The Porch Wolf Ch. 41-50

"I'd bite him until he let me go," Vicki said as she went back to watching the giant whale sharks. It was an impressive aquarium, a much bigger scale than the one back home.

When we were making our way to the exits as the aquarium closed down, Bonnie got a text. "It's gone to the jury."

Ch. 48

Alpha (?) Leo Volkov's POV

"I'll see you in the hearing room," Lawrence Fenwick said as he closed up his briefcase. The lawyer in real life, who served as Beta of the White Mountain Pack in Franconia, New Hampshire, was a good friend of Adrienne. They had worked on several cases together in her time with the Council.

The guard opened the door and let him out, leaving me sitting on the thin cot with Adrienne. I was shocked when they pushed her into the cell, and more so when I found out why. It was audacious but ingenious; by placing herself in legal jeopardy with me, she forced the Council to grant her full legal rights. These rights included the right to a jury hearing of her peers and representation. It was far more than that allowed a rogue, especially a Rogue Alpha. For them, the Alpha would declare guilt, and the execution was summary judgment.

I pulled Adrienne up on my lap, enjoying the feel of my arms around her. "I'm sorry I got you into this, love," I said.

"Don't." She snuggled her head into my neck, the tingles making us both excited. "You haven't done anything wrong. You are a good man, a good mate, and a good Alpha. I don't want to be anywhere else right now."

I ran my hand over her head and neck, setting her wolf to rumble deep in her chest. She couldn't come out, the silver collars prevented that, but she was there. My wolf wanted her badly. "If this goes badly, I die with no regrets. Liv, Sharkbait, and my Pack helped me live again, and you let me love again. My wolf and I will be happy as we go to the Moon."

"What do you think happens to us when we go," she asked.

"What do you mean?"

She let out a breath. "I always thought that when you died, you and your mate would be together forever. When you cross over, will you be walking with me, or going alone to Catherine?"

"I don't know," I said.

"Will he understand? I was alone for ten years, and I didn't expect to find you. Luna set it up, right?"

I hugged her a little tighter. "My Catherine thought so. She didn't want me to kill myself to follow her; she wanted me to move on and find happiness again. I think they will both be there waiting, and they will be happy for us. I want to spend my eternity with both of you."

Adrienne's head leaned back, and I pulled her into a kiss that became deeply passionate. Another thirty seconds and the guys watching the cell camera would get a show, but it was not to be. The door to the cell opened, and four big guards and their supervisor came in carrying silver shackles in their gloved hands. "Time to break it up, lovebirds," the leader said. When this was over, I was going to find this jerk and have a 'friendly spar' with him. My ankle hadn't fully healed from the accident, but it would be a short and painful fight for him. "Volkov, stay where you are. McInnis, face the wall over here."

"That's LUNA McInnis, officer," she said as she got up from my lap. "My status has not changed."

He stuck her in the thigh with the cattle prod, causing her to cry out in pain. I was off the cot in a second, but the guards were waiting for me. I took one prod to the sternum, and another to the side of my stomach. The combination made my muscles lock up, and I dropped to the ground with a thud. By the time I could move, a chain was around my waist with my hands shackled at each side. Cuffs around my ankles connected by an 18" chain would prevent me from running. The guards pulled me to my feet in time to see Adrienne's limp form dragged out the door.

It was no longer a friendly spar. I wanted that officer's blood on my teeth for hurting my mate. She didn't resist; she just pointed out that she was entitled to some respect.

I moved as quickly as I could after her. I tripped a few times due to the chain, but the guards kept me moving. We went up the stairs and out the door into the night.

I looked over at Adrienne as we were marched side-by-side across the lawn to the main building. Only Alphas and Lunas were allowed in the trial room, so a crowd of lower ranks surrounded us as we moved through. Some shouted encouragement, while others told us they looked forward to our executions. The idea of a banished Alpha raising a Pack scared them.

We went into the dining hall via a side door. The chairs in the back were already filling with Alphas and Lunas. A raised table was in the front for the Council, and chairs on the far side for the jury. Two tables faced the front. At the far one, Council Counselor Randall Albertson sat with another wolf. Our lawyer, Lawrence Fenwick, was seated at the other. He smiled as he saw us, then glanced at our shackles. "Remove those," he told the guards.

"They are rogues," the supervisor said.

"Not until adjudicated as such. Chaining defendants like this prejudice the jury. Are you saying that five of you can't handle two prisoners wearing remote-controlled silver collars?" The supervisor paused, linking his supervisor, then directed the removal. Adrienne and I sat down as he went over the rules. "The Alphas will be asked if they have a conflict of interest that would prevent them from reaching a just verdict. Those that do not will put their names in a bowl, and seven names will be drawn to form the jury. Since this is a death penalty case, the decision must be unanimous."

"That's good, right," Adrienne asked. "We only have to convince one juror."

"Not quite," Lawrence said. "For you, Luna, that is true. However, Leo has already received summary judgment. To reverse that will take a unanimous verdict."

"That means a split verdict..."

"Would free you, my love, only to watch me executed," I said. Her face fell. "I won't let that happen."

"I'll be right behind you," Adrienne said. "I can't go through that again. I won't."

"Then, we have to win." The bailiff called us to our feet, and we remained standing as the Council members filed into the room.

Chairman Sanders opened a folder and started to ready. "Leo Volkov was found guilty of being a banished wolf raising a rogue pack, and I sentenced him to execution. Luna Adrienne McInnis, his mate, has petitioned to be a co-defendant since she is Luna of the Miesville Pack. As Luna McInnis was a werewolf with Council standing, she has been granted this hearing by a jury of her peers. Each of you has a card to write your name on. If you can give impartial justice, put your card in the jar as it goes by." Ten minutes later, four men and three women sat in the chairs for the jury.

"Counselor Albertson, opening statement."

He stood and walked to the jury. "This is a simple matter. Leo Volkov was banished from the Welch Pack five years ago. The evidence is incontrovertible; all you have to do is look at the scar on his face. Our laws on banishment are clear; once banished, they cannot join another Pack. Ever. To enter Pack grounds is a death sentence."

He turned and pointed towards us. "Leo and Adrienne formed a Pack with dozens of members. The Welch Pack no longer exists because of Leo Volkov's actions. Enforce our laws and uphold the Chairman's decision for death." With that, he walked back to the prosecution table and sat down.

"Counselor Fenwick, the Defense may make an opening statement."

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman." He stood and walked over to the jury. "The only thing you heard that is true is that Leo Volkov was banished five years ago. When we finish, you will be thanking Alpha Leo and Luna Adrienne for what they have done." With that, he sat down.

"Mr. Alberson, your first witness."

"Thank you. The prosecution calls the Council Registrar, Lynette Washington." An older woman walked forward, and the bailiff swore her in. "Mrs. Washington, you record proceedings and status changes for the Council?"

"Yes, sir. Births, deaths, matings, Pack changes, if a status changes, I enter it into the database."

He handed her a form. "Do you recognize the signature on this banishment form?"

She looked at the paper and nodded. "That is my signature. I sign the form and file it after entering it into the database."

Our lawyer stood. "Mr. Chairman, the defense will stipulate that the banishment was properly filed with the Council if it will save us time."

"Prosecution has no objection."

"So ruled. Any other questions for the witness?"

"Yes, Mr. Chairman. Is this the notice of Pack formation from the Miesville Pack you received in the mail?" He handed her a form.

"It is."

"Who is listed as the Alpha and Luna?"

"The Alpha is Leo Volkov, and the Luna is Adrienne McInnis. They are mates."

"Has it been entered?"

"No, sir, it is waiting on the Chairman's signature," she said.

"When does a Pack recognition take effect?"

"On the day of approval, of course."

"Thank you. Your witness." He walked back to his table.

"This will be fun," Lawrence whispered as he got up. "Mrs. Washington, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it make a noise?"

"Objection, relevance," the prosecutor said.

"I'll allow some leeway," the Chairman said.

"Mrs. Washington?"

"Of course it made a noise," she said.

"And if a Pack formed in the wilderness and you did not receive formal paperwork from it, is it still a Pack?"

She was flustered. "All Packs have to register themselves, how else will the Council know about them?"

"Of course, we all have our paperwork to deal with," Lawrence said with a grin as the Alphas chuckled. Paperwork was universal. "My question is simpler than that. Does the Alpha make a Pack, or does the Chairman signing a form make the Pack?" She didn't answer right away. "What does the form require for a Pack to be valid?"

"You need an Alpha with five members linked to him," she said. "The Pack members are listed on the form, along with the Packs they previously were in."

"And those members were listed on the form?"

"They were, although one was a juvenile with no previous Pack affiliation. That was highly unusual."

"Thank you. We have no further questions for this witness."

The prosecution called a witness to review the Werewolf laws regarding banishment. "Banishment is reserved for the most serious offenses, and is usually given instead of death," he said. "In some ways, banishment is worse than a quick execution. The wolf needs the social interaction and belonging of a Pack. Without it, their wolf slowly wastes away, and they die alone."

"Can a banished wolf form a Pack?"

"A rogue pack, certainly."

"Your witness."

Lawrence took the law book from Albertson as he passed. "When a wolf is banished, do Council laws apply to them?"

The witness looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if they are banished, they are no longer part of any Pack. No Pack member can interact with them. They cannot join another Pack, and they are subject to death if they trespass on Pack lands. Correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"So, if the banished wolf does not trespass on Pack lands, he remains outside the jurisdiction of the Council. After all, the inhibitions in this section apply to Packs within the Council."

"I suppose you are correct, but Volkov is on Pack lands," he said.

"I have no further questions for this witness," he said as he sat down.

"Mr. Albertson?"

"The prosecution rests," he said.

"The hearing will be in recess for fifteen minutes, after which the Defense will present its case." He banged the gavel, and we all rose as the Council filed out.

I squeezed Adrienne's hand before the guards took us out of the room. That had gone well for us.

Ch. 49

Stillwater Alpha Mark Conway's POV

I was outside taking a break when a woman came up next to me. "Mark, a moment alone?"

Luna Brenda Petersen was lighting up a cigarette; I nodded, and we walked away from the Pack House. "I'm worried Leo is going to get away with this," she said.

"The Council fucked up by inviting him," I said. "It's hard to argue a rogue Alpha is trespassing when you're invited in and escorted."

"Those men could fuck up a wet dream. I need Leo out of the way, Mark. He killed two of your Pack members."

I couldn't believe what she was proposing. "They are prisoners, and we're at a damn Alpha gathering with security everywhere."

"There's always a way to get to someone. There's fifty grand in it for you if he's found not guilty and still dies tonight."

I shook my head. "If he's not guilty, he's a recognized Alpha I'd be killing." Then it hit me. "Right now, he's a rogue. That can't change until the jury comes back. There's no penalty for killing a rogue."

"I think we understand each other." She tossed the butt onto the ground, grinding it under her fashionable shoes, then walked back without me.

Alpha (?) Leo Volkov's POV

The break was long enough for the guards to take us to a set of bathrooms behind the kitchen. Of course, as soon as we were out of sight of the jury, they put the ankle shackles on, 'so we didn't get any ideas about running.' The chains scraped along the tile floor of the bathroom as I shuffled back out.

As we went through the kitchen, I had an idea. I saw one of the cooks and waved him over. "Do you have anything we could eat? A man's last meal shouldn't be airplane food."

"Nothing hot, but there are some desserts." Now THAT . We couldn't go back into the hearing room yet, so we all ended up leaning against the wall, eating a slice of cheesecake. It wasn't Wiederholt's and their turtle cheesecake, but it was pretty good. I had strawberry, and Adrienne had blueberry, and we fed each other cake as the humans did after their weddings.

We left the plates stacked as the shackles came off before going back into the courtroom. Everyone was in place again when the Council filed back in. Chairman Sanders banged the session to order. "Counselor Fenwick, your defense."

Lawrence stood up next to us. "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The defense calls Luna Susan Miller."

Counselor Albertson stood. "Objection! Luna Miller is now a Beta in Leo's Pack."

"She also was present for the events that resulted in Alpha Leo's banishment. She is available by videoconference as this trial is so sudden."

"I'll allow it," the Chairman said.

Lawrence had arranged for the monitor and teleconferencing equipment to be brought in during the break, and soon he had Susan onscreen and sworn in. "Susan, what led to Leo's ouster as the Alpha of the Welch Pack?"

"When Catherine died, it devastated him," she said. "He withdrew from everyone, and the Pack was suffering. Todd did all he could to keep the company going, and I was dealing with the Pack issues. Leo wasn't eating or taking care of himself. He'd lost weight and interest; he'd promised Catherine he wouldn't kill himself, but he couldn't make himself live, either. His mate also made him promise not to invite a challenge, suicide by Alpha if you will, so he was stuck."

"It sounds like a bad time."

"It was terrible. We were alarmed because the Alpha Summit was coming up. Leo was in no shape to represent us, and that made us ripe for takeover. We needed to take over the Pack before it fell apart, and do it in a way that others wouldn't challenge. Todd came up with a plan and went to Leo with it."

"Leo was in on this?"

"He had to be. Most of our Pack worked at Volkov Construction, the company Leo had built up over twenty-five years. If Leo died, the company gets sold to the highest bidder, and that wouldn't be us."

"What was the deal?"

"Leo would sell Todd his interest in the company so it would stay in the Pack. Todd would challenge Leo for the Alpha position before the Summit, and Leo would let him win. Todd would exile Leo instead of killing him. He could stay in his house and have plenty of money to live; he just had to stay away."

"Was Leo stronger than Todd?"

"Leo is a mantled Alpha. Todd was Beta blood. Even at his lowest, Todd couldn't take him. Leo's dive would make it seem like he was stronger than he was. Other Alpha blood wolves were less likely to challenge him, then."

Lawrence walked back towards the table and pointed at me. "So, other than losing an Alpha challenge in a deal he made with the next Alpha, Leo did nothing wrong."

"Leo is now, and always has been an honorable wolf. That is why when our Pack fell apart after Todd's arrest, most of us ended up going to Leo's pack."

"Thank you. Your witness."

Counselor Albertson stood and walked towards the television. "Mrs. Miller," intentionally leaving her title out, I grumbled, "Alpha todd banished Leo Volkov from your Pack per Pack and Council laws?"

"He did. Our Pack members were Alpha-ordered not to interact with him, we banned from Pack lands, and the proper notifications got made. His home was his own, so he remained there."

"I see. Did your mate have any interaction with Leo after that?"

She thought about it. "Not until the night Todd ran Leo's truck off the road. Todd had been at the same restaurant, and Leo sat with him and treated him like a Beta again. He was FURIOUS; Leo told him that the Miesville Pack had formed, and he was taking transfers from other Packs. Leo had sent a text message to all our Pack members, letting them know and inviting them to consider it. Todd knew he wasn't the businessman or the Alpha that Leo was. That's why he ran them off the road with a dump truck."

"Leo threatened a sitting Alpha in public."

"He warned him to stay away from his heir," she replied.

"No further questions," he said.

"Redirect, Mr. Chairman?" Lawrence stood and got permission. "Beta Miller, how did you learn that Alpha Leo was forming the Miesville Pack?"

"A pack member forwarded a text message from him," she said.

"Can you read that message?" She took a minute to find her phone and do so. "That message went to more than just your Pack, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it went to all area Alphas." She showed the list on her phone.

Lawrence turned around to the audience. "How many of you received that text message on New Year's Eve? Please stand if you did." About fifteen Alphas from Minnesota and Wisconsin stood. "Now, of this group, please remain standing if you were concerned to hear Leo Volkov was forming a Pack." All of them sat down. "No more questions, Mr. Chairman."

"The witness is released. Next witness?"

"The defense calls Central Region Chairman Lewis Wolfe to the stand."

This time it was Chairman Sanders who looked shocked. "Mr. Wolfe is a member of the Council sitting in judgment," he said. "It would be improper for him to testify."

"Chairman Wolfe was witness to key events critical to the defense of my clients," Lawrence said. "The jury is deciding guilt, and the Council already sentenced him."

A minute later, Lawrence started his questioning. "Chairman Wolfe, how long have you known Leo Volkov?"

"I was at his mating ceremony, so going on thirty years," he said.

"When did you find out Leo was forming a Pack?"

"It was after the news stories broke, first the attempted abduction of the girl and her mother, then the second attempt on their life by Alpha Todd. As a Council member, it was my responsibility to bring the matter to a close quickly and without human intervention. Luna Adrienne and I traveled first to Wisconsin, then to Minnesota. I met with Luna Susan, then accompanied her to Leo's home."

"What was the purpose of that meeting," Lawrence asked.

"The Welch Pack was imploding with Todd in prison. The best way to bring peace to the Region was to encourage the Welch Pack to merge with the Miesville Pack. It went better than I thought; our Mediator didn't have to do anything. Alpha Leo made sure Susan and her Pack members got a fair deal."