Riley POV
Jaxon made a pitiful figure. Gone was the arrogant, haughty man who had rejected me, and in his place was a defeated, broken man who stared out the bars of the cell, his lip curling as he tried to lunge at me and my mate, only to curse as the silver of the bars burnt his skin. He swore loudly, backing away, his eyes darkening ever so slightly. While I had managed to bring him back from being feral, I couldn't help but wonder if he was doomed to repeat the same mistake again. If he had gone feral once, what was to prevent him from becoming feral a second time? Especially since he seemed to be unhinged, seemed to be the kindest way to put it.
"I felt your betrayal" he hissed, glaring at me with condemnation as I stared at him silently, his hand going to his neck even though I had not marked him "I sensed when you marked that bastard again. Your mark is gone" he snarled, practically frothing at the mouth as I remained speechless "but it doesn't matter. I will simply put it back" he sneered.
So he was delusional then, thinking he would be free of the cell. I simply shook my head at him. "There is no escaping this cell Jaxon, whatever you seem to believe, your time is coming."
He sneered "Do you think the elders are going to kill me Riley?" he asked, as I and Bailey stiffened shooting glances at each other "Do you think they want my head on a platter? What a shame you're going to end up disappointed. They're not about to punish me, not when they have a far more sinister and ulterior motive in mind" he bluffed.
"You know nothing" Bailey cut in, his face impassive, his eyes narrowed "You're merely making things up" he nodded towards the guards "Get him out of the cell, the elders want to see him, now that the rest have gathered."
Neither Bailey nor I were happy to discover that at least another half a dozen elders had been summoned to our pack. It was suspicious. I had told Tiana to remain scarce, out of sight for now, and urged her to inform the others, feeling uneasy at the way the elders seemed to look me over, as though I was some sort of fascinating creature they had not laid eyes on before.
Jaxon gave a lazy smile, watching the guards carefully open the door. He offered no resistance as his hands were pulled roughly behind him and cuffed with silver restraints. He merely raised a brow, looking cool and composed. The guards each grabbed an arm and hoisted him out as Bailey and I turned, leading the way. The elders had chosen to reside in the meeting room, a room reserved for the Alpha and Luna and not used except for circumstances such as this. We entered, Jaxon behind us. The elders were already seated, hands on their laps, waiting patiently. They looked towards the prisoner with serene expressions on their faces. It was difficult to tell what any of them were thinking. This felt like a farce of some description.
"Alpha Jaxon" Elder Michael spoke, his voice even, his head dipping slightly "You stand here today, for the crimes you have committed against other packs. It is understood that you kidnapped innocent sirens, forced them to do your bidding, and murdered other Alphas in order to take over their packs" he continued in a silky tone "and kidnapped none other than the Luna Queen herself, forcibly marking her against her will and attempting to take her as your mate despite her rejection of you. These are serious charges" he added, as the other elders nodded in agreement, "but we are a fair species and we encourage you to speak on your behalf, defending the actions you took and defending yourself against the crimes you are accused of."
I sat down, with Bailey next to me, looking at Jaxon in revulsion. I didn't understand the necessity of this stupid trial. As far as I was concerned, Bailey should have killed him already. Jaxon's lips curved into a small smile.
"Esteemed elders" he began, dipping his head formally "While it is true that my actions are questionable" he paused and smirked in my direction as I stiffened "There remains the question of what I have done that is illegal. While I did take the sirens, there are no such laws in regard to their race and what is or is not permitted. Our people have always considered them to be dangerous and what I did, could be seen as keeping them under control, in order to prevent them from killing innocent shifters for their own pleasure."
"That's a bunch of bogus bullshit" I snarled.
Nobody was buying this, were they? I looked at Bailey and saw his eyes blazing. The elders all had thoughtful expressions on their faces. I was in a state of disbelief. Whatever Jaxon's intentions were, they were wrong. Couldn't they see that?
"Quiet Queen Riley, the prisoner must be permitted to speak without interference" another elder shushed me, their eyes intent on Alpha Jaxon who straightened his shoulders.
"It is the very nature of shifters to take over packs and extend their territory" Alpha Jaxon continued "and while I did kill the Alphas it would have been inevitable regardless of whether I had the use of the sirens or not, my actions would have been the same. The Alphas were not as strong as me, their packs were inferior in strength or defense. I was going to extend my territory regardless" he said, fixing his eyes on the elders "I simply found a different way to do it, that didn't require losing my men and I did it in a way that made sure that countless lives were not lost."
Now the elders were beginning to nod in agreement. Jaxon had only killed the Alphas, not pack members with the use of the sirens, except for those that had failed to pledge loyalty to him and that was standard for taking over any pack. Suddenly I was uncertain how this trial was going to go. Jaxon almost sounded like the victim, instead of the perpetrator and the elders were looking sympathetic rather than outraged by his actions.
"Alpha Jaxon raises a good point" a woman elder declared, "his actions ensured minimal lives were lost, something to be highly considered."
I gritted my teeth. I couldn't believe these bastards were falling for his words. I was about ready to explode. I saw Bailey's eyes glittering and knew his Lycan was coming to the surface, that he was displeased with the way the trial was looking.
"What of his kidnapping of my mate" Bailey's voice was filled with rage "The taking of the Luna Queen against her will, the marking of her? Is that to be pushed aside also?" he demanded icily.
"I marked the woman I wanted to be my mate, whether she was Luna Queen or not, made no difference. I was a fool not to accept her when it was first made obvious we were fated, but while she may have rejected me, I never accepted it. It was my hope that by marking Riley, she would feel the mate bond she felt with me the first time. I was desperate" Alpha Jaxon hung his head sounding suitably regrettable "and I wanted nothing more than for my mate to accept me once more. I took actions that were not appropriate and for that, I am deeply sorry."
"What of your turning into a feral wolf?" another elder asked gravely "Was that perhaps due to the loss of the mate bond?"
Jaxon raised his head "I can only surmise it was due to the devestation of losing my mate and feeling the mate bond unable to reestablish itself properly. My wolf has long desired to have Riley, and her continued rejection of me proved too much for him to bear. He descended into madness rather than continue to deal with the idea that our mate did not want us" he said, looking at me as I avoided his gaze "It was like being in love without the love being reciprocated. I have no words for what transgressed and I am grateful that Riley was able to bring me back from the brink of madness and make me into a man again."
"Hmmm," one elder said consideringly "Considering the circumstances, one can hardly deny that there is a lot to think about. While Jaxon's actions have been rather thoughtless, we do have to take our laws into consideration. He has also brought up a few valuable points in his defense" he added.
"Are you joking" my voice was harsh as I stood and addressed them "Have you not even given a thought for what those sirens went through at his hands? What they suffered, what they were forced to endure? He traumatized him, degraded them, forced them and you don't care" my voice rose "because your laws don't prohibit it?"
My eyes were flashing now. Bailey stood and put a warning hand on my arm but I shrugged it off.
"King Bailey, calm your mate," an elder said as I glared "You know full well that our decision trumps even yours."
I couldn't take it anymore. These men, women. What did they know of the real world? Of torture,. of suffering? They sat in their ivory towers and ignored the suffering of others, justifying it with their so-called laws and ignorance. I glanced at Jaxon, glanced at them, and curled my lip.
"You all disgust me" I snapped and then walked away, my head held high, unable to stand there any longer.
The elders only cared about themselves, that much was obvious. I felt Bailey's eyes bearing into my back, but I had to get away before I did something so unforgettable, so undeniable that there were no elders left in the room and only ashes on the ground.