bChapter /bb296 /b

    Piper

    Jealousy. There’s no other word for it. I’m jealous. I mean, I’m happy for L. I really am. She’s great and what she did for Cyra was incredibly difficult. It says a lot about her integrity and honor.

    But when she and Landon walked up and her scent was smothered with his, I felt the spike of jealousy. I’m not proud of it, but there it is.

    ‘We’ll find our mate one day, Piper. And when we do, he’ll want the world to know we’re his just as much as Landon wants everyone to know that L is his, my wolf, Fallon, says.

    ‘I shouldn’t be jealous, Fallon. It’s beneath us,‘ I say.

    “Wanting our mate is an eptable reason to be jealous. My wolf, always the voice of reason.

    I watch as Sten loses his shit while Landon practically devours L beside me. By the time Landon releases her, the Alpha Squad has forced Sten to his knees. I don’t feel bad for him. He did this to himself and from everything that I know about L, she deserved a much better mate than Sten.

    When he’s done, Landon wraps his arm around L and smiles smugly at a panting Sten. Seriously, what did he think was going to happen? That L would just wait for him after everything he did to her? He gives Alphas a bad name.

    When the council files in, they try to get Sten’s attention. When he doesn’t respond, Raptor puts his hand on Sten’s head and forces him to turn to face the council.

    “Alpha Sten, I see we’re still having problems today. We’ll make this quick. After hearing the testimony of L McIntosh, now L Reed,” he begins and Osman, Landon’s wolf immediately begins purring loudly just as Sten’s wolf begins snarling. Landon shuts Osman up, but not before Councilman Edward gives him a brief look.

    Then he turns to Sten.

    “She is mine!” Sten snarls.

    “Geez, dude. Get a grip. You lost,” Zach murmurs beside me.

    “Idiotb,/b” I say.

    “Alpha Sten, keep talking out of turn and I will have Raptor muzzle you. It wouldn’t be the first time today we’ve had to muzzle someone who couldn’t

    control themselves,” Councilman Edward says.

    “Osman, stay quiet. I don’t want them muzzling you,b” /bL says quietly, putting a hand on Landon’s chest. Osman very, very quietly purrs his appreciation at his mate before she shushes him.

    Councilman Edward continues. “As I was saying, we heard the testimony of L Reed earlier this week. The Council was also notified by Alpha Nevaeh about Mrs. Reed’s notification and the concern that you were going to try to force your mark on Alpha Cyra. You were remanded into custodyter that night, by the leader of the council’s Alpha squad, Raptor, and the previous leader of Alpha squad, Steel. The Council finds you guilty of your second charge, knowingly and intentionally attempting to force Alpha Cyra into a mate bond to gain ess to her inheritance.”

    Alpha Stell?n remains on his knees, panting with his anger, but he doesn’t say a word. I wonder if he saw Arden returning to prison with burn marks on

    his face.

    “For your third charge, you are charged with tampering with a supply of birth control that was delivered to Alpha Cyra’s pack causing bmultiple/b, dangerous pregnancies in older bshe/bb–/bwolves.b” /b

    Once again, he turns to the Tech Team. “Trackerb, /byour team was able to track the delivery truck?”

    “Yes, Councilman,” she saysb, /bgoing through how she tracked the bdelivery /busing the truck’s GPS bsystem/bb. /bShe also bstated /bthat the bpany /bbhad /bbcooperated /bpletely with her request for information and she provided bthe /binformation to Saber from CSquadb. /b

    b1/3 /b

    b09:18 /bMon, b18 Aug /b

    “Saber, pleasee forward,” Councilman says.

    I hadn’t even seen her enter the back of the courtroom. She’s incredibly quiet. I’m surprised her code name isn’t Stealth.

    She steps up in front of the council and exins her involvement, the information that she obtained in Yorick and Cyra’s pack, and how they hunted down the delivery driver.

    Councilman Edward looks at another military person standing beside the bench and nods. I don’t know this person, but they are obviously part of one of

    the council’s elite squads.

    “Do you know who that is?” I whisper to Zach.

    “Beta Squad, don’t know his name,” he says. I know Zach is vying for the Alpha Squad, especially now that Yorick has ns to join C–Squad.

    The Beta Squad member leads a man out of the back. Instantly, Sten begins snarling.

    “You fucking asshole!”

    “Christer is dead and you’re on trial. I’m not going down with you. You promised no one would ever know. I’ve lost my job, and my mate is considering rejecting me because I helped you. So, fuck you!”

    “Damn,” Chase murmurs. “No honor among thieves.”

    “Richard James, please step forward,” Councilman Edward says.

    We listen as the man, Richard, exins how Sten came up with the idea to switch the birth control in the shipment with cebos. He stated how he met with Sten and switched out the birth control pills before delivering them to Yorick and Cyra’s pack. His testimony follows along with what Tracker and Saber already said in their testimony.

    “Thank you. Because of your cooperation, your sentence in these crimes will be reduced. You will be ced on probation. Bane will take you to get processed out. Do not miss meetings with your probation officer or we will see you again in this courtroom.”

    “Thank you, Councilman,” he says, walking off with the Beta Squad member.

    I turn to look at Zach. ‘Bane, we mouth at the same time. He shoulder bumps me as we both grin. There’s a reason we’ve remained sex partners. We enjoy each other’spany and we care about each other, just not in the same way that mates do.

    Councilman Edward turns to look at the rest of the council. It’s only a moment before he turns back around.

    “Alpha Sten, we find you guilty of tampering with birth control and putting older she–wolves and their pups at risk of premature birth or death. You have now been found guilty of all three charges put before you. The council has unanimously agreed that from this day forward, you will be stripped of your Alpha status…b” /b

    Sten begins snarling and fighting against Raptor and his team. Raptor is obviously over it and ms Sten against the floor, putting his knee to his back and leaning on him to hold him in ce.

    Once he’s contained, Councilman Edward continues. “You are ordered into custody and will remain in prison for the rest of your life.”

    b“/bJust kill me,” he says, his voice breaking.

    b“/bTake him away,i” /iCouncilman Edward says,

    When Raptor drags him to his feetb, /bhe turns once more, looking bat /bLb. /bI reach out instinctively to take her hand.

    “Lb, /bplease,” he begs.

    b“/bbYou /bmade your choices, Sten, and I’ve made mine. Goodbye,” she saysb, /bher voice bstrong /band steady.

    I squeeze her hand, so bproud /bof her strength.

    b09:18 /bMonb, /bb18 /bbAug /b

    b694/b%

    Sten begins howling as they drag him from the courtroom.

    “Good for you, L,” I say as the council leaves the courtroom.

    Osman begins purring loudly again, making L blush as Landon pulls her into his arms. I hear him murmur about how he’s going to show her just how happy her words made himter, and I feel that re of jealousy all over again.

    “Ready to head back to the Academy?” I ask Zach and Chase.

    “Yeah, let’s say goodbye. This week has put us behind and I could use the time to study,” Chase says.

    “Hey, you okay?” Zach asks me quietly.

    “Yeah I’m good,” I say, smiling. It’s a fake smile and Zach knows me well enough to know it, but thankfully, he doesn’t push.

    As we say goodbye, Alpha Quirin reminds me again that I’m wee in his pack anytime.

    “I need to reach out to Vivienne. She’s gone rogue again, but maybe a pack like yours would work for her.”

    “Rogues are my specialty. Let me know,” he says.

    “Thanks, I will.”

    We say goodbye and head back to the Academy. Zach isn’t the only one vying for a position on the Alpha Squad and if I’m going to defeat him for the one position avable, I’m going to have to work my ass off the rest of the school year.

    ?

    G

    曲

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