A Fate Foretold (formerly: A World Gone Mad)

A Fate Foretold 23

          Two days after the announcement of the Romolo heir’s death, Christian sat in his office, staring vacantly at the wall opposite. He wasn’t quite sure what had transpired in those phone calls that Ally had made, but he could only assume that she had taken care of the problem. He stood evermore in awe of Ally and would swear that she could never take a false step. Christian couldn’t find it within himself to doubt her. He had to accept the realization that he probably loved the girl. He had never been in love before, and he knew that he technically shouldn’t be in love with his nat amatra, but he was all the same. And while the realization left him emotionally soaring on cloud nine, in the dark recesses of his rational mind, a small voice of panic and worry niggled peskily, although he didn’t allow it to form a full, coherent thought to trouble him with.

          The harsh ring of the telephone pushed those rankling worries from his mind, but the voice of his father barreling down the receiver instilled a guilty sense in Christian. It usually did, as George Sullivan could always find some fault in his son of how he was neglecting his duties as future alpha, but with a very concrete example of his negligence fresh in his mind, Christian wore a guilty expression on his face as he spoke to his father and alpha.

          “Lee Hawkins’ appeal trial finally ended today,” George Sullivan was saying. “Full conviction, he’ll serve ten years in our prison.”

         “Just ten years? Not a life sentence?” Christian demanded, his blood boiling once again at being reminded of Lee’s crime.

         “Certainly not. It’s only because Ally is a nat amatra that the punishment is so high in the first place. Remember this was attempted rape, the real crime was never committed. But the punishment is higher than average, given her status.”

          “I suppose you had to appease the Hawkinses,” Christian said bitterly, just shy of openly accusing his father of foregoing justice for politics.

         George Sullivan barked a laugh in amusement at his son’s ignorance of the subtleties of the situation. As he was in a good mood given the circumstances, he decided to educate his son instead of berate him. “This has all unfolded brilliantly, actually,” he said smugly. “And put those self-righteous Hawkinses in their place, finally. Lee Hawkins tried to rape an honored member of the pack and we proved it; he brought shame down upon his entire family with him. They’ll never bother us with their power plays again. Ha!” The alpha snorted with satisfaction.

         He continued, “It’s a pity he didn’t actually commit the crime: we could have given Lee the death penalty and chased the disgraced Hawkins family right out of the pack altogether.”

         Christian listened to this all in a sort of sick amazement at his father’s enjoyment of Ally’s terrible experience, but at this last suggestion, he felt the need to stand up and object. “I think we can be happy that such an honored member of the pack wasn’t raped,” he sneered uncharacteristically into the phone.

          George Sullivan was surprised at his son’s firm stance, but couldn’t let the barb go unchecked. “I wouldn’t be too sure, my boy; if Lee Hawkins had been successful, his family would have been so disgraced they wouldn’t be able to object to us nullifying your marriage to Kate, seeing as the alliance is of no use to us anymore, and you could be a bachelor again, free to find your true mate or at least pick the girl you married.”

          Christian knew his father had only said it to sting him, correctly guessing his son’s rather emotional bent and that he did not love Kate, but it really was a sick kind of jab. For a second there, Christian’s heart had leapt at the idea of no longer being tied to Kate and having the possibility of really being together with Ally, maybe even marrying her. But the idea that only Ally’s rape could bring that about made him feel physically ill.