about my birth family.
“But I have one last question.”
The members of the shifter council checked their watches and shuffled papers, but the head told me to make it quick.
“Why did the hunter part of Atticus appear just after the professor died? Professor Shaw wasn’t a hunter. You just said there was only one family with the hunter gene remaining.”
“Your wolf made the kill and settled the blood debt. But the universe has a quirk. It likes balance and symmetry. One cycle closed and another has to begin.” The council head shrugged. “History contains many examples.”
Phelan put up his hand. “Sorry to interrupt, but may we stay at Sombertooth if we choose?”
The council head was standing, as were the other members. He pushed in his chair and it screeched across the floor.
“I do not approve of all the half-truths and subterfuge you engaged in, but you and your friends and mate did it for the right reasons. Friendship and love. So yes, you have my permission.”
“Excuse me, but my brother is under the impression this ruling means I have to be friends with him and like him!” Atticus made a face.
Laughter broke out in the room, and the council head smiled, sort of.
“That I can’t help you with, but my advice is, the time you spent together before birth counts for little. Now you have the opportunity to create a friendship, even love, something many people are denied. Don’t mess it up, Atticus.”