Chapter 14 - Teaser

To celebrate, here is a snippet of Chapter 14.  Please remember this is a rough first draft, so be kind in your comments.

The training room was filled with anxious Pack members at 7:50 AM, none of them wanting to be late.  The youngsters under the age of fifteen were in the observation room with the sound turned off so they were unable to hear and when The Tribunal commenced the curtains would be drawn.  In the middle of the training room, sitting at three tables were the Martin, Hammond and Mendez families, facing them was a table with four chairs and off to the side The Elders sat in chairs.  Dante and the Italians were sitting on the bleachers off to the side, so they could observe but wouldn’t disrupt the proceedings.

At 7:59, Frank, Joe, Carlo, Gina, Anthony and Sophia came out of one of the smaller training rooms without glancing at the assembled Pack members.  Frank walked to the observation room and said something quietly before drawing the curtains and pulling the door closed. Carlo, Gina, Anthony and Sophia took their seats at the head table with Carlo and Anthony taking the center seats, their mates at their sides.  Frank stood on the right and Joe on the left.   

At exactly 8 AM, Carlo stood up and said, “I call for this Tribunal to come to order.  The charges brought against Victoria Martin, Daisy Hammond and Jade Mendez are as follows:  betraying the future Madame Alpha, betraying the Alpha-Heir and betraying your Pack.  According to South Mountain Pack law, the evidence will be brought forth and presented then you will be given a chance to defend yourself.  After listening to the testimony, The Elders will decide on your guilt or innocence and if found guilty, I will decide punishment.  The punishment may range from loss of privileges to banishment from the Pack.”   

Daisy and Jade started to cry while Victoria looked defiant as Paulo came forward and after hitting a few buttons on his laptop, the phone calls from Victoria to the TV station were shown on a giant projection screen followed by the emails sent from Daisy and Jade in which they confirmed Anthony’s relationship with Victoria.  Hearing gasps from the Pack members, Carlo shouted, “QUIET.”  Paulo then showed the emails from Victoria which said she and Anthony had been romantically involved for months, how happy they were and how thrilled their families were. Next, the attachments to the emails were shown: pictures of her fifteenth birthday with her and Anthony standing close; Anthony and her brothers laughing together at football practice; her and Gina together at a Pack function; and the last set of pictures were labeled ‘Please use these pictures when discussing me or my family on air.’  They were professional photographs that Senator Martin had recently done for his newest campaign showing the family in various ‘casual’ and ‘official’ settings.       

The next piece of evidence was provided by Anthony as he projected to the entire Pack Victoria’s behavior in the cafeteria, from the time she first approached Anthony until CJ apologized.  After he was finished, he looked to Sophia and held her hand tightly before projecting the next image…one in which Victoria had tried to kiss him at Rossi’s Grocery store and it showed him pushing her away, telling her that Sophia was his mate and he would never betray her, Victoria telling him that as a Senator’s daughter she was a much better mate than Sophia and that as soon as she turned eighteen she would be able to take care of his needs.  More gasps were heard but were quickly masked as Carlo looked at the Pack members.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but I didn’t want you to have anything to worry about.  I was wrong and should have told you,” Anthony said to Sophia as he squeezed her hand. 

“I forgive you, but how would you feel if somebody tried to take me away from you?” Sophia asked gently as Anthony’s eyes turned amber and he let out a growl.  “From now on, we have to be open and honest with each other, no more secrets.”  Anthony nodded and returned to his seat.

“You have heard the evidence against them, now we will hear the defense of their actions.  Jade Mendez, you will go first,” Carlo said in a firm tone.

Jade, her parents, Jeff and Jody and her brothers slowly stood up and tears were streaming down Jade’s face as she opened and closed her mouth several times.  Jeff leaned down and whispered, “Tell them the truth and tell them everything, just like we talked about last night and this morning Sweetheart.”  She nodded and took a deep breath as she felt her parents reach out and hold her hands. 

“Alpha Carlo, Madame Alpha Gina, Alpha-Heir Anthony and future Madame Alpha Sophia, the first thing I would like to say is I’m sorry for the part I played in betraying you.  I have no excuse and should have known better, I know what I did was wrong and hope you can forgive me,” she said in a low quivering voice.  “I really have no defense because I was thinking of myself and not my Pack or my family so I take full responsibility for my actions and I will accept any punishment that you deem appropriate Alpha Carlo.”

“Jade, your father said you were pressured into doing this.  Can you project the conversations you had to me, so I can send them to the other Pack members?” Carlo asked in a gentle yet firm voice.   

Jade lowered her head, closing her eyes as she projected the conversations she had with Daisy and Victoria.  Her thoughts were disjointed and the images jumped around and Carlo said, “Relax and concentrate Jade.”  She took a deep breath and felt her fathers strong arm around her shoulders, her mother squeeze her hand and her older brothers Jack, Josh, Jake and Joel put their hands on her back to calm her down even more.  She concentrated harder and the images became clearer.

Victoria telling Jade and Daisy if they didn’t help her that she would start rumors about them; that they were having relations with human boys, that they were disobeying their parents and Alpha by going out without protectors, and that she had found Jade and Daisy in a compromising position together.  After taking a deep breath she then projected the last conversation with the three girls; Her and Daisy begging Victoria not to interfere in Anthony and Sophia’s relationship, crying as Victoria wrote emails on their accounts and telling them to hit ‘send’ so she could say they had sent them and not her, and her threatening them again that she would disclose the rumors if they told on her.  After she was finished Jade let out a strangled sob as her father engulfed her in a hug, her brothers glaring angrily at Victoria who rolled her eyes and let out a big sigh. 

Frank drew in a deep breath and shifted his gaze to Clay Martin who had his head bowed and was staring at the table.  Sophia reached out for her fathers hand, needing the support of not only her mate, but also her father.  As soon as he felt her small hand touch his, he opened his clenched fist and held her hand, squeezing it reassuringly like he had done thousands of time since she was born.  

Carlo stared at Jade and her father Jeff and said in a gentle tone, “Is there anything else you would like to say?”

Jody handed her daughter a Kleenex and she blew her nose before nodding her head.  “I…I…just want to say how sorry I am, I knew it was wrong and I should have stood up to her.  The only excuse I have is I didn’t want my mate to think bad things about me, but I should have known he would believe me and not gossip.”

“Do you know who your mate is Jade?” asked Gina, closing the bond off to everyone but Jade and her mother.

“Yes, Madame Gina, its Reggie Benedetto,” Jade said quietly before she started to cry again.  “He hasn’t said more than hello to me in a year and after today I’m not sure he ever will.”

“Thank you for your honesty Jade, you may sit down,” said Carlo as his gaze shifted to the second table.  Daisy was crying silently into her fathers chest as he hugged her, her older brothers Jay, Thomas, Nicholas and Scott were standing behind her chair glaring angrily at Victoria and her mother was quietly crying.

“Daisy, do you have any additional information you would like to present?” Carlo asked gently.

Daisy stood up holding tightly to her parents hands, “I would like to say how sorry I am for allowing this to happen Alpha Carlo.  She had us convinced our lives would be ruined if we didn’t do what she wanted.  I admit I betrayed my future Madame Alpha, my future Alpha, you, Madame Gina, my Pack and my family but most of all I betrayed myself and my wolf.”  She took several deep breaths before continuing, “I will accept whatever punishment you decide for me Alpha Carlo.”  

Her father George whispered in her ear and she nodded, “The only additional information I have to present is what happened after Anthony was interviewed by the reporter.”  She then projected Victoria’s reaction to Carlo and gasps were once again heard from the Pack members.

“Thank you Daisy, you may sit down,” Carlo said in a gentle voice as he watched George settle his daughter on his lap as he rocked her back and forth while she cried.  Her brothers were on their knees as they tried to soothe their sister and their mother Laura was gently clearing the tears from her face.

All eyes moved to the third table where the Martin family sat.  CJ, Jeff and Greg were staring off into space, Clay was still staring at the table, Allison looked like she was about to cry and Victoria was examining her nails.  Carlo narrowed his eyes and said in a commanding voice, “Victoria it is now your turn.”

Victoria sighed loudly and stood up abruptly shrugging her shoulders as she said, “Yeah, I did it.”  She turned her head and glared at Daisy and Jade before turning back to Carlo and said in a defiant tone, “Luna had to have made a mistake… obviously I would make a better mate for Anthony than HER.  I have the social connections and status that an Alpha of this Pack needs, not HER.  I am the daughter of a Senator, and she is the daughter of a cabinet maker for Luna’s sake.  What does she bring to this mating that will benefit Anthony?  Absolutely nothing.  I will bring political influence and untold benefits.”

Sophia could feel her temper starting to boil, and felt both her mate and her father squeeze her hands.  She remembered her fathers words not to let her temper get the better of her and took a deep breath to maintain control.  “She’s wrong Arachide, with you I have everything,” Anthony said in a soothing voice.         

Carlo angrily said, “That is the base of your defense?  That you are a Senators daughter and have political influence?”  At her nod, he stood up and thundered, “LET ME MAKE ONE THING PERFECTLY CLEAR…YOUR FATHER IS A SENATOR BECAUSE I SAY HE IS A SENATOR, I HAVE MORE POLITICAL AND FINANCIAL INFLUENCE THAN YOUR FATHER EVER WILL.  I CAN MAKE ONE PHONE CALL AND YOUR FATHERS POLITICAL CAREER WOULD BE OVER FOREVER AND AFTER IT’S OVER NO ONE WOULD EVEN TAKE HIS PHONE CALLS.  EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS BECAUSE I ALLOW YOU TO HAVE IT, I GAVE IT TO YOU AND I CAN TAKE IT AWAY JUST AS EASILY.”  Hearing their alpha’s anger, the assembled pack members bared their necks to him in submission. 

Gina calmly reached over and placed her hand on top of Carlo’s and he instantly felt her calming influence through her touch and the mate bond.  He sat back down and stared at Victoria and saw no remorse in her expression, he sighed loudly before saying, “Is there anything else you would like to say?”

“No,” she said in a tone devoid of all emotion as she crossed her arms over her chest and a pout crossed her face.  Her mother was crying quietly and reached out to hold her hand, but Victoria snatched it away while her father and brothers continued to stare off into space.

“Before The Elders pass judgement, is there anything the three of you would like to say?” Carlo asked as he looked at Jade, Daisy and Victoria.  Jade and Daisy shook their heads while Victoria was pulling at a thread on her sweater.

Carlo stood and turned to the twenty-seven Elders and said, “Please go to the smaller training room for your deliberations.”  After they filed out of the room, he turned to the assembled Pack and said, “Those of you who need to check on their youngsters please do so now.”  As the door to the observation room opened, everyone started smiling as they heard the young ones singing ‘The Wheels on the bus go round and round’.  Carlo leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, wishing he were at the lake and fishing with his two best friends.

Five minutes passed and Elder Arturo Pinelli said, “We’ve reached a decision Alpha.”

“The Elders have reached their decision,” said Carlo and moments later everyone was in their seats.  The room was completely silent as The Elders filed into the room and Elder Arturo walked to Carlo handing him three folded slips of paper before bowing to him and returning to his seat.  Carlo unfolded the slips labeled Daisy and Jade and looked at them before showing them to Gina, Anthony and Sophia.  He stood and said in a commanding tone, “Jade and Daisy, please stand.”