Chapter 7

Ever since the second I’d stepped into my new town, Marion, Texas, I’d been in danger of some sort or another. Bitten. Vampires. A coup. A curse gone wrong. Coven politics. Basically everything that had led to the Tribunal had been an overwhelming clusterfuck of bad. And yet, even as scared as I was, I didn’t regret moving here. When it came down to it, I was dealing with bullies. I had plenty of experience with that. Only these bullies had claws and fangs.

And spells. Mustn’t forget the spells.

Dastien and I stood on the same dais used in the Full Moon Ceremony, but it had been pushed to the side of a massive bonfire. Weres crowded the stone benches, sitting or standing all around, filling the air with nervous energy. As big and overwhelming as the gathering had been last night, this one was bigger.

So, if they decide they want us dead, then what? They throw us in this massive fire?

Dastien looked at me like I was crazy.

What? It’s a valid question.

No. The fire’s for light.

Yeah, but we have crazy good eyesight. Do we really need it?

He shrugged. It looks more official with the fire.

Official. Sure. Because what this whole mess needed was to be more official.

Mr. Dawson stood on the other side of the fire. “A charge has been raised against two of our pack. One against Dastien Laurent, for turning a girl without pack permission and without providing her with the proper warning and education. One against Teresa McCaide, for losing control of her wolf and attacking a fellow member of the pack.”

I expected some whispering or murmuring among the Weres, but no one said a thing. The only sounds were from the woods and the crackling fire.

“Tonight, we’ll hear testimonies from a handful of people. This includes Luciana Alverez from the local coven. Letting a witch speak here is highly unusual, and Luciana will only be allowed to say her piece before she’s escorted off pack lands. Once everyone involved tonight has spoken, we’ll break to debate our course of action, and then Muraco and Ferdinand of the Seven, along with five randomly selected pack alphas who’ve traveled here, will decide what’s to be done.”

Why weren’t Sebastian and Donovan voting? That made me way more nervous. I thought I had at least a few votes in the bag.

Donovan continued like he’d been reading my thoughts. “A point has been raised that myself and two of the Seven are biased toward the couple in question.”

Bastards.

“In fairness, we’ve decided not to vote, but we will speak on their behalf. After all parties have spoken, questions can be addressed to Dastien and Teresa. Then, they will each have a chance to say their final words.”

I swallowed. Final words? This was going to be a long night.

“Once a decision is reached, the matter will be closed. Anyone seeking retribution will answer to me.” Mr. Dawson’s threat rang out in the still of the night. No one dared to say anything against him.

I wasn’t sure who reached for who, but the second Dastien’s skin touched mine, I felt calmer. A drop of sweat rolled down my face. I itched to wipe it away, but didn’t want to show even the littlest bit of weakness. Besides the handholding.

The first part of the Tribunal was fine. Mr. Dawson talked about when Dastien and I first saw each other. I’d never forget seeing Dastien through the screen door. I’d been so afraid of him—of what he might mean—that I didn’t want him to see me. But he had.

“I don’t think even the most in control Were could’ve resisted the call of his mate. The way Dastien went about this was not in order with our laws, but an exception was made once we found that he and Teresa were True Mates.”

I swallowed. Hopefully everyone here would agree with the exception.

Sebastian stepped forward next. His voice was smooth and clear as he spoke. “As most here know, I am descended from a line of sorcerers, which is why I was specifically called to Texas to assess Teresa. What I have to tell you about her might shock you, but I believe that letting someone with her particular ability leave the pack would be a detriment to us all.”

I was surprised my eyes didn’t pop out of my head. A detriment to us all? He really was laying it on thick. I tried not to laugh as he continued. He made me sound like the second coming. Totally ludicrous.

A man I didn’t know stepped forward from the front row. His hair was buzzed close to his head, but his blond beard was long and thick. “It seems to me that we’ve forgotten a big part of what this Tribunal is about. One of ours broke the rules. If we don’t stand by those rules, then all our laws will become optional. Am I the only one who sees the error in this way of thinking?” He paused and a few people clapped in support. “Dastien bit a human. We can discuss whether or not to keep her, but him—that’s another story. He should be punished. I understand that he’s dominant, but that doesn’t mean the laws don’t apply to him. If anything, his power should be subject to added responsibility and repercussions. What’s to say he won’t bite again if let free?”

I gasped and Dastien squeezed my hand. Don’t react, he said.

They’re talking about punishing you. I can’t help it. Who is that guy?

Ferdinand.

Great. The member of the Seven who wasn’t so hot about us. His status meant that he had some sway over the rest of the pack. I just hoped it wasn’t enough to discount Mr. Dawson, Sebastian, and Donovan’s opinions.

Donovan stepped forward next. “I’m not votin’ tonight against my better judgment. I hope that after I talk, you’ll all have realized what a waste of time this is. And afterward, I’m lookin’ to change the Tribunal system; the rule to stop Tribunals from being canceled was only put in place to stop corrupt alphas from sweeping charges under the rug, so to speak. This here is a gross misuse of the clause.” His harsh voice rang out in the night. A ripple of his anger and frustration ran through the pack bonds, and I knew he’d meant for everyone to feel it. He wanted everyone to know exactly how mad he was. “The fact that a wolf who tried to overthrow the Seven, who drugged us and threw us into a cave of vampires, who associated with vampires, called this Tribunal shows what a sham it is. The coward isn’t even here, and yet we still are.”

I found Meredith in the crowd. She wasn’t smiling exactly, but her head was held high. She was proud of Donovan, with good reason. I wasn’t sure if the speech was her doing or all Donovan’s, but regardless, they both deserved a huge thank you.

“Not a few days ago, Meredith was nearly killed by a spell placed upon her by the local coven. That they would strike out against my True Mate is…I’m still deciding what steps to take, but I wouldn’t be here today—and neither would my mate—if Teresa wasn’t in our pack as both wolf and witch.” He paused. “As for what Ferdinand said, I don’t agree. Dastien is in control, and his biting was reviewed and pardoned by both myself and Sebastian. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be an issue tonight. For that matter, nothing would’ve stopped me from biting Meredith had she been human. Dastien is more dominant than any of us. Has he ever lost control? Have you ever even seen him lose his temper?”

Silence.

Clearly they didn’t know how much I could rile Dastien.

“That’s what I thought. Before you decide willy-nilly to kill off what could be a couple of our greatest leaders, think about who is manipulating you into this. About why we’re here. Don’t be a bunch of fuckin’ morons.”

I wanted to high-five Dono, but that wouldn’t make our case look any better. I didn’t dare blink. My heart was beating so fast that I couldn’t feel my limbs. I was on the verge of passing out, but I stayed on my feet.

As Donovan continued to speak, I thought for a second that everything would be fine. We’d get through it after all.

Then Imogene stepped in front of the dais to speak, her back to us. I glanced at Dastien.

Did you know she’d be speaking?

I wasn’t sure. Since she’s part of the reason we’re here, I knew there was a good chance.

Thanks for sharing the info.

As usual, Imogene looked like she’d stepped out of the pages of a magazine. Her hair flowed down her back in perfectly curled waves. Her white silk blouse didn’t have a hint of a wrinkle on it. I always wished I looked as nice as that, but never managed to drum up the effort to make it happen.

“I always thought I’d end up with Dastien,” Imogene said, and I gritted my teeth. It was going to take some major self-control not to attack her. “We’d talked about it for years, so I was surprised when I found out that he’d bitten Tessa. I mean, why her? Why choose her instead of me, when we’d been so close for so long?”

She actually had a tear rolling down her cheek. I glanced around and saw that some of the alphas were nodding. Everyone had assumed that her and Dastien would be mated by now.

They were eating out of the palm of her conniving little hand. This so wasn’t good.

“And then it hit me.” Imogene spun to face me. “She’s part witch. She had to have done something to enspell Dastien. I mean, right? It was the only answer. So, I went digging in her locker.”

I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid. I’d defended her. I’d accepted her apology. I’d even told the pack we shouldn’t kick her out, and all along she’d been gearing up for this?

Anger swelled inside me and until my skin felt too tight and itchy.

Dastien’s hand squeezed mine. Don’t. You can’t lose your cool now. We still have to get through Luciana’s speech.

Okay. Okay. I’m trying. But shit. Did you know about this?

No. The word rang in my head was more growl than voice.

“When she caught me and I asked about the spell, well, she tried to rip my throat out. Needless to say, I almost didn’t survive. Keep that in mind. She’s powerful. Really powerful. And that’s dangerous.”

I swallowed down the anger. That bitch was going down.

“I propose that she be separated from the pack for a period of time while we find out why one of our greatest alphas bit her. He risked his life by breaking the rules. No Were would ever do that unless they weren’t in their right mind. Only time apart can help us assess the state of Dastien, our next true leader.” No one cheered or clapped, but Imogene went back to her place and sat down with her head held high, like she’d won the day.

It was official. I fucking hated that bitch.

Mr. Dawson stood back up. “At this point, we’re going to pause for a moment while the Coven is escorted to the Tribunal grounds. They’ve been allowed three minutes to speak and have agreed to leave us as soon as they’re done. I’d like to remind all the alphas deciding today and the pack members watching to take what they say with a grain of salt. This is the coven that nearly killed Donovan’s Meredith.”

I cracked my knuckles as we waited for Luciana to make her appearance. I had some things to say about Imogene. Maybe I should even draw charges up on her. She’d tried to kill me, too. Or was everyone just going to forget about that part?

The crowd cleared a path and three guys dressed all in black led the coven’s representatives toward the firepit. Luciana walked at the front of a group of five, and all of them were dressed in white. Her hands weren’t glowing today, but the way she carried herself—head high, shoulders back—told me that she felt confident. That arrogance of hers always rubbed me the wrong way.

Who was I kidding? Everything about her rubbed me the wrong way.

“Luciana. As stated, you’ve got your time. Sophia Hoel is responsible for your behavior. Anything goes wrong and it’s on your head.” He said the last to Sophia, who stepped down to stand beside Luciana.

Sophia nodded. “I chose to sponsor Luciana because I feel she has some valid complaints. Teresa’s transition was poorly managed. I understand and accept responsibility for the coven’s actions here tonight.”

Luciana’s gaze met mine through the fire. She grinned and I shuddered. There wasn’t an once of good in that lady. And I was pretty sure she was insane.

“That one,” she pointed to Dastien, without any lead into the speech at all—“took our next leader. You see, Teresa is unbelievably strong. Maybe some of you have noticed how strong?”

She paused, and I wondered if she and Imogene had coordinated their speeches.

“Her powers are only going to grow. As I understand it, Weres develop their powers over decades, but this is not the case with brujas. We don’t have such long lives, so we gain a little power at birth, and then that power blossoms as we reach adulthood.” Luciana spoke and the Weres gathered all hung on the edges of their seats. Even if the witches and Weres had a big history together, it seemed like both sides kept to themselves without sharing information. Getting to understand more about the witches was gold for the pack.

“Teresa was strong at birth,” Luciana continued as she raised her had toward me. “Stronger than any we have ever known. She could see things that no one else could. Her powers have grown ever since, and will continue growing for the next few years. If you think she’s dangerous now, just wait. If you can’t control her now, what do you think will happen then?”

Control me? No one was going to control me. Not ever. No one was going to take away my free will. And I was a goddamned American. I didn’t take too kindly to someone talking about taking away my freedom.

She started around the circle again. “That’s not the worst of it. How would you feel if we took one of your Seven? That’s what he’s done.” She paused to stab her finger at Dastien. “One of our great leaders, gone. And it’s his fault.” She finished another loop around. “Do what you will with him. It matters not to us. But her, she’s ours. You will return her or face war with our kind.”

Luciana paused before turning to Mr. Dawson. “I want you to think about that. About what’s to come should you decide to keep—”

“Your three minutes are up. Yeats, please escort them off our land.”

“I don’t need an escort. We don’t want to stay here a second longer than we have to.” She stormed off, but the Cazadores followed her anyway.

That wasn’t so bad, Dastien said.

Not so bad? She basically said I was too dangerous to be a wolf, and that if the pack doesn’t hand me over, then she—and the rest of the witches of the world—are going to go to war with the packs.

Exactly.

So how is that not so bad?

Because all we have to do is say ‘no’ and she’ll go away.

Was he being dense? How does ‘war’ translate into ‘go away’ in your brain?

She can’t go to war with us. There’s no way she has that much backing. It’s a bluff. It has to be.

It really didn’t sound like a bluff to me. Even if she was using me as an excuse to start a war, I don’t think there was a bluff in what she said. Are you sure?

Pretty sure.

That would change everything. How sure is pretty sure?

I don’t know.

Exactly. Because she wasn’t bluffing. If you think you’re right, then give me a percentage. How likely is this to start a war?

He didn’t shrug but I could feel it. Like a mental shrug. Sixty-two percent? Maybe sixty-eight percent.

That wasn’t very certain. So you’re thirty-eight to thirty-two percent not sure. That’s a whole lot of not sure. Especially when we’re talking war. War, Dastien. War.

I understand—

A cry went up in the surrounding crowd and I knew I’d missed something. Everyone had been so quiet, that it was shocking to hear.

“—not go to war over something this petty. Let them have her.”

Everyone started talking at once and Mr. Dawson growled. His power rolled through the woods, and it was suddenly silent again. “This isn’t how things are run. You’re breaking protocol by—”

“War with the witches isn’t an option. Some of us here are old enough to remember what that means,” Ferdinand shouted.

“Don’t you forget, so am I.” The ice in Donovan’s voice made me shiver. “I might not be votin’ tonight, but I’ll not have this Tribunal interfered with—”

“Then you shouldn’t have let the witches in,” someone shouted. “Even with the sponsor.”

“—more than it already has been,” Donovan continued like nothing had been said. “Unless it’s your turn to speak, you will be silent.” The last word was so loud, so sharp, that I flinched. His power that backed the command was meant for all the Weres. He turned to me, and his face softened. “Sorry about that.” His t’s had become harder, which meant even if his face was kind, he wasn’t over his anger. “We’ll have the questions now. A warnin’ to all of you, best to stay on topic. Any judgments in your questions and you’ll be cut off. Identify yourself before asking, too. The lass is new and won’t know your names.”

It was quiet for a long time, and then the old man from the cabin stood up.

“I’m Muraco, alpha of the Andes clan, with a question for Teresa. We’ve heard a lot of people talking about you. What I’d like to know is how you felt about becoming the wolf?”

I hadn’t been expecting that kind of question. I’d thought this was going to be more of an interrogation.

I couldn’t lie—they’d smell it—so I had to be honest, but I wasn’t going to sway anyone to my side with the truth. I cleared my throat. “I didn’t want to be a wolf and I didn’t like that I’d been bitten.” I paused, waiting for something, but it was so quiet, all I could hear was the crackling of the fire. “I didn’t know that werewolves existed before I moved here. I didn’t even know that I was a bruja and that was why I could see what I see. So, it was shocking when I woke up at St. Ailbe’s.” I went into the whole running away thing, and why I’d done that. It had been an adjustment, and I hoped that they’d understand or at least sympathize with the drastic changes I’d gone through. “So, it took me a while not to be afraid of my wolf. Now, asking me how I currently feel about becoming a wolf—I love it. I love shifting. I love it here. I love my mate, my friends, and my pack. I don’t want to leave.”

Dastien got the next question—about his level of control. I got one about what my powers were exactly, and then one about my interactions with la Aquelarre.

Then, someone asked me what I thought about Luciana and my relationship with her. “If being cursed by Luciana is a sign of a good relationship, then I’d say we were on the best of terms. I don’t trust her and I certainly don’t like her. You heard what she said. She wants to control me. She made it perfectly clear that she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that when she cursed me.” There were some murmurs, and I was sure I’d get some questions about that before I was done, but for now, most were quiet. “As much as I would like to learn about being a bruja, I can’t. Not from her.”

I hadn’t really realized that I wanted to learn until I said the words. After helping Meredith, I knew that I couldn’t avoid that part of me anymore. I had to be able to use the gifts that I’d been given. I had to do better. Be better.

A bunch of people shouted questions all at once and I blinked through the heat of the fire. It seemed like with every question I answered, there were twenty more. I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to handle this.

I think Donovan’s about to call this to an end, Dastien said.

You think?

Yeah. Look at his hands.

They were fisted by his sides. His knuckles were white, and a fine sheen of fur covered over their tops.

He’s itching to. He wanted to cancel the Tribunal from the start.

I’d known that, but it didn’t change where we were today. It might be too late for us.

Yes.

“—your turn to say something,” Donovan said.

Everyone was staring at me. Shit. I had to stop tuning out when I talked to Dastien through our bond.

That’s your cue.

Right. I got out my notecards. My hands shook as I flipped through them. The words seemed to blend together, and I couldn’t make sense of them. The paper crinkled as I flipped through them again, and I realized this was dumb. I didn’t need the cards. I just had to speak from the heart.

I tossed them in the fire and watched as the cards curled, the flames licking along the edges until they were totally consumed.

This was it. Time for me to defend myself.

I cleared my throat, wishing I had a glass of water before I started. “I know that I’ve caused quite a stir since I showed up here. Believe me, no one expected me to be here less than me.” I blew out a breath. “But now that I’m here, I don’t want to leave. I know rules were broken, and that I lost my temper a bit with Imogene. It was wrong, and I was fighting the change. I’m not anymore. I’ve accepted my wolf, the pack, and my mate. I’d love it if I was accepted in return.” I paused, trying to think of what I should say next. “Even if I wanted to feel bad about not joining the coven, I don’t. Maybe it was a disservice to them that I was bitten, but I don’t know how my life could be other than the way it is.” I couldn’t apologize for something I didn’t feel. “I would apologize to Imogene for attacking her, but I was told that fights among students was a thing of the norm around here. She was digging through my things making insane accusations, and I lost my temper. I was new to being a wolf, and it was an adjustment. However, when she attacked me, after participating in a coup to take down this very pack, I didn’t call a Tribunal on her. I forgave her and asked that the pack give her a second chance. I hope that some of you will remember that. Will put yourselves in my shoes. And when you’re thinking about what to do with me and Dastien, it’d be great if you could remember that we can’t go back in time. This—me being bitten—can’t be undone. We can only move forward. And for me, that means I’m both wolf and witch. Luciana is hanging on to the fact that she can separate me from the wolf, but each of you should know how impossible that is.” I glanced around the pack, hoping to see some kind of agreement, but got nothing. A sea of faces stared back at me. “I—” I cleared my throat. “I wanted to also make it known that I’m not completely unreasonable. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of the choices that Dastien and I have made. Just know that any type of permanent separation will not be entertained by either of us.” That was backed with just a little taste of power. I didn’t want to push them, but if I gave them a little bit of weakness, they’d exploit it for sure.

“Are you done?” Mr. Dawson asked.

Was I done? I hadn’t a clue if what I’d said had gotten through to anyone, but anything else I could say would be a rehash. “I think so. Yes.”

“Dastien,” Mr. Dawson said.

“Teresa Elizabeth McCaide is my mate.” His voice was strong and clear. Not hint of fear tinted it. “I’d love to hear from one of you who could deny their mate. Who could refuse them anything?” He paused. “And she’s not just my mate. She’s my True Mate. My other half. I don’t think any of you could understand what that means, except Donovan and Meredith. To get between mates is one of the biggest crimes in our world. No one would ever dare. Yet, here I am,” he yelled the last. “Forced to stand here and beg for the chance to keep my other half. Our bonding ceremony was already interrupted. I’ll not stand for one more thing to come between us. Know that before you decide anything.” He sounded cold. Even I was a little scared of him in that moment.

He always said he struggled with control, but I’d only seen him lose it a couple of times, and never like this. Seeing him now… I wasn’t scared for myself, but I was worried for him and the rest of the pack. What would happen to him if we were separated?

You’re kind of intense.

Don’t make me smile. It’ll ruin the effect.

I started to grin, and he narrowed his gaze at me. And don’t you smile either. United front, Tess. It’s all about being together on this.

Dastien hopped down from the rock and reached a hand out to steady me as I followed. “When you have a verdict, send for us at the cabin.”

We made our way through the woods in silence. I was too afraid to talk. I’d already overshared enough for the night and Were hearing was a little too good. They wouldn’t get any more of me. Not if I could help it.

I didn’t open up until we were well out of earshot. “So, what do you think?”

“About?”

I rolled my eyes. “About what just happened.”

Dastien’s eyes glowed amber. “It’s all going to come down to how big of a stink they think the coven will make and how much the pack is willing risk for us.”

I chewed on my lip as I thought. “And? What do you think?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t. But one thing’s for certain, I don’t want to be apart from you. That’s not an option. So, we’ll do what we have to.”

A chill ran up my spine. I knew that Dastien was mega-alpha. Seriously strong. There was no way anyone but me could stop him from getting what he wanted. And there was our dilemma.

What if the pack decided to send me to the coven? What would Dastien do?

Could I stand against my mate for the sake of the pack?

I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling I was going to have to answer that question soon.