Chapter 10 Riven
TEN
RIVEN
“Time off?” Uncle leaned back in his chair. “Now? On New Year's Day and with most of the pack here?”
My uncle never took time off and frowned on anyone who did. He rarely took a vacation and probably didn’t know the meaning of the word.
“Yes.” I had to be honest. He’d see through a fib. Besides, if Indigo and I were to make a go of it, telling the truth to everyone was the way forward. “Antonia can handle the lodge operations, and the rest of the staff are well trained.”
“This isn't about checking in guests or room service.” His mouth was set in a straight line. “This is about pack leadership. You can’t just up and run off.”
More honesty was necessary. “I’m not effective right now. I can't focus, so I'm worse than useless to the pack.”
I didn’t get the expected snarl or a dismissal. Uncle had been mated once, years ago, and it ended in tragedy.
“This human… Indigo… is in your head.”
I nodded, as no words were necessary.
“And the purpose of taking off to who knows where? Your mate left and he didn’t choose you. He’s gone like a puff of wind.”
Ouch! His words stabbed at my heart, leaving me more melancholy than when I walked in.
“I have to see him. Maybe I won’t talk to him.” That sounded stalkerish, but to a shifter, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. “I’ve got to make sure he’s safe.”
“The council won't like it.”
Oh, now he was bringing in the big guns.
“They gave me ten days.”
He placed his hands in his lap. “To convince him when he was here, not to follow him to the city. You remind me of a lovesick pup.”
Double ouch! His words stung. I’d be limping out of here if he continued.
“That ends in three days. That’s it, and no matter what happens, you come back after 72 hours, no matter what he says.”
Thank gods. I had the remaining three days and that was better than zero. “Thank you.”
“Don't thank me yet.” He headed to the door. “What do you hope to accomplish?”
I followed my uncle. “His boss's trial starts tomorrow and he'll be testifying.” That didn’t answer his question, but he didn’t push it further.
“Remember you are the Alpha Apparent.”
“I haven't forgotten.” How could I? From the moment I was born, my future was determined. I wasn’t going to run off and join the circus or take a job as a barista.
How does anyone live here? Ewww. My wolf was tucked up inside me and turned up his nose at the traffic and the smells. Tell me when you find Indigo.
I agreed that the city was an abomination for a shifter, but we weren’t here to gawk at the sights or shop. We had a purpose and that was to see our mate. I refused to think of what would happen in three days. That was then. We were in the now.
Finding the courthouse the next morning was easy thanks to the phone.
I guessed modern technology was good for directions, but I couldn’t live in this chaos of light, sound, and dirt.
I surveyed the courtroom because I didn’t want Indigo to see me, especially when he was testifying, so I sat in the gallery back row.
I hunkered down as the courtroom filled with lawyers, court officers, and members of the public, but when the side door opened and Indigo entered, I sat up straight.
He’s here. My wolf perked up, but I restrained him. There’d be no shifting.
Indigo was dressed in a double-breasted suit, but his mouth was set in a grim line and he kept his head down. His scent filled my lungs, and I was transported to the happy days at the lodge.
My mate took a seat behind the prosecution table and the proceedings began. There was a lot of legalese and back-and-forth between the judge and lawyers, and I zoned out, keeping my gaze on Indigo. He fiddled with his tie and glanced at his watch multiple times.
When they called him to testify, I sent him a good-luck message.
He didn’t glance in my direction or rub his brow, so he probably didn’t receive it, but the thoughts were in the air, surrounding him.
It was the only protection I could provide.
I fingered the drawing he’d done that Antonia had given me after he left the lodge.
He moved to the witness stand and took the oath.
I admired his courage, facing the man who had threatened his livelihood and also his safety, despite the consequences.
Not many people, shifters or humans, would agree to sit in court and have every word, email, or conversation picked over and tossed in their face.
The prosecutor asked him to describe how he discovered the discrepancies in the company accounts, and Indigo launched into an explanation. I gripped the bench in front of me as he spoke. While his voice was confident, I cringed thinking of how the other side might tear him apart.
Help him. He's so small and that box is huge. My beast had never paid attention to me watching courtroom dramas on TV.
I can’t. We have to let him do this.
The prosecutor went back and forth, prodding Indigo, with the defense attorney interrupting, and the judge overruling or sustaining the objection. They were making the case little by little, but I wanted them to yell, “He’s guilty,” and be done with it.
My belly roiled when the defense attorney stood. She took her time buttoning her jacket and strolling across the room as if she hadn’t prepared for this moment. Her cross-examination was more aggressive, but Indigo didn’t get rattled. He replied and didn’t fall into whatever trap she had set.
When he stepped down from the witness stand and returned to his seat, it was obvious to me, and I was no expert, that his testimony had been damaging to the defense. I shot a look at the jury whose members had been taking notes, and their expression suggested Indigo had made an impression.
When court adjourned for the day, I slipped out before Indigo could turn around. I couldn’t risk him seeing me, as he may have to testify again tomorrow, and I refused to undermine him.
I arrived back at my hotel room, a dingy place that was clean but rundown, with faded wallpaper and threadbare carpet. I refused to pay big bucks for something better and slipped out to eat dinner in a nearby diner.
As I ate, my mind wandered to Indigo and what he might be doing. Had he read the shifter books he'd taken with him? Was he thinking about me? Because he was in my head 24/7.
Not wanting to return to the room until I was sleepy, I ordered dessert and tea and took my time finishing them.
The place was full of humans, but there were shifters mingling in the crowd.
No wolves that I could scent but smaller mammals, such as rabbits and squirrels.
It would be easy for their beasts to shift in a park, whereas a wolf or bear could only take their fur outside the city.
I didn’t sleep much, not that I’d been able to since that night when Indigo witnessed me shift. When daylight crept under the curtains, I bounded up, anxious to see my mate again.
The second day of trial began, but the prosecutor and the defense attorney announced they were done questioning Indigo. I was on the edge of my seat because he might leave, but he stayed where he was, and every so often he leaned his head near the prosecutor's or passed him a note.
By mid-afternoon, both sides had presented their cases and the judge launched into a long-winded explanation for the jury.
When they filed out, I snuck out the main door, hiding behind a pillar in case my mate appeared.
I didn’t scent him anywhere and was unsure what to do.
I had just over twenty-four hours remaining before heading home, and my chest tightened at how I was wasting precious time.
“They’re back,” said someone beside me, and everyone filed back into court. The jury had deliberated for less than an hour, and from my experience watching TV, that suggested the prosecutor had convinced them.
The judge told Indigo’s boss, Mr. Fitzgerald, to stand for the verdict.
“We find the defendant guilty on all counts.”
A murmur ran through the courtroom, but before the judge could tell everyone to be quiet, Indigo’s boss yelled at my mate, “This is your fault. You ungrateful little snake. I gave you everything.”
I rose, my wolf agitating for me to do something.
Court officers moved toward the man, but he continued his abuse.
“You think this is over?” His face reddened. “You think you're safe? I have friends outside who'll make sure you regret this. Every day for the rest of your pathetic life.”
Enough. Instinct took over, and my wolf surged close to the surface, responding to the threat against our mate.
Blood drained from Indigo’s cheeks while the judge ordered Fitzgerald to be quiet or he’d have him removed from the courtroom.
The judge also told me to sit, and I sort of squatted, ready to pounce.
But his instruction got the attention of the guilty man, and he swiveled.
His eyes swept over the gallery and locked on mine.
Thank gods everyone else in the courtroom was fixated on the defendant, so I brought my beast to the forefront of my gaze and parted my lips, just a tad, so he could see the tip of my beast’s fangs.
He blanched. “What the hell is that?”
Now everyone looked at me, including Indigo, but I’d closed my mouth, and my wolf retreated from my gaze.
My mate’s eyes met mine, and he crumpled to the floor.
I shoved past everyone and vaulted over the low barrier that separated the gallery from my mate.
Court officers shouted, but I ignored them and held Indigo’s wrist. He was unconscious, and his pulse was steady under my fingers.
A court officer placed a hand on my shoulder and asked if I was family, and I said I was as my mate’s eyes opened.
“Riven?” he whispered.
“I'm here.”
Court officers were still dealing with Fitzgerald, who continued to rant about that thing's eyes as they removed him from the courtroom. The judge was calling for order, and everyone was talking. None of it mattered.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Looking after you.” I helped him to sit. “How do you feel?”
“Embarrassed.” A touch of pink returned to his cheeks. “Did I pass out in front of the entire courtroom?”
“Technically, it was more of a slump.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
The prosecutor thanked my mate for his testimony and added that the police had determined Fitzgerald was small fry. He had no connections to crime syndicates. He was just an embezzler. Even so, my eyes and my wolf’s scanned the courtroom, looking for anyone out of place.
Like us?
No, bad guys.
“Riven, how did you know about the trial?” I led Indigo out of the courthouse. “The exact date and time?”
“I can read and search the internet.” I hailed a passing taxi. “I couldn't stay away,” I confessed. “I needed to be close to you, but it was instinct that made me intervene.”
“The shifter protecting his mate.”
“I'm sorry if I overstepped.”
“You didn't.” He brushed his fingers over my hand, and warmth surged through me.
I pulled out the drawing he’d made me. “This has been with me since you left.”
He ahhed, but when the cab pulled up outside his apartment building, I hesitated.
“Come up.” It wasn't a question.
“If that's all right.”
Indigo grinned. “It's more than all right.”