Chapter 194: Chapter 194 The Reckoning
Author
With a mountain of evidence stacked against her, Selina’s lawyer basically threw in the towel. The videos, witness statements, and victim trauma records were bulletproof. Halfway through the circus, Elara suddenly felt drained.
Watching Selina squirm wasn’t giving her the satisfaction she’d expected. Because nothing could undo what those kids had been through.
"Let’s get out of here," Elara whispered, trailing her finger across Dominic’s palm.
He threaded their fingers together. "Lead the way, baby."
As they headed for the exit, something flickered across Selina’s stone face.
Anthony followed her gaze and caught sight of Elara walking away. His expression went dark. He bolted after them.
Alpha Dominic ducked into the restroom while Elara waited in the hallway, spacing out. When she looked up, Anthony’s twisted face was right in front of her.
"Elara, you destroyed Selina. Happy now?"
Elara looked away. "She’s the criminal here. Did I force her to torture kids?"
Anthony wasn’t buying it. "Stop playing games. I don’t give a damn about any of that. You set Selina up!"
"Selina would never hurt anyone."
Elara laughed. "I honestly have no idea how you’ve survived this long with half a brain."
"I’m done with your conspiracy theories. Go tell it to the judge. Better yet, take me to court while you’re at it."
Anthony’s eyes went cold. "Elara, I’m warning you. You’re gonna pay for this."
Elara’s smile was ice cold. "I sleep fine at night. But Selina’s got fifteen years to think about her choices."
Anthony stormed off like a man possessed.
Alpha Dominic came out of the restroom, hands in his pockets, following her stare. "Did that jackass bother you?"
Elara shrugged. "Just running his mouth. That’s all he’s good for anyway. Big talk, no action."
Alpha Dominic made a mental note. Anthony had just made the list.
"Come on, I’ll drop you at the office. Or we could blow off work? Head home and... relax?"
Elara shot him a look. "Nice try. Office it is."
No way in hell was she going home with him. They both knew what "relax" meant, and it had nothing to do with actually resting.
Alpha Dominic put on his best wounded puppy face. "You’re a workaholic, Mrs. Wolfe."
Elara grinned. "Two more days and I’m all yours."
Outside the courthouse, Alpha Dominic pulled her close and went in for a kiss. Before things could get heated, some random guy yelled out.
"Hey! Get a room! This is a courthouse, not a drive-in movie!"
Elara yanked her mask up, face burning, and tugged at Dominic’s jacket. "Oh my God. Let’s go. Right now."
Alpha Dominic shot the heckler a look that could freeze hell, but his expression melted the second he looked at Elara. "Fine. We’ll pick this up in the car."
--
Around lunch time, Selina’s hearing wrapped up.
The verdict would come later.
After her pack lawyer processed the bail bonds, Selina walked out flanked by her father.
"Get in the car," Alpha Enzo growled, his protective instincts flaring as he scanned for hostile wolves. "If the Pack Tribunal screws us, we’ll hire a High Council attorney and appeal to the Werewolf Supreme Court."
This pack lawyer had cost three months of territory profits and totally shit the bed.
"Dad, what other options do we have in wolf law?" Anthony asked, his own wolf pacing anxiously.
"We entered a guilty plea to the Pack Council. Now we wait for the Judge’s ruling. If she throws the book at us, we take it to the High Council of Elders."
"What about claiming she’s mentally unstable?"
Alpha Enzo’s eyes lit up. "That could work. At this point, we’re throwing everything at the wall."
They were officially scraping the bottom of the barrel.
"Selina,," Alpha Enzo said gently, his voice softening to the tone he’d used when she was a cub. "Good behavior in prison gets you out in three to five years. Then we relocate the entire pack. European territories, South American forests, wherever wolves can run free. New hunting grounds, fresh start. Your wolf can heal there, right?"
"Dad, please. I need to be alone." Selina’s voice was dead.
The emptier she sounded, the more Alpha Enzo panicked.
But Anthony caught his eye and shook his head, so he bit his tongue.
