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We told them the same thing, and they left.
We closed early, and we all began to laugh the instant we got home.
“What kind of emails did you send them?” Darius asked, and I laughed.
“We were going to give them instructions not to back the petition, but there was no way we could do so without them linking it to you. So we opted for something extreme.
“Asking them for ridiculous sums of money in exchange for their mates. We made it look like a criminal activity. We knew they would have no choice but to seek help from the authorities, which is still under you. It was a gamble, and it paid off,” I explained, and Darius lifted me up and spun me around.
We spent the rest of the day worried about the hearing and how it would‘
- go.
Dinner was silent, and we all ignored Glenda. She got away with things she wouldn’t have on an ordinary evening because our minds were elsewhere. We slept early.
Darius and I woke up early the next day and got ready to go to the council hall.
Everyone was ready, and even Nellie decided she would visit this time. Collier was no longer alive; if I could go to the council hall, then she too could go there.
We went in a convoy and arrived on time.
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The press was outside, and it was a big event.
We heard that they had suspended all the games for that day.
It was highly unnecessary, but they wanted to make it a public affair. They wanted to publicly strip Darius of his power for all to see. They were not going to have it easy after this.
We sat in Darius’s Loge while Nellie and Abelardo sat in Abelardo’s loge.
The entire council members were seated, and Vino looked worried and
nervous.
He did not seem to like the topic of discussion, but he should have shut it down and not let it get this far.
Lenny Mikhailov, Jacob’s replacement, spoke on behalf of the council.
I wondered if Darius had moved on Jacob, but I doubted it.
The man was just deliberately absent. Maybe he orchestrated this whole shit.
Lenny started by addressing everyone and greeting us with the utmost respect before proceeding.
“We are here to debate the petition raised by the collective. It is called the Democratic petition. The people have signed it, and the owners of the petition are here to defend it and tell us why it must be turned into a bill and passed by the council,” he said and cleared his throat, then picked up a sheet of paper to read.
“Alpha, Christian, on behalf of Alpha Inkabod, Alpha Paulman, Alpha Michael, Alpha Theophilus, Alpha Gabriel, and Alpha Kent, representing three thousand people each represented by a signature of the signed petition, ask for the following,” he said and coughed to clear his throat.
“That the authority of his lordship be given to the council and shared
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among the governors of the four regions.
That voting should take place before creating a law and implementing it.
The council seat should be made public, and occupants should be selected by vote, with each region having a representative on the council. That the tax be reduced and that the lordship be dissolved entirely with immediate effect,” he said, and people began to murmur.
Vino banged the gavel and told the press and the few citizens that were allowed to witness this hearing to be silent.
It had taken them by surprise.
“Defending this Petition is Alpha Christian of Haddad,” Lenny said and sat down.
Alpha Keyshawn walked to the centre lacking confidence and could not look up in shame.
I pretended to be surprised. We all pretended to be surprised so he would know that his actions were treacherous.
Lenny gave him the floor, and he addressed us respectfully and greeted all of us.
I noticed Larry, Pamela and Joan paying attention to him.
I wouldn’t put it past them.
I wasn’t confident because yesterday, Christian did not seem like he would break.
If Inkabod had shown up, it would have been a given. I decided to hope for the best.
“Dear council, The alphas and I have discussed this extensively and realised that we made a mistake,” Christian said, and everyone began to
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murmur.
I looked at the council to read their body language, and they all seemed disappointed.
“We are sorry to waste the time of this council, but we will want Lord Hand to continue to rule over us. He has done a tremendous job over the years, and it will be wrong to rob him of his birthright in the name of democracy,” he said, and Joan got angry.
“Do you think this place is a joke? How dare you stir shit up and back out last minute? You wasted our time,” she said with rage, and Pamela agreed. Likewise, three other people. They were livid.
Vino had to bang the gavel, but I noticed his voice was slightly more stern than it used to be. There was a power in it, too, and it made me wonder why he pretended to be timid all along.
“You know you can’t raise this petition again. You know this will never be discussed by this council in Lord Darius’s lifetime again?” Vino asked Alpha Christian, stating the implications of pulling out, and Christain nodded and said he knew, and that was the end.
We all remained while the press and civilians were asked to leave the council hall.
Darius did not look at Christian, and I wondered what they would discuss after this hearing.
Once everyone had cleared out, Vino tried to end the meeting, but Darius stopped him.
“I, too, have an issue to bring up,” he said, and everyone was silent.
I could also see they were nervous.
“Pamela and Joan acted against me. I am tempted to have them arrested
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for treason, but I will kindly ask them to vacate their seats, or I will arrest them,” he said, and there was an uproar.
“Silence,” Darius said with deep command, and the place was silent. He was angry, and we could all feel it.
“You did not only disrespect my upcoming union, but invited Alpha Corrigan to the north without my consent.
Hardy Corrigan murdered my father, he tried to stake a claim on my family’s position and attacked my estate to steal my mate. You dared to invite him as a guest to the north, knowing fully well he is an enemy of the north?” he explained, and everyone was silent, realising his point.
I saw Pamela and Joan in tears because they knew he had a point.
“I have been patient with the two of you and treated you with respect, but you have insulted me with this action, and I will kindly ask you to resign your service, or I will force you to do it,” he said.
“Please, lord Hand, we did not see it that way, we wanted to use the games to unite the regions,” Pamela said.
“If your intentions were not malicious, you should have run it by me instead of bringing the guestlist late, so I won’t be able to cancel them. You brought two people you believed had a history with Zora so you would try to stop my wedding. I will make an example of the two of you,” he said, and I knew his mind was made up.
I did not feel sorry for them because that was exactly what they tried to do.
While they pleaded their case, I was glad about our progress and decided it was time to invite Alpha Jake Brighton to identify the enforcer that led the attack against his pack.
