The Midnight Watch

Chapter 38

Kai rolled his eyes skyward. "Perhaps you spoke with the packs at the bridge? Learned that they were looking for someone, not invading?"

 No mention of the charge of murdering Marcus. They had both seemingly chosen to forget about that, for convenience's sake. Kai had no way of proving himself innocent unless Nate confessed, while Wyatt had even less chance of proving him guilty.  

"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed, then quickly regained composure. "They accused us of hiding fugitives — some rogues, they said. Then we were given an ultimatum: hand over these imaginary rogues or they'd invade! It was ridiculous! Rogues on Anglesey! Can you imagine?"

"I certainly can't," Kai agreed. Personally, I was struggling to keep a straight face.

"But this morning they left, all in a hurry. Suppose they realised their rogues weren't here, after all, and it was about time!"

The conversation ran dry. Wyatt, desperate to prove his innocence, waited for any kind of judgement. Kai was busy pondering what that judgement would be. I knew what I would do in his place. I knew what I had done when faced with Seb's killer. Let him die. It was only one tiny step further to be the executioner.

Kai's stance slowly drained from confident to weary. "So, what am I supposed to do with you? You could claim innocence to every charge in a trial: there's no way to prove your intentions were malicious. I can't even prove that you ordered my father's death" —here he had to raise a hand as Wyatt opened his mouth furiously— "and, please, do me the courtesy of not denying it, this once."

Natalia moved a little closer, so their shoulders touched properly, and leant against him. I recalled doing the same thing a hundred times: because it was the fastest way to calm a male wolf. Kai took a visible breath, his chest hitching ever so slightly, then he seemed to regain control.

"I won't ask for mercy, if that's what you're waiting for," Wyatt said, and for an instant I could see that familiar glimmer of hatred in his eyes. And if I had seen it, so had Kai. This defeatism was all a glamorous act to portray himself as the victim.

I waited for what would surely be a death sentence.

But, "No," Kai decided, "you won't have to ask."

Isaiah Silveryn barely contained a splutter. Natalia cast an uncertain glance sideways at her fiancé. Even Wyatt himself looked stunned.

"Immunity should do just fine, I think. Whatever you might have allegedly done is in the past now — forgiven and forgotten," Kai continued obliviously. "But I can see that the events of the last few months have taken their toll. My mother's death, the stress of the regency, this injury... Given the circumstances, it would be perfectly reasonable to consider retiring. Leave the burden of leadership to a younger mind. Ethan, say — he is more than capable."

Immunity? Forgotten, let alone forgiven? Ethan? The boy who'd tormented us in training? Who hated Kai as much as — if not more — than Wyatt himself? I understood that Wyatt had to be stripped of power and gently, unless some charge could be proved. But everything else was a muddle.

"What the hell is he doing?" I hissed through an open link. One glance at the faces around me implied that I spoke for most of the guard.

To my surprise, it was the Instructor (well, Commander, now) who answered. "Mercy, Sav, is a powerful tool. He's leaving the Rochesters without grievances, without reason to complain of unfair treatment, without an excuse to rebel ever again."

Ooh, they had planned this, hadn't they? Probably while I was standing guard yesterday. For the first time, I began to wish I had eavesdropped. And I hadn't even realised the link went further than my patrol. But other guards were turning to look at us, some of them contemplating or nodding along.