Chapter Thirty-Three #2
“I wouldn’t do that,” Bishop says. “Neither would Julius. As a doctor, he’s taken an oath—”
“It wouldn’t be you, Bishop. You understand Pack law too well.
If you wanted Henry dead, you’d have killed him in your fight the other night.
The life of a Pack brother is sacred. There’s only one person in this room who would dare order Henry’s death.
The one to whom he seemed an actual threat. Yes, Cordelia?”
I should stare in disbelief. Instead, what bubbles up from my throat is a bitter snort of a laugh. “If I wanted Henry dead, I’d have killed him myself. I’d never ask someone else to do it for me.”
“No? But it’d have been so easy. Cry on Julius’s shoulder, confess your fears, maybe even make him think it was his idea.
He’s fond of you already. That much is clear.
Or is it more than fondness? Did you fancy him?
Women do. He’s the more charming cousin.
The more attractive one. Did you form an attachment and conspire—? ”
“When?” I say. “I haven’t been alone with Julius since before Henry chased me. I have no idea what happened to Henry, but I know Julius didn’t kill him. He wouldn’t.” Because he admitted to Bishop that he’d considered and rejected the idea. Bishop’s response meant Julius would never do it.
“He was seen doing it,” Silas says. “Now Henry’s dead, and the punishment is clear. Pack law says that the murder of one Pack brother by another is treason, punishable by immediate execution—”
“No,” Bishop says.
Silas turns and lifts a brow. “Did you interrupt me, boy?”
“Pack law says that Julius is entitled to a trial. You’ve gagged him so he can’t even speak for himself.”
Claude steps forward. “Bishop’s right. Julius must be tried and found guilty by—”
“By me,” Silas says.
“No. By the council, which includes you. Normally that would include Henry, Reginald, and Bishop, none of whom can participate, so we’ll need to—”
“This mongrel murdered our enforcer. I’m the Alpha. I decree that he’ll be executed immediately by my hand.”
Silas steps toward Julius as I ready a binding spell.
“No!” Bishop rocks forward.
Silas turns on Bishop and sneers. “You sound like a child shouting at his father. You don’t dare do anything more than that.
You know your place. You don’t want to lose it.
However much you profess to love your cousin, you love power more, Bishop Daniels.
You’ve registered your protest. Now stand there—”
“ No. ” Bishop moves in front of me. “I’m not merely ‘registering my protest.’ I’m saying that you won’t do this.”
“You’re telling me —”
“I challenge you,” Bishop says, the calm words ringing through the silence. “I challenge you for the Alphahood of the Albion Pack.”
My breath stops. My very heart seems to stop.
I want to scream that Bishop has fallen into Silas’s trap. This wasn’t about who killed Henry. I’m sure Silas did that himself. It also wasn’t about killing Julius.
It was about backing Bishop into a corner and seeing what he’d do.
Get the wedding over with so he was trapped and then Silas could test his suspicions of disloyalty.
Accuse me of betraying Bishop with Julius and plotting to murder Henry.
Threaten to kill Julius. Surely that would shatter Bishop’s ice and reveal the traitor beneath. And it did.
This is Silas’s Ides of March moment. Betrayed by his advisor and enforcer in a single day. Now stabbed in the back by his Brutus.
“I refuse your challenge, boy.” Silas moves toward Julius. “Don’t embarrass yourself.”
Silas takes one more step, and I hit him with the binding spell. He freezes in place. When I snap the spell, I wave my hand, an unnecessary gesture that makes clear that I’m breaking it myself.
Silas stumbles and then whirls on me. “Don’t use magic on me, girl.”
“Don’t walk away from a challenge,” I say.
He blinks, and in that moment, my father finally sees me, and the power of that hurtles through me.
“I challenged you,” Bishop says, sounding as unruffled as if we were discussing what to have for dinner.
“That is the right of any Pack member. If I believe I can defeat you, I can challenge you. If you’d like, we can put it to a secret ballot and let the Pack decide whether or not to allow the challenge. I’m prepared to accept their—”
“I won’t ask them to do that,” Silas snarls. “They don’t need to, because I’ll defeat you. I accept the challenge on my terms.” His gaze locks with Bishop’s. “To the death.”
Bishop hesitates.
Silas smiles, ugly and feral. “Oh, did you think you’d have a second chance? That you could try and try again?”
“No, I didn’t want to begin my reign by killing my predecessor.”
“You fucking mongrel. ” Silas lunges Bishop’s way. “You’re going to die—and when you do, know that your coward of a cousin and your traitorous bitch-whore wife will follow.”
At that last part, an audible growl goes through the Pack. I’m his daughter, after all, and a man shouldn’t speak about his child that way… even, apparently, if it’s the least of the crimes he’s committed in the last few days.
Bishop hesitates again, and my breath catches. He can’t do this. To the death, yes, even if the thought sets my heart racing. He would take that risk for himself. It’s the rest that stops him.
I look at my father. “Your terms, as they apply to me, are acceptable.”
Hate blazes in Silas’s eyes. “Are they? How lovely, you little—”
“Enough,” Claude snaps. “There’s nothing in the Pack law that allows you to execute others following a failed Alpha challenge. In fact, the law directly states that no one can punish supporters of the failed challenger with anything except banishment—”
“Shut up, you traitor, or I’ll add you to the list. I am not taking advice from a man whose only worth is counting pence and shillings.”
“True,” Claude says. “I’m not your advisor. Maybe you should get Reginald? Ask him to interpret Pack law?”
Silas lunges at Claude. A wolf steps out from the onlookers.
It’s Augustus, one of the young wolves, one of Marjorie’s favorites.
I tense, ready to intercede if Augustus misguidedly tries to help.
Silas might be holding himself in check with the others, but he won’t hesitate to vent his rage on one of Bishop’s boys.
Augustus only clears his throat, though. Then he says, “I’ve studied the laws. You can ask others. They’ve teased me about it often enough.”
Noises of assent from the crowd.
“Claude is right,” Augustus continues. “If you’d like, sir, I can bring out the correct volume and show you—”
“Don’t you patronize me, you little cur.”
“I’m not patronizing you, sir,” Augustus says, his voice remarkably calm.
“I’m only trying to help. The law says that if Bishop accepts the terms, there will be an immediate challenge, in a fight to the death.
If Bishop fails, Julius and Cordelia can be tried for the crime of murdering Henry Cain.
If they’re found guilty, they can be executed in accordance with the laws.
If they’re not, they can be banished for supporting a failed challenger.
They can’t be executed just for supporting him, but you can still try them for murder. ”
Augustus sneaks the smallest look Bishop’s way, a flash of apology. Bishop rewards him with a nod. We all understand what Augustus is doing. He’s freeing Bishop of the fear that Silas can immediately murder us if he fails his fight… while assuring Silas that he still has a chance to kill us later.
“Are you done?” Silas snaps, and then turns to Bishop. “Know that if you fail, I’ll make sure they’re found guilty.”
“The terms, in accordance with Pack law, are understood,” Bishop says. “In the event of my death, I trust the Pack to try Cordelia and Julius fairly. However, as I don’t intend to die—”
“Enough talking,” Silas snaps. “Refuse or accept.”
“I accept.”