Osprey Pushes Back

Osprey Pushes Back
Annie

I walked out of the house, too keyed up to keep lounging around the house. Over the last four hours, a block of worry had settled in my chest, feeling like cement. I ignored my parents calling out for me. As far as I was concerned, if nobody was going to give me answers, then I didn’t need to be around them. I knew something was going on, but no one was telling me anything. I deserved to know what was happening in my own life. I may be young, but now I was capable of handling whatever I needed to. Suddenly, pain shot through me, forcing me to fly forward, unable to remain upright. As I slammed into the ground, the pain disappeared, but it was too late. My vision had already gone dark.

“Logan, Alpha of Havana, you are accused of murdering Kikrland, Alpha of Crosstimbers. How do you plead?” a smug voice asked.

I looked up at the alpha speaking, my confidence flowing through me with a sureness that I had never experienced before.

“Guilty. I killed Kirkland,” I responded without hesitation. “And I’d do it again.”

The man’s lips curled up in a sinister smile as his eyes continued to bore into mine. “I offer the penalty of death as his sentence.”

I held his gaze, my own unwavering. “I will accept.”

My attention was pulled to the left when someone cleared their throat. Osprey stepped forward.

“I put lashes on the table as his sentence,” he said.

The first man’s head whipped around to glare at Osprey, who remained unflinching under his angry eyes.

“He killed an alpha! He should be made an example of! If we let him off easy, then other alphas will think they can get off easy if they were to kill another alpha! We must put our foot down and let it be known that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior!” the man hissed.

Osprey rolled his shoulders back as his jaw clenched tightly before he managed to speak. “Alpha Logan did not kill an innocent alpha. He killed an alpha whose title would have already been stripped if he hadn’t been let out of his cell! The council had decided to make him an omega! Not only that, but Kirkland kidnapped Alpha Logan’s beta along with his alpha sow. Kirkland tried to rape both women. He did all of this while trespassing on Havana’s land. I understand why you feel like we should make an example of someone for killing another alpha, but this is not the case we should be using to make that point. If we punish Alpha Logan for protecting his people, especially his alpha sow, against an intruder, that would look worse on the Council, and would cause even more issues.”

“I agree with Osprey!” Arianna piped up. “It is our job as alphas to protect our mates, alpha team, sleuth, and territory. Alpha Logan was well within his rights to do that, even if it ended in another alpha’s death. Besides, we are all well aware of the impending war that was lapping at both of their sleuths' gates. That war was also one of Kirkland’s making. Alpha Logan and Giselda tried to handle the threat the legal way until they could no longer do so. We should not punish either of them, or their sleuth, because Kirkland forced their hands.”

The original man bared his teeth at the two people who were standing up to him. “That may be so, but the fact remains that he killed Kirkland in a way that went against our laws. There were many other ways that he could have handled the situation, but he chose not to. He could have captured Kirkland and brought him to us so we could punish him, but he didn’t. He took matters into his own hands and made our laws irrelevant. For that, he should get the maximum sentence.”

Osprey narrowed his eyes on the man. “He had to take matters into his hands. Had he not done so, he ran the risk of losing everything important to him, his sleuth, and our species as a whole. You say that he took our choice away, but he didn’t. He gave us an opportunity to make things better. More equal. There are laws in place to protect alphas, but their alpha sows are still below other alphas. This is our chance to reconsider laws, the very laws that started this entire issue. Kirkland went after not just one, but two strong females that weren’t his to have. Why should Alpha Logan be punished so harshly for protecting the very person that the Goddess herself gave to him? What gives us the power to make laws that don’t take the Goddess’s wishes into account? She would not have given us mates if we weren’t supposed to protect them.” Osprey narrowed his eyes at the man.

“What is the sentence for attacking, hurting, or killing an alpha sow? If I remember correctly, it’s only lashes. That needs to change. Women are not weaker than us males. They lead just as fiercely. Fight just as viciously, and garner the same level of respect from their people. Alpha Sows, even though they fill another role in the sleuth, mean just as much. Without an alpha sow, the sleuth suffers. They nurture the sleuth. They help build a bridge between an Alpha and their people. If an alpha sow is injured or killed, the sleuth suffers. It’s not just the alpha, and that’s why committing crimes against alpha mates should carry the same sentence as if it were the alpha themselves who had been hurt.”

“This isn’t about the laws! We cannot sentence him on possible changes to the laws! We have to sentence him based on the laws already in play, and that means he gets punished for killing  Kirkland!” the original man growled. “If you had it your way, you would let him go Scott free! He is your sister’s mate after all, isn’t he?”

Osprey crossed his arms over his chest as a cold smile graced his lips. “Alright, then. Let’s vote.”

“Everyone can vote, but you and Arianna, as you are both related to his mate, and your votes would be biased.”

When Osprey went to respond, Arianna put her hand on his shoulder. “Very well, Orion. We will sit this vote out, but if you’re going to sit us out, then you should make the council aware of all the facts.” She turned to scan the other council members’ faces. “Alpha Logan’s mate will be the next leader of the council. She was chosen not only by the Goddess, but also by Ezekiel himself. We have all experienced Ezekiel’s power. Trust me when I say that you do not want to cause irreparable damage before you even meet her. She will not take losing her mate lightly. If you don’t want to lose your own lives, then I would highly suggest you consider your vote carefully.”

I turned my attention back to Orion, eyeing him closely. “Why do you have it out for my mate? What did she ever do to you? She doesn’t even know who you are! You have done nothing but try to pin Kirkland’s death on her. You can kill me. You can destroy our sleuth. You can kill every last person that matters to her. No matter how hard you try to take her power, you will never succeed. You will only cause yourself to die a painful death. And that’s if you’re lucky.”

Orion swallowed hard as he narrowed his eyes on me. “I have done no such thing.”

I tilted my head. “Haven’t you though?’

As Orion started to blubber, another one of the women stepped forward. “I don’t think we should vote on this right away. I think we need time to weigh the different options, so we can consider what is going to be the best way to handle this situation. All of you have made good points, but this got really heated. I think we all need a breather for say, 24 hours.”

After a round of agreement from the other council members, I was yanked to my feet by Orion. As he dragged me back to my cell in the dungeon, he growled, “You may have gotten lucky today, but come tomorrow, you won’t be as lucky!”

I grimaced as I met his eyes. “I could say the same about you!”

When he took a step forward, Osprey appeared at his side and pulled him away from me. “Enough, Orion!” He shoved Orion to the ground before stepping between us. “When this trial is over, I’m challenging you for control of the council!”

I blinked in surprise as Orion jumped up with his fists balled. “And you will lose. Just like your sister will! You’ll see!”

He fled from the dungeon, leaving Osprey to take my restraints off. “Listen to me, Logan. You can’t challenge Orion. It’s not safe right now. Not with Annie’s powers bound.”

I swallowed hard as I nodded. “I know, but I’m not just going to let him threaten her either…”