Jay places his now-empty plate on the coffee table as Nix licks the fork.
“Thank you all for loving me. I promise to keep trying to earn it.”
He’s tackled by Nix first, soft, wet kisses covering his face. Luca, never one to be left out, joins in next, and soon all seven of his mates are piled on top of him on the couch. Tsuki barks and chases her tail, delighted by the chaos.
Jay is just about to ask for a repeat of this in the nest tonight—a late birthday gift worth every second—when his cell phone rings.
He can’t reach it, trapped under the weight of his mates, so they reluctantly climb off. It’s on the fourth ring when he sees who it is, and his face must drop because the room stills.
“Hello, Erin. You’re on speaker with the pack. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Jay, I’m sorry to interrupt your evening so late, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible. Hello, everyone. Nix, it’s still okay with you that I discuss your case with your entire pack?”
Grayson tightens his arms around Nix, who lifts his head from his mate’s neck. His voice is soft but steady. “Thank you, Erin. Yes, that’s fine.”
“The court has set a date.” A pause. Then— “Three days from today.”
Jay’s breath stutters.
“I know it’s sooner than we expected,” Erin continues, her voice measured. “The defense has been exerting some pressure, and an unexpected opening in Judge Tanisha Patel’s schedule made it possible.”
Leo leans forward. His voice is calm and logical. “That’s good, right?”
“We think so,” Erin says. “Mr. Costas confirms this is the best possibleoutcome, and it’s why we haven’t pushed back on the tight turnaround. This judge has the best track record in cases like this—especially Human/Were Alliance transition cases.”
These kinds of cases.
She meansdomestic abuse, and they all know it.
Jay’s eyes sweep over his mates. No one speaks, but their emotions are palpable, crackling through the bond like static electricity. The spectrum of reactions is stark—Grayson looks positively green, his grip white-knuckled on the edge of the table, while Rowan’s face is flushed red with barely contained fury.
It’s not like they have to worry about a guilty verdict. That’s never been in question. But even so, the trial will be a bad fucking time. A brutal, drawn-out parade of trauma in front of strangers. And way too soon.
Finn voices what they’re all thinking. “We’re still not worried about the verdict, though, for any reason, are we?”
“Not at all,” Erin assures him. “It’s not a matter of guilt—we’re only arguing sentencing. The defense has submitted multiple motions for leniency. I won’t bore you with the legal minutiae, but you don’t need to worry about that. We have our own witnesses prepared should we need them. And, of course, we’ll be presenting our sentencing requests, as we previously discussed.”
A beat of silence.
Then, Nix—quiet, steady, but carrying a weight in his voice that makes Jay’s heart lurch.
“I still need to testify, Erin? You said it would…help.”
“We can’t be sure you’ll be asked, but yes. It would help,” Erin confirms gently. “Especially if we want the judge to rule in favor of the Omega Precedent.”
Jay’s throat tightens.
“But there’s always the possibility that it won’t be necessary,” Erin continues. “Are you still intending to proceed as your alpha’s proxy?”
Say no.
Say no and be happy about it.
Jay doesn’t say it out loud. Of course, he doesn’t.
He’s learned his fucking lesson. Over and over.
He will not fuck it up now.
