Jury selection took three days. And not because both lawyers had an overabundance of dismissals to use, but because every time the presiding judge, His Honor Judge Mendes, asked if the potential jurors had been influenced by media coverage of the case, more than half the potentials stood as a way of saying yes. Each one was eventually excused.

Only betas were called to serve on juries, so at least Ronin didn’t have to waste his dismissals trying to keep alphas out of the jury box. He listened for sympathy, patience and also professions. Medical professionals dealt with enough omegas to potentially side with Kell and his litany of medical records cataloguing his abuse. Blue-collar betas wouldn’t have as much sympathy for an omega from a poor family being taken in by a wealthy alpha, and then complaining about his treatment.

The entire thing was an exhausting game.

And it didn’t only exhaust Ronin, it exhausted Kell, who had to silently sit at his table while Ronin went back and forth with Judge Mendes and the prosecuting attorney, Don Awless. All Kell could do was sit and listen as two men chose the twelve who would eventually decide his fate.

Every night at home, they kissed themselves to exhaustion and slept together in Kell’s bed.

On the fourth day, the trial officially began, and the gallery was full to capacity, not only of media but also spectators. Senior Iverson sat alone on the first bench behind Awless, his face stony. He’d had no children he claimed besides Krause, and a quick look into the man’s history showed his omegin had no other live births on record. Not for the first time, Ronin wondered if the fertility issues were Kell’s fault, or if they were Krause’s.

Kell was shaking so hard by the time the judge arrived and everyone was seated that Ronin nearly asked for an immediate recess. But Kell pulled himself together as the judge spoke, announcing why they were there. He listed the charge, homicide in the first degree, and then asked Kell to stand and plead.

It took him several starts and stops to stand again, but Kell lifted his chin and clearly stated, “Not guilty, your Honor.”

The prosecutor stood to address the jury, a mixed bunch in terms of age and job ranks, and sang his song about what an omega slut Kell was, what a good life Krause had provided for him, and how Kell had lashed out and murdered his alpha. Citing no actual motive for doing so, Ronin noted. Awless ended his speech by promising to prove Kell’s sluttiness with witnesses who’d seen it in action.

By the end, Kell’s face and neck were flaming red, but he seemed more furious than embarrassed. Good. Ronin liked seeing his omega angry. Anger meant he hadn’t given up. Anger meant he still had hope that they’d win.

Ronin took his time approaching the jury, meeting the eyes of each man before settling at the podium. He didn’t have a paper; he had his speech memorized. “Prosecutor Awless has certainly painted a vivid portrait of someone, hasn’t he?” Ronin asked. “Perhaps there is an omega out there with an insatiable appetite for sex and orgies, but it isn’t Kell Iverson. Kell Iverson is not a sex addict. He is a victim of systematic abuse by his alpha, a man who should have protected and cared for him. Instead, Kell’s alpha created a toxic environment in which Kell was routinely beaten, raped, and victimized by not only his mate, but other alphas chosen by his mate.

“Now, Mr. Awless will undoubtedly cite that there’s no such thing as spousal rape between an alpha and omega, but that’s only as far as the law goes. It doesn’t apply to what actually happens, physically, between an alpha and omega. It doesn’t apply to when a bigger, stronger alpha forces his smaller, weaker omega to accept his penetration without consent. You see, in a beta relationship, sex without consent is rape. So why is that not the case here?

“Mr. Awless has also promised witnesses attesting to these so-called orgies that Mr. Kell consented to participate in. They’ll testify under oath. But what if all they have to say is what the late Krause Iverson told them was the truth? That’s hearsay, not testimony. What if they are repeating this hearsay, rather than stating yes, they heard consent straight from Kell Iverson’s mouth? Interesting thought, isn’t it?

“The prosecution has no clear evidence that Kell Iverson killed Krause. Even the fingerprint on the murder weapon is circumstantial. Mr. Kell lived in that house and likely touched that vase a hundred times. There are no witnesses to say what happened, and Mr. Kell has been seen by two highly-regarded mental health professionals who both assessed that his memory loss was caused by post-traumatic stress disorder. It means it is caused by extreme stress and trauma, which Mr. Kell was exposed to for the three years he was mated to Krause Iverson, and we have pages of medical records proving this as fact.

“What else can we prove as fact? That Krause unlawfully disposed of Mr. Kell’s only child, Branson, when he was barely two weeks old, causing Mr. Kell extreme emotional distress. That Krause Iverson lodged a false complaint against the defendant’s brother, Braun Etting, in an effort to discredit any complaint Mr. Etting might bring against Krause in the future, including battery and attempted rape.”

A murmur went up in the gallery at that, and Ronin paused for effect.

“This will not be an easy trial to sit through,” Ronin continued. “You will hear and see evidence of extreme physical and sexual abuse perpetrated against the defendant. But I hope it will be an easy case for you to render your verdict on. Kell Iverson is no more guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder than any one of you citizens in this jury box. He’s suffered enough. Let him go home to his family. Thank you.”

Ronin returned to his seat next to Kell and resisted the urge to give his omega’s shoulder a supportive squeeze. They couldn’t show any physical affection in court. In this room, theirs was a purely professional relationship.

Kell wanted to cheer and vomit all at once. He was still utterly humiliated by the prosecutor’s opening statements about his sexual proclivities, and he wanted to smack the man in the face for daring to say such things. But once Ronin said his bit, Kell relaxed more. Ronin spoke only the truth, and Kell had seen flashes of sympathy in some of the jurors’ eyes, particularly a young man in the front row with a visible scar bisecting his right cheek.

Maybe I already have an ally.

Prosecutor Awless called his first witness, and Kell recoiled at the name. He knew it, as he knew the man. Chip Uty was a business partner of Krause’s and a frequent visitor to their house—and their bed. Kell tracked the man as he walked to the front of the courtroom, swore to tell the truth, and then was seated.

Chip smirked in Kell’s general direction, and then turned his attention to Awless.

“Mr. Uty, what was your relationship to the late Krause Iverson?” Awless asked.

“We were friends since secondary school, as well as business associates,” Chip replied. He spoke in a monotone voice that betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

“So how long would you say you knew Mr. Iverson?”

“Eight years or so.”

“And in those eight years, did you ever know Mr. Iverson to become physically violent with another person?”

Chip hesitated. “Well, as alphas, we’re biologically quick to anger, so there were the typical fist-fights between posturing alpha teenagers. I’m sure every alpha in the room has gotten into one fight or another over the years.”

Someone in the gallery tittered. Kell glanced at Ronin, who was staring flatly ahead at Chip—but his hands, fisted in his lap and out of sight of the jury, hinted at his annoyance over Chip’s statement.

“What about unprovoked violence?” Awless asked.

“Nah, nothing like that.”

“Did you ever witness Mr. Iverson striking his mate?”

“Yes.”

Kell flinched at the memory of Chip’s own punches and slaps, all while Krause looked on and laughed at his pain.

“And why would Mr. Iverson strike his mate?”

“Usually because Kell would back-talk him. Disrespect him or one of his guests.”

Disrespect him is an interesting way of saying, “I begged him to stop hurting me.”

Ronin, he noticed, was making a note in that odd, cursive handwriting of his.

“Do you yourself use corporeal punishment with your mate?” Awless asked.

“When necessary, yes,” Chip replied. “Omegas need to know their place.”

The scarred beta in the jury box was now openly glaring at Chip, and it gave Kell even more hope. Murder trials needed a unanimous jury vote, and this beta seemed to already be rooting for Kell.

“I’d like to remind the jury that corporeal punishment in an alpha/omega mated relationship is, in fact, legal in this territory,” Awless said. “Now, Mr. Uty, I apologize for getting personal, but did you ever have sex with Kell Iverson while he was in heat?”

You apologized to him for getting personal?!

“Yes, I have,” Chip replied.

“Do you recall how many times?”

“Uh, not really.”

“Less than five?”

“Nah, more than five. Kell was a horny little bastard.”

“Objection!” Ronin shot to his feet.

“Sustained,” Judge Mendes said. “Mr. Uty, please stick to the plain facts and refrain from colorful characterizations of the defendant.”

“Of course, your honor,” Chip said.

Ronin sat, and even with his alpha suppressor, Kell felt the rage rolling off him.

“What were the circumstances surrounding your sexual encounters with Kell Iverson?” Awless asked.

Chip shrugged one shoulder. “Usually, it was Krause inviting me over, because his omega was getting out of hand and Krause was exhausted. Needed someone else to give his omega what he needed.”

Kell half-expected Ronin to object to those statements. Instead, he made more notes.

“So you had the alpha’s permission to attend to his omega’s needs?”

“Sure did,” Chip said. “Friends help each other out, you know?”

Friends don’t rape each other’s mate, you shitstain.

Kell wanted to scream that out loud so badly his lungs ached.

“One final question for you, Mr. Uty. Would you describe Krause’s behavior toward Kell as abusive in nature?”

“Of course not.”

“No further questions.”

“Cross examination, Counselor?” the judge asked Ronin.

“Absolutely, your Honor.” Ronin stood but made no move to approach the witness, keeping his comforting presence close to Kell at all times. “Mr. Uty, you mentioned that when Krause called you to come take care of his omega, it was Krause who told you that Mr. Kell was, to put it blunty, horny and in need of relief?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Chip replied, his expression openly hostile now that Ronin was questioning him.

“You could say that, or you are saying that? Please be clear for the jury.”

“I am saying that.”

“So the only verbal indication you were given about Mr. Kell’s needs came from Krause.”

Chip squirmed. “Yes.”

“You were never told, by Mr. Kell himself, that he wanted you to have sex with him?”

“No, but omegas in heat always want sex. It’s part of their nature.”

“Of these more than five times you had sex with Mr. Kell, were they always while he was in heat?”

“Uh…no.”

“So in those times when he was not in heat, did Mr. Kell verbally indicate that he wanted to have sex with you?”

“Not exactly.”

“It’s a yes or no question.”

“Krause said it was okay.”

“I’m not asking what Krause told you. I’m asking what the defendant told you. What did Mr. Kell say to you when you went into his bedroom to have sex with him?”

Chip’s cheeks flushed bright red. “He said that he didn’t consent.”

A loud murmur went through the gallery. Kell checked on the jury. Several of them, especially the younger ones, looked pissed.

“But Krause told me Kell liked to play rough,” Chip said. “Krause said Kell liked to pretend he didn’t want it, but he really did, because it got him off.”

“Did you ever actually see Mr. Kell ‘get off’ as you put it, because of the sexual activity the pair of you engaged in?”

“No, but…” Chip had nothing to add to the ‘but.’

“It sounds as if Krause told you a lot of things. Things you didn’t bother to clarify with Mr. Kell before having sex with him. Because in this territory, Mr. Uty, having sex with someone not your own omega without their consent is rape.”

“Objection,” Awless said.

“It’s a statement of factor, your Honor,” Ronin countered. “By Mr. Uty’s own words, he acted solely on the word of one man that the act was okay, he ignored the revoked consent of an omega not his own mate, and he penetrated Mr. Kell without permission.”

Judge Mendes stared at Ronin a beat, and then said, “Objection overruled.”

Kell silently cheered. Finally—fucking finally!—someone was calling what happened to Kell rape. Someone was holding these alphas accountable for their actions.

“Thank you, your Honor,” Ronin said. “Mr. Uty, previously in your testimony, you said that you witnessed Krause using corporeal punishment against Mr. Kell because of back-talking, correct?”

“I did,” Chip replied.

“Can you give the jury a specific instance of Mr. Kell back-talking Krause in your presence? Something he said that led to physical retaliation from Krause?”

“I, uh…” He cut his eyes at Awless. “Not that I can recall at this time, sir, no.”

“Really? You’ve been to Krause’s home more times than you can count, and you’ve been friends with him for eight years, but you cannot recall a single, actual thing Mr. Kell said to deserve being punished for?”

“That’s correct.”

Ronin looked directly at the jury then, pausing for a long moment, before continuing. “Leaving your personal actions aside for a moment, would you categorize rape as abusive in nature?”

“Um, sure. Yes?”

“So if, hypothetically, an alpha gave another alpha permission to rape his mate, would that characterize the permissing alpha as abusive?”

Chip gulped. “I guess so.”

“Based on your previous answers, yes or no?”

“Yes.”

“I have no further questions, your Honor.”

“Re-direct?” the judge asked Awless.

Awless shot a glare at Ronin, and then said, “No, your Honor.”

The witness was excused, and Awless called his next.

The rest of the day continued in much the same pattern, with each “character witness” saying similar things about Krause, calling him loyal, protective, a good guy, not abusive, of course not, and supporting the idea that Kell consented to sex. And each time, Ronin decimated their testimony in the same way he decimated Chip Uty’s. But for some reason, Awless kept calling those kinds of witnesses.

By the end of the first day, Awless seemed frustrated, while Ronin oozed confidence. Kell wasn’t entirely sure how he felt, other than exhausted. Reliving all those men and their faces and the ways they’d hurt him…he ached with it, and he had a difficult time following Ronin out the back of the courtroom, toward a protected exit, flanked on both sides by court-appointed patrolmen.

At home, Ronin heated up leftovers from the night before, and Kell ate with little enthusiasm. All he wanted was sleep and the comfort of his alpha’s arms, but Ronin was keeping his distance, and that hurt.

Of course he is. He got to see and speak with all the men who raped me. Why would he still want me after all that tangible proof of how damaged I am?

Kell crawled into his bed before the sun had even completely set, unsoothed by the scent of his alpha on the sheets. He dozed and dreamed of terrible things—of hands and mouths, of fists and blood, and of so much pain he couldn’t stop screaming. Not even when strong arms curled around him, and a familiar scent filled his nostrils.

His screams turned to sobs, and he clutched at Ronin’s chest, wishing he could climb inside the bigger man where he’d always be safe. “Please don’t leave me,” he said, over and over, the words mixing with his tears.

“I’ll never leave you,” Ronin whispered. “Never.”

Eventually Kell settled, and then he fell asleep again, safe in the arms of his alpha. His head hurt when he woke the next morning, and his eyes felt puffy and dry. But Ronin was still there, carefully smothering Kell into the mattress, a human blanket that was almost too hot. As if sensing him waking, Ronin began to stir.

“Thank you,” Kell said. “For last night.”

“You shouldn’t have to thank me. It was my fault.”

Kell twisted around so he was looking up at Ronin. “How was my nightmare your fault?”

“After yesterday’s testimony, I thought you’d want me to give you space. I should have asked what you needed, instead of assuming, and when you went to bed without me, I again assumed you didn’t want me close to you.”

“I needed you so badly. I thought after listening to all those men I disgusted you.”

“Never.” A sharp ferocity lit in Ronin’s golden eyes. “Those men are predators, just like Krause, and nothing they did to you is your fault. I will never hold anything they did against you, Kell.”

Kell believed him, and he felt foolish for doubting Ronin after all the assurances he’d already given. “I’m sorry you have to keep repeating yourself.”

“Don’t be. I’ve said it before, but I understand where your hesitation and self-doubt comes from, and I will always put your fears to rest when you need me to. Last night was my fault. I wasn’t properly seeing to my omega’s needs, and I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you.” Kell gently kissed him on the mouth. “Will all of that happen again today?”

“No, according to his witness list, he’ll call on several professional witnesses today, as well as Braun.”

Kell startled. “Braun?”

“He’ll want to use the complaint Krause lodged to discredit both of you.”

“But doesn’t that also give Braun the chance to say what really happened when you cross-examine? How does that help the prosecutor?”

“On paper, it doesn’t, unless he has some sort of hidden strategy up his sleeve. Honestly, calling Braun can only damage his case further, unless…”

“Unless what?” Kell nudged Ronin until they were both sitting up in bed.

“He could hypothetically use the fact that Braun went to your home while in the opening throes of heat to paint him as impulsive and lacking control, which he could try and argue is a family trait.”

“That I’m an impulsive sex-addict fully capable of killing my mate?”

Ronin nodded, his expression dark. “But it’s a thin argument. Braun’s actions don’t actually reflect on your own, but it could color the jury’s perception of you a little.”

“Great.”

“Don’t worry, little one. We did enough damage to the prosecution yesterday by making all of their witnesses practically admit they committed multiple acts of rape.”

Kell allowed a small amount of personal satisfaction to rise up over that. Even if they were never prosecuted for it, hundreds of people had heard them admit it. Thousands more had heard about it in the evening radio broadcasts, and thousands more would read about it in today’s newspapers. Somehow, in some way, their own testimony would come back to bite them.

And hopefully draw blood.

By silent agreement, they left the comfort of the warm bed. Kell showered first, which helped alleviate his headache, and by the time he was dressed, Ronin had fixed them pancakes and coffee for breakfast. Kell wasn’t looking forward to sitting through another long day on his ass, so after eating, he walked on the treadmill long enough to warm his muscles, but not enough to break out in a sweat.

The next two trial days—with a weekend break between them—were more of the same, with more frequent pauses while both lawyers quietly conferred with the judge at the bench. The prosecution called their mental health expert, who admitted that post-traumatic stress could cause memory loss, but he didn’t believe that occurred in Kell’s case. He practically accused Kell of faking his memory loss, called him cold and calculating, and insinuated Kell had planned the murder of his mate. Ronin objected multiple times, and his objections were often sustained, but the jury couldn’t un-hear the words.

They called one former servant who reluctantly answered leading questions that tried to, once again, establish Kell as some sort of sex addict. Ronin crushed that spectacularly upon cross-examination. Awless called Krause’s financial expert, who tried to spin so many expenses as extravagant gifts for Kell, vacations they took, etc…, hoping to show Krause was kind and generous. Ronin had receipts showing those expensive gifts were delivered to business associates, and no, the expert could not prove Kell had gone on any of those trips with Krause.

Which he hadn’t, not a single one. Krause had never taken him out of the province, much less to distant ones across the territory for a luxurious weekend away. Kell couldn’t say that yet, but he’d get his chance. He was the last witness to be called for the entire trial.

Ronin proved himself an amazing defense lawyer time and again, witness after witness, using every opening possible to spill more blood into the water. Using every attempt at painting a benevolent Krause against the man’s memory and showing his violent, selfish nature, instead.

And as much as it thrilled Kell, it also terrified him a little. Not because he doubted that Ronin was winning, but because their winning would infuriate Senior Iverson. The closer they got to Kell’s testimony, the larger that icy rock of panic grew. Not only for the things Kell would eventually say, but for whatever desperate attempts to shut Kell up that Senior Iverson might make.

At the end of the third day of testimony, Kell hazarded a glance across the courtroom to where Senior Iverson was seated. The man was glaring back with so much open rage that Kell’s bladder nearly let go.

Damn the consequences. For the first time in his life, Kell met the man’s steely gaze and glared right back.

Senior Iverson blinked first.