Chapter 191: That’s My Beta (Dante’s Nod)

Alpha Thunderfang reached for his water. He drank. Then he drank again.

A few holograms nearest to him flickered, the projections stuttering as something in the current around them destabilized. Beneath his formal tunic, his suit had begun to glow.

Tavian knew every sign of it, and he was standing before the second glow could become a third.

"Grand Chancellor Edwards." Tavian spread his hands, easy, reasonable, his voice carrying across the chamber. "I would point out that the Starborne delegation did not once refer to the Crown Princess by her name in any of that. Not once. They sold her to their Crown Prince. She was also paired with Derek Thunderfang as his mate. It is against Helix Repopulation Mandate Law for a female to be mated with a member of her own pack or for a slave to be mated in the same cohort. Kai Starborne fits squarely into that category. Regardless, there is no debate to be had on that point. Nova Thunderfang is a member of the Thunderfang pack and our Crown Princess. The Alpha declines the proposal, and he will not entertain it further."

In the Thunderfang elders’ section, Dante gave a single nod so small only Freya saw it. The nod said that’s my Beta.

"That may well be the case, Beta Voltcrest." Edwards inclined his head a fraction, conceding nothing. "But it is not relevant to the matter before this council. Which is that this woman has been a political pawn, and the source of profound disruption between Starborne and Thunderfang, and among no fewer than a dozen packs across Helix. Every pairing made at the Moonfire has been called into question owing to the circumstances surrounding her." He let his gaze sweep the chamber. "And the Crown Prince of Thunderfang lies in a coma as a result of her actions."

The chamber erupted.

"That has not been proven, that is an allegation—"

"Grand Chancellor, you cannot be serious—"

"There are no pairings in question in the Thunderfang pack. My son—"

Dante leaned forward in his chair for the first time. The leaning was the leaning of a man who had been observing and was now participating and the transition happened on the word actions.

Sebastian’s hand went flat on the table.

Grand Chancellor Edwards raised his hand. The noise guttered out.

"The arrest of the woman formerly known as 7709 was registered in the national database before they were subsequently removed. That removal is itself part of an ongoing investigation. We likewise have evidence of her unauthorized access to the Helix database, given that she is now the wife of two separate Alphas." He paused, then looked directly at Tavian. "And Beta Voltcrest, I would like to remind you that your mate, the Emberclaw princess, a woman who held a spotless record, was arrested with 7709."

The hall came apart a second time.

"A wife to Emberclaw and Thunderfang? Two Alphas—"

"If she is smart enough to hack something of that nature, then she would be smart enough not to put herself as the wife of two Alphas. That logic—"

"Grand Chancellor, there must be some sort of misunderstanding. That girl has been nothing but polite—"

Freya looked at Dante. Dante looked at the ceiling. The ceiling was the only surface in the room that wasn’t saying something stupid.

Maria grabbed Tavian’s hand under the table. Tavian’s easy posture had gone rigid. He gave her hand a squeeze.

Alpha Thunderfang’s suit had climbed from a glow to a pulse, and the holograms within ten feet of him were stuttering in and out of focus.

The Grand Chancellor waited until the outrage died down, his hologram unamused.

"Under Helix law, a member of a pack may claim their title only when their mate is present to confer it. And under that same law, when a pack-member candidate brings harm to their assigned mate, their status is revoked. The harm came to Derek Thunderfang before her pack initiation." He folded his hands. "The dates matter here. In terms of the law, if the attempted murder of Derek Thunderfang happened after her initiation then we would be having a different conversation. But it occurred a week prior. The council was not made aware of this until recently. If we had been aware, we would have removed her from Thunderfang’s custody."

The temperature in the Thunderfang row dropped.

"By law, the Crown Princess title is not hers, and cannot be hers, until Derek Thunderfang performs the ritual himself. Therefore this council is formally revoking her assigned pairing to Derek Thunderfang and no longer recognizes her as candidate for Thunderfang pack membership. She is to be returned to Starborne custody within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and they are to turn her over for sterilization at the end of the month. The full sum paid for her will be refunded to Thunderfang by the Starborne delegation. The Starborne delegation will be formally notified of this council’s ruling and of the terms governing the return of their Crown Princess. The record will reflect the agreement as stated."

The word sterilization hit the Thunderfang women like a physical blow. Every single one closed their eyes and some flinched. A few hands flew to their stomachs involuntarily. Everything about that was wrong.

Sebastian stood. Sierra pulled him back down. He sat. The sitting was not agreement.

The hall erupted again. Up and down the Thunderfang Elders’ row, grave looks passed between men who had suddenly realized the ground was no longer where they had left it.

"Grand Chancellor Edwards." Alpha Thunderfang kept his voice level, which took visible effort. "The charges were dropped because the assault never occurred. I have the chief of police present and willing to testify to that under oath. As for the database, I gave Nova my surname, registering her as my wife, while my brother lay in a coma. She did not hack anything. Alpha Emberclaw did the same, independently, unaware that I had already done so. We both did it for the same reason. The system has no protections built in for a former slave, and we were not going to leave her exposed inside it."

The chief of police gave a single nod, confirming that his Alpha had just told the truth and he was prepared to back it under oath.

Edwards remained immovable.

"It does not change the fact that she was arrested for the attempted murder of her assigned mate, Alpha Thunderfang. Nor the fact that she did not perform the ritual with her assigned mate. And it does not change the fact that a dozen packs are in uproar over her, because she has become a symbol. Sterilization is the safest outcome available to her. For her, and for the peace of this continent."

Alpha Thunderfang rolled his neck once, the micro-adjustment of an Alpha about to jump into the boxing ring with a bunch of hologram elders.