Red in the Blue

Chapter 43

A smaller disciplinary committee replaced Cade at the tables at the front of the room to run the meeting for the next few hours. And for the next few hours, I became increasingly assured that I really really truly fully never wanted to be a luna. If this bloated, stagnant arguing is how things got addressed, I didn't want any obligation to participate in it.

Back in his seat beside me, Cade spent the time shifting and huffing and drooped his head down between his shoulder blades to gaze into the surface of the table for so long I wondered if he had fallen asleep.

We hadn't even begun to discuss what the consequences for Lowell should be. Instead, the disciplinary committee, made up of volunteer members of this council, wanted to make an exhaustive list of Lowell's crimes.

"Whatever actions we decide on, this is all very grave," said one of the committee members. "We must have due cause."

I wondered what that meant to them. At what point they would feel they had due cause. Each member of our table took their turn going to the front and registering their grievances, as well as some others in the room. I had no idea what kind of "petty feuds" were standard between packs, but I had to agree with Hakeem that none of this sounded petty. Still, the committee insisted on a quantitative reckoning.

"How do you feel about going up there?" Cade leaned over to whisper as Patten was at the front explaining sourly what had been done to his cat. I'd been wondering if I should as the others had gone up. It's why I was there, wasn't it? To confront the council with the reality of what Lowell was doing unchecked. My chest was oozing with a stubborn frustration, and I felt pretty cranky about sitting in front of all these alphas rehashing things. But it's why I had come. And it was a way to do something instead of just letting things happen.

"I'll talk," I said. Cade caught my eye, twitched half a reassuring smile at me. He went up next. He filled the empty seat the end of the table at which the committee sat, a couple dutifully taking notes. He explained his struggles with Lowell, the territory disputes and the fruitless meetings, the stonewalling of projects buffeting their shared border, vandalism and delinquency similar to what Hakeem had described. Fights had broken out along the border, between enforcers patrolling or training. He described they way they had tried to work against him getting elected, tried to rig the ballots, paid for advertising against him. Finally, I felt his testimony shifting to me, and I sat up straighter and took a gulp of water, preparing.

"Lore is here today to speak for herself," he said. "She's provided her written testimony in the past, but today she's here. And I would ask," he added, looking gravely out around the room, "that she be treated with respect and consideration of what they put her through."

He stood, and despite knowing I was meant to replace him, I had trouble getting to my feet. My legs wouldn't cooperate, and though Lula looked at me encouragingly and nodded, it was Hakeem whispering, "go on, girl," that finally allowed me to pull myself up and walk quickly to the front of the room. Cade brushed past me on his way back to the table. I took the seat he had just been in. It was a large room. There were so many weary, irritated people in it. It was more intimidating from up here, next to the panel of committee members, looking out at everyone. Directly to my left was Andrea, a middle-aged woman with hooded eyes and short black hair, who had been doing most of the speaking. She was half-turned to me.

"Thank you for joining us today," she said. "We'd appreciate hearing from you what happened when Lowell abducted you. As well as what the situation is with this Eric Sato, an ex-boyfriend, isn't he?"

Horrible, horrible, embarrassing, awful, sickening, horrible.

"Yes," I said, and my voice was softer than I wanted it to be. "He attacked me before I moved here. He bit me." I still struggled to get the words out. It felt so silly somehow, a silly little thing like a bite, as if Eric had thrown a little fit and now we were all discussing it in the most official of capacities.