Chapter 21 - Rhys
Standing in front of the council, I stare Darla down, waiting for her to follow up on her threat. I can feel the tension in the room, and it isn’t just from Aaron and his buddies being dragged out by Owen and Shane.
There will be a separate trial for those gutter rats, and they should face execution for what they did to me!
“Not yet,” Darla repeats, her face calm as she stares at Sadie. “And I’m still not convinced we should let her go at all.”
Neville tries to speak, but Thorne cuts him off.
“We’re well-aware of your questionable ideals,” Thorne snaps, disgust plain in his voice. “I don’t want to hear it again. This witch should be killed right here and now. Are you going to deny the lies and deception done to you, Alpha Rhys?”
I shake my head, all my conflicted emotions rising in my chest. “I can’t. It’s all true.”
Sadie stiffens by my side as if she isn’t sure if she should stay or try to run. I put my hand on her arm, silently willing her to stay still.
If she runs, it’s all over. They’ll call a blood hunt, run her down, and rip her to shreds.
“But I would hesitate to kill the witch, even so,” I say as calmly as possible. “I think the ritual has been effective.”
The others all start talking at once until Darla shouts on top of them all.
“Prove it!” she yells. “I had three of my pack members sicken this morning, and I believe you struggled against four lesser wolves when you should have been able to tie them in knots! Explain yourself.”
“I did struggle against Aaron and his three supporters,” I say. “But overall, I’ve had increased vitality. I also believe other members of my pack are improving—just very slowly.”
That’s just a flat-out, bold-faced lie.
I can see the others trying to process this news. All I want is to get Sadie out of here alive. At this point, I’ll do anything to make that happen.
And I don’t know what I want to do with her, either. But she can start by explaining herself, and then I’ll decide if I want to throw her back on the council’s mercy.
I can see that every member of the council is having mixed reactions to the news. None of them believes me, but they’re reluctant to call me out on it, too.
If we get out of here without a fight, I’ll have a couple of days at most to sort this out on my own. Dealing with the traitors will also hold them up a little.
“I’ll speak for the others,” Neville says. “No matter what sympathies I have, we can’t kill her unless we know for sure if her magic is connected to our sickness. If there is any chance of saving the packs, we have to risk leaving her alive.”
“You don’t speak for me,” Darla almost spits at him. “I am beginning to think I’d rather die than trust a witch. This encounter has only proven all the old records true. She’s a liar, and she infiltrated the pack so she could hurt our wolves.”
“She saved my life!” I snap, and no one refutes me.
Owen and Shane return after locking up Aaron and his goons, and they take their places at the end of the table.
“Since the other alphas have joined us, let’s put it to them as well,” Faye says. “Alpha Rhys moves to save the witch’s life, for now. He wants to investigate further if the ritual has worked and if other wolves might be saved by keeping her alive. What are your thoughts?”
Owen and Shane look at each other, then at me.
“I need a private word,” Owen says, standing up.
“Me too,” Shane says, and they take me aside.
“Are you sure about this?” Owen asks when we’re well outside the council’s hearing range. “I saw the footage, remember? She’s unstoppable and dangerous.”
“And she lied to you,” Shane adds. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I just need you to trust me,” I reply. “We’ve been friends our whole lives—you know I’ll always do the right thing, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Owen says. “But I’m not sure you’re thinking straight. She’s a witch, and she’s attacked wolves. The law is clear.”
“I didn’t call you to help me collect the cameras just so I could watch her die now,” I say, urgency coloring my tone. “Yes, I wanted to catch the traitors, but I also wanted some time to get the truth out of Sadie.”
“Do you really think the ritual could be working?” Shane asks. “You looked like you’d gone through a meat grinder when we picked you up, and you’re still not fully healed.”
“I’m not sure,” I answer carefully. “That’s why I need time.”
My friends look at each other, and I know that they’re softening, just a little. It gives me hope because deep down inside, I’m starting to actively reject all the principles I was raised under.
Even if Sadie did lie to me, that’s a common thing for people to do when they’re scared. It doesn’t make anyone evil just for doing it, and she shouldn’t be sentenced to death just for being a witch.
The uncomfortable thought that she might have known she was a witch from the very beginning—even the night we made Cassie—tries to invade my mind, but I push it away.
Plenty of time to stress about that later.
“Okay,” Owen says, nodding. “We’ll stand up for you and her. It’s a huge risk, though, Rhys, you know that. What if she kills someone?”
I shake my head. “I won’t let that happen. I promise you, if she’s against us, I won’t let her hurt anyone else. I just have to trust my gut right now. Like Neville said, if there’s any chance we can heal the packs, we have to take it, right?”
“Yes,” Shane replies, nodding. “That’s true. I can’t stand to see anyone else get sick.”
“So, we’re agreed, then?” I ask, and my boys nod.
We head back to the table, and Owen and Shane give their recommendation. The council grudgingly grants a stay of execution, and I take Sadie’s hand, leading her down the stone hallway towards the door.
When we get outside, her face crumples, and she cries into her hands. I have a million questions, but I can see she’s in no state to answer them. Her face is smudged with bruises, her dress is torn, and her beautiful, soft brown hair is clotted with dried blood.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
She nods. “I’m okay. I’m not in much pain anymore. I’d love to get cleaned up a bit.”
I take her around the back of the manor to a small kitchen and leave her there while I go to the parlor and find some clothes for her. All major events for the three packs are held here, and even though the manor doesn’t have electricity or modern plumbing, it can accommodate visitors.
So long as they don’t mind drawing water from a well and heating it the old-fashioned way, I think to myself.
I get back to the kitchen and leave the dress for Sadie.
Once she’s cleaned up, we go out to the Viper.
I’m still struggling with the normalcy of walking across the gravel drive in the bright sunlight and getting into the car like it’s a normal day, when only an hour ago, I was fighting for my wife’s right to live.
All I’ve done since Sadie got here is worry about her safety, and I’ve had enough of it. Whatever I’ve told myself in the past, I’ve never seen humans as inferior to us or agreed with killing witches on sight. It’s finally hitting home how much we need to change.
***
On the drive home, I’m still eager to ask my questions, but Sadie leans back against the car seat and slips into a doze. I turn back to focus on the road, my frustration rising.
And what do I do if she just says, “yeah, I’m here to bring you all down”? What do I do, wring her neck?
A shudder runs through me as I realize that’s exactly what I promised the other alphas I’d do.
When I said “do the right thing,” I meant resolve this without hurting Sadie or Cassie. I’ve truly trapped myself in a corner here.
The moment we arrive home, Sadie awakes suddenly, her eyes going wide as she sees the house.
Before the car is even fully stopped, she leaps out and runs towards the front door, going through it so fast that she doesn’t even bother to close it behind her.
I follow her in and find her in the living room with her arms around Cassie.
“Hi, Mommy,” Cassie giggles. “I’m happy to see you, too!”
“Oh, baby girl,” Sadie says, brushing Cassie’s hair back from her forehead. “I missed you so much!”
“It was only one night, Mommy,” Cassie giggles. “And I had a sleepover with Auntie Jean and the other kids.”
“That’s great, baby,” Sadie says, wrapping her arms around Cassie and snuggling her against her chest. My heart swells with emotion, and I find it difficult to believe this woman could hurt anyone.
But I saw it with my own eyes. I know she was protecting me, but she had so much power, and she didn’t hesitate to use her full strength on those guys.
“You were out late,” Jean says, coming out from the kitchen. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Actually, no, but you’ll hear about it, I’m sure.”
“Okay.” Jean raises her eyebrows. “I’ll leave you two alone for a while. I was hoping you just had a wild night out.”
“It was wild,” I agree, showing her out. “Just not the kind of wild you’re thinking of, unfortunately.”
“That’s a shame.” Jean waves as she heads to her car. “I’ll see you later.”
If you still want anything to do with us after you hear the rumor mill.
Sighing, I go back inside and go to the living room, playing with Cassie for a while as the three of us have breakfast and watch cartoons. Cassie settles down in a little pillow fort and dozes off, and Sadie goes to the kitchen. I follow her, ready to unleash all my questions.
“Sadie,” I say, coming into the kitchen behind her. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she says, her back to me.
I stride across the room and grab her arm. “Well, you'd better think of something!” I growl, trying to keep my voice down. “Because I just went up against my entire pack, the council, and my friends, and I have no fucking clue what’s going on with you!”
“Well, neither do I!” she cries, wiping a tear off her cheek. “This is freaking me out, okay? I have no fucking clue what’s happening to me.”
“Okay,” I say, taking a step back and letting go of her. “Explain it to me, then. Have you always been a witch?”
“No—well, maybe,” she answers. “I don’t know about that for sure. But I didn’t have powers until I was here, with you.”
I stare at her, trying to understand. “How long?” I ask.
“Rhys—”
“How long?” I ask, even more firmly.
“A couple of weeks,” she says. “I’m sorry, Rhys. I didn’t know how to tell you.”
I step back again, holding up one hand and shaking my head. “When were you planning on telling me?”
“I don’t know.”
I look into her incredibly dark, soft brown eyes, and I want to believe the best of her. Even though the evidence is telling me I shouldn’t trust her, I just can’t find it in my heart to hate her.
“Does that mean never?”
“No,” she says, reaching out to take my hands. “I would have, I promise. I was just so scared. For myself, but mostly for Cassie.”
I’m about to tell her Cassie would have been safe, no matter what, but the strange incidents that have played out between me and my daughter suddenly flood my memory.
If the council knew, they would investigate her, too.
“Is it true?” Sadie asks. “About your pack? Are people getting better?”
“No,” I say, my voice heavy. “That was a flat-out lie just to buy us some time.”
“Oh,” she murmurs, wiping tears from her cheek. “I really hoped that was true.”
“It’s not. And we need to come up with something fast,” I say. “Because that lie won’t hold for long. I can think of something to cover it, but in the meantime, you have to work on earning back their trust.”
“How do I do that?” Sadie asks.
“Over the last couple of weeks, the pack has come to accept you, even though they thought you were human. All you have to do is keep proving that you’re here to help and you’re still the same woman you were before.”
“Is that going to work?” she asks, in a small voice.
“I want to protect you,” I say, squeezing her hands. “And I’ll do what I can. But it’s you who needs to prove you aren’t dangerous to them. If you can make a difference and help people, then I can work on changing the council’s mind.”
“I don’t see Darla or Thorne backing down,” she says.
“And that still leaves Neville, Faye, Sylvie, and Rafe,” I say. “As well as the alphas. Owen and Shane are still on my side, and so long as your powers don’t get out of control again, they will stay with us.”
“Okay,” she says, nodding. “I can do that. But I have to ask… what are we going to do if this doesn’t work?”
“I’ll think of something,” I say reassuringly, but inside, my guts are churning.
There will be no escape for her if the council decides on execution. And if that happens, Cassie might not be safe, either.