CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Gwen did her best not to fidget nervously when Derren turned the SUV down a dirt road that led to the building where the hearing would take place. The large piece of territory was bordered by three mountains and had a lot of forested area. “Do the council members all live on this land together?”
Beside her, lightly digging his fingers into her skin as he massaged her nape, Zander replied, “No. It belongs to one of them, Parker Brant.”
“He’s the eldest of the four members, right? The one you said is pretty fair and neutral.”
“That’s him.” Zander had told her about the council. Harrison Whittle and Landyn Green were also known for being relatively impartial, albeit not quite as diplomatic as Parker. But Emilio Mendes was something of an asshole who didn’t like loner shifters much. It was possible that Emilio wouldn’t give much of a shit about Andie’s attack.
Finally, Derren parked the SUV in a little parking lot. Moments later, Marlon’s car whipped up into the space next to theirs. Riding with him were Yvonne, Julie, and Chase. Donnie had opted to stay at home to guard and patrol. That was no surprise to Gwen.
No sooner had they gotten out of the vehicles than four guards came and escorted them to a small courthouse-type building.
Glancing around the empty reception area, Gwen said, “There’s no sign of the Moores. Maybe they won’t come.” One could but hope.
Zander spoke into her ear. “Opposing parties use separate entrances.”
Hearing a door creak open at the other side of the room, Gwen turned to see a beefy, official-looking male. He ran his eyes over them all as he said, “The council is ready.”
With Zander practically fused to her side, Gwen crossed to the door and walked into a partially wood-paneled room. As courtrooms went, it had the basics down. A gallery, a walkway that ran between the pews, a simple chair that seemed to pass as a witness stand, and even a wooden bar with a gate that divided the gallery from the council’s space. But there were no desks for the plaintiffs and defendants. No lecterns, no jury box, no state flags. Four men sat at a raised bench, facing them. They weren’t wearing black judge robes, but they each had that judge-type frown going on.
At the beefy wolf’s urging, Gwen and Zander strode down the gleaming, polished floor to the front of the gallery. Instead of sitting, though, Zander stopped and urged the others to slide into the left-side pew-style bench. Once they were seated, Zander and Gwen joined them, which placed her at the end of the row.
“Is the left side of the gallery for applicants or something?” she asked him quietly.
“No. The party that arrives first is taken through the front entrance and asked to sit on the left. The other party will then come in through the back and sit on the right.” Zander gestured to a door on the other side of the room. “The Moores and their supporters will enter through there.”
Not liking the smells of lacquered wood and citrus cleaner, Zander kissed her shoulder and took a long, savoring breath—letting her luscious scent override them. She brought him a peace that couldn’t be equaled. Right then, though, he wasn’t feeling peaceful. Unease and anticipation hummed through him, leaving him edgy. He tried hiding it, though. He knew she was nervous and didn’t want to make it worse for her. But it was hard, especially while his pacing wolf was urging him to get her out of the building and take her someplace safe.
“I’m thinking they’ll bring Colt. Probably the families of Rowan and Mack too.” Gwen suspected that Ezra would want the boys to back Brandt’s story. She just hoped that the council didn’t put much stock in their versions of events.
As everyone waited for the other party to arrive, the council members chatted quietly among themselves. Not the most patient person when she was nervous, Gwen found herself repeatedly grinding her teeth. Her muscles were so tight with tension that they actually ached. Every little noise grated on her nerves—the ticking of the clock, the rustling of papers, the whooshing of the air conditioning, and the creaking of wood as people shifted on the benches.
Zander pulled her closer, but it only annoyed her. He made absolutely no effort to give her any room. In fact, as he sat with his head up, chest out, gut sucked in, and legs spread, he took up the space around him as if he belonged there. More to the point, he took up her space. She already felt smothered by the tension in the atmosphere. She jabbed his arm with her elbow. “Move over.”
He nuzzled her. “Why?”
“Because I need a little space.”
“You need to know someone’s here for you. That you’re not alone and someone has your back. That’s me.” Truth be told, Zander needed the contact as much as she did.
“Stop saying nice stuff or I can’t stay mad.” She glanced down the bench to check on her family. Yvonne gripped her purse tightly, offering Gwen a strained smile, as Marlon eyed each council member. An anxious Julie was leaning against a rigid Chase, whose mouth was tight with annoyance. Yeah, she was annoyed herself. The Moores seemed to be deliberately making them wait—probably to convey a message that they didn’t find the hearing important.
It was a further ten minutes—literally one minute before the hearing was due to start—that the door on their far right opened and the other party filed out, led by Ezra. Aside from a snarling Brandt, the others cast smirks at Gwen. Ezra and his supporters all settled on the benches at the front of the gallery’s right side.
Ezra placed himself on the edge of the bench, meaning he was almost within touching distance of Gwen. He shot her a smug smile. Well, he wouldn’t be so pleased when he realized she was there to damn his precious and exceedingly stupid son.
The gray-haired council member cleared his throat. “I am Parker Brant.” After introducing the other members, he rested his gaze on Gwen. “According to what I have read, you witnessed a shifter, Andie Windsor, being attacked and are here to tell your version of events—a version that massively conflicts with that of the accused.” His eyes then cut to Brandt. “Before we go any further, I must ask if you still wish to plead your innocence.”
Brandt lifted his chin, looking like a petulant kid. “I did nothing wrong.” The thing was . . . he probably didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Parker turned back to Gwen. “We would like to hear from you first, Miss Miller. Please come forward.”
It went against everything in Zander to let her walk away. He wanted to scoop her up and take her home. Instead, he lightly squeezed her shoulder and spoke into her ear. “You’ll be fine, baby.”
Gwen nodded, blowing out a breath. On legs that were surprisingly steady, she moved through the gate and crossed to the chair at the right side of the panel. Feeling all eyes on her made her skin itch. She shifted on the uncomfortably hard seat.
“Please tell us what happened that night,” said Parker.
She took a deep, preparatory breath. “I heard laughing. Loud, boisterous laughing. Straight away, I knew someone was either on our land or nearby. It wouldn’t be the first time that teenagers had gathered there to get drunk or smoke cannabis. I grabbed my shotgun, and I followed the sounds. Soon, I heard the cries, the horrible sounds of metal hitting bone. I hurried, and then I saw them. Andie was on the ground, her face all messed up and her clothes dirty. She was trying to crawl away from someone—he kept hitting her with a metal pole while his friends laughed and urged him on. I shot at the ground near their feet to make them run off. Then I helped Andie back to my house and called the sheriff to report the incident.”
“Can you identify this male that you saw assault Andie Windsor?”
“Yes.” Gwen glared at the asshole in question. “His name is Brandt Moore.”
Curses and abrasive mutters came from Moore’s group. Only Ezra and Colt seemed unsurprised that she’d reneged on her deal. They’d probably half expected it, given that Brandt had turned up at her house again.
Emilio studied her carefully. “This is the same account that you gave to Sheriff Johnson the night it happened, but you recently altered your statement.”
Gwen straightened her shoulders. “It was made clear to me that it was the only way I would keep my family safe. I didn’t see the harm in giving a different statement to the sheriff—he hasn’t exactly had any official involvement in the case, so I doubted he’d care.”
Harrison narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean when you say the sheriff had little involvement?”
“Sheriff Johnson didn’t hold the boys for more than an hour. He seemed skeptical when he took Andie’s statement, he didn’t do a drug test to corroborate or even dismiss her story, he didn’t take photos of her injuries, and he wouldn’t have even taken my statement to support her story if I hadn’t insisted on it. He was also of no help to her when Brandt and his friends terrorized her, harassing her into altering her statement. Finally, she did.”
“As did you,” Emilio pointed out. “And you say it was to keep your family safe?”
“Brandt and his friends harassed me to change my statement.” She told them how the harassment had begun as pranks and steadily got worse. “Brandt didn’t once plead his innocence to me or insist that I’d seen someone else that night. Brandt confessed that he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done and that, in his view, Andie’s nothing more than an animal.
“After one particular night when Brandt almost assaulted me with a bat, his father showed up at my house and tried to bribe me into changing my statement. Like his son, he’s very much anti-shifter. When I refused, he threatened to make me pay.”
Landon flicked Ezra a brief glance. “And did he?”
“A couple of weeks later, I was attacked by a flock of goshawk shifters.”
From his seat, Ezra snickered. “I don’t associate with shifters. How can I have had anything to do with that attack?”
Parker shot him a hard look. “When I want to hear from you, I will say so.” His eyes returned to Gwen. “Please continue, Miss Miller.”
“They came out of nowhere. Knocked me to the ground. Descended on me. Clawed and bit at me. If it wasn’t for the Mercury wolves, I don’t know if the goshawks would have stopped. I believe Ezra Moore hired them. I’ve heard many goshawk flocks are happy to sell their services.”
Harrison rolled a pen between his fingers. “Yes, that is true.”
“I didn’t just fear for myself, I feared for my family and for the Mercury wolves who were living with us to offer protection. So I altered my statement to keep us safe.”
After a long moment, Harrison said, “You may sit down, Miss Miller.”
Well, thank God for that. Ignoring the glares that she could feel coming from Moore’s side of the gallery, Gwen returned to her seat beside Zander. He kissed her temple and rubbed her nape, and she leaned into the contact, needing it.
Parker looked at Brandt. “Please take a seat over here, Mr. Moore.”
Brandt’s stride was cocky as he made his way to the chair. He didn’t sit on it; he lounged on it like it was a park bench or something.
“Tell us your account of what happened.”
“Me and my friends found the cougar crawling through the marsh on Miller land. We tried to help her, but she seemed confused and scared. Looked at us like we’d been the ones who’d hurt her. When Gwen shot at us, we ran—who wouldn’t when bullets are flying? I’m not saying the cougar was lying when she pointed fingers at me; I think the drugs just muddled up her mind, and she confused me with the person who’d hurt her. I think she later realized she was wrong and that’s why she changed her story. She herself says it wasn’t me. There’s really no reason for this hearing.”
“There is every reason for this hearing,” clipped Parker. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking this operates like a human hearing. If we believe a matter needs exploring, we’ll explore it.”
The door opened, and the beefy-looking guy from earlier crossed to the panel. He whispered something to the council members.
Gwen leaned into Zander. “Did you catch that?” He shook his head.
Once Beefy was gone, Parker spoke again to Brandt, “So, you believe that the cougar was possibly so confused by the drug that she mistakenly blamed you.”
Brandt nodded. “It’s what makes most sense to me.”
Harrison sighed. “I won’t deny it’s possible that Miss Windsor was confused by the drugs, but it wouldn’t account for Miss Miller seeing the accused beating the cougar with a pole. From what I understand, Miss Miller wasn’t drugged.”
“Considering that Miss Miller changes her mind so often and feels it is no problem to do so, I would say it’s obvious that she’s not a credible witness,” said Moira, Brandt’s mother. A harsh look from Parker made her mouth snap shut.
“Mr. Moore, you may return to your seat,” said Parker. “Sheriff Johnson, I would like to hear from you.” Once the human was seated, Parker said, “You questioned Mr. Moore and his friends, but you didn’t feel it necessary to charge them. Why?”
Colt lifted his chin. “There was no evidence that Brandt was the cougar’s attacker.”
“There was a pole, which I’m assuming had fingerprints on it.”
“Brandt admitted to picking up the pole when he found it on the ground, but he maintained that he didn’t strike her with it.”
Emilio’s brow lifted. “And you believed that?”
Colt’s jaw hardened. “Two witnesses upheld that Brandt was not the attacker. The cougar said she’d been drugged, so I couldn’t be sure if her testimony was reliable. It was also very dark out there, so I couldn’t be sure that Gwen truly did see Brandt attacking anyone. The bottom line is, there was no evidence.”
“Did you make any effort to find out who the attacker might be?” asked Parker.
Colt’s mouth opened and closed like a landed fish.
Ezra slowly rose. “May I please speak?”
Parker sighed. “Fine.”
“I know exactly why Miss Miller claims my son was the cougar’s attacker. She is trying to pin the attack on Brandt to get back at him for ending their relationship.”
“What?” Gwen burst out. She looked at Zander. “He can’t be for real.”
Even as a growl of rage built in his throat and his wolf swiped his claws in anger, Zander clasped her nape as he whispered, “Shh. You don’t want the council throwing you out of the room, and you definitely don’t want to give the Moores the satisfaction of seeing you pissed off.”
No, Gwen definitely didn’t want either of those things. Feeling her nails stabbing her palms, she relaxed her clenched hands and took a deep breath.
Ezra continued, “I asked him to end it because, since she is much older than he is, I felt their relationship was quite inappropriate. She is angry with me for that.” Ezra spared her a brief glance. “She claims our family is anti-shifter, but it is in fact she who is prejudiced.”
Landyn slowly lifted a disbelieving brow. “You believe Miss Miller is anti-shifter?”
Ezra jutted out his chin. “I can prove that she has connections to the extremists. Kenny Cogman—a man who we all know is rumored to sponsor extremists—is her biological father.”
Well, shit. Gwen somehow kept her expression blank and held her tongue. Zander went rigid beside her, and a low growl rumbled out of him.
Landyn’s brow pinched. “It’s my understanding that she lives with her foster family and has since she was eight years old.”
“But she is in contact with her father. In fact, they met up very recently. I can prove it.” Ezra signaled to a man who Gwen recognized as his brother, Gerard. The male riffled through a briefcase and retrieved a brown envelope. He pulled out of a bunch of photographs.
“May I hand one to you?” Gerard asked the council. At Parker’s nod, he opened the gate separating the galley from the council’s space and crossed to the bench . . . but not before handing Gwen a photograph.
Gritting her teeth, she took it. The enlarged photograph was cool and smooth to touch, and it showed both her and Kenny sipping drinks. He was smiling at her. She had to admit, the scene looked pretty cozy.
“Miss Miller, what do you say to this?” clipped Emilio once Gerard returned to his seat.
Gwen rose to her feet. “Kenny Cogman called me a couple of weeks ago. He said that he was contacted by someone who is friends with the Moores, and he believed that me and my family were in danger.”
Harrison frowned thoughtfully. “Cogman was the person who warned you that it would be best to alter your statement?”
“It was more that he was asking me to do it as a favor to him, but he did point out that it was the best way to keep my family safe. The latter was my only interest.” With that, she sat.
“A pretty story,” said Ezra. “But it’s just that—a story.”
Landyn leaned back in his chair, expression skeptical. “Why would an anti-shifter human stand up at this hearing and speak against her own kind?”
“As I said, to punish my son for dumping her.” Ezra sighed. “She attacked him not so long ago. He went to her house to try to reason with her, to apologize for hurting her when he ended the relationship, but she attacked him with a bat—a bat she scrolled his name on, thinking she could pass it off as his. I have photos of his injuries.” The asshole signaled Gerard again, who then handed out said photographs. The whole time, Ezra continued to speak, “Brandt returned to her house a few days ago to try once again to make amends. He was threatened by the wolves over there.”
Parker spared the wolves a brief look, but then turned his attention to Rowan and Mack. “Both of you stand. Do you support your friend’s account of what happened?”
Mack cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes.”
“That’s exactly how it happened,” said Rowan.
Brandt nodded. “I’m sorry that the cougar shifter was hurt, but I’m not responsible for it. I shouldn’t be at this hearing.” He looked at Gwen with heartbreak in his eyes. “Gwen . . . I don’t know how you could do this. You know I never meant to hurt you. He’s my dad—I have to honor what he says.”
Oh, for the love of God. Someone had better see through this shit or she was going to lose it. If it wasn’t for Zander touching her, keeping her calm, she’d have already snapped by now.
Parker gestured for everyone to sit and sent Colt back to the bench. “It seems extreme to me that someone would pin the blame of an assault on an ex out of spite.”
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” said Ezra.
Parker’s gaze slid to the wolves. “I know much about your pack. And I believe that you, Ally Marshall, are a Seer. Correct?”
“I am,” said the she-wolf, voice clear.
“Please come forward.” If the council member heard Derren’s low growl of objection, he didn’t show it.
Gwen and Zander stood so that Ally could shuffle past them. Shooting Gwen a reassuring smile, she then crossed to the chair beside the panel.
Parker clasped his hands. “As a Seer, you are able to sense the emotions of others. If Miss Miller was prejudiced toward our kind, you would sense it. Correct?”
Sitting, Ally nodded. “I would. I can firmly state that Gwen is not prejudiced toward shifters.”
“What about Brandt Moore?” asked Emilio.
Ally looked at the boy as she answered, “Around our kind, he feels hate. Repugnance. And fear.” Ally’s gaze met Parker’s once more. “My pack mates and I were there the day that Gwen met with Mr. Cogman. We heard the entire conversation. I can verify that Gwen was telling the truth when she spoke of her conversation with him.”
Harrison nodded at Ally. “Thank you, Miss Marshall.”
Ezra, ballsy as ever, stood. “I’d like to ask Miss Marshall a question, if I may.” He smiled at her. “You claim you can sense the emotions of others.”
Ally narrowed her eyes at his skepticism. “I can tell you what you’re feeling right now as a demonstration, if you’d like.”
Ezra’s smile faltered. “If you believe it is true, I shall take your word for it. But is it not worth considering that not all extremists are prejudiced? It’s not always that they dislike shifters as a race. Some humans simply don’t like how much land the shifters take up. Others may not like that shifters are so secretive that we don’t know enough about them to understand them. That’s not something you would pick up, is it?”
“I would pick up any emotions associated with those issues. In any case, I’ve spent a lot of time around Gwen Miller—day in, day out. If she felt anything negative toward shifters, I would have sensed it.”
At a gesture from Parker, Ally returned to her seat.
“The situation is as simple as this,” said Ezra. “It is Gwen Miller’s word against that of the three young men you see here. And let’s face it, her word keeps changing. I do not dispute that the cougar was attacked, though there is no evidence that she was ever injured, but it was not by my son.”
“She was a mess,” Gwen gritted out.
“But you have no proof that there were any injuries,” Ezra said with a smirk.
Gwen lifted a brow. “You sure of that?”
Ezra’s eyes flickered. “Photos can be doctored.”
“Then maybe the photos you provided of me and Kenny Cogman shouldn’t be considered reliable.”
“If my son were responsible for those injuries, the cougar would be here now, seeking justice.”
Parker inhaled deeply. “As it happens, she is here. She arrived not so long ago, and she would like to speak.” He gestured at a wolf manning the door on their right to open it.
Gwen’s heart pounded hard and she sat up straighter. Andie walked in, head high, shoulders back. Warmth and pride rushed through Gwen, and she couldn’t contain her smile—even though it was a little on the smug side as she noticed the sheer and utter dread on Ezra’s face.
Andie took a moment to seek Gwen out with her gaze. She shot her a smile that held only a hint of nerves. It was clear to see by the determination in her eyes that Andie was there for justice. Awesome, because it was exactly what she deserved.
At Parker’s invitation, Andie took the chair near the panel. He then said, “Tell us what happened that night, Miss Windsor.”
Placing her hands on her lap, Andie licked her lips. “It was the anniversary of my parents’ death—my human parents, I mean. They adopted me when I was little, not knowing I was a shifter, but they kept me. I was upset and I went to a bar, had a few drinks. Brandt Moore and the two young males who sit with him today . . . they approached me. Brandt flirted with me, tried to get me to leave with him, but I refused. Then things got . . . foggy. My cat went crazy inside me, but I couldn’t shift. I knew then that I’d been drugged.
“I remember that they shoved me in a car, drove to the marsh, and dumped me on the land. Brandt beat me. Badly. The others mostly just laughed and encouraged him to keep going, but they kicked me in the ribs and the back once or twice. They wouldn’t stop, and I was too weak to stop them.
“Then bullets hit the ground, sending mud everywhere, and they ran. My savior was Gwen Miller. She took me back to her house, took photos of my injuries before they healed, and then helped me get cleaned up. She called the sheriff. Not that that did much good. It was clear that he didn’t believe I had any rights.”
Harrison spoke. “The Moores claim it is Gwen who is anti-shifter.”
Andie gave a startled chuckle. “Gwen couldn’t be further from it.”
“Were you aware that her father is Kenny Cogman?” sniped Ezra, the shit-stirring bastard.
Andie gaped for a moment. “No, I wasn’t. But I don’t see that it matters.” She looked back at the council members. “She’s not him, and she’s nothing like him. Gwen was there for me all the way through this. She was willing to speak up for me when I wouldn’t speak up for myself. Even after I changed my statement, Brandt didn’t stop harassing me. Gwen gave me a place to stay. Helped me however she could. That kind of support can’t be faked.”
Touched by Andie’s complete confidence in her, Gwen swallowed hard.
Parker nodded. “Please take a seat, Miss Windsor.”
Pointedly ignoring the Moores and their supporters, Andie made her way to the bench behind Gwen. Leaning forward, she whispered, “Sorry it took me a while to get my shit together.”
Gwen frowned. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything. I’m really proud of you for doing this. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”
Andie glanced at the council members, who were now chatting quietly among themselves. “I can’t hear what they’re saying. Did Brandt come up with a decent case for his defense?” After Gwen debriefed her on all that had been said, Andie gawked. “The bastards tried to really imply that you were involved with that measly little fucker?”
Gwen silently chuckled. “Hopefully the council doesn’t buy it. Or buy anything else they said, for that matter. I got to warn you, though, they were quite convincing at times.” She gave Andie’s hand a supportive squeeze. “Even if the shithead gets off with it, he won’t get away with it, because I’ll shoot him in the dick.” She wasn’t even kidding. Hearing a throat clear, Gwen turned to face front.
Parker knitted his fingers together. “I agree with Mr. Moore that it doesn’t look good that both females altered their version of events. It can be hard to decide which statement holds the truth. I must also say that it is quite odd that someone who would fight so strongly for a shifter would even give the time of day to someone such as Kenny Cogman, biological father or not.”
Landyn nodded. “It would also be fair to note that it is the word of three against two—three boys whose stories never changed. They all come from respectable families and have never been in trouble with the law.”
Gwen almost snorted. Well of course, they hadn’t—Colt wouldn’t have arrested them.
“But there are other things to consider,” added Harrison. “Like that the Moores have a reputation in their hometown for being anti-shifter. The accused himself has a reputation for being violent and reckless.”
Emilio stared at Colt as he said, “I find it curious that the sheriff did indeed mishandle this case—or, to be specific, didn’t handle it at all. Nor did he handle it when the accused confronted Miss Miller at her home, bat in hand.” He held up a hand when Ezra went to speak. “Yes, I did see the injuries. But I know the difference between bruising that’s been done by fists and bruising done by blunt objects. Someone hurt your son, but it was not Miss Miller.”
“I find it hard to believe that Miss Miller and the accused were in a relationship of any kind,” said Parker. “I also find it difficult to believe that she could hide any prejudice from five shifters, particularly when one is a Seer. She has done our kind a good service, and I thank her for that.”
Emilio looked at Colt. “If you had dealt with this matter and the accused had been punished by human law, he would not be in this room right now. In a sense, you are partly responsible for the punishment he will endure at our hands.”
Ezra jumped to his feet, spluttering. “Punishment?”
“Brandt Moore, it is obvious to us that you are guilty of the assault on Miss Windsor,” Parker declared.
Relief filled Gwen, and she felt like she’d taken her first real breath since yesterday. She squeezed Zander’s hand and threw a smile over her shoulder at Andie, whose eyes were wet.
“We will detain and punish you, and then you will be released tomorrow,” continued Parker. “Your friends will also join you and receive punishment.”
Rowan’s father grabbed his son. “Not a chance.” And chaos pretty much broke out.
A defeated-looking Colt remained still and silent as the others shouted and cursed and protested. The council members merely left through a door near their panel, effectively dismissing them.
Brandt whirled on his father. “Do something! You can’t let them take me!” By then, three stocky males had entered the room and were already heading his way.
Red-faced, Ezra promised, “I won’t let him, I’ll—”
“You said you wouldn’t let this happen!” yelled Brandt. “You said you’d get me off!”
Arriving at the bench, the three males grabbed Brandt, Rowan, and Mack. As they were hauled away, their parents and Ezra’s chauffeur, Thad, struggled to follow. More shifters piled into the room, forcing the humans to step back while the boys were shoved through the door that the council members had disappeared through.
“Let’s leave now before their attention turns to us,” said Andie.
Gwen nodded. “Good idea.” But it was too late. No sooner had they all begun sliding out of the bench than Brandt’s mother, Moira, came storming toward Andie.
“You lying whore! My son never touched you!”
Andie just regarded the hysterical woman steadily. “I can see in your eyes that you know that’s not true.”
“You’re pinning it on him because you hate humans!” Moira screeched. “This is a hate crime! And you . . . you’re not even a person! You’re an animal!”
Andie gave her a brittle smile. “And yet, I’m not the one who drugged and beat someone with a metal pole while my friends laughed, am I? Now back the fuck off.”
Gently bumping Andie aside, Gwen said, “Move your ass, Moira; your time to embarrass yourself is up.”
She raised her hand to slap her, but Gwen grabbed it. “No, Moira. Your boy made his bed. It’s his own fault if he finds it lumpy.”
“Get your hands off my wife!” Ezra bellowed. He tried shoving his way into Gwen’s personal space, but Zander pushed him back.
“Fucking touch her and you’re dead,” Zander growled, eyes flashing wolf.
The asshole froze, gulping because, yeah, Zander could be a scary bastard at times. As he opened his mouth, no doubt to issue a threat, Gwen waved a dismissive hand and said, “Spare me the ‘You’ll pay for this’ bullshit, Ezra.”
“Take Andie outside, Gwen,” said Zander, eyes on Ezra. He didn’t move his gaze from the bastard as his pack mates and Gwen’s family headed to the exit. His wolf lunged at the human, desperate to tear him apart. Zander barely kept him suppressed.
The last to leave, Yvonne lingered and said, “Emilio Mendes was right—it’s partly Colt’s fault that your son will pay at the council’s hands. But you’re at fault too, Ezra. In buying his way out of trouble his whole life, you taught him that he could do whatever he wanted and there’d be no consequences. Now he’s learning the hard way that there are. So if you want to start blaming anyone for what happened here today, look at yourself first.”