Sharkbait Ch. 21-25

"OBJECTION," Parker said.

The Chairman was in no mood for this. "Overruled. Doctor Martinsen is in the audience?"

A middle-aged Luna stood up from the back of the room. "Yes, Mr. Chairman?" She was Luna of a Pack near Boston.

"You can obtain samples and have them analyzed for DNA, correct?"

"Of course, sir. I can drive them to the lab and have the answer in a few hours." He called her forward, and she took cheek swabs from both adults.

Lawrence went back to questioning the witness. "Monique, how old are you?"

"I'll be 21 in July," she said.

"So when you were raped multiple times by Timothy Lords, how old were you?" Parker objected without success; the Chairman wanted to hear this.

"Sixteen."

"Mr. Chairman, the Prosecution charges Timothy Lords with the rape of an underage female, and charges Doctor Peter Pendleton with perjury," Lawrence said.

"So noted," the Chairman said. "Bailiff, take Doctor Pendleton into custody." The guards had been watching the Killington Doctor closely and were ready when he tried to run. He was silvered and chained quickly, screaming as they dragged him out of the room.

Lawrence looked over at a shaken Parker. "Your witness," he said.

Parker walked towards the witness, composing his thoughts. "Miss Robinson, did Alpha Theodore ever threaten you if you didn't turn over the child?"

"You read the letter. The Alpha said it would be 'best for all concerned' if I did."

"I see. So, you are just ASSUMING that Alpha Theodore's intended to kill the child, not to bring his grandson into the Pack."

She snickered. "It seems reasonable considering the lengths the Alpha would go to take Vicki's child."

"Yet you have no evidence Alpha Theodore ever did so. Isn't it reasonable for him to think that his Grandson would be safer with his Pack than on the run with a rogue Omega?"

"No, not when he tried to kill us at least once."

"Miss Robinson, you are accusing a sitting Alpha of attempted murder. Do you have a single shred of proof to back up your accusation?"

"Only if he will agree to testify," she said calmly. "He let me go when he found out what the Alpha truly wanted him to do."

"Who?"

"I'd rather not say out loud," she said.

The Chairman motioned for Parker to return to his desk. "Bailiff, pass the witness a pen and paper," he said. Monique wrote a name down; the Chairman read it with a raised eyebrow before he passed it to the other Council members. "This man can give testimony related to your claim," he asked her.

"Yes, but only if he agrees, and only if he is no longer under Alpha Theodore's command,"

The Chairman waved the bailiff over. "Have this man brought to chambers. The hearing will be in recess for ten minutes." He banged the gavel, and the Council filed out to their room with Monique and Adrienne.

"What just happened," I asked.

"Breakthrough," Mom said. "We'll see his Pack turning against him."

Ten minutes later, the Council returned with a male in his thirties; he was well-built and had the bearing of a warrior. Adrienne brought Monique over to sit in our area while he testified. "Court is now in session. Warrior Kendall Wright has transferred the allegiance of himself and his family to the Miesville Pack." Good, that meant all the previous Alpha commands that bound him were gone. He was sworn in, with Alpha Leo commanding him to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

"He's a good man, a strong warrior, mated with two young girls," Adrienne said to us privately. "He deserved a better Alpha."

Lawrence was first up. "Warrior Kendall, have you met Monique Robinson before?"

"I have, sir."

"How did that come about?"

He looked at the defense table with disgust before starting. "In April of 2031, Alpha Theodore and Beta Max called four of us into his office. The Beta gave us photos of Omega Robinson, who had left two years ago. The Alpha said that Omega Robinson had stolen from the Pack. She was reportedly working at a café in Charleston, South Carolina. The four of us were to accompany the Beta there, where we were to kill her and her family."

"Kill? Not recover?"

"No, he was specific. I thought it weird that he didn't ask to recover the property, or even say what it was. The five of us flew to Charleston and went to the location. I was assigned to cover the back alley, while the Beta and two others went inside, and the driver waited in front."

"What happened then?"

"Monique rushed out of the back, carrying a baby in a child carrier. I stopped her; she was so frightened and begged me to let her go. I got a good sniff of the child, and I couldn't believe it." He paused and looked at Timothy. "The boy had an Alpha Mantle."

Lawrence picked it up from there. "The boy was the 'pack property' that Monique had stolen."

He nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose as he gathered himself. "I'm a warrior and a father. I have a code of honor I live by, and I don't kill children," he said. "I told her to go, and she ran off. I bounced my head and shoulder off the door, blocking it with my body. When the Beta made it to the alley, she was gone. I told him her guard had knocked me out."

"You defied Alpha order," he said.

"I missed my opportunity to carry it out," Kendall replied.

"And these three other warriors can back up your allegations?"

He nodded. "If removed from Command, yes."

"Mr. Chairman, the Prosecution adds a charge of Attempted Murder of an Alpha Heir to the charges against Alpha Theodore." The charge he faced now was only Kidnapping of an Alpha Heir. The Chairman accepted the new charge and told Lawrence to continue. "Your witness."

Parker stood up. "To be clear, the Alpha never told you specifically to kill the child."

"He said to kill Monique and her family."

"No further questions, Mr. Chairman."

"Any further questions for Miss Robinson," he asked. Both lawyers said no. "The trial will adjourn until eight AM." He banged his gavel to end the session. "Miss Robinson, the Werewolf Council offers you its assistance and protection. Our children are our greatest treasures. We will be happy to assist in helping you join a Pack, where you can raise him among our kind."

"Thank you, sir, but I must decline. I have all the protection I need and trust. Have a good evening." She got up and walked out with Luna Adrienne before anyone could react, and before the Council left the chamber.

"Where are you taking her," I asked my Luna.

"Back to her friend," she replied. "She knows we will help if she needs it, but she is safer on her own." I snorted; my life proved that. Tyler deserved better.

"You've been protecting her all along?"

"No, but we've been helping a friend do it. Her protectors contacted me after she found out she was pregnant. Monique knew we could be trusted."

"Because you had helped a woman with a mantled child before," I said.

"Yes. I have to go soon."

"Are you being followed?"

"Killington has allies too. They won't be able to track her in a helicopter."

I smiled at this; of course, they had already worked out her escape. Once again, we stayed behind and let the room clear out. I turned on my phone and sent a text to Kai, with a message for Amy. "Things are going well, no answer until tomorrow." I followed it up with a photo of the letter Todd had left for me, asking Kai to read it to her when she was ready.

He texted back that she was resting after a long day of neurological testing, but she was showing progress. That was excellent news.

Leo was beset by both Council and Pack, all of whom wanted him to turn over the Omega and her mantled son to them. It got a little loud, and I watched as the sides formed. "Look, it's not my call," he finally said. "Monique is not in my Pack. I am not privy to her location, and I am not involved in her protection. She asked Adrienne to get her to trial and back out, and that's what we did. If she wants to stay hidden, you need to let her and stay away."

"He is the true heir of the Killington Pack," one of the Alphas said.

"Alpha Theodore would kill him if he could," I said as I stood and turned to the men. "I don't doubt her story, and I've got scars from these same conflicts. Do you want the boy to be safe? Then STOP LOOKING FOR HIM. All you are doing is driving him farther underground and away from his people. Let him grow to be of age, and he can make his own decisions about his mantle."

"What she said," Leo said proudly. "Now if you will excuse us, we have to go."

Our group formed protective rings around me as we moved outside and to the cars. I didn't relax until we were off Pack property. "That was an interesting day," I said.

"I can't be involved in discussions about the trial," Leo said. "Try something else."

"I've received two-hundred-and-twenty-eight invitations to Prom, and eighty-seven marriage proposals this week," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Armed guards. We need more guards. And sharks, with frickin' LASERS attached to their heads."

I just laughed as we drove to the hotel.

Ch. 25

The next morning, after our family cleaned out the hotel breakfast buffet, we arrived back at the Killington Pack for the continuation of the trial. The mood in the hall was different this morning; you could feel the simmering anger. Rapists were the lowest of the low, and finding out what happened to Monique had people on edge.

They wanted blood.

We had to disarm as we headed into the room, walking to the same front corner we'd taken over the day before. The Killington Pack supporters had become far less numerous, and no one sat near the Luna or Traci in the front row. No matter what the verdict was, that Pack would never be the same. "What is happening with Killington," I asked one fo the Lunas behind us.

"Word is dozens of people have left already for other Packs," she said. "More are asking about it."

"Well, the rats who leave a sinking ship are the only ones behaving rationally," I said.

"We saw the same thing with the Welch Pack after they attacked us," Mom said. "It all worked out in the end. Sometimes you need a shakeup to get the shapeup."

At eight, the trial continued. The first person called was Doctor Martinsen. "Doctor, you performed the DNA samples on Miss Monique Robinson and Timothy Lords, and used those to show the paternity of minor child Tyler Robinson?"

"I did," she said. "I transported them to the lab and watched as they performed the testing."

"And what were the results?"

She looked down at the paper. "The testing conclusively showed that Miss Robinson and Mister Lords were the biological parents of the minor child."

There weren't gasps in the audience, most expected it, including me. It was more growls, at the scientific proof of the rape.

"Is there any possibility it was someone other than Timothy Lords? His father, perhaps?"

"No, sir. The test was conclusively a paternal match."

"The prosecution enters the results into evidence. Your witness, counselor."

I bit back a laugh as I looked at Parker Stevenson, the Defense Counsel, who was watching his defense get shredded. Arguing DNA evidence was a loser, and he knew it. "No questions, Mr. Chairman," he quickly said.

"The prosecution rests, Mr. Chairman."

Now the fun part. The only chance he had to argue the case was to put Timothy or Theodore on the stand, and no sane person would do that. "The defense rests, Mr. Chairman."

"Closing statements then, Beta Fenwick."

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman." He rose to face the Alphas. "There are facts in this case that are not in dispute. Timothy Lords, the Killington Alpha Heir, repeatedly raped a sixteen-year-old maid. Her departure from the Pack was not recorded with the Council as required. The rape resulted in a child with the Killington Alpha Mantle. After Alpha Theodore's money wasn't enough to get the child, he sent a team out at least once with instructions to kill her and her child. Thankfully, this attempt and any others he may have tried failed. The Killington leadership had a problem; their son was in love with his Beta's daughter, but she was not his mate. If he allowed the mating, their first child would not have the Alpha Mantle, proof of his infidelity, and completely unacceptable to the Alpha."

Turning to the defense table, he continued. "He needed a baby with a mantle to make up for his son's lack of character. There was a mantled Alpha female coming of age; she would be at this year's Summit, and a child with her would carry the mantle. Long before the summit began, plans were in place to capture this female and force her to bear a Killington heir. If Luna's will had prevailed, Heir Timothy would have claimed Vicki Lawrence, and no one would have known. Instead, he rejected her. Two days later, Vicki was abducted and chained to a wall. A Beta was severely injured in the attack and is now blind."

"The Beta's son was to call when she was ovulating, so Timothy could get his mantled heir. The only good part of this story is that the captor gave up when he realized what his leaders had planned for them. That is what happened; it is now that you, Alphas of the jury, need to hold leadership to account. The defense will soon argue that there is no direct evidence of the Alpha ordering the kidnapping. That is true; Beta Max's death took away that link. However, you are allowed to look at the totality of the evidence. Theodore signed for the money to buy the land where Vicki was held captive. This land had no value beyond its proximity to the Summit and lack of neighbors. Someone told the Doctor, who lied on the stand about paternity, to instruct Todd in taking temperatures. Someone paid for the supplies and the vehicle. Someone let their Beta and his son leave the Summit and covered for them as we searched for her captors. That person was Alpha Theodore."

Damn. Lawrence was on a roll. "Occam's Razor is a rule stating the obvious answer is usually the correct one. No one benefitted more from Vicki's abduction than Alpha Theodore. Beta Max didn't care; his daughter was going to be Luna regardless." He turned back to the jury to close. "It is time to close this sad chapter and hold the ringleaders responsible. Bring back guilty verdicts, as is your duty. Thank you." He returned to his seat, and Parker rose in his place.

"I told you at the start of this trial that theories exist in the absence of proof. You've heard a fanciful theory. It's a story that belongs among the trashy teenage werewolf books on Wattpad." He turned to the Alphas. "No direct evidence ties Alpha Theodore or Timothy to the kidnapping. Nothing. It's all smoke and mirrors, and that is NOT enough to meet the standard of your jury decision. What that Beta did to Vicki was horrible, but it was what the Beta did. Both men killed themselves. Don't allow your thirst for vengeance to cloud your duty to the truth."

With that, he sat down. "He didn't mention the rape or the assassination attempt," I sent to Mom and Adrienne.

"You don't mention what you can't get out from under," Adrienne replied.

Following jury instructions, the Chairman put the trial in recess, pending a verdict. We ended up back in our room, and I pulled out my phone to catch up on emails as I waited. I checked the website and let out a squeal. "We hit $2.54 Million," I exclaimed. Pulling up the website, I saw the mail-order fundraising split between people buying trackers and people buying posters. "Check this out, Mom," I said. "I'm glad I let you talk me into the heavy breathing poster. It's number one."

"People love a hero," Mom said.

"With her thong backlit by the sun," I said with a giggle. I went through the messages and saw one from Mercedes. She was setting up two events and a photoshoot in Hawaii for me; they would fly me first-class to the Island, and leave the return date open. I could bring three guests along; I just needed to tell her the names. It was the vacation I'd promised to Amy, but I didn't know if she'd be able to go. I forwarded the dates to Kai along with a trial update.

He called me back. "Hey, Vicki. We were just talking about you. I'm putting you on speaker."

"Hi bestie," Amy said. "I wish I could see you right now."

Holy crap, she's joking? "Me too," I said. "You've missed all the fun. I think Timothy sharted when Monique walked into the room. He's screwed so bad his lawyer didn't even try and argue it."

"And Theodore?"

"I don't know, but he tried to kill Monique's son. That's a big fucking deal, and he knows it." I needed to change the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"My head feels like it's been run over by a car," she said. "The doctors don't even want me to get my head wet for two more weeks, and it will be months before I'm allowed to swim. They don't want any pressure on my healing skull."

"I'm sorry," I said. "When can you fly?"

"I get out of here in another ten days, and I'll continue with outpatient treatments at a hospital in Eugene. Mom is going to move out to the University of Oregon condo where Kai lives now. That way, Kai can finish his school, and I can be close to the hospital."

I checked my schedule. "I'm doing an event at the Oregon Coast Aquarium two weeks from Saturday," I said. "I'd like you to join me if you can."

"Why? I look like Frankenstein, and I'm not the famous one," she protested.

"You're my friend, and you're part of my dreams, too," I replied. "Besides, we're selling a bunch of those posters with us swimming in the Bahamas. I would love for people to meet you so you can autograph them."

"We'll work on her signature," Kai promised. "If it can happen, we will make it happen."

"Thank you, Kai." Someone knocked on the door and told us the verdict was in. "I've got to go. Take good care of my swim-buddy," I said. "I love you, Amy."

"I love you too, Vicki." I hung up and powered the phone down as we all got up to head back in.

The Chairman looked to the jury foreman, an Alpha from Alaska. "Has the jury come to a verdict?"

"We have, Mr. Chairman."

"Very well. We'll start with Doctor Peter Pendleton. On the charge of perjury, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"For defendant Timothy Lords, on the charge of conspiracy to kidnap an Alpha heir, how do you find?"

"Not guilty." I saw a sigh of relief on the defense side, but it wasn't over.

"On the charge of rape of an underage female?"

"Guilty." Good. Timothy was acting tough, but the little bitch knew what this meant, and his balls were probably hiding up his asshole right now.

"For Alpha Theodore Lords, on the charge of conspiracy to kidnap an Alpha heir, how do you find?"

"Guilty."

"On the charge of attempted murder of an Alpha heir?"

"Guilty."

The Chairman thanked the jury for their service. "Trial is in recess until 1400, at which time we will reconvene for sentencing and punishment." He banged the gavel, and we all stood as the Council walked out.

"One great thing about werewolf justice is that it happens fast," Adrienne said. "The sentences will be carried out before dinnertime."

"I'd rather not watch," I said nervously. "But I have to. I need to be able to tell Amy I saw them punished for what they did."

"You may have to do more than watch," Adrienne said. "Victims and family members are allowed to participate in the punishment."

"Monique and Amy aren't here," I said. "Both have more of a claim than I do."

Alpha Steve Dauntless, Alpha Leo, and Alpha Ivan all joined us. "I will claim rights for Amy, as she is in my Pack now," he said. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"And I will stand in for Monique," Adrienne said.

"Thank you," I said. We tried to relax and eat, and I caught up on my messages. Mom and I spent time on my busy travel schedule. I was flying out almost every Friday afternoon and returning Sunday night. On some weekends, I was making four or five aquarium appearances. I was booked solid through May. "Our charity has already raked in our target. Maybe we just call fundraising over soon," I said.