Chapter Twenty
Alrick
"Gentle Beings," the attorney greeted the courtroom, his low voice formal. "Haldrian Christof, Esquire, for the defense."
When the lawyer introduced himself, a low murmur ran through the room. Curious, I raised my head, looking directly at him for the first time. Nope. Still didn't have a clue who he was or why the Brass all seemed so impressed. Not that it was really going to matter.
Once the hearing the was called to order, I found myself one again restrained in the interrogation chair as the charges against me were read. The only surprise came at the end; when my lawyer stepped forward to ask that the charges be dropped in their entirety. Every face in the room turned to him in confusion, mine included.
"Excuse me, Alpha?" I whispered. "You know I'm guilty, right? We're just here to enter my guilty plea."
"No, you're not," he responded so confidently that I laughed. "And call me Drey."
"No, really. I am." I assured him. "I self-reported."
"Then you must have been confused," he answered easily, pulling a sheaf of papers from the stack on the desk and rifling through them before approaching the bench. "If it pleases the officers?"
Annoyed at having been so easily dismissed, I watched as Alpha Christof – Drey, I corrected myself – passed the papers in his hands to the judge before rejoining me at the defense table. I opened my mouth to speak, to explain that he was misunderstanding the situation, but he silenced me with a shake of his head.
"Counselor," the judge spoke up. "I'm afraid that we can't honor your request to withdraw the charges based only on the word of an Omega who may or may not have been in his right mind at the time of the deposition."
"I understand," Drey's smooth voice answered. "Certainly, the Omega in question was still recovering from the broken bond at the time of the query." Rather than looking disappointed, Drey was biting back a grin, looking for all the world like they had played directly into his hands. "How long would Your Honor say would make the Omega's testimony reliable?"
"I'm afraid I can't say," the elder started apologetically. "I would need to evaluate the Omega's condition to be sure."
Drey nodded. "In that case, Elder, I request the leeway to present a character witness at this time."
A surprised murmur ran through the room, but the Elder ignored it.
"Granted," the Elder announced, scowling at the increasingly noisy gallery. "Call your witness."
"Thank you," Drey rose and turned toward the door, gesturing to the bailiff. "I call Sebastian Tiernan, ward of the Coruscation pack in the United States."
The whispers grew louder as the courtroom door opened and the beautiful Omega who I'd so recently called mine strode into the room. Sebastian paused once when he caught sight of me. I saw the droop at the corners of his mouth, the clouding in his eyes, the slight sag in his shoulders before he drew himself back up to his full height and forged ahead, striding confidently to stand before the bench, his head bowed respectfully.
"Welcome, Omega," an elder greeted him gently. "Do you know why you are here?"
"I..do," Sebastian's voice was soft but steady.
The panel of Elders scented the air as Sebastian stood in front of them, checking for signs of distress. I followed suit, regretting that the distance from Sebastian combined with the crowded room kept me from obtaining a better sample. Still, it was enough to confirm that he wasn't distressed or ill.
"Would you be more comfortable speaking in our chambers?" The elder offered, treating Sebastian with kid gloves.
"No, Elder," Sebastian's voice was stronger, as though he'd pulled a reserve of strength from deep inside. "I can speak here."
"Very well." The Elder gestured for the bailiff to bring a chair and waited until Sebastian sat. "You can begin whenever you're ready."
Sebastian drew in a deep breath and, without looking at me, he began.
"I understand that Alrick..Alpha Braun, that is…turned himself in for.." Sebastian paused and then seemed to steel his nerves. "For taking advantage of me, for claiming me without my consent."
The elders nodded as one and waited.
"That..that isn't what happened," Sebastian's voice rose an octave. "He never took advantage of me. I was willing in every encounter." Sebastian's face flushed red. "I was..more than willing, elders. He never pushed me into anything."
Sebastian stopped talking, gulping in air as he waited for the elders to digest what he'd said.
"Omega," an elder midway down the bench began in a kind voice. "The problem is that sometimes an Omega can be influenced by an Alpha's presence without realizing it. You may not have known he was influencing you."
"No, Elder," Sebastian answered quickly, stopping when a gasp ran through the room. "I..I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "What I meant to say was that I had been injured, my body was healing, I didn't respond to him that way." He raised his chin and met the elder's eyes straight on. "If I had been healthy, Elder, I would agree with you, but I wasn't."
The elder raised a curious brow. "How can you be sure about that?"
"I..," Sebastian choked out, covering his face with his hands for a brief moment, then dropping them as he continued. "I wasn't in heat, Elder." He blurted out. "My suppressants had worn off before we ever copulated. If I'd been well enough for his presence to influence me, if he had tried to, I would have fallen into heat pretty quickly." He huffed out a breath. "We were together several days without that happening. That's how I know that he didn't influence or take advantage of me. I wanted everything we did together."
The lead elder gave the gallery another angry look as yet another whisper raced through. "If you can't sit quietly, I will empty this room!" He turned back to Sebastian. "And the claim?"
"The claim was…an accident," Sebastian said softly. "A lack of coordination during the act of copulation when Alpha Braun's teeth slipped. He didn't have any intention of claiming me." He chanced one quick glance my direction before turning back to the bench, his fingers rising to worrying the now healed spot on his neck. "If..if he had wanted it, if he had asked, I would have been honored to be claimed by him."
"It was very brave of you to come forward on Alpha Braun's behalf," the elder complimented, favoring Sebastian with a small smile. "You're dismissed."
Just like that, Sebastian walked out of the hearing room and out of my life.
***
Sebastian's testimony turned the tide of the trial, and in less than twenty-four hours, I was standing in front of the bench next to Drey as the elders informed me that the criminal charges had been dropped. There was still the matter of the disciplinary hearing – Sebastian may have convinced the elders that I hadn't broken any laws, but sleeping with someone I was charged with protecting most definitely violated Brigade policy – but when it was over, I was handed a two month suspension and walked away a free being. For the second time since I'd known him, Sebastian had saved my life.