CHAPTER SEVEN

By the time morning comes, I'm exhausted. But I'm glad I stayed up. Rafael is worth every moment of sleepiness.

Still, it never seems like enough time with him. And it's heartbreaking that I have to pretend like our love doesn't exist when Jacob comes back.

I know I must for the safety of both of us. I'm going to use my good standing in the pack to free Rafael. I'm just not sure how yet.

“Sorry I'm a little late,” Jacob says with a big grin. He's walking with a cocky posture that worries me. He seems a little too happy about what he's going to say next.

“I've been in a meeting with the alpha,” he explains. “We finally figured out what we're going to do with the rogue. And I think it'll be good for the whole pack. I think it will help us move forward from this little incident.”

“And what are you going to do with him?” I ask, trying to be nonchalant about it.

“Well, since you stood and tried to help by being a guard, I guess I can tell you before I tell the rest of the pack. It's my reward for your service.”

He pauses and my heart pounds. I'm terrified to hear will say next. I know it can't be good. I don't want to hear about how Rafael will be punished, but I know it's important. I need to know what lays ahead if I'm going to help him.

“You see, we have to reserve the worst punishment for a traitor like Raphael.” Jacob says. “We have to discourage anyone else from being inspired by his bad behavior. We have to make sure there are no more uprisings in the pack. So, we have to teach everyone a lesson.

“We're going to do that in the best way we know how to do it. We're going to execute the traitor.”

I can't believe what I'm hearing. I can't believe they're going to execute him with no good reason. What he did was just. What they're doing is horrible.

“You can't do that!” I say. My face goes red as I realize my emotions are showing. But I feel too strongly to keep this inside.

“What do you mean?” Jacob asks, looking at me with an analytical stare. “We can do that. I thought you would be happy about it. I thought the whole pack would be.”

I take a moment to think before I speak next. I want to speak up for Rafael. I want to tell everyone we're mates. I want to beg for their mercy.

But I know them well enough. There’s nothing I can do when they get like this. I suspect they won't give him any mercy no matter what I say no.

And speaking out against alpha will only get me imprisoned. I won't be able to help Rafael at all if I'm behind bars.

I swallow my pride and my true feelings. I have to stay on their good side for as long as I can. I have to be safe while figuring out how to get Rafael out of this mess.

“I am pleased by it,” I lie. “I just wonder if it goes against our traditions. We've never killed anyone for trying to take the position of alpha before.”

“Sure, but the Alpha has never been challenged by a rogue,” Jacob explains. “The fact that he's a rogue makes it all that more different.

“It's illegitimate. It makes it so his actions were just a murder attempt. And we won't allow murder attempts in this pack.

“We especially won't allow murder attempts on the alpha. That's beyond serious. That requires a harsh punishment.”

I know I won't be able to talk my way out of this. I won't be able to save Raphael with convincing words. I have to figure something else out.

“That's completely understandable,” I say. “I'll be at the execution myself. I want to see him be put to death.”

“I hope everyone will be,” Jacob says. “I hope everyone will see what a traitor he is. I hope we all see the end of Raphael. And I hope the pack can move on after his death.”

I can't stand to hear this any longer, so I finish up my small talk and leave on a mission to help free Rafael.

*

I decide to try to use my brain to get us out of this. I'm not stronger than the other wolves, I don't have the sway over the pack that’s needed to change their minds. So, I'll have to outthink them.

I'm sure there are some sort of rules against this execution that’s about to take place, so I decided to go to the library and look up the records. I hope that I will find something in there to prove that this is unjust. We all know it's unjust. But there has to be a rule to prove it.

Hidden in the safe walls of the library, I take out the records. I comb them for what the packs in the past have done. I want to know if an incident like this has ever happened before. I want to know how they reacted to it.

I sit by a candle to illuminate the words. It somehow feels nicer that way. It feels calmer, like I have more control. It feels like I’m undertaking a sacred mission. And in a way, I am.

Then, I find something that catches my attention. I read over it. It seems almost too good to be true. But it is true.

I pour over all the words, falling upon the most perfect answer. I wonder if Raphael knows. I wonder if anyone in the pack knows.

The truth is Raphael’s grandfather used to be the alpha of this pack. He was wrongly accused, so his family was exiled.

That proves that Raphael isn’t a rouge at all. He comes from a bloodline of alphas. That makes his challenge more than reasonable. That makes it well within his rights.

I hold on to this record tightly for a moment. This is the key I need to save Raphael. Now I know, I will save Raphael.