Chapter 57: Pack Justice

Erica sat in the cell downstairs. Silver cuffs on her wrists. She looked tired. Beaten. But still dangerous.

I stood outside the cell with Cole and The Elder.

"Pack justice has to happen today," The Elder said. "The longer we wait, the weaker it looks."

"What does pack justice look like?" I asked.

"The Alpha and Luna decide the punishment. The pack witnesses. It becomes law." The Elder looked at me. "Cole can handle it alone. But since you're Luna, you should be part of it."

"What are the options?"

"Death. Banishment. Submission. Those are the three." Cole's voice was flat. "Death for the worst crimes. Banishment for serious ones. Submission means she swears loyalty. Lives under pack rules with restrictions."

"She tried to kill me. Blew up a motel. Had snipers. Worked with wolves who attacked our pack." I crossed my arms. "That sounds like death level."

"Technically yes," The Elder said. "But there's something you don't know yet."

"What?"

"Erica is pregnant."

Silence.

I stared at The Elder. "What?"

"Six weeks along. The healer confirmed it this morning." The Elder looked uncomfortable. "Pack law protects unborn wolves. We can't execute her while she carries a pup."

"Who's the father?"

The Elder hesitated. "Unknown. She won't say."

I looked at Cole. His face gave nothing away. But something in his eyes said he didn't know either.

"So we can't kill her," I said. "Even for what she did."

"Not while she's pregnant. No."

"And banishment? Is that still possible?"

"Yes. But we send her away knowing she carries a pack pup. The child would grow up without a pack. Without protection." The Elder looked serious. "That's a heavy thing to put on an innocent child."

"The child didn't do anything wrong," I agreed. "But Erica did."

"This is your call," Cole said to me. "Both of ours. But I want to hear what you think first."

I walked away from the cell. Paced. Thought.

This was hard. Erica tried to destroy everything. Killed people in that motel explosion. Used me as a weapon.

But she was pregnant. And the baby was innocent.

What would a good Luna do?

I came back. Stood in front of the cell. Looked at Erica.

"Did you know you were pregnant when you did all this?"

Erica looked up. First time she'd made eye contact. "Yes."

"And you still blew up the motel? Still had snipers ready to kill people?"

"I was desperate. Stupid." Her voice was quiet. "I know that."

"Are you sorry?"

She laughed. But it wasn't mean this time. Just tired. Sad. "Yeah. I am. For a lot of things."

"For Tyler? The pack member who died when you were first possessed?"

"Yes. Most of all for him." She looked at her hands. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I really didn't."

I believed her. Strange as that felt.

"Here's what I'm going to do," I said. "And Cole, if you disagree, tell me."

Cole nodded. "Go ahead."

"Erica stays here. Under house arrest. She can't leave the territory. She can't contact anyone outside. She wears silver cuffs until the baby comes. She has no rank. No power. No rights except food and shelter." I looked at her. "When the baby is born, it becomes pack. Protected. Loved. Raised right."

"And me?" Erica asked.

"After the baby comes, we decide. If you've behaved. If you've shown real change. Maybe submission is on the table." I stepped closer. "But if you cause any more trouble, any at all, banishment. Baby stays. You go. Forever."

Erica's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you being kind to me? After everything?"

"I'm not being kind. I'm being smart. You carry a pack pup. That child deserves a chance. What you do with the time you're given is up to you." I turned away. "Don't waste it."

I walked upstairs. Cole followed.

"You handled that well," he said.

"Did I? It felt messy."

"Leadership is messy. But you chose the child over the grudge. That's Luna thinking."

The Elder caught up with us. "The other wolves. Erica's helpers. Twenty-three of them. Mostly from Derek's pack and Sienna's. What do you want done?"

"Derek and Sienna authorized this?"

"We don't know yet. But some of their wolves were there. In the fight."

My chest tightened. If Derek and Sienna were behind this, the six month trial just got much harder.

"Set up meetings. Both of them. Tomorrow." I rubbed my face. "We need to know who knew what."

"And if they were involved?"

"Then pack law applies to Alphas too."

The Elder looked impressed. "You sure?"

"Nobody is above the law. Not even Alphas." I looked at Cole. "Right?"

"Right." He smiled. "Absolutely right."

Alex came running in. "Hey. We have a problem. Outside."

"What kind of problem?"

"The media. Reporters. Like twenty of them. All outside the gate." He looked stressed. "Someone leaked the motel explosion. The fighting. There's video online. Going viral."

"What kind of video?"

"Wolves. Shifting. Fighting." Alex swallowed. "In public. Clear as day. People are asking questions."

My stomach dropped. "How bad?"

"Bad enough that the police called. They want to talk to you. Today."

"Today?"

"In an hour. They're coming here."

The Elder put her hand on my shoulder. "First test of your six months, Luna. What do you tell the police about what they saw on that video?"

I looked at everyone. At the pack. At Cole.

Wolves exposed to the world.

Humans asking questions.

Police coming in an hour.

What did I tell them?

What could I tell them?

And more importantly, what happened if I told them the truth?