The trial resumed, and things went exactly as Ronin expected them to. Awless called Patrolman Quill to the stand as his next witness. Quill had been part of the search party that had eventually found the recording system, and Ronin wasn’t surprised that Awless hadn’t called the constable in charge. Quill was an alpha who’d yet to make it past patrolman, despite being in his early thirties, and he made no attempt to hide his contempt for Kell.

Awless entered into evidence the portion of the video that showed Kell getting out of bed, going into the bathroom, and eventually slashing Krause’s throat. Only the jury saw it, but the gallery could hear what little audio there was, and the reactions of the jury were enough for everyone to know what was being seen.

Kell looked physically ill, but didn’t otherwise react. From his seat behind the table and the angle of the television, he couldn’t see what was playing, either. Ronin had already seen it, so he remained seated next to Kell while Awless asked Quill to explain the video and how they came to find it, blah, blah.

“Now, Patrolman Quill,” Awless said, “in your professional opinion, after having viewed this tape, is there any question who murdered Krause Iverson?”

“Objection,” Ronin said, rising. “The prosecutor is asking the witness to act in the jury’s capacity in assigning not only intent, but also labeling my client’s actions.”

“Sustained,” Judge Mendes said. “Rephrase your question, counselor.”

Awless frowned. “Patrolman Quill, in your professional opinion, is there any question who used a piece of glass to cut Krause Iverson’s throat?”

“No, sir,” Quill replied. “It’s that man, right there.” He pointed.

“Your honor, let the record show that the witness has indicated the defendant, Kell Iverson.”

“So recorded,” the judge said.

“I have no further questions.”

Ronin barely gave Mendes a chance to ask before he was on his feet. He stared directly at Quill when he asked, “How much video evidence did the constabulary recover from the Iverson home?”

“I can’t say as I recall.”

“Let me try to refresh your memory then. I was told by Constable Jenks, the man who executed the second search warrant on Krause Iverson’s home, that three years worth of recordings were found.”

A titter went through the gallery.

“Could be,” Quill said.

“To your knowledge, is there more footage of day that Krause Iverson was killed? Footage, perhaps, leading up to the moment in question?”

“There could be. I wasn’t part of the team who viewed all the tapes, so I can’t say for sure.”

“But I can, because I watched footage that lasted for nearly two hours before the moment that was shown to the jury today. Are you saying you haven’t seen this footage?”

Quill squirmed. “I might have.”

“Might have? I’m surprised at your lack of memory, because watching a man raped bloody by his mate is pretty damned hard to forgoet.”

“Objection!” Awless said.

“Sustained,” Mendes replied. “Mr. Cross, you’ll have a chance to present your own video evidence in the future. Please stick to asking Mr. Quill questions relevant to the footage shown today.”

“Yes, your honor.” Ronin glanced at the jury, who all looked shocked. He’d drawn blood again, and that felt good. “I have no further questions.”

Awless’s next trick was to bring out a mental health doctor who tried to explain Kell’s actions in that video as being cold and calculating. The actions of a predator. On cross, Ronin destroyed him and his lack of actual expertise when it came to video analysis, as well as him having never even spoken to Kell in person to determine the kind of man he was.

The prosecution’s case was barely held together by spit and chewing gum.

Awless’s final witness was a law professor from the province university, and all he asked about were basic points of law. Could spousal rape occur between an alpha/omega pairing? Legally, no. Was domestic discipline defined with any specific limits, other than the death of the omega? No. Was domestic discipline common because omegas were mentally and physically inferior to alphas, and therefore needed correcting to protect them? Yes.

Ronin had done his research and was prepared to rip this guy a new asshole. Metaphorically, of course.

“Professor, you’re a mated alpha, correct?” Ronin asked.

“That’s correct.”

“You have eight children, including two alpha offspring, with your mate, correct?”

“That’s correct.” The guy rolled his eyes. “This is public knowledge.”

“My apologies if I’m boring you. How about some less public questions? How many times in this past year alone was your omegin hospitalized for physical injuries?”

Several of the jury members leaned forward.

The professor stared. “I do not recall.”

Ronin glanced at his notes. “Hospital admissions are a matter of public record, even if the exact reasons for admission are not, so I am able to inform you that your omegin was hospitalized eight times in the last twelve months. I’m surprised you forgot considering the frequency.”

“Objection,” Awless said. “Relevance?”

Mendes pinned Ronin with a hard look. “Make your point quickly, counselor.”

“I will, your Honor,” Ronin said. “Now professor, you ran for mayor five years ago on an anti-omega rights platform, stating you believed in stronger laws protecting alphas, giving them even more power over their omega mates.”

Awless squawked another objection, but Mendes didn’t rule.

“I did,” the professor replied. “So?”

Ronin shrugged. “I simply find it interesting that the prosecution brought in a staunchly anti-omega law professor, who has an apparently accident-prone omegin of his own, for no other reason than to verify our province’s own anti-omega laws surrounding domestic violence.”

“Your Honor!” Awless said.

“Objection sustained,” Mendes said. He did not, however, tell the jury to disregard anything Ronin or the law professor had said.

Interesting.

“Professor,” Ronin said, “have you ever slapped your omegin?”

Mendes overruled the objection.

“Yes, when necessary,” the profession replied, terse and angry now. Good.

“Open palm or closed fist?”

“Both, when necessary.”

“Have you ever hit your omegin while he was pregnant.”

“I don’t recall.”

“Knocked your omegin to the floor?”

“I don’t recall.”

Ronin was getting to him. “Have you ever had sex with your omegin outside of heat without his consent?”

“Spousal rape is not—”

“A thing in alpha/omega pairings, I know the law. I’m asking if you ever had sex with your omegin, despite him telling you he was tired, not in the mood, sore, or otherwise simply said no?”

The professor glared. “I don’t recall at this time.”

“Pretty huge thing not to recall,” Ronin said to the jury. “I have no further use of this witness.”

After the professor left, Awless stood. “The prosecution rests, your Honor.”

Awless never called Braun as a witness for the prosecution. Interesting. The tapes must have gotten to him.

“Mr. Cross,” Mendes said, “Are you prepared to call your first witness?”

“I am, your Honor.” Ronin stood again. “The defense calls Dr. Omar Fantine to the stand.”

The man strode into the courtroom, and Ronin bit back a sneer. In his forties, slicked back hair, Fantine was the epitome of a backroom doctor, despite having a valid medical license. After he was sworn in, Ronin took a step toward the witness box.

“Dr. Fantine, you’re the obstetrician on record for Mr. Kell’s recent pregnancy, are you not?” Ronin asked.

“I am, yes.”

“And who chose you to be Mr. Kell’s OB?”

“Mr. Iverson, of course. No good alpha would trust an omega with his own healthcare.”

Someone on the gallery chuckled. Kell stiffened.

“How often did you see Mr. Kell for appointments?”

“The usual number, I suppose. Physical checkups and ultrasounds.”

“So for a normal pregnancy that’s what? Once or twice a trimester?”

“For a typical pregnancy, yes, but Mr. Kell was considered high-risk because of his late age in first going into heat, and also because of how long it had taken for the Iversons to conceive their first child.”

Ronin pretended to glance at his notes, but he knew this by heart. “Are house calls by the attending OB typical for a high-risk pregnancy?”

“If the patient is prescribed bed rest, then it’s not uncommon.”

“At any time during his pregnancy, did you prescribe Mr. Kell to be on bed rest?”

Fantine pursed his lips. “I did not.”

“So what was the reason for the thirty-six recorded house calls you made to Mr. Kell over the course of his pregnancy?”

One of the jurors gawked at Fantine. Ronin tried to keep his attention on Fantine, but he could still see the jury from the corner of his eye.

“Did I make that many?” Fantine asked. “I don’t recall, I’d have to consult my notes.”

“Please, don’t bother.” The idiot must not know that recordings had been found. “I have video clips I can easily play for the jury, all with clearly rendered dates and time stamps, that show you administering physical examinations to Mr. Kell in his place of residence exactly thirty-six times.”

Fantine visibly started to sweat. “If you say so. I was never made aware of any surveillance equipment being used in that home.”

“Neither was Mr. Kell. Imagine how he feels about it coming to light that his OB, the doctor entrusted with his first pregnancy, administered thirty-six home exams, all of which, for some odd reason, required Mr. Kell to be completely naked. Do you require total nudity for in-office exams, Dr. Fantine?”

“I’m certain there would have been a robe or sheet involved.”

“Are you now? Your Honor, I’d like to submit into evidence Defense Exhibit One. A tape of all thirty-six time-stamped exams which will clearly show Mr. Kell was not only completely nude, but that Dr. Fantine broke doctor/patient confidentiality by allowing Krause Iverson to both observe, and on two separate occasions, participate in the exams.”

Dr. Fantine gaped at him.

“So entered,” Mendes said. “Do you wish to play the tape for the jury now?”

Ronin held Fantine’s gaze, mindful of how long his silence was lasting, before Fantine hung his head. “That’s not necessary,” Fantine. “What Mr. Cross stated is true, to the best of my recollection.”

Mendes somehow held a perfectly calm expression when he said, “I’m sure the medical review board will be interested in you explaining this part of your testimony.”

“Yes, your Honor,” Fantine said.

“So Dr. Fantine, we’ve established that you conducted unlawful exams on Mr. Kell’s body. Did you ever touch Mr. Kell in an unmedically necessary way during an exam?”

“Objection,” Awless said. “Relevance?”

“Seriously?” Ronin retorted.

“Overruled,” Mendes said. “Answer the question.”

“Not that I can recall,” Fantine replied.

“Your Honor,” Ronin said. “I think we should play that tape for the jury, so they can make up their own minds about what happened during these appointments.”

“I’ll answer.”

“You can answer,” Mendes said, “but it’s the defense’s discretion when the tape is played, and Mr. Cross has requested it be played in open court. Officer?”

One of the court patrolmen collected the tape and took it to the media player. Ronin glanced down at Kell, whose face was bright red, but he was also glaring at Dr. Fantine with open hostility. Ronin wasn’t sure how that would look to the jury, but he was so fucking proud of Kell for sitting there with his head held high.

Ronin stayed at the table, because he’d reviewed the tape late last night. Awless asked permission to move around the court so he could see the TV screen, same as the jury. The tape was a super-cut of sorts, each appointment boiled down to the most relevant parts, from unnecessary groping, to Krause getting onto the bed and tweaking Kell’s nipple while Dr. Fantine “examined” him.

Even trimmed, the video was a good thirty minutes long, and while the jury watched with entranced and disgusted gazes, the gallery squirmed with boredom. Dr. Fantine and Judge Mendes could also see the TV; the former looked humiliated, while the latter seemed to be hiding his anger.

After the video stopped tape, Ronin stood and faced Dr. Fantine again. “So after viewing the footage, are there instances where you touched Mr. Kell in medically unnessary ways?”

“Yes,” Fantine replied.

“More than one?”

“Yes.”

“And why did you feel you could engage in such acts with your patient?”

Fantine’s face flushed. “Krause Iverson gave me permission.”

“So because an alpha gives you permission to fondle your patient, you go ahead and do it, knowing it violates your oath as a doctor?”

This time, Fantine’s flushed face hardened. “I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I may incriminate myself.”

“I have a feeling the constabulary will be very interested in knowing more about that response. No further questions.”

“Cross?” Mendes asked.

“One question, your Honor,” Awless said. “Dr. Fantine, during any of these allegedly unprofessional home appointments, did Kell Iverson ever object to anything you did during your exams?”

“He did not,” Fantine replied.

“Nothing further.”

Fantine seemed relieved to get down from the witness box, and Ronin imagined he was already mentally calling a lawyer as he left the courtroom. He’d be lucky to still have a medical license once the review board was through with him.

“Mr. Cross,” Mendes said, “I believe we have time for one more witness before we recess for the Remembrance Holiday.” An odd, mid-week holiday that pushed the trial length even further back, but it was a tradition observed by every province in the territory.

“Thank you, your Honor,” Ronin replied. “The defense calls Braun Etting to the stand.”

A new murmur went over the gallery. This time both Ronin and Kell turned to watch Braun escorted into the court by two patrolmen, who both stayed by his side until Braun’s protection was overtaken by the court’s own officers. The escort stayed close, all the way to the stand, where Braun was sworn in.

He sat uncomfortably in the witness box, but kept his shoulders straight and his expression clear.

“For the record, can you please state your name and your relationship to the defendant,” Ronin said.

“My name is Braun Etting, and the defendant is my older brother.”

“You’re both omegas, is that correct?”

“Yes, sir, that’s correct.”

“How would you describe your relationship with your brother?”

“We’ve been very close our entire lives. Our father resented that Kell and I were both omegas, and that he never had an alpha heir. Our omegin died when I was only nine.”

“Objection, hearsay,” Awless said. “Witness is testifying as to the emotional state of a dead man.”

“Sustained,” Mendes replied. “Please rephrase your testimony, young man.”

Braun frowned. “Our father seemed to resent that he had two omega sons. You can judge his actions for yourself, but after Omegin died, he began drinking heavily. Kell and I frequently went without food. Father would beat us when he drank. Kell shielded me from the worst of it, but once he was mated, I was alone with our father.”

Unwilling to risk another hearsay objection, Ronin shifted his questions. “How old was Kell when he was mated?”

“Two months from turning twenty-one. His first heat was incredibly late, and when our father realized what was about to happen, Krause Iverson appeared on our doorstep.”

“And when you say appeared…?”

“We’d never met the man before that day. He was a bit uptight, but polite when he offered to take Kell as his mate.”

“Was Kell himself ever asked if he wanted to mate Krause?”

“No, the negotiation was handled by our father. Kell wasn’t given a choice. Three days later, Kell was gone. Moved into the Iverson home.”

“How long has it been since then?”

“A little over three years.”

“And how frequently did you see Mr. Kell during those three years?”

“Every few months, if I was lucky.”

“But you two said you were close?”

Braun seemed to hold back a general glare of annoyance. “We were. Are. I was younger and unmated, as well, and Father generally refused my requests for him to drive me to see Kell. I saw Kell on a few birthdays, a few winter holidays. Once in a while, we got permission to speak on the phone.”

“During any of these interactions, did you notice signs of abuse on your brother?”

“Objection,” Awless said. “The witness is not a medical professional.”

“The witness is old enough to recognize if someone has a bruise on their body, your Honor.”

“One bruise proves nothing.”

“Multiple bruises prove a pattern.”

Mendes was quiet a beat. “Objection overruled for now. Tread lightly, Mr. Cross.”

“Yes, your Honor,” Ronin said. “Can you answer the question, Mr. Etting?”

“Can you repeat the question? Sorry.”

“Not a problem. I asked if at any time during your interactions with Mr. Kell after his mating, did you notice any bruises or other signs of physical abuse?”

“Yes. Once he had a fading black eye that he said was from walking into a door. On my nineteenth birthday, he had a broken arm that he didn’t try to explain. He was frequently tired, nervous in Krause’s presence. After that first year, he started saying things that made me realize just how unhappy he was.”

“Saying things such as?”

“He said he ached all the time. He said he was tired of being his mate’s punching bag, tired of being scared of Krause all the time. Tired of going to the hospital for treatment. He said he hated sex outside heat the most, because it always hurt so much, which terrified me to hear, because I was still unmated.”

“Did Mr. Kell ever say any of this to your father?”

“If he did, Father wouldn’t have cared. He hit us too. And I was an omega. Even if I’d gone to the authorities on Kell’s behalf, who would have listened to me? I used to believe what I was taught: that omegas aren’t worth anything more than our ability to carry children.”

“You said you used to believe that?”

Braun nodded. “Until I met alphas who disagreed. Alphas who saw the value in an omega, because without us, our race would die off. We aren’t goods to sell, we’re human beings.”

“Objection,” Awless said. “The witness is prostiletizing.”

“Sustained,” Mendes replied, but he didn’t look happy about it.

“Mr. Etting,” Ronin said, “can you tell the court why you were escorted into the courtroom by law enforcement officers?”

“Because myself and my bondmate Tarek Bloom have received death threats. We had to leave our residence and move to a secret location.”

Kell curled his fingers around the edge of the table in a white-knuckle grip.

“Your Honor, I’d like to submit Defense Exhibit Two into evidence. These are audio recordings of every threat Mr. Etting and Constable Bloom have received in the past two weeks.”

“So recorded,” Mendes said.

Ronin played the tape. The voices were disguised, but they matched the voices on Ronin’s own threats. Threats made specifically against Braun and his personal anatomy in great detail, if he didn’t keep his mouth shut. In the witness box, Braun flushed and glared down at his folded hands. The caller was smart enough not to mention the trial directly, though.

“Mr. Etting,” Ronin said when the tape ended, “to the best of your knowledge, why would anyone threaten to kill you.”

“To keep me from testifying today.”

“But you’re just an omega. What could you possibly have knowledge of that anyone would fear so badly?”

“The truth about what a sadistic creep Krause Iverson was.”

“Objection!” Awless said.

“Sustained.” Mendes looked at Ronin. “I’m giving you some leeway, counselor, because this is a highly unusual case, but don’t push your luck.”

“My apologies, your Honor,” Ronin replied. “Mr. Etting, have you ever had a personal encounter with the late Mr. Iverson that was not chaperoned by either your late father, or your current guardian, Constable Bloom?”

“Yes, I have. Once, but the encounter was eventually witnessed by Constable Bloom.”

“And when was this?”

Braun told him the date of the near-rape in the Iverson home. Ronin entered another videotape into evidence, and then played it for the jury. “Can you describe, to the best of your knowledge, what’s happening onscreen right now?”

“Kell is on the floor, crying and holding his baby’s blanket.”

“And why was your brother upset that day?”

“He’d just been told that Krause adopted away his newborn son without Kell’s permission.”

Two of the jury members gasped, as well as several people in the gallery.

“Since it’s not technically illegal for an alpha to do so without his omegin’s permission,” Ronin said, “why did Mr. Kell tell you he was so upset?”

“Branson was his son.” Braun glared at him like Ronin was some kind of idiot. “It took them nearly three years to conceive and Kell nearly died giving birth. When Krause found out the baby was beta, he left both of them at the hospital. Tarek and I had to take them home. Four days after giving birth, by the way, that’s how difficult the birth was for Kell. He adored his son.”

Tears streaked down Kell’s cheeks, and it took every ounce of control Ronin had not to touch him in comfort. Even a squeeze of his shoulder would turn into a hug, and he couldn’t risk that in open court.

The tape continued until Braun became visible. Ronin paused it. “And what’s happening now?”

“Kell had called and told me about losing his son,” Braun replied. “So I went to see him. He sounded so devastated on the phone that I had to go to him.”

Ronin increased the volume and hit play, filling the courtroom with Video Kell’s sobs. Braun didn’t need to narrate the rest. Kell and Braun’s own voices were soon joined by Krause’s, and his threats came over as clearly as they had when Ronin first watched the tape. Ronin stopped the tape after Krause dragged Braun out of the bedroom and locked Kell inside.

“The jury will have every chance to listen to the rest of this tape during deliberations,” Ronin said. “Mr. Etting, can you please tell the jury what happened next during this encounter?”

Braun swallowed hard several times. His composure was cracking in a few places, but he was young, a lot of eyes were on him, and he’d never testified in court before. “Krause dragged me into the hallway. He’d already punched me in the stomach, so I couldn’t breathe. I struggled, but he took me into another bedroom and hit me again. He wrestled me down so I was on my stomach, and I couldn’t get away. I screamed that I didn’t consent. I screamed it twice, but he leaned down and said ‘I don’t care. You Etting omegas were born to bleed on my cock.’” Braun shuddered. “Can I, uh, have some water, please?”

An officer brought him a sealed bottle, and Braun took a few sips. Ronin hated putting him through this, reliving these memories of a traumatic attack, but Braun understood why he was doing this.

“Do you need a break, Mr. Etting?” Judge Mendes asked.

“No, sir, I can continue,” Braun replied. He looked at Kell, then steeled his spine.

“Did Krause say anything else to you after he ignored your lack of consent?” Ronin asked.

“Yes. Goddess, it all happened so fast. He said he’d wrap my own belt around my throat and choke me while he fucked me. He said he’d fuck me through my heat, and if I wasn’t pregnant by the end, he’d bury me under the rosebushes.”

“Mr. Iverson threatened not only to assault and rape you, but also to kill you?”

“Yes.”

Ronin hazarded a brief look at Kell, who was the very picture of rage. Red-faced, tight fists, narrowed eyes. Ronin knew Kell was pissed at how his brother had been treated, but the jury could also wrongly interpret his expression as anger over the things Braun was saying against his mate.

“So to the best of your knowledge,” Ronin said, “previous to this encounter, had your alpha guardian given Mr. Iverson permission to have sex with you?”

“Absolutely not. Tarek would never do that.”

“The court has already established during previous testimony that a mated alpha cannot have sex with an unmated omega without that omega’s guardian’s express permission. You’re saying Krause did not have that permission?”

“No he did not, and Tarek will testify to the same. I went to that house to comfort my brother and that’s it. Tarek didn’t even know I was going; I snuck out. I needed to see Kell, and I was afraid he’d stop me.”

Ronin hadn’t wanted to open this particular can of worms, but he knew Awless would during cross, so he might as well introduce the topic. “Why were you afraid Constable Bloom would stop you from visiting Kell.”

Braun gulped. “Because I was entering my first heat, and it wasn’t safe for me to be out of the apartment, but I couldn’t not go. You didn’t hear the grief in Kell’s voice that day, in the voice mail he left me.” A voice mail Braun had deleted ages ago, or Ronin would have played it already.

“So you went to the Iverson home in the early stages of heat, knowing you’d be in danger, to comfort your brother and for no other reason.”

“Exactly.”

“So one can reasonably call Krause hitting you and dragging you out of the room, only to declare he was going to have penetrative sex with you without the consent of yourself or your guardian exactly what it was: rape.”

“Yes.” Braun practically spat the word. “I bit his face, and I kicked him in the junk, but if Tarek hadn’t found me, that’s exactly what Krause would have done. He would have raped me.”

Ronin paused to let that one sink in. Many of the jury members looked nauseated, others looked angry. They’d been shown exactly what sort of man Krause had been, and there was no bringing his reputation back from this. But that wasn’t his only purpose in calling Braun as a witness.

“Moving forward from that incident,” Ronin said, “Mr. Etting what happened when you were notified of Mr. Iverson’s death?”

“Tarek and I went to see Kell in the hospital,” Braun replied. “We were told he was catatonic, completely unresponsive to everyone. When we got to his room, Kell was…not there. I mean, physically he was in bed, but his eyes were completely blank. It was like he was so deep inside his own head, he couldn’t get back out. I sat with him and I talked to him, and I eventually got him to come out of it by talking about a happy childhood memory we shared with our omegin. When he recognized me, Kell broke down and cried himself to sleep.”

“Did he tell you why he was crying?”

“No, all he said was my name, and then afterward he slept for a while. Senior Iverson tried to get into the room once, but Tarek and the other officers wouldn’t let him. When Kell woke up, he was so confused. He didn’t know right away that Krause was dead, and he didn’t remember what happened. He said as much to us, and to the constable who questioned him.”

“Constable Jenks, correct?”

“Yes, sir. When Constable Jenks accused Kell of the murder, Kell was both shocked and outraged. He didn’t understand what was going on, and after Constable Jenks left, Kell became violently ill.”

“Did any doctors ever give a reason for why Kell couldn’t remember several hours of his life?”

“Yes, post-traumatic stress disorder was cited as a reason.”

Ronin picked up his notepad. “For the jury’s benefit, the Territorial Medical Association defines post-traumatic stress disorder as a mental health problem that can develop after someone experiences or witnesses a life-threatening event, such as combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. Symptoms vary from nightmares to flashbacks, as well as memory problems. Does any of this describe Mr. Kell?”

“Yes.”

“Objection,” Awless said. “The witness is not a medical professional and should not be allowed to testify as to a specific medical diagnosis.”

Mendes had overruled a previous objection about Braun identifying signs of abuse, but Ronin had probably overstepped on this one. He wasn’t surprised when the judge said, “Sustained. Please keep these specific medical questions contained to medical personnel.”

“Apologies, your Honor,” Ronin replied. “Mr. Etting, to the best of your knowledge, has Mr. Kell ever recovered his missing memories?”

“Not that he’s told me, no, and I hope he never does.” Braun glared at the gallery, probably to wherever Senior Iverson was sitting. “I don’t know what’s on those tapes they found, but Kell would never hurt someone on purpose, not like they’re saying he did. My brother is the kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever known.”

“Thank you, Mr. Etting. No further questions.”

Awless rose for cross, and he approached the witness box, probably trying to use his height and status as an alpha to intimidate Braun. “Mr. Etting, how old are you?”

Braun blinked. “Twenty-one.”

“Are you mated?”

“I’m bonded to an alpha, and we plan on mating during my next heat.”

“Will this be your first heat?”

“No, my second.” Braun stared at Awless like he was a moron, and even Ronin wasn’t sure about Awless’s angle here. “I already said I was previously in heat.”

“Yes, you did, and you also testified that you were in heat when you went to visit your brother and brother-in-law.”

“Yes, because Kell needed me.”

“Can you provide proof of this desperate phone call he made to you?”

“No, I erased the voice mail, but I could probably find the call log.”

“A call log won’t tell me exactly what your brother said to get you to come to his home.”

A prickle of anger spread across Ronin’s shoulders.

“I’ve already told you what Kell said,” Braun replied, his irritation showing. “He was grieving and angry because his son had been taken, so I went to him.”

“Did Mr. Kell ask you to come see him?”

“No.”

“So we only have your word that Mr. Kell didn’t invite you over.”

“No, you have Kell’s word, as well as my own. I’m testifying under oath and have no reason to lie.”

“Not even to protect your brother.”

Braun’s bewildered expression had Ronin rising. “Objection. Counselor is testifying for the witness.”

Mendes paused. “I’ll allow it for now, but tread carefully, Mr. Awless, and make your point.”

“I will, your Honor,” Awless said. “You’ve testified that you believed your brother was living in an unsafe environment, and yet you, as an unmated omega in heat, went willingly into that allegedly unsafe environment for a completely altruistic reason.”

“I…what’s altruistic mean?”

Someone in the jury tittered.

“It means unselfishly devoted to the welfare of others.”

Braun tilted his head. “Then yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

“So you’re saying it isn’t possible that your brother called and invited you over, because he believed Mr. Iverson could help you through your heat.”

“No! Gross, and no again. Kell knew I was bonded to a wonderful alpha, and that if I needed help with my heat, I’d turn to him. Besides, Kell didn’t even know how close I was to my next heat, so he’d have no reason to make such an obscene call.”

Awless was seriously reaching with this bullshit, but he had very little other ammunition up his sleeve than to try and create reasonable doubt about Braun’s reliability. And he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

“Earlier in your testimony,” Awless continued, “you stated Mr. Kell wasn’t given a choice in mating Mr. Iverson. Did Mr. Kell ever voice an objection to you over his intended mate?”

Braun pursed his lips, clearly trying to think back that far. “Not that he ever voiced to me before the mating occurred, no.”

“Did Mr. Kell ever voice an objection to you about these other alphas Mr. Iverson allegedly allowed to have sex with him?”

“No. I didn’t know about that until recently.”

“Did you ever witness Mr. Iverson being physically abusive to Mr. Kell in your presence?”

“Only that one time, the day Krause tried to rape me.”

Awless realized his mistake with that question too late. He’d probably prepared his cross before the tapes were discovered and hadn’t gone back to edit them. “Nothing further, your Honor.”

Ronin shot to his feet, heart pounding a little at this sudden gamble. “A moment to re-direct, your Honor?”

“I’ll allow it,” Mendes replied.

“Mr. Etting, what are your personal feelings about the late Krause Iverson?”

“I hate him. He’s evil, and I’m not sorry he’s dead.”

“You feel he’s evil because of how he treated your brother?”

“Yes.”

“And you’d do anything to protect your brother, correct?”

“Of course.” Braun frowned, his green eyes uncertain, because this hadn’t been part of their prep.

“Have you had a chance to view the tape the prosecution played this morning that shows what happened the day Mr. Iverson died?”

“No, I have not.”

Kell shoved a piece of paper at him that said WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Ronin ignored it. “You and your brother look very much alike. The resemblance is actually quite uncanny, and it could easily be mistaken in a video. Especially a home video taken from an aerial angle.”

“Ronin,” Kell snapped, the first time he’d spoken in court since announcing his plea to the judge.

Ronin put a staying hand on Kell’s shoulder, and it took everything in him not to pull Kell into a reassuring hug.

“Objection, your Honor,” Awless said. “Counsel in testifying.”

“Do you have an actual question to ask?” Mendes asked. There was danger in his voice, so Ronin pulled back.

“I do, your Honor, my apologies.” Ronin clasped his hands in front of him. “Mr. Etting, given your physical similarity to Mr. Kell, do you think it’s reasonably possible that the man in that video footage could not, in fact, be Mr. Kell, but could possibly be yourself?”

Braun’s mouth fell open.

Please see what I’m doing here. Please.

“I mean, I haven’t seen that footage,” Braun said slowly. Warily. “But I suppose it’s possible, yes.”

Ronin forced back a triumphant smile. “Nothing further, your Honor.”

“In that case, the witness is excused,” Mendes said. Once Braun was escorted out by his guards, he addressed the court. “That’s enough for today. Court is in recess for the holiday. The jury is dismissed for now.”

Once the jury and the judge were out of the courtroom, Ronin allowed himself that smile.