“Rhys,” I gasp, my hands fighting the restraints as I make an unconscious move towards him.
He doesn’t look at me, and my fear returns tenfold.
He’s here to finish me off. I lied to him, I betrayed him, and now he’s come to do his duty to the pack and avenge his broken heart.
Desperate feelings bubble up in my chest, and tears trickle down my cheeks. My whole body goes numb, and I can hardly hold myself upright.
He’s going to side with them. I’m dead.
Rhys walks right past me, not even glancing my way. His face is stern and determined, his gold eyes glowing like a blade being pulled from a fire. He looks completely healed, clear and composed.
“I’d like to thank the council for gathering,” he says in a casual tone. “And formally ask why I was not invited.”
“You couldn’t be reached, Alpha,” Aaron says, stumbling over his words. “We tried, but—”
“Shane and Owen reached me just fine,” he replies, his voice calm. Aaron backs up a step.
“What you haven’t been told is that these three mongrel dogs attacked me,” Rhys says, the undercurrent of anger in his voice ringing through the room. “They most certainly came after us with malicious intent, and they meant to kill me.”
“No,” Aaron protests. “We would never—”
“You act like I wasn’t there, Aaron,” Rhys says. “Just because my wounds have healed doesn’t mean I’m about to forget what happened. You attacked me, and your purpose there was to kill my wife.”
Is he defending me?
“She’s a witch!” Darla declares. “She lied to all of us. No matter the circumstance, she needs to be—”
“Thanked,” Rhys finishes for her. “She should be commended, because her quick actions saved my life.”
“She used magic,” Thorne says. “We can’t just let that pass, Rhys. Letting a human into our midst was bad enough, but she’s a witch. She should be executed, just like all the others.”
“She saved my life,” Rhys says simply, and for a moment, the room is silent.
“You can’t prove anything,” Aaron says suddenly. “You’re under her spell, that’s what this is. You’ll say anything she wants you to because you’re under an enchantment, like a puppet! Once we kill her, you’ll regain your senses!”
I can see Darla and Thorne really love this idea, and hopelessness washes through me, only for my hopes to rise again as Owen and Shane enter the room. At first, I can’t see what they’re holding, but then both of them place small cameras on the long wooden table.
“Luckily, the incident was caught on camera,” Rhys says, letting a small, satisfied smile stretch across his face.
“What?” Aaron breathes, his eyes wide.
“Near all the watch huts, we have lines of defense,” Rhys shrugs. “If you’ve never done guard duty, you wouldn’t be aware. But we have footage of the incident and proof that you’re the liar.”
“But—” Aaron looks around desperately, and realizes he’s completely trapped. There’s no way he and his buddies can leave the room.
“Take them,” Rhys snaps.
Owen and Shane move to block the exit, then apprehend the four of them. When Rhys approaches me, Aaron tries to run, but Rhys punches him across the face and sends him reeling. Quickly untying me, he uses the same ropes to bind Aaron.
“We are saddened by this,” Faye says. “To see wolves going up against wolves in this way. But the fact remains, you have a witch standing beside you. I assume the footage will show evidence of that fact?”
“Yes,” Rhys says. “Sadie used her powers, but only in defense of me.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Thorne says. “You know what we do to witches—and she lied to us. We have no idea what her plans are, and she should be dealt with.”
“I think a stay of punishment is in order, at least while we investigate,” Neville says evenly. “It would be wrong to leap to a conclusion without having all the evidence.”
Darla looks straight at me, and a cruel smile curves her lips.
