To Love a Stray Ch. 19

"Everyone calm down," I say as the tension in the room elevates.

"I always said it was a bad idea for Rosy to remain here," Ray growls pushing past several of the Williamson clan warriors.

"Back off Ray," Mitchell growls low in his throat as he turns and faces his father.

"Don't take my Grandbaby away," Marissa starts sobbing.

I glance her way worried at the near hysterical tone to her voice and watch as Wade quickly moves to take her in his arms and comfort her.

"We can work this out," Wade insists. "Rosy, I give you my word of honour Micah won't hurt you or interfere with what you want in any way."

"Your..." Mitchell gives an angry snort but is cut off by the enraged shriek that comes from Rosy.

I turn my head to look her way in shock and I am once again struck by how much she resembles her mother but yet, seems so different with her unusual and exotic colouring.

"Your word of Honour? You have no honour! You are the one who locked me in that bloody cage and then ordered your son to come in, rape me and make sure I ended up pregnant! But you weren't content with that ..." Rosy is screaming her accusations at him as she points her good hand at him, her entire body shaking.

Outrage at what she is saying begins to boil furiously inside me and I hear several angry growls come from my warriors at my back.

" ... You made sure I knew Edwin would be coming into the cage! You knew I wanted Micah but you sent Edwin in after I'd had days for it to prey on my mind. It become one horrible nightmare I knew was going to happen! And you had the gall to tell me it was my own fault! That I deserved it! Well I didn't do anything wrong! All I done was got YOUR daughter the help she needed! And what thanks do I get? YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE!"

I watch Rosy in stunned rage for a few moments as the last of her words sink in. I am aware of Marissa sobbing brokenly in the background as I watch Rosy crying. She wraps both arms across her swollen body and rocks back and forth on her feet as Mitchell moves towards her murmuring in a soft tone.

"Yous told me clan cats would protect me! At least I always knew exactly what to expect from strays!" Rosy yells.

"I say kill the bastard right here, right now!" Ray roars as he glances back at my warriors and myself. "Him and anyone of his clan who had a hand in it!"

"Nonononono," Marissa starts screaming and sobbing as Wade braces himself, keeping himself on his feet and upright even though his wife is clinging to him limply.

I grab hold of Ray preventing him from rushing towards Wade and Ray growls as he turns towards me.

"We do this the right way," I snarl from behind the red curtain of rage that veils my sight.

"They go before the Board. Wade, Marissa, Edwin, Micah, who else?" I ask looking towards Rosy, Sam and Mitchell as I try to ignore Marissa's crying.

"None of it is Marissa's fault," Wade says hoarsely.

"Yeah," Edwin agrees. "Marissa was begging Wade not to send me and I doubt Micah even knew. Hell, if he had he would have killed me before I had a chance to do anything."

There is regret in Edwin's voice but I ignore him as I glance between my nephews, I am fighting to contain my outrage that this has occurred, that my own niece is a victim of such a hideous crime.

"Rosy? Do you know if anyone else was involved?" Mitchell asks quietly.

"How the hell should I know?" Rosy yells, "I'm the one who was locked in a cage for weeks on end, remember!"

"We all chose to deal with this internally," Sam says quietly. "We had to do what was best for the clan's survival."

"What are the charges?" Blake asks as he and Dave move to stand beside me.

"Edwin Williamson, you are charged with rape. You will be facing the Board to answer the charges and account for your actions." I say formerly and watch as both Blake and Dave move towards him.

"No! Not another one of my boys! No," Marissa screams hysterically and Wade presses her face against his chest.

Edwin turns to face the wall putting his hands against the wall at shoulder height and spreading his feet apart. I am silent as Blake handcuffs Edwin's hands behind his back and leaves him standing facing the wall.

"Wade Williamson, you are charged with soliciting, ordering and condoning rape." I say tightly.

Dwayne and Jazzy step forward and ease Marissa off of Wade and physically hold her up as Wade receives the same treatment as Edwin did.

"Oh my God, they'll kill my husband and my son!" Marissa sobs brokenly.

"Don't worry Momma. I'll take you to be with Daddy for as long as possible," Jazzy murmurs softly to her mother.

I take a deep breath before speaking, "Marissa Williamson, you are charged with condoning rape by standing by and doing nothing to prevent it from happening." I can't keep the pity or compassion out of my voice but it does nothing to lessen the shock on Jazzy's face as she looks at me.

"You can't do this! You're destroying our clan! Wade, Edwin, AND Marissa?" Jazzy sobs in disbelief. "Are you going to charge Micah with trying to cover it up by overthrowing Wade, threatening to kill his own brother if Edwin ever came back here uninvited and trying to do the right thing by standing by Rosy?"

"You can't do that to Marissa!" Wade yells and takes a step my way only to be slammed back against the wall by Blake and Dave.

"I don't think anyone will hold Marissa accountable considering her history," I say quietly.

"You are not destroying my family and my clan!" Jazzy says swallowing her tears and continues between gritted teeth. "You take your niece with you when you leave because Rosy is no longer welcome here. With her gone Micah will stay and our family will be strong, we will survive this!"

I can hear the tremble in her voice as she speaks and I watch her turn her head and lift her chin.

"Mitchell, choose. Your sister or a future with me,"

I have to admire the courage of the young she-kitt in front of me. With Micah gone and her other brothers probably more used to following than leading she instinctively stepped up to pull her family together and try to save her clan. Now she is trying to secure the clan by claiming her own partner.

"Jazzy I can't just abandon my sister, Sam and I are all she has." Mitchell protests.

"I have to survive too Mitchell," Jazzy snaps even as tears overflow from her eyes.

"Jazzy please don't make me choose," Mitchell says hoarsely as he glances back and forth between his sister and his lover. I see him stiffen his spine, his choice shockingly clear as he turns his face towards his sister.

"You and Sam were part of the team that found me," Rosy says shakily as she stares at her brother. "You dragged me back here even when I begged you not to. How far does the blame for what was done to me go back?"

"Rosy?" Mitchell sounds confused as he stares at his sister.

"I never asked to be brought here. I never asked for anyone to check to see if I had family and I sure as hell didn't ask to be made a part of no stupid clan! Yous tricked me into it! I hate you! I hate all of you! I never wanted to be one of yous!" Rosy's voice rises once again as she yells viciously.

"Well if that's how you truly feel don't let the fact we care about you keep you here!" Mitchell hurls back in a hurt yell.

Rosy steps back involuntarily. Opens and closes her mouth soundlessly before dashing for the same door Micah had left by.

I am stunned by her outburst and as I glance around I see others are as well. Both Sam and Mitchell seem totally blindsided by what she said, while several of the Williamson warriors are looking towards the door with shocked frowns.

"I'll make sure she doesn't run into any trouble," Malcolm mutters and follows her at a walk.

"I ..." Mitchell says and swallows hard before speaking again. "I'll call Micah, no Dwayne you do it. Let him know what's happened and that one of us will call him and let him know when Rosy has left so he can avoid seeing her again if that's what he wants."

Mitchell looks around at the members of his clan in the room and gives a slight nod before looking at me.

"Sam will go with you for the hearing, it will be held quickly I hope." Mitchell says with a compassionate glance at Marissa.

"It will probably be all over by tomorrow night," I confirm quietly.

"Dwayne, you will accompany Marissa," Mitchell announces as he glances at Dwayne who is texting on his mobile phone. "Jazzy, you, Micah and I need to sit down and talk through a few things and I think we need to set the wedding forward to this weekend. That gives us two or three days to fix everything up."

"Doc can you make sure Marissa is okay?" Jazzy asks worriedly.

Marissa is almost hanging limply between the two youngest Williamson brothers and Aaron 'Doc' Farlow quickly directs them to a kitchen chair.

"I'd like to give her some light sedation," Aaron says after several minutes with Marissa. "If someone could get my medical bag from my car,"

"Mikkarl you get that for Doc," Mitchell orders. "Sam, work out what vehicle is to be used. Dwayne, once you're finished that get a few things together for yourself and Sam."

"Micah's run his car off the road a few clicks down the road. He's unhurt but the car's down for the moment. Baxter is with him and is trying to calm him down." Dwayne says calmly.

"Micah's really okay?" Jazzy demands with a touch of panic in her voice.

"Yeah. I asked Baxter twice," Dwayne says soothingly.

"Dave, Blake, work out with Sam how everyone will fit in the vehicle. I'll go and see if I can find out where my niece has cleared out to," I say levelly.

"Head for the bush, she will," Mitchell says sounding wounded.

I head outside and take a deep breath of clean air. Inside I had not realised how badly the aroma of everyone's emotions were tainting the air. I look around for any sign of either Rosy or Malcolm Inness. I spot a small form sitting on the ground by the shed furtherest from the living quarters and head that way at a steady walk. I try to work out what I am going to say to my young niece who is trapped in a situation she apparently does not want.

As I get closer I see it is actually Malcolm sitting on the ground with Rosy cradled forcibly against his chest as he rocks back and forth. Soon I can hear the gasping sobs coming from her even though her face is pressed firmly against his chest.

"It'll be all right, it'll be all right," Malcolm is repeating quietly.

"I ... couldn't ... let ... him ... do ... it," Rosy sobs raggedly. "He ... was gonna ... choose me!"

I watch silently as Malcolm kisses the top of her head and rubs her back.

"You're a good sister. You done the right thing," Malcolm reassures her softly. "You know you can survive without your brother, and as much as he loves you he loves Jazzy too."

I am stunned by what I hear and feel my chest tighten. Malcolm looks up at me aware of my presence and I look away as I see his wet cheeks. I move away a few steps and look out towards the trees for a few minutes before clearing my throat.

"I'll have someone come get you when we're ready to leave," I say evenly before walking away.

* * * * *

I glance at my watch, it's barely ten-thirty am but it seems like the last hour and a half have extended all day. I am currently in the large living room of Don Curtis' home. It had been chosen as most central to enable a speedy hearing by five members of The Werecat Board of Governors. I look up to take in the five werecats seated along the long table we were using, all had paper or note books in front of them but no one was looking through the notes they had made.

"I still have trouble believing such a crime took place and no one was any the wiser," Cantrell Yates says shaking his head in disbelief.

"No Alpha who had done such a thing would go around speaking of it. And they would not tolerate any of their clan mentioning it either," Don Curtis says quietly.

"Does anyone need more time?" Mal Inness asks evenly.

As closest werecat neighbour to the Williamson Clan, and employer of Edwin Williamson he had been automatically put in the five to announce judgement for the crimes.

One by one Don Curtis, Cantrell Yates, Maurice Donnelly and Martin Francis give replies indicating that they have reached a decision.

"What do you think with Edwin Williamson and the charge of Rape?" Mal asks. "Sam MacIntosh, do you have any last minute words you want us to hear?"

"No, he has admitted he done it," Sam says with the slightest of shrugs. He glances at the empty seat between us and I know he is worried about his sister. So far she has refused to be in the room except when she was ordered to come in and answer a small number of questions the five Alphas had had for her. She had been very quiet and depressed, barely answering the questions when they had been asked.

"Edwin Williamson is guilty by his own admission," Cantrell says firmly.

"I'd be surprised if he would have done such a thing if he had not been ordered to," Don says quietly as he leans back in his chair. "We've all seen how that tom was always trying to win his father's approval. How has his behaviour been around your daughter Mal?"

"He's always behaved very correctly and I will be one of the first to admit my daughter is quick to try to lead most toms astray," Mal says gruffly. "His partner did come to me and tell me there was some very bad blood between Edwin and Micah Williamson over the kitt Rosy MacIntosh was carrying. And Sam here has admitted it was connected to that savage beating he dished out to Edwin,"

"Yes, I remember witnessing it. Seemed totally out of control at the time, now I understand why," Cantrell says firmly. "Sam MacIntosh, as the eldest brother, do you wish to see further punishment given to Edwin Williamson?"

Sam is silent for a few long moments before shaking his head and shrugging at the same time.

"I done some serious permanent damage to him when I gave him that beating. He's lost his family clan - he'll never be welcome there as long as Micah, Mitchell and I are there. He has a kitt on the way he should have to support and there is no way either Mitchell or I would ever allow him to be in a relationship with our sister." Sam says firmly.

"Castration and exile him from all clans?" Cantrell asks.

"The one ball he has left gives him a lot of pain on occasion, castration would be doing him a favour. But exiling him from the clans would be taking an excellent

warrior from my clan," Mal puts in. "Surely a long extended period on probation would suffice?"

"Leave out the castration so he is reminded of what was done to him whenever the weather changes or whatever sets the pain off. And leave him where he is," Sam says with a glance at Mal. "We're better off knowing where he is, but I would need to ring Mitchell and Micah to see what they think."

"Okay then," Cantrell says with a nod.

There is almost total silence as Sam makes the phone call back to the Williamson home compound. The conversation is short and to the point with Mitchell doing most of the talking for the two toms on the other end. Within a few minutes Sam is ending the call before looking to the five sitting at the table.

"Mitchell wants it put in that Edwin is never to be allowed near our sister without an impartial third party present," Sam says firmly.

"In reality he means someone who will beat Williamson to a pulp if he gets too friendly with your sister," Cantrell says levelly.

"No, Mitchell just doesn't want Rosy messed around with any more than has already happened," Sam informs them in a flat, hard tone.

"Additional condition agreed on?" Mal asks. "Agreed here,"

"Agreed," Cantrell, Don, Martin and Maurice say in unison.

Don writes in the large record book recording the end result and looks around when he is finished.

"Shall we stop for a cup of coffee?" Maurice Donnelly asks and Martin Francis gives a long sigh.

"Yeah, I need a good strong cup of coffee," Martin agrees.

All five are quick to agree and I am glad of the break, the task of deciding what is certain to be a death sentence isn't something to rush or take lightly.

"I'd like to go and check on my sister," Sam says quietly as we get to our feet.

"I'll go and see if she will talk to you," I tell him gently as we head for one of the two doors out of the room.

We pass through the kitchen and Sam pauses for a few moments to talk quietly with Dwayne Williamson who is there making three cups of coffee. I notice that Dwayne looks as if he has had little sleep overnight and I can't help feeling slightly sorry for the tom. From the information Sam had told me about the entire situation regarding his sister it seemed like a lot of basically honest, good intentioned werecats had been caught in the fallout of Wade's mistakes.

"I'll go ahead and see if Rosy is ready for visitors," I tell Sam.

"I'll be there in a minute," Sam answers distractedly.

I find Rosy curled up in a recliner chair in Don Curtis' study facing the wall. Across the room from her Alan Cummings sits in a straight-backed chair, he had been watching her but turned his attention to me when I walked into the room.

"Who was it who called you?" I ask quietly.

"Both Don and Cantrell, they figure I have enough experience having handled Darcy for nearly ten years to be able to deal with this one," Alan says mentioning his late wife who had been a stray she-kitt he had rescued when he worked as a warrior.

"I won't be 'handled'," Rosy snarls angrily.

I had diagnosed Alan Cummings' wife Darcy with Post Traumatic Stress from her time as a captive of strays. Unfortunately after their first son was born she had developed Paranoid tendencies. With some research by Alan Cummings' medic a drug cocktail had been used to keep her functioning relatively normally until a few months ago when she had managed to stock pile her medication instead of taking it and commit suicide.

"She's usually jumpy around strangers," I say as I glance at Rosy thoughtfully. She is still sitting with her back to Alan but I notice she is watching a glossy wall so I guess she is keeping track of him by his reflection and her hearing.

"When I first came in to introduce myself she was crying, apparently her arm was hurting so I got the Williamson medic to give her something for the pain." Alan says with a slight shrug.

"Exactly why were you asked to come here?" I ask when both Alan and Rosy offer no comments for several minutes.

"I need a wife who can give me a daughter if I want to remain in control of the clan," Alan says quietly. "From what I have been hearing she needs a husband."

"I don't need a husband!" Rosy snaps without looking at either of us. "If this kitt needs a male role model I got two brothers!"

"I told you," Alan says in calm even tones, "if you're not facing me I can't understand a word you're saying."

"And I told you, fuck off and leave me alone!" Rosy yells without turning around.

I hear steps outside the door and turn to look as the door is opened. Sam walks into the room with three steaming mugs and hesitates as he spots Alan.

"I wasn't aware you were in here," Sam says as he kicks the door closed behind him and walks over to hand me a mug.

"You must have been in a sound proof room then," Alan says with a shrug. "Your sister there must be having a bad day."

"If you call having some Neanderthal Cave-Werecat coming in and announcing he is willing to marry me and give me a place to live having a bad day then yes! I am having a fucking rotten arsehole of a day!" Rosy yells.

"Rosy! You know better than to go swearing in front of an Alpha!" Sam snaps, as he turns red in the face.

I am about to say Rosy's behaviour is caused by her fear but Alan clears his throat noisily making Rosy flinch and give a startled exhalation.