Saving His Feral Mate
Chapter 73: Verdict

Chloe POV

It had been two days since Knox and I were attacked by the rogues. There was a lot of tension in the air as Knox, my father and the twins discussed attack strategies. My father thought we should attack Cameron and Alec as soon as possible before they had another opportunity to attack us. I didn’t disagree with him, the sooner we got rid of them the better.

The council had yet to give the twins an answer regarding whether or not they would help with the Cameron situation. They said that Max’s investigation had taken precedence and that they haven’t had the time to discuss the twins matter. I think it was bullshit and that they had no intentions of helping them.

I’ve spent as much time with my father as I could since he got here, but that wasn’t much since he’s been locked away in Knox’s office most of the time. I wasn’t upset by that, I knew he was anxious to make sure I was safe. Knox told me that my father asked him what Cameron did to my mother and I. I can only imagine how hard that must have been for him to hear. Not only did Cameron kill his mate, but he also hurt me on a number of occasions. It was clear that my father cared a lot about me and that he would do anything to ensure my safety.

Connie hasn’t left her room since she killed Frederick. She wasn’t exactly sad about losing him, but I think she felt guilty for what Kyle and him had done. We tried to tell her there wasn’t anything she could have done to stop them, but it was clear that she still carried the burden on her shoulders.

My father had been acting secretive all morning. He said he had to run back to his territory and take care of something, but wouldn’t elaborate on what he needed to take care of. When I asked questions, his answers were vague. I thought it was strange, but didn’t have time to dwell on it. He left our territory an hour ago.

Today was Max’s meeting with the council and everyone was on edge about it. The council haven’t exactly been very helpful and it was impossible to predict what their verdict would be. I hoped that the evidence collected would be enough for them to find her innocent, but I guess only time would tell.

We were getting ready to leave the pack house, it was just myself, Knox, Jo and Max heading to the meeting. The council was adamant that no one else could be present for it.

Max had been a nightmare lately, let’s just say she wasn’t a fan of being locked up. The house arrest had definitely made her extra moody and difficult to be around. I felt bad for Jo, I definitely wouldn’t want to share a room with her while she was in that kind of mood. Hopefully after today she won’t be on house arrest anymore.

Once I was dressed and ready, I headed outside. Everyone was to meet at the front doors at 10:00am so we could all leave together. Knox was bringing triple the warriors this time, he wanted to be ready incase Alec tried anything.

“Chloe!” I heard Betty shout. I looked over and saw her standing beside Tom, she was waving me over with her hand.

“Hi guys, is everything ok?” I asked, as I walked towards them.

“Ya, everything’s ok. We’re just worried about Max. Make sure to call us right away when you find out what the verdict is.” Betty said.

“I will, promise.” I replied.

“All right, your favourite criminal is officially ready to get this s**t show over with.” Max announced as she stepped outside of the pack house. She took an exaggerated breath like she hadn’t stepped outside in years, when in reality it had only been a week.

“Be good Max, try not to kill anyone.” Betty said to Max before giving her a bone crunching hug.

“Me, I’m always good.” Max replied while pretending to be offended. Betty and I chuckled at her theatrics.

“We’ll be thinking about you. I hope your name’s cleared.” Tom added.

“Thanks old man. I’m not worried, it’s out of our control now.” Max replied.

“Alright everyone, load up. It’s time for us to leave.” Knox announced and everyone started to make their way to the four SUV’s waiting out front.

Knox, myself, Jo and Max got into one of the SUV’s while the warriors loaded into the other three.

We waved goodbye to Jag, Tessa, Betty and Tom before taking off down the dirt road.

It was quiet for the first few minutes and I could feel the tension in the vehicle. Max acted like she didn’t care, but I knew it was all an act. Deep down she was worried about what would happen at the meeting.

“Jo, Max, I know this isn’t going to be easy, but I need you guys to be on your best behaviour today. Especially when Alpha Alec shows up.” Knox said.

“Yes sir.” Max replied with a mocking salute.

“I’ll do my best.” Jo said, but his tone already had an edge of hostility to it. This meeting was either going to run smoothly or end up being a complete cluster f**k. My bet was on the later.

The rest of the drive was quiet. Once we arrived, Knox parked outside of the building and everyone got out of the vehicle. The warriors parked beside us and also got out.

The rest of the drive was quiet. Once we arrived, Knox parked outside of the building and everyone got out of the vehicle. The warriors parked beside us and also got out.

“Listen up, I want half of you to stay with the vehicles and the other half will be stationed outside the meeting room. If you see anything suspicious or out of place, mind-link me immediately.” Knox commanded the warriors.

“Yes Alpha.” They replied in unison before breaking off and following his orders.

Once the warriors were in position by the vehicles, the rest of us headed towards the front door of the building. Knox hit the buzzer and within seconds a woman’s voice was heard through the intercom.

“How can I help you?” She asked.

“This is Alpha Knox. We have a meeting with the council at 11:00AM.” He replied.

“Come on in.” The woman said before the front door was unlocked.

We walked inside the building with six of our warriors following close behind. I immediately noticed the she-wolf sitting behind the receptionist desk.

“Good morning. Please have a seat, someone will be out in a few minute to get you guys. They aren’t quite ready yet.” The receptionist stated.

“Thank you.” Knox replied, before grabbing my hand and guiding me towards a bench in the waiting room. Jo and Max followed and took a seat across from us. The warriors stood off to the side and were on high alert. Everyone had been on edge since Knox and I had been attacked. The warriors knew that Alpha Alec was responsible and giving the fact that he was going to be present made them extra attentive.

We had been waiting for a few minutes when we heard the buzzer sound at the front door. The receptionist asked through the intercom who it was.

“It’s Alpha Alec, I’m here for the meeting at 11:00.” The male voice replied. I had never met the man before, but based on the way everyone else stiffened, I knew they recognized his voice.

The receptionist pressed a button that seemed to unlock the front doors. Within seconds, a man walked into the room flanked by a bunch of warriors and another man who I can only assume was either a Beta or Gamma. By the aura that was rolling off the leading man, I knew he was Alpha Alec.

My thoughts were confirmed when he looked straight at Max with an cocky grin on his face.

We all stood from our seats and got ready incase Alec tried anything.

“Max, it’s been a long time. I’m glad justice will finally be served today.” He taunted and I watched Jo wrap his arm around Max’s waist to try and calm her down. Knox was quick to stand between them and take Alec’s attention away from Max.

“I’m going to f*****g kill him.” I heard Max grit out.

“Was that a threat Maxine?” Alec asked, while trying to peer around Knox. Before Max could reply, Knox spoke up.

“If you want this meeting to be peaceful, I suggest you shut your mouth. The council will be the ones giving a verdict here today, not you.” Knox warned.

“And when they do find her guilty, I’ll be requesting the right to decide her punishment and execute it.” Alec replied with a smug smirk on his face.

Knox’s jaw clenched and his fists balled at his sides. I was really started to wonder if we were going to make it into the meeting room before a fight broke out. I quickly stepped in front of Knox and put my hands on his cheeks.

“He’s not worth it, he’s trying to get under your skin. Ignore him and look at me.” I stated and his eyes met with mine. They were initially black, telling me that his wolf had taken control. But it only took a moment for my presence to calm him and his eyes returned to their normal colour.

Luckily we didn’t have to wait long before a middle aged she-wolf walked into the waiting room followed by a handful of warriors.

“Please, follow me.” She announced to everyone.

We waited for Alec and his men to go first before we followed them down the long hallway.

Once the she-wolf reached a double set of wooden doors, she stopped and knocked.

Within seconds, the door opened from the inside and everyone filled into the room.

There were several warriors positioned throughout the room and one of them was holding the door open for us.

Inside the room, there was a long table at the front with five chairs on the one side. In front of that table was 2 more and chairs positions so that when you were seated, you would be able to see the head table.

“Alpha Knox, you and your pack can sit at that table.” One of the warriors instructed, while pointing to one of the tables.

“Alpha Alec, that one’s for you and your men.” The same warrior said, before pointing to the second table.

The warriors that came with us, as well as Alec’s warriors stayed in the hallway.

I sat next to Knox and Max sat on my other side next to Jo. At the other table was Alec and his second or third in command.

Alec kept looking over at Max and it was clear he was trying to get under her skin. She was actually doing a better job at staying calm than I was expecting. Same with Jo, he was angry, but was doing a decent job at keeping it under control.

Not long after we settled in our seats, the door to the room opened and five older men walked in. They didn’t look at anyone in the room as they made their way to the head table. It was pretty obvious that they were the council.

“Good morning and thank you for joining us.” One of the elders announced.

“For those that don’t know us, I’m Troy, this is Brett, Tanner, Colin and Zeus.“ He added and motioned to each elder when he said their name.

“We called for this meeting because we’ve reached a verdict in the case of Maxine Winters. She currently stands accused of first degree murder. Over the past week we conducted a full investigation regarding the death of Beta Seth Bedford.” The elder who introduced himself as Troy, explained.

“Before we give our verdict, we would like to give anyone in the room the chance to speak.” He added before scanning the room to see if anyone had anything to say.

“Elder Troy, if Maxine is found guilty, I think it’s only fair that I be the one to execute her punishment on my territory. My pack members are still waiting for justice to be serve for the murder of their Beta.” Alec spoke up, sounding way more confident than he should have.

“I think your statement regarding your pack members waiting for justice might be a little far fetched, Alpha. Everyone I interviewed didn’t seem very fond of your deceased Beta.” The elder who was identified as Brett, replied pointedly. I glanced over and noticed that Alec didn’t seem nearly as confident anymore.

“Anyone else have anything to say?” Troy asked as he scanned the room. Everyone remained quiet, it was pointless for us to speak up. The council had already reached a verdict so there was no reason to delay matters further.

“Very well, let us begin.” Troy announced.

“This was a very difficult decision and not unanimous amongst the council. Our decision was made based on the majority vote.” Troy explained.

“Although there were some concerning events that were brought up in this case, there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that Seth Bedford mistreated Maxine Winters while they were together. Kyle made some statements that suggested abuse, but he never gave specifics. No one ever witnessed Maxine being abused when she was part of Alpha Alec’s pack. She even stayed with Seth for over a month without reporting him to anyone.” Troy stated and I noticed that elder Brett didn’t seem to agree with his colleague. If I was to take a guess, I bet he was part of the minority vote.

I glanced over at Max and she looked angry, but also defeated. Jo looked beyond angry, he looked like he was about to lose it. We all knew what was coming next without the elder having saying it.

“Therefore, we find Maxine Winters guilty of murder.” He announced and I looked over to see a smug look on Alec’s face. He seemed pleased with the ruling. My b***d started to boil, how could they find her guilty? So many of us witnessed what Kyle said to her. He might not have use the word, rape, but what he said should have been enough for them to read between the lines.

“How do we dispute the verdict?” Knox asked, as he stood to address the council.

“You can’t, our decision is final. We have decided to spare Miss Winters life based on some of the evidence, but she will still serve 25 years in our detention centre.” Troy replied.

“That’s bullshit.” Knox spat out, before slamming his fist down on the table.

“Calm yourself Alpha, or you will be removed from this room.” Troy warned.

“Warriors, take Maxine into custody.” Troy orders and the warriors started to move towards her. Jo stood up and pushed Max behind him. I quickly stood beside him. I didn’t care about anything anymore. This verdict wasn’t fair and if they were going to arrest her, they would have to arrest me too. Knox quickly moved to my side and took a defensive stance.

The warriors stopped in front of Jo, myself and Knox as we shielded Max from them.

“Alpha Knox, we suggest you stand down or this won’t end well for you and your people.” This time Zeus was the one to speak.

Before Knox could reply, the door to the room flew open and to my complete shock, my father stormed in.

What was he doing here? He had a calm, yet confident expression on his face as he made his way towards the elders. He glanced over at me and winked, which only confused me further. What was he up to?