Monday, August 26th Pt. 3
It’s taking me longer to pick my way through the woods going back to Maverick’s house than it took for me to find the shacks. Liz is heavier than I was prepared for requiring me to stop every few minutes to shift her weight from one side to the other. While it feels weird to me, I’m glad that Buddy woke up. He has heightened my senses and has made it a lot easier to keep myself on track to where I need to go. I can tell by the strength of Maverick’s scent that I’m getting close as I stop, placing my hand upon a tree to catch my breath. It’s as I slow my breathing that I hear the sound of cracking branches nearby.
“Who’s out there?” I call out as everything within me goes on high alert.
“Stay where you are.” A voice with authority calls back.
I’m torn between running the last quarter mile to Maverick’s house and doing as he says.
“I mean you no harm. This little girl is hurt. I just want to get her to Maverick’s house to get her the help she needs.”
I call out as I slowly try to start traveling away from the unknown pack coming towards me.
“I told you to stay where you are.” The voice commands me again.
“She can’t stay here. I need to keep moving.”
“No.”
A tall, broad blond hair blue eyed male steps through the brush right in front of me.
“You are surrounded by the warriors of the Purple Mountain pack. You are a rogue and Mr. Leaven has reported you as kidnapping his daughter, Elizabeth.”
“No sir! Not at all!” I can help the panic in my voice.
“I heard her cry out from the woods, from Maverick’s back yard. It’s the only reason I crossed the border into the territory. To help her. I came across a bunch of cabins in a clearing an hours walk from here. He was hurting her.”
I slow down as it’s difficult to admit what I’ve seen.
“I broke down the door to the cabin. I saw him raping her.”
It’s nearly a whisper as the facial expression on the wolf in front of me doesn’t change. He remains silent longer than I would like. It’s with a hard sigh that he speaks again.
“You have no rights here. No trial will be held. The statement that Marvin Leaven makes against you is all that Alpha Dresden Draven will be willing to hear. He and he alone will decide your fate and for rogues, it’s never good.”
“Then let Doctor Ashlock return me to the Shadowlands pack.” I try to garner something from him.
“I can’t.” He states sadly, shaking his head. “If I let you go, he will know. His rule is that if we catch you before you leave the territory and let you go then we get your punishment.”
“How would he know? I’m only a quarter mile from his house.”
“I don’t know and I’m not willing to find out. We follow orders here no matter what we believe as right or wrong and right now you’re not following orders.”
“What motivation do I have to follow them? You already said my fate is sealed towards something terrible.”
“Avoiding the tranquilizer is one. If you don’t come quietly then you will receive a shot filled with methohexital, a fast acting sedative that will put you down in less than a minute. We will then give you ketamine to keep you down while we transport you to the cellars.” I back up, shaking my head.
“I’ve done nothing wrong.” I’ve gone into a panic aggravating my asthma.
“I have no choice. Marvin claims that you broke down the cabin door while he was disciplining his daughter. You threw him out of the cabin and was lucky he didn’t hit a tree. In the time it took him to get up you started raping his daughter. By the time we arrived at the cabin you were gone. You are charged with breaking and entering, battery, rape of a minor and kidnapping. While I know Marvin and what he’s become since his mate died the only way I survive here is by doing as I’m told. If there was a different alpha with different laws that might make a difference but I’m not allowed that luxury. All I can do is give you one last chance. Hand over the girl and come with us quietly.”
I can tell that he’s sincere. He doesn’t care for Alpha Draven’s laws and he knows I haven’t done anything wrong but that doesn’t matter. Why does it feel like it has never mattered? That I’ve been in this moment before. Somehow my desire to protect Elizabeth overpowers any common sense I have. I take off running in the direction of Maverick’s house. I know that I’m not going to make it but something deep within me urges me to try. I can see the glider come into view as I navigate the last of the dense foliage at the edge of the forest. I’m within feet of reaching his land when I yelp from the sudden sharp pain stabbed into my right leg. I start falling nearly immediately, forcing me to drop Liz as I fall. I fight the tranquilizer but it’s to no avail. It’s through blurry eyes that I see several more men come out of the forest. One picks Elizabeth up, while another looks her over and dusts the freshly cut grass from her dress. Three surround me. I can hear the voice of the gentleman that was talking with me in the woods.
“I’m sorry. You have left me no choice.”
A second sharp stab followed by a deep sting indicates another drug being injected into my body while I’m slowly losing my fight with the first.
(Maverick’s POV)
I come home to a site I never want to see; police and paramedics parked in my driveway. While the pack’s police and emergency services resemble closely that of humans they are rarely used unless something huge is going on. I park on the street and hop out of my car. I recognize the leader of Purple Mountain’s security team; a broad shouldered, blond haired, blue eyed beta named Leslie.
“What’s going on?”
I run up to him as I see them load both Cole and Elizabeth into the back of the medical transport vehicle.
“I need you to meet us at the hospital. We will stop there first. Elizabeth has been raped and needs medical attention.”
“How many times do I need to report her abuse to the council before they take it seriously.?” I can’t help but spout off angrily.
“You know I have no choice. Your stray interrupted Marvin and he’s been accused of several very serious crimes. We both know Alpha Draven. He will punish the crime but it won’t be the guilty that receives it.”
“He can’t continue doing this. It will destroy Colton to be punished for being a protector. There has to be something you can do to stop this.”
I’m desperate despite knowing that a beta can do little to sway Dresden’s decision to punish yet another innocent rogue.
“Please Leslie. I need your help.”
He looks around quickly knowing that there are only a handful of wolves willing to betray their alpha.
“I can buy you two days, Maverick. Make them count. Keeping him out longer than that is no better than what Draven has planned.”
With that sentence he walks away knowing that lingering any longer would cause suspicion. As many times as I’ve reached out to the council about illegal punishments being doled out by Draven I can only pray that their high priority witness being sentenced without a trial will be what it takes to remove Dresden Draven from his tyrannical reign.
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