Denver’s blue eyes soften. “I understand that.”
Clearing her throat, she looks back to Ava. “Today will be difficult. The debate has already been running for a number of days, and those supporting the Creed have put forward various individuals to give evidence to support their case.”
Ava’s fists clench on the chair as she picks up the Senator’s loaded meaning.
“Stone is here.”
Anger bites at the back of my throat and I swallow it down. Denver inclines her head as matching growls rumble from Luc and Nik. “He was. It’s likely he’ll be in the courtroom. I’m sorry.”
Ava waves a shaky hand. “We expected him to be here. I just – I just hoped we’d be wrong.”
Shifting forward, I catch Denver’s’ attention, giving Ava a moment. “Can you tell us about the structure? Who are we working to convince?”
Denver picks up the change easily. “There are five Supreme Court Justices. At the end of the debate, each will vote, and the majority rules. It then goes through a final motion in the Senate, but that will be more of a formality than anything else. The Senate will follow the decision of the Justices.”
“So we need to convince these five? Do we know anything about their loyalties?”
Denver shrugs. “Justice Evans is an alpha, and I’m pretty sure he’s on our side. His daughter awakened as an omega, and he didn’t take it well.”
Ava’s snort of derision rings out. “I wish that meant something to Stone.”
Denver continues. “Justices Garcia and Miller are both female betas, and I’m fairly certain they’ll vote against abolishing the creed. Both have been very vocal about the declining birth rates, and Miller was instrumental in shaping the original Creed laws.”
Wonderful.
“And the other two?” Nikolai asks, his brow furrowed.
Denver looks down, shuffling some papers. “Undecided. Johnson and Imler are both notorious for keeping their cards close to their chest. We won’t know with them until it comes to the voting.”
The door opens and we remain silent as Samantha wheels in a tray of coffees. Her face tight, she clatters around with the tray until Denver snaps at her. “Leave it, Samantha.”
The blonde beta sniffs, her nose in the air as she trots out, pulling the door closed with a bang. Denver rubs at her temples. “Sorry. I can’t see her lasting much longer.”
Nik moves over to the tray, pouring coffees and handing one to Ava, his hand cupping her cheek. “So what now?” he asks. “We wait to be called in?”
Denver nods. “When they’re ready, we’ll receive a summons for Ava’s testimony. You can enter together, but you’ll need to sit in the public gallery during the session.”
I snap my head back in denial. “That’s not happening.”
Like hell are we moving more than a step away from our omega in a setting like that.
Denver holds up her hands placatingly. “I know, and I’m sorry. But this is how it works. It’s not personal.”
Ava’s spike of worry echoes in my chest, the bond humming with the tension she’s trying to keep off her face. “It’s fine.”
When we begin to protest, she holds up her hand. “We’ve come this far. I’m not pulling out now. You’ll be in the same room and you can get to me in seconds if you need to.”
Denver lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you. I truly appreciate you coming here. I know that it must be unsettling.”
Ava rubs a hand over her face. “I keep expecting guards to rush in and handcuff me,” she admits. “It feels wrong to just be walking around like the Creed doesn’t apply to me.”
Denver smiles a little. “Hopefully, it won’t apply to anyone soon. And your amnesty is in place for seven days, starting today. You cannot be punished or prosecuted for your role in this debate.”
“Crazy to need an amnesty to be able to stand up,” Luc grumbles.
Denver nods in agreement. “I’ll give you some time alone,” she says, placing her hands on the desk and standing. “I’m not sure when exactly you’ll be called in, but it won’t be long.”
Ava stands too, the rest of us following her lead. She leans over and takes Denver’s hand, shaking it more firmly this time.
