Chapter 70 - The Alpha King and His Second Chance

Sierra

"Okay, we all know the plan, right?" Edward asked for the tenth time.

"We've got this." I nodded.

We needed to expose Councilman Arthur for not only being part of an extremist group who goes around killing and experimenting on hybrids and wolves, but also leading it. The problem was his current position. Being a councilman, or woman, came with special privileges. They were put into place to keep kings and other leaders accountable. Therefore, they didn't take orders, they gave them. They had a commanding aura as well as heightened strength to ensure the kings were kept in line. We didn't initially have any solid proof of his involvement, but with a little digging, we found some compelling information.

We had to convince the rest of the council of Arthurs' heinous crimes. If Edward tried to kill him like he so desperately wanted too, they could sentence him to death and all of the fighting and war would have been for nothing. We also didn't know if any other councilmen were involved. Edward and I always found it odd that King Bruno never had a steady mate, that his kingdom was running a muck. Now it makes sense, Arthur was in charge of his sector. The southern kingdome was the only sector that had only one council member running it too, how perfect was that? He was able to watch King Bruno kill off hybrids left and right while trying to breed a set of gifted twins. Arthur had a front row seat and would have taken his pups if he suspected them to be the ones from the legend.

"How long until Councilwoman Leslie gets here?" Derek asked.

"Hey guys, she's here, are we ready?" Jackson said, jogging into the private room we were in.

"Lets do it." I nodded.

Edward, Derek, and Jackson left the room like normal, while I concealed myself so no one would see me. In our fear of our pups being taken again, Edward had Jackson bring them home last night. They were overjoyed to see me, and me them, but because of that, they couldn't be trusted to keep their mouths shut about mommy being home finally. We didn't want to alert the whole palace and risk Arthur finding out I was still alive before we could reach out to the other members of the council, so the pups were on house arrest.

I stood in the corner of the conference room that Leslie was waiting for us in. Edward, Jackson, and Derek greeted her and got through formalities before bringing up the topic of the hour.

"Councilwoman, there is something we need to discuss with you," Edward began.

"I assumed. It's not often you call me, Edward. Though I am surprised to see you here Derek, perhaps we should call Councilman Arthur here if this is about your kingdom also?"

"Actually, this is about Councilman Arthur." Derek spoke up.

"Oh? Is there a problem? We do have protocols to follow. Have you submitted a formal complaint?" She asked.

"Councilman Arthur is behind the Purebred Guardians. He runs it, or ran it rather," Edward said bluntly.

"That is a bold accusation. Do you have evidence to back your claim?" She looked at Edward expectantly.

"I am a witness," I said, showing myself to the room.

"Queen Sierra?!" Leslie gasped.

"Arthur was the one who took me, and he wants to take my pups. He admitted everything to me." I fought back a growl at the mere thought of someone trying to take my pups from me.

"I was at your funeral, how are you alive?" She asked, her scrutinizing glare raking over my body.

"That doesn't matter right now, what matters is that we need to stop Arthur before he has the chance to build back his army and take my pups."

"Alright, let's see the proof then." She nodded.

"We don't have any paper trail, but don't you think its odd that my father was allowed to rape dozens of women and dispose of them and their unborn pups for years?" Derek said coldly. Leslie frowned as if it was news to her.

"Derek," Edward warned. We didn't want Leslie to think we were going strictly off emotion and the way Derek was presenting things was starting to head that way. "Arthur has turned a blind eye to many concerning things."

"I can show you my memories." I said, ready to give her the full picture.

"Alright." She said skeptically. I placed my hands on her temples and showed her my memories. Afterwards, she sat back in her chair looking worn out. Derek brought her a bottle of water and she sipped it while mulling things over. "I always knew he was trouble." She sighed.

"So you'll help us get rid of him then?" Jackson asked.

"I don't see how I can. You have no proof."

"But she just showed you-" Derek began.

Leslie held up her hand to silence the room. "Her showing me her memories means nothing. Memories are subjective. Even though yours is hard to deny, the council isn't very trusting of supernatural creatures, even if they are part of our own race. Even if you show the other members, they won't do anything about it except maybe keep a better eye on Arthur."

"So what, we just wait until he tries to take my mate and pups again?" Edward growled.

"There is one other option, though I don't recommend it." She sighed.

Edwards' face immediately turned into a knowing look. "A challenge?" He asked.

Leslie nodded and finished the rest of her water before standing to leave. "If I were you, I would think long and hard about your next move...I wont discuss this meeting with anyone, and, as always, I will help you how I can within my power. I wish you all the best. Good day." She gave a curt nod and left the palace just as quickly as she had come.

"Shit." Derek said, running his hands over his face.

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to challenge the bastard, and I'm going to win." Edward said, storming out of the room. I let him go, he needed to cool off before we could talk rationally.

"What's involved in a challenge for councilman?" I asked Jackson, who looked just as winded as Leslie was when she told us.

"Its similar to that of challenging an Alpha or King in that its to the death, but its not just about physical strength. It requires a thorough knowledge of werewolves and supernatural laws and policies. Edward might be able to win in strength, but he must first go before the rest of the council and prove himself to them. If he answers anything incorrectly, they will dismiss him and the challenge will be over."

"Goddess..."

"Thankfully, our father beat the laws and policies into Edward and I at a young age. He said it would pay off one day. We thought he was just being paranoid. Edward should only need a brush up."

"So we might have a change?" I asked.

"We just might."

- - - - -

"Anything I can help you with?" I whispered.

"No, your presence is more than enough." Edward said, breaking his gaze from his book and looking over at me. We were sitting in bed together, all of our pups were sprawled out all around and over me or in my arms in Abbys' case. They hadn't let me leave their side for very long, it made me feel good, but I also got next to nothing done. But that was okay right now, everyone else thought I was still dead, so it wasn't like I could help with anything. I was basically on house arrest with my pups. But that would all change tomorrow when Edward challenged Arthur for his councilman position.

We spoke with Leslie again, who told us where and when the council would be meeting next, which happened to be in only a week's time. The challenge for councilmen needed to happen while all the council were present. We decided we would ambush him there. Leslie said she would back us up as well. We were afraid if Arthur knew he was being challenged ahead of time, as was customary, he might go missing or do something rash. The week flew by, Edward spent a lot of his time in his office studying his father's law books. I was proud of him but also terrified that something might go wrong.

"Do you remember any of what you are reading?" I asked.

"A lot actually. My father used to make us copy pages of this lawbook as punishment if we did something stupid." He chuckled.

"Well, it seems that it paid off." I shrugged slowly, careful not to wake the pups.

"Yeah, maybe we will start having our pups do it too."

"Goddess, Xander would flip." I laughed softly. Xander hated writing.

"Then it's a perfect punishment, should we ever need it."

"I still cant believe King Jesse was my uncle." I said. When I asked where my father was, I was shocked to hear he was currently keeping the Eastern Kingdom afloat with Sylvia in Edwards' absence. We have two kingdoms to look after now, while also helping Derek, who confirmed that he is in fact my half brother. He had one picture of himself and our mom Lorraine when he was only a few months old. She was killed shortly after she stopped nursing, King Bruno saying she had no use for him anymore.

"I know, that was a surprise. But I don't think it's a bad thing. Now Levi and Xander can have their own kingdoms to rule over."

"You think they will be okay so far apart? They are quite attached to each other," I noted.

"I think it'll be good for them. They could use some independence from each other, so many people call them 'the twins' and not even by name. I don't think our staff even know which is which and they see them every day. By the time they are ready to take over as kings, they are probably going to want their own identity. I would rather they be apart and like each other, than together and hate each other. But if they choose to rule together, we can pass the title to one of our other pups."

"I guess I never thought of it like that. It makes sense though. Speaking of pups, how is Derek doing on his own?"

"Well, its been what, a week now? And he had only called a dozen times." Edward laughed. "He just moved into his newly built palace two days ago and is working on hiring staff now."

"It's a good thing you were there to help him."

"He is doing well, Derek deserves credit for himself. He has grown up quite a bit in a very short time. More alphas have challenged him and he has effortlessly beat each one."

"I know I was only asleep for six months, but I feel like I missed so much." I said, holding Abby a bit tighter.

"What matters is that you are back, and we have a bright future ahead." Edward reassured me.

"I love you." I whispered.

"I love you more." He said, leaning over and kissing me. "I'm almost done with this page. I'll help you escape in a few minutes."

"It's okay, I'm fine." I said, though I lost feeling in multiple spots from the odd position I was in to accommodate all five pups.

"Maybe you are, but I have something I need your help with and need these pups out of the room for it." He said in a husky voice.

"Shh...they'll hear you." I laughed, my mate's boldness taking me by surprise. I could feel his desire for me through our bond, spurring on my own libido.

Edward shut his book and began the extraction mission. He carefully took each pup back to their own bed, moving at a snail's pace to ensure he didn't wake them. Then he spent the rest of the night making me lose my voice. Not a bad way to end an otherwise stressful week.

- - - -

Edward

"Are you sure you feel ready?" Sierra asked again.

"Yes love, I'm ready."

"I'll wait right here for you." She nodded.

"I wont be long." I winked and headed inside the courthouse where the council was meeting.

The building was all white, made almost completely out of marble. It was both stunning and daunting at the same time. I followed Leslies' directions and weaved through the empty hallways until I found the door leading to where their meeting was happening. I stood outside with my hand on the handle, took a deep breath, said a prayer to the moon goddess for wisdom, and then went inside.

"King Edward? What are you doing here?" Councilman Howard asked.

"I am here to challenge Councilman Arthur for his title." I said in a booming voice, the room falling deadly quiet.

"Under what grounds?" Councilman Chester asked.

"I believe that Councilman Arthur is responsible for leading the Purebred Guardians and is therefore unfit to be a member of the council and should be sentenced to death." I said confidently, staring straight at Arthur. I saw his lip twitch the slightest bit.

"And what proof do you have?" Councilman George asked.

"My once dead mate who is waiting outside said he revealed himself to her when she was taken prisoner." I answered.

A fit of mummers and weary glances broke out amongst the group. Arthur just stared at me the entire time, an unreadable look on his face.

"Do you understand the terms you agree to under which a challenge takes place?" Councilman Frederick asked.

"I do."

"Okay. Well then, when shall we schedule this challenge?" Councilman Frederick asked.

"Here and now." I demanded.

"Edward, we normally allow at least thirty days...." Councilman Howard frowned.

"I'll do it now. If this pup thinks he is ready, we shall proceed." Arthur said confidently.

"I'm ready."

"Alright then. We will reconvene in the arena in one hour. That should give us enough time to prepare. The first part will consist of a series of questions. Should you pass, you may then have one witness in the speculation area of the arena during battle, Edward." Councilman Howard said.

The council stood and exited the room. Leslie gave me a quick wink on her way out. This just got real. I quickly went back outside and told Sierra and Jackson what was happening. We each stayed outside though, making sure Arthur didn't try to run away. But from his overconfident answer, I doubted he planned on running. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to cheat somehow. I needed to stay sharp the entire time.

"We are ready for you," Councilwoman Leslie said from the entrance.

"Good luck, I know you'll do great." Sierra encouraged me.

"If it doesn't, we'll just hire a hit man to make his death look like an accident." Edmund snarled.

I nodded and headed back inside. Leslie led me to a different room. It resembled a court room. How appropriate. The council were all seated on the bench which had enough room to fit all seven members. They had dozens of thick books stacked around them, which did give me some unease. If I fail this, I won't be able to rechallenge for Arthur's title.

"The first part of the challenge will consist of four hundred questions. Good luck," Councilwoman Leslie said earnestly.

"Goddess help me."