As acting Alpha, of course Will would have been the one to hear news of the tribunal for Jackson. I placed my finished apple on the plate in front of me as Jackson and I perked up at the news.
"They've scheduled it for next middle of next month. That means we have a little over three weeks," Will said. "I am glad that they have the date set finally. How has progress gone with the other pack Alphas?"
Jackson tensed and I glanced over at him. I knew he was planning on meeting with them to convince them to back him on the death of Gary. Was it not going well?
"I'll work on it," he replied simply.
I looked back at Will and he looked concerned but didn't voice it. Instead he said:
"Well, remember to remind them that you will have us on your side one hundred percent and when you are exonerated and restored you will have your place as Alpha back here."
Jackson nodded sharply, indicating that the conversation was over. I sighed and took a deep drink of the water sitting in front of me.
The screen door in the kitchen burst open with a loud crack startling us and causing me to drop my glass onto the floor, shattering it into a thousand pieces. I jumped from the sound and landed on a shard of glass, piercing my foot. My blood seeped out of the wound and onto the floor.
"Jesus Romy!" Jackson shouted and picked me and set me on one of the kitchen island stools. "Someone get a first aid kit!"
"No time," Allison panted, her blonde hair that was usually perfect in disarray. "Someone tipped off the Cardaver pack that you are here, Jackson. They are halfway to the house. You need to go - now!"
Jackson looked at the door and the back to my bleeding foot.
"Are you kidding me? Get out of here!" I yelled and motioned with my hands. Did he honestly think a cut on my foot was more important that his damn life?
Jackson's jaw clenched and his lips pursed in anger. I could tell he was battling with his wolf. This was his territory, his house, his mate and being forced to flee like a common rogue was killing him.
"Jackson," I said.
He snapped out of it and grabbed my face in both of his hands before firmly placing a kiss on my lips.
"You're strong," he said as he pulled away from me, dropping one hand. "You are the Luna. One day at a time, Romy."
"One day at a time," I replied.
He clenched his hand into a fist to remove it from my face and turned. Watching him turn and walk away from me before running from the house was so painful I almost forgot about the glass sticking out of my foot.
"I'll get the party. Can you clean up her foot?" Will said to Allison.
He left before waiting for a reply.
"I can do it myself," I said to Allison as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit out of the cupboard.
"Nonsense," Allison scoffed and opened the kit. "You're the Luna and you're hurt. I'm honoured to help."
She pulled out tweezers, disinfectant, some ointment and some bandages and set them out on the island in front of me.
"I'm not technically the Luna right now," I said, thinking of how Jackson was just forced to flee.
"Only to everyone outside this pack," Allison said as she kneeled down and started working on my foot. I was so past pain that I barely noticed when she pulled the glass out. "To the Merphate pack you and Jackson are our leaders. That's just the end of story."
I smiled a little. I was glad everyone was still loyal to Jackson. He deserved it and it showed that they definitely deserved him. My heart swelled.
The front door opened suddenly, breaking the silence that had engulfed the house. Suddenly, we were surrounded by what had to be at least fifty people. They went all the way around the house and spread out in what had to be less than five minutes. All had drinks and/or in their hands that they dropped off in the kitchen.
"What is happening?" I asked Allison as we were suddenly swimming in a plethora of pack mates. After being in self-made isolation for so long it was a little overwhelming.
"Contingency plan," Allison replied as she began to wrap my foot. One of the other pack members had picked up a broom and started to sweep up the mess of glass. "In case word got out that Jackson was here. We had them waiting on standby to come in and forge a party to help mask and block his recent scent in the house. We have wolves tracking and destroying his trail outside."
I should have realized that they would have something like this in place. After all, we still haven't caught the mole or moles that had infiltrated the Merphate Pack from the Cardaver. When I got my hands on the traitor I could promise that I will show no mercy.
It astounded me the lengths they went to to make sure that Jackson was safe. To make sure that he got to me and pulled me out of the damaging spiral I was content to stay on.
But Jackson had pulled me out and forced me to face the world. He had forced me to face my despair, to face my pack. They were all here in support of Jackson, in support of me. More than one had stopped to make sure my foot was okay.
The Cardaver investigators came in half an hour later only to find a pack party. They were not impressed to say the least. They sniffed around and did their normal checks, pushing pack members out of the way on their mission. They shot glares at me more than once and I was tempted to flip them off, which was more than I had wrestled up a mere day ago when they had last been there.
I decided to take the high road, however, and steadfastly ignored them as though they were nothing more than vermin. I knew that Jackson had long since gotten away and they would find no leftover trace of him here. They could go to hell.
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The next day was a better day than I had in days previous. I managed to eat most of my breakfast. I got out of bed, showered and got dressed. I even managed to leave my bedroom and get outside for a few moments. Like Jackson said, I was taking it one day, one hour at a time.
With the spy still within our walls I knew that we couldn't risk Jackson coming back. It was risky the first time, the second would have been just plain foolish to try.
We had an end date though. We had a date when all of this would come to a head once and for all. The Tribunal would decide all of our fates one way or another. It would decide whether Jackson would be absolved of Gary's death, if he could be reinstated as Alpha of the Merphate pack, or if he would continue on his banishment. It would determine whether or not the Cardaver and Merphate packs would go to war again.
I tried to keep those thoughts off of my mind. I tried to think only of the good times and I threw myself once more into pack duties to help. This time, I was learning everything I needed to step up as Luna. I was still hoping beyond hope that Jackson would be able to just return home.
But without a formal set of pack ties behind him and going against my father's pack was going to be like heading off to the executioner. The smaller pack Alphas would only look out for their own packs, what would save themselves. I couldn't fault them for that either, not when they were up against Tony Cardaver.
I was also keeping my eye out for the mole. I tried to keep up with pack rumours and watched for any unusual or strange behaviour. It required lots of socialization and being out with everyone daily. It wasn't something that I felt I was ready for but I worked through it. I was determined.
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A week before Jackson's tribunal and I had dedicated all of my focus and energy into driving the mole out of hiding and discovering their identity. It was like a project that kept me going - it kept me eating, it kept me sleeping, it kept me from slipping back into that dark hole that I had been in before. It took me from day to day.
That is why I thought that my plan was ingenious. I had spent countless hours over the last week perfecting it. It was going to go down in the record books as the greatest deception of all time.
"You're crazy," Will said to me as I told him my plan.
He was the only one I could trust with the sensitive information. Out of everyone who could be the spy I least suspected Will. If he turned out to be the spy, my life was on the line. But, if Jackson trusted him with his life, I was assured enough to trust him with mine.
"It'll work," I assured him. "We should strike now while the iron is hot."
"We should be focusing on getting ready for the tribunal," Will countered and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on his desk.
He still worked from the Beta office in the house, he hadn't move to the Alpha office - to Jackson's office.
"That is exactly why we should do it now. They won't be expecting it, it will be out of left field to have this happen when something important like the tribunal is about to go down," I argued. "What a better way to throw them off than that?"
Will furrowed his brow as though he was seriously considering it.
"Come on Will, we have to do it now," I continued. "You know Jackson would never let me do this. If we don't do it before the tribunal the whole plan will be ruined."
"That's just the thing," Will said. "Jackson will kill me for letting you do this, you know that, right? He'll stick my head on a pike."
"He won't, I promise. I'll tell him I forced you to do it."
Will raised his eyebrow at me and I held my own. After a few moments of standoff, Will finally sighed and raised his hands in submission.
"Fine, we'll do it your way, Romy," he replied. "Only for lack of any other plan working so far."
I smiled brightly at him. This was going to work. We were going to catch the sneaky bastard this time and we were going to catch him in the act.
I left Will's office determined. It was time to plan my death.
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AN: It's Friday where I am ;)
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