Treasure Ch. 51-55

Sawyer ended the call and followed one of the Omegas to the guest room he had been assigned. He didn't have much time, but luckily most of the forms needed were standard and quickly modified for his needs. He sent the forms to his younger brother, then pulled out the forms he would need to file with the Council to be recognized as the lawyer for his sister Coral and her Alphas. He sent a text to his mother, letting her know where he was and what he was doing, but didn't get a response.

He hit print and his portable printer got the forms going while he took a quick shower and changed into his suit. He had just enough time for dinner; he left his computer and the forms on the coffee table and headed downstairs to eat.

The dining room was busy; there was no set meal time, so he got in line for the hot food. He was looking for an open spot when he saw Beta Carlson waving at him from a nearby table. Coral spoke highly of him from her time here, so he walked over with his tray and sat down. "Thanks, Beta," he said. "I don't know many people here except my sister, and I can't eat with her."

"Ron please, I think of Coral as family and you're on her side. It's not a good situation she found herself in," he said as he got a feel for her brother. "There's something going on with the Council I don't like. Coral didn't do anything wrong, and she has no business being in a cell."

"I'd agree with you on that, but I just got named her lawyer. It's going to take a bit of time to get up to speed." He started on the grilled cheese, dipping it in ketchup to the Beta's amusement.

"The charges are complete bullshit, and I think they know it," Ron said. "Coral hasn't done anything to expose our nature to humans, it was Rori who did that. As for the harboring a fugitive, you might want to look at this." He handed him a paper.

"What's this?"

"The orders my team was given when we were sent to capture Rori King. You might find it interesting." His eyes glazed over as he received a message over the Pack link. "I have to go, one of the Omegas is missing." He got up, taking his tray back to the kitchen. Sawyer opened the document, scanning it briefly. It was only on his third read that he caught on to what the Beta was referring to.

He returned to his room, knowing now what he needed to do. He took with him two documents, leaving the rest for later. He checked in with the Alpha's secretary ten minutes early and took a seat on the large couch in the waiting area, calming himself for the battle to come.

"If you knew what was good for you, you'd be on your way home already," his father said as he entered the room. He had at least showered and put on fresh clothes, but the cheap whiskey smell wasn't going away quickly.

"I'm exactly where I need to be right now," Sawyer replied easily. "It's not too late. Withdraw the charges now. Apologize to your mate and your children while there is still something left to save in your relationships."

He stood defiant. "THEY left ME," he said. "If they apologize, I will consider letting them back into the Pack, but they must accept that I am now and always will be their Alpha."

Beta Charles stepped out of the room, flanked by a pair of large Enforcers. "Alpha Forrest will see you both now," he said.

Both men got up and followed him into the room. Sawyer started to go in before him, then thought better of it and let his father go first. They bowed their heads to Councilman Forrest, who gestured for them to take their seats in the leather chairs before his desk. "Next Alpha Sawyer, you requested this meeting, what are you requesting of me?"

"I have already given you everything you need," his father interrupted, "And Sawyer is going to be returning home immediately. I apologize for the waste of your valuable time."

Alpha Forrest's left eyebrow raised as he looked at the younger man. "Is that true, Sawyer?"

"It is not, Councilman. I have several things I need to discuss with you urgently." His father gripped the edges of the chair, but the purpose-built furniture was made to withstand such things. Sawyer reached into his briefcase and withdrew a form. "In accordance with Council Law Chapter 13, I am notifying Alpha Nygaard and the Council of my intent to challenge my father, William, for the Alpha position of the Cascade Pack."

"You insolent bastard!" William tried to jump up, but the Enforcers had expected it and kept him down. A glare from the Councilman along with a burst of his dominance was enough to get him to sit back in the chair. "You can't do this!"

"I can, and I will," Sawyer said. "Our Pack is fracturing after the departure of three members of my family, including the Luna. His leadership and decision making have failed us, and without an immediate change, I fear for our future. It is for the good of the Pack that I am making the challenge."

Alpha Forrest looked at the document, then tossed it on the desk. "You understand the process here, correct?"

"Yes sir. Now that the notification has been made, the Council will inform the Pack of the upcoming challenge. I will leave the Pack pending the challenge, taking temporary membership in another Pack. The Council will ensure a sealed ballot vote is made, and if at least one-third of the Pack agrees I am a worthy potential Alpha, the challenge will proceed. The challenge will be in wolf form to submission, with the winner taking the Alpha mantle while the loser can be demoted, exiled or killed."

"That is correct. The process will take about two weeks. Are you sure you want to do this, son?"

"I am."

"Since your Alpha is here and your Luna is rogue, I take it your brother Carson is in charge at the Pack?"

"Yes sir." Alpha Forrest picked up the phone and called the Alpha Office back at the Pack, and informed Carson of the pending challenge. He used the link to notify the Pack of what was coming, so they wouldn't panic even more.

"I, Next Alpha Sawyer Michael Nygaard, hereby renounce my position and membership in the Cascade Pack." He winced as he felt the bond rip away, breathing hard through the pain.

"You may step out, Alpha Nygaard. The Council will inform you of the progress. I suggest you go for a run or something to calm down before returning to your room. And for Luna's sake, stop with the drinking, you're an Alpha. Act like it."

"Yes sir." He walked out, still fighting his shift from his anger. His youngest children, his mate and now his oldest son had all turned against him. They would pay, he vowed to himself as he closed the door a little too loudly.

As soon as he is out the door, Alpha Forrest looks back at Sawyer. "You had something else?"

"I do," he said as he took another paper out of his briefcase. "I have been retained as counsel for members of the Arrowhead Pack, including Alpha Rori King, her mate Chase Nygaard, and their Beta, Coral Nygaard."

"The Council has not ruled on any Alpha-ship of Rori King," he said.

"It does not matter if the Council has done that or not, I represent the three of them in all matters pertaining to the Council. You are currently holding my client, Coral Nygaard, in a cell pending a trial. She has a right to a pre-trial hearing where the evidence can be examined to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. I am requesting that this hearing be held today, as soon as the required three Council members are available."

Alpha Forrest sits back, knowing he has no choice but to agree. "Very well. I will inform my prosecutor and the Council. The hearing will convene at three PM, unless you need more time."

"This is going to be a quick hearing, sir. Three will be fine."

-

Patty drove through Montana while Luna Nygaard, who insisted she call her Colletta, napped in the passenger seat. The mountains had given way to wide open plains, and they were just outside Miles City when she felt the push on her mind. "Omega Patricia, where are you?"

"I'm leaving the Pack," she sent back to whoever it was before she blocked the link. She was too far away for the normal Pack link to work, so they must have called those outside the normal Pack lands to look for her. Only the Alpha could bust through her block, though, and he wasn't close enough. It would tell them the general area she was in, though.

She took the next exit, not wanting to do this while she was driving. The county road was deserted, and she pulled over to the side of the road and got out. She didn't want to wake Colletta up if she couldn't take the pain.

Walking across the road, she faced the freeway and closed her eyes, seeking out the link that held her to the only Pack she'd ever known. "I, Patricia Ann Conway, hereby renounce my position and membership in the Bitterroot Pack." As the last word left her lips, the pain of a part of her being ripped away caused her to cry out as she dropped to her knees. She took a few minutes, panting on her hands and knees as she dealt with the loss.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "It's not easy to leave your Pack, is it," Colletta said as she knelt by her. "It hurt like a bitch when I did it. I was distracted by my anger. I was madder 'n a three-legged dog trying to bury his turd on an icy pond."

"I'm a rogue now," she said. "I finally did it. I was so afraid of leaving the Pack that I put up with my treatment for all this time, and now I'm committed. The Alpha will never let me back in after he sees what I've done."

"Well, you aren't going back to his Pack, are you?" She shook her head no as she was helped to her feet. "My son has compassion that is solely lacking in some others in my family. I think a fresh start is exactly what you need to break free of the cycle of abuse you've been in." She opened the passenger door and set her in before going around to the driver's side. "I'll go for a while, it hurts for hours."

"They are going to know I'm within thirty miles or so of the man who tried to link me," she said as she closed her eyes.

"Lay the seat back and go to sleep, I'll get us out of here before it does them any good." She picked up her own phone along with the earphone and mic combination and called her son back. "Hi Chase, we're out," she told him. "Patty has just broken the link, so they know she has gone. Is the tape ready?"

"It is. When you get to Two Harbors, I need you to videotape her statement and send it to me. Leave the Pack out, we're going with the idea that this is a secretive cult."

"I will. She's resting now, she was with that Pack a long time and it's difficult on her." She was back on Interstate 90 now, pushing the SUV along at over eighty miles and hour on the open road. "How is Rori doing?"

"She's healing well, and I'm so proud of her. She's going to be a great Alpha."

"I know she will."

"Mom, you should know something." He gathered his thoughts. "I got a call from Sawyer. He's representing Coral with the Council, which is great, and is also representing Rori and I as we fight for recognition as the new Arrowhead Pack."

"That's good. I knew he was coming to the Bitterroot Pack, they made me leave before he arrived."

"Mom, he's challenging Dad for the Pack. Sawyer has left the Pack pending the challenge, which is going to happen in two weeks. He needs to talk to you."

She let out a breath. "He needs to win, my son. Too much has happened for him to continue in that spot, the Pack will fragment if he isn't replaced. Don't worry about me, Chase. If he is exiled or killed, I will return to the Pack and stand in as his Luna until he finds his mate."

"He didn't want to, but Dad won't listen."

"I know." She talked with him for the next twenty minutes about the Arrowhead territory and how they would care for the new Pack members. "All this is going to cost a lot of money."

"Sawyer is going to help with that. We have a lot to do, and Sawyer is coming here tomorrow. He needs to join our Pack until the challenge." He told his mom he loved her. "Call me when you get to Minnesota."

Ch. 52

Sawyer left the Alpha's office and returned to his room; he had little time to deal with all this before the hearing. He had a few things to do, first of which was updating his soon-to-be Alphas on what was going on. That conversation was quick, as they were eating and then Rori had to rest again.

He spent the next hour going over the paperwork and working through the arguments in his head. The Council had brought the charges, and only the Council could dismiss them. The proceedings were viewable by any Alpha or Beta in the country on a secure video server, and he needed all the help he could get. He sent an email to them all, excluding the Council members.

The Council was the problem here, and if they refused to be reasonable, he wanted as many people to see it as possible.

His email included a synopsis of what was going on with Rori King and the Arrowhead Pack, much of which would be a shock to the other Packs. He hadn't gotten any updates on the issue before he arrived here, and the Council wasn't sharing. That also would become obvious as the hearing progressed.

He started getting emails almost immediately from all over North America and Europe but didn't have time to respond. Instead, he was poring through the documentation he had been given and the Council laws. His phone beeped at fifteen minutes to three, giving him time to collect his notes into his briefcase.

Beta Carlson was waiting for him outside his room. "The hearing will be held in the conference room. Your sister is being brought from the cells now, and you will have a few minutes to speak to her in private before the hearing."

"Thank you, Ron. Can you ensure my father attends? Some of my questions about the charges will require him to answer questions."

He nodded. "He is coming, hopefully he has sobered up by then."

They walked upstairs to the Alpha wing, where he was led to an empty office with no window and a single door. He nodded to the Enforcers standing next to his sister as she sat in the chair, her wrists and ankles in silver-coated shackles to ensure she couldn't shift or run. "I'll speak to my client alone, please," he said.

They walked out, leaving them alone, and he was quick to hug her. "Thank you for helping me, Sawyer, but you didn't have to challenge Dad."

"I did, Coral. Let's worry about that later. First of all, I need you to tell me exactly what happened that afternoon at Rori's cabin." She went through everything, from the panicked phone call to her father being sent away by Chase, then his short return when the Club had already arrived. "I'm going to be arguing to toss the charges, and then I'm taking you out of here immediately. Nothing good can come from us being around the Council right now."

"Get these off of me and I'll be out of here in a heartbeat," she said. "I came to argue for Rori's Alpha claim, and they aren't talking about that."

"Trust me, they are talking about it, just in secret. After this hearing, it all comes out and the Council won't be able to hide anymore." He helped her to her feet and opened the door; the Enforcers each took an arm and they all went into the large conference room. Councilman Forrest had been joined by Chairman Gruber, seated at the head of the table, and Councilman Waterman. This provided the necessary quorum for the hearing.

Coral was seated in the middle of his side of the table, an Enforcers sitting between her and the Council. He set his briefcase down next to her as the second enforcer took a seat behind them. He saw his father sitting against the wall on the opposite side.

The Prosecutor, a long-time lawyer for the Council, was sitting on the opposite side of the table with his assistant. "Richard Long, pleasure to meet you," he said as he stood and extended his hand.

"Sawyer Nygaard," he replied. "Where's the video feed?"

"There isn't one," Chairman Gruber said. "This hearing is a formality."

"With all due respect, Mr. Chairman, legal proceedings of the Council are to be made available on the secure website with proper notice given to all Council Packs. I must insist these proceedings be broadcast, there are many in the Cascade Pack and elsewhere that are interested in watching."

The Prosecutor looked surprised. "We don't have the equipment set up and we've given no notice," he said. "We will be sure to have it for the trial."

"No, you will have it now," Sawyer said as he stared him down. "Get a cameraman in here and start the broadcast. I've already notified the Packs for you, and I have," he looked at his phone, "about thirty text messages thus far wondering why it isn't broadcasting already."

"Get a camera in here," Chairman Gruber ordered. Five minutes later they were broadcasting, and Sawyer verified the Packs were watching. "This hearing will come to order. The purpose of this hearing is to read the charges against Coral Ann Nygaard, Alpha daughter of the Cascade Pack and Beta on loan to the Bitterroot Pack and determine if sufficient evidence exists to hold her over for trial." He introduced the Council and the lawyers for the Prosecution and Defense. "Gentlemen, are you ready to proceed?"

"We are, Mr. Chairman," Mr. Long said.

"Defense is ready, Mr. Chairman. Since there are three charges, we would prefer to deal with each in order if that is acceptable to the Court."

"No objections, sir." The Chairman gave the prosecutor the go-ahead. "The first charge is defying Alpha orders."

"Before we proceed, Mr. Chairman, I have a question for Alpha Forrest," Sawyer said. "Sir, the charges were brought by Alpha Nygaard. At what point did the defendant shift her Pack alliance from the Bitterroot Pack to the Cascade Pack?"

"She was sent home after being injured while attempting to capture Rori King in Seattle. She was given a week's leave and I felt her Pack bond break the next day."

"So you were not her Alpha at the time of the incident at issue here."

Alpha Forrest nodded. "That is correct, she was back under Alpha Nygaard."

"Move to dismiss charges based on jurisdiction, Mr. Chairman," he said. "Defying Alpha orders is a Pack crime, not a Council one. The only one with the authority to try her for that is her Alpha, and she is no longer in Alpha Nygaard's Pack."

"That's why I filed the charges, so she would be punished after defying me!" Alpha Will Nygaard stood up, glaring at his daughter.

"She is no longer your problem. She has been accepted by Alpha King into the Arrowhead Pack. The Council has no standing to punish a wolf from another Pack after she has left the aggrieved Alpha. I can provide case references, if you need."

Chairman Gruber looked pissed. "Mr. Prosecutor?"

"Counsel is correct, sir. The Council can only charge someone who is directly under the authority of the Council itself. The prosecution withdraws the charge." It was embarrassing, he thought as he sat down. He had been called in only an hour earlier, and now the Alphas would associate him with such incompetence. "The next charge is Harboring a known Council Fugitive."

"Can we address the Intentional Reveal charge first," Sawyer requested.

"Certainly," the prosecutor said. "The next charge is intentional revealing of our nature to humans." He called Alpha Forrest to testify, setting him at the far end of the table from the Council. "When did you become aware of the location of Rori King?"

"My son, Chase, linked me. He had received a phone call saying she had been injured in a fight with a bear. He and Coral left on their motorcycles for the address, while I followed with Enforcers and our Pack Doctor."

"And when you arrived at the address?"

"Rori was injured and in wolf form, our Doctor had to force a shift. He did that with her adoptive mother in the room and her stepfather in the house. The two had carried her out of the woods after she had shifted to protect them from a bear. I found out humans were involved then. I told the Enforcers to make sure they didn't call anyone while we waited to see if Rori would make it. Her stepfather told us the whole story, including how they knew it was her when they saw the tattoo under her fur."