Sitting there, holding Nate’s hand, I listened as Ollie talked about the way drug traffic and overdoses increased almost every year from the time Lincoln arrived in Toronto. The other alphas stared at Ollie as he gave year-by-year data. Lincoln, for his part, still smirked as though everything Ollie was saying was pointless.
“Veryinteresting,” Lincoln said, cutting Ollie off, “but this is still circumstantial. There is zero proof this leads back to me.”
Ollie’s grin widened as he gestured to Nate. “You see, my friend here managed to find a pretty interesting garage in Detroit. One that held a fairly impressive amount of drugs. They were hidden in gas canisters. I did a bit of digging, and it appears that the garage is owned by one of the subsidiaries of The Masters Foundation.”
“Still means nothing,” Lincoln said, though he appeared more nervous than a moment before. “One of my employees could be involved in something, but it doesn’t come back to me. Hell, if someone who works for me is doing anything illegal, I’ll be the first to help bring them to justice,” he added, looking around the room for an ally. No one would even look at him.
“That’s true,” Ollie said, “but we have your signature on the lease. Yourpersonalsignature. Also, I managed to find a shipping invoice. It lists a pallet of gas canisters being shippedfrom that garage to Toronto. The invoice confirmation came directly from your personal email address.”
Lincoln’s mouth opened and closed like a fish trying to breathe out of water. He was a rat caught in a cage. Then, in a fit of anger, he snarled and backhanded Rick. Thecrackof his knuckles on Rick’s cheek sounded like a gunshot in the room.
“You stupid piece of shit,” Lincoln growled. “You couldn’t find a better cunt to shove your dick in? Do you see what that bitch has done to us?”
He stood, towering above his son. For a moment, I could see what Rick had endured in his childhood. This evil man was trying to force his will upon Rick, trying to mold him into the man he wanted him to be rather than the man he was born to be. It was no wonder Rick had ended up unhinged and broken. Lincoln was terrifying.
“You hit him again,” JC growled, his voice low and dangerous, “and I’ll do more than backhand your ass, Lincoln. Sit back down.”
The men who’d brought in Rick stepped forward, glowering at Lincoln, all of them looking like they’d enjoy nothing better than to rip him limb from limb. Lincoln snapped his eyes around to look at them, and more panic showed on his face as he slowly sat back down.
“You see, Lincoln,” JC went on, a more diplomatic tone to his voice, “Ollie’s discovery, Cameron’s research, and Nate’s detective work might not hold up in court.” He leaned forward, placing his hands on the table and glaring at Lincoln. “But this is no court. We are shifters, and I am the alpha. All I need is enough proof, and forme”—he jammed a thumb into his chest—“this is enough.” He stood straight, raising his hands to gesture to the others. “What does the council say?”
Slowly, the men around the table glanced at Lincoln and Rick, then back to JC. One by one, they held their fists up,thumbs pointed down. As the voting came in, Lincoln’s eyes widened in horror and shock, his head shaking slowly back and forth. When the final vote was cast, JC looked at Lincoln.
“Looks like you lose,” he said. “You have been stricken from the Toronto-Ottawa pack. You will, from this moment on, be known as a lone wolf, shunned and unwelcome.” He held up a finger. “And notbecauseyou are a lone wolf, but because of your crimes.”
“NO!”Lincoln exploded, rising from his chair. “You can’t do this. I won’t allow it.”
JC flicked his eyes to one of his men, who put his hands on Lincoln’s shoulders and physically shoved him back down into the chair. Rick’s face had twisted into an agonized mask of horror and sadness. Despite everything, I hated how awful he looked. The drugs had begun to take their toll on him.
Before I could stop myself, I stood. “JC, may I speak again?” I blurted.
He stopped, his words cut off by my interruption. But if he was upset, he didn’t show it. All he did was nod.
“Go ahead, Cameron,” he said.
“Thank you. Um.” I cleared my throat. “I know that I came here to tell you how awful these two men are,” I said, waving a hand at Rick and Lincoln. “The issue is that I don’t know whether Rick Masters would have done any of this if not for his father. That doesnotexcuse him. The man he warped and twisted with narcotics murdered innocent women. That can never be forgiven, but I would ask that you take a small measure of pity on him. He’s an addict, and if you turn him out now, he’ll fall even further into that pit.” I swallowed hard. “I ask that he be taken to a recovery facility. Rehab and detox. Once he’s had some therapy to get off whatever he’s been taking, then he can be sent on his way. Maybe if he begins with a clean slate, one day he can redeem himself in some way.”
Standing there, I waited to see how the men reacted to my suggestion. For their part, the alphas looked dubious. But JC smiled sadly.
“I think that can be arranged,” he said. “I don’t want to be the one perpetuating the cycle of something like this. We’ll have him taken to the nearest facility when this meeting adjourns.”
Nate grinned at me and winked.
“I have something else to say,” I added.
This time, JC didn’t look surprised. If anything, he had a knowing smile on his lips as he glanced from me, to Nate, and back again.
“Proceed,” he said, doing his best to hide a smile.
“Lenny Nash,” I began, scanning the room, “was a lone wolf. He’d been cast out of his pack, mostly due to his drug issues. If his pack had simply taken pity on him and tried to help, things might have turned out differently. I’m a new shifter, and in the short time I’ve known about this world, I’ve grown to like it, and hopefully that will continue. The one thing that doesn’t sit well with me is how you treat lone wolves. That ostracism only exacerbates these problems people have.
“I understand that, like now, sometimes people do things that require this kind of punishment. Punishment is one thing, cruelty is another. How many lone wolves are out there who have done nothing wrong? People who were born to the wrong family, or had issues outside their control that caused them to be cut off from the pack they desperately need? Your—er, um—oursociety pushes them away, and eventually they become feral. We should support people, not neglect them. None of us wants to see another feral, but that’s what these laws and rules create if there is no change.”
Once done, I took a steadying breath, trying to calm myself. When I glanced over, JC was grinning at me, giving me a nodof approval. All around the room, the other alphas were deep in thought, their brows furrowed.
“You’re right,” one man finally said. He was a huge, hulking man with deep brown skin.
“I am?” I said dumbly.
