Page 88 of Chased

Okay well, she wasn’t going to be snapped over like a bone. Madison spoke up. “Excuse me? Do I get to say anything?”

“No,” Henri said.

That made the whole room growl. He looked slightly taken aback.

Madison used that opportunity to talk anyway. “Henri Levesque is a dick,” she said. “And a very sick individual. I’m not his mate. And I’m definitely not going with him. The end.”

Henri turned to Kane. “Lieutenant Colton. You know that different shifter species are free to make their own laws around mating, succession, and leadership. The Council has no right to interfere. In fact, it’s your duty to uphold the mating agreement made between her family and mine.”

More growls.

Kane said, “Well, you’re right, typically the Council and its Enforcers don’t interfere in such matters. However, there are times when we receive complaints regarding cruel, repressive or harmful mating practices, and we’re under an obligation to investigate and rule on those. We’ve received a complaint on behalf of Madison Fontaine.”

Henri turned on her furiously. “You filed a complaint? With the Shifter Council?”

Damn. She certainly would have, if she’d known it was possible. She glanced at Jaeda, who was mouthing, Say yes.

Ah. That explained that. “Yes,” she said. Looking at Kane, she added, “These fuckers have gotten away with their shit for way too long.”

“And what ‘shit’ is that, exactly?”

Henri snarled, “You keep your mouth shut, lapereau.”

Kane raised his eyebrows. “I’m not familiar with that term.”

“It means ‘baby rabbit,’” Madison said. “It means they think female lapins are like children—too mentally and emotionally immature to make decisions for themselves. They need the menfolk to do that.”

The room filled with a mix of growls and laughter.

She went on to briefly explain the history of Renard/lapin matings, and how lapin women were given in arranged marriages.

“They’re compensated,” Henri said. “We give them every luxury, an enviable lifestyle.”

“Everything but choices,” Madison snapped.

“You’re not competent to make your own choices!” Henri snapped back.

“You see what I’m dealing with here?” Madison said to Kane, and then turned back to Henri and his cronies. “You don’t care about me. You don’t know anything about me. None of you even see me as a person.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Henri said. “I’ve known you all your life.”

Right. What’s my favorite color? What’s my favorite thing to do? What movies make me cry? What are my hopes and dreams? What makes me happy?”

He just stared at her. “What does that have to do with anything?” He turned back to Kane. “All of this is beside the point. This female belongs to me, and I have the documents to prove it.”

“They hurt them,” Madison said desperately. “They hurt us. Did you know they can beat us if they want to? Scar us? Do you know what they were doing today? Trying to teach me a lesson. They forced me to Change, and chased me down. He was going to rape me and scar me to show I was his, and then drag me back to Colorado against my will. It’s their custom.”

Kane raised his eyebrows at Henri. “Did Ms. Fontaine consent to this mating and the attached ritual?”

Henri said, “Are you deaf? Lapereaux don’t consent. They don’t know what’s good for them. That’s why they have no rights. Her guardian consented on her behalf.”

Kane’s face grew even more stony. “We’ll be looking into that.”

Jace said, “In the meantime, let me explain to you a few other points of law. According to wolf law, wolves may seek or even capture mates from other packs or shifter groups. Once the mate has been claimed and the bonding is complete, she’s a member of the wolf pack. This supersedes all other attachments and/or mating arrangements.”

Well, hell. He could have just said that at the beginning. “Oops,” she said, looking at Henri. “The wolf done bit me.” She pulled down the collar of her shirt so everyone could see her claiming mark. “I guess I’m his now.”

Henri said, “You can’t prove that’s a claiming mark, or that there’s any kind of claiming bond. It’s just a bite scar.”