Laws and Litigation

Axel’s POV

‘Axel; I need you in the office to go over security and planning for the next few weeks. We have a lot to go over.” Teddy linked me, making me let a sigh of relief.

Talk about being saved by the bell. ‘I’ll be right there, bro.’ I smiled at the five women in my life awkwardly as I scooted to the door. “Duty calls!”

“Axel! Don’t you dare leave this room right now!” Jude was looking worriedly between all four of our girls, the chorus of them demanding siblings of their own setting her face into one of mild panic.

“Sorry, Sexy! Important meeting!” Jude yelled after me as I all but tripped out of the bedroom and the apartment, scrambling down the hall as quickly as I could. Out of all the things we had talked about this last year and a half, children was not one of them.

Fuck, I’d be up for more kids; but Jude, I wasn’t sure what she would want. I had been absent and let my mate go through rising my four precious angels all alone; albeit, I didn’t know that was what was going on. It didn’t help none that her mother was firmly against me being there to begin with.

The old biddy was giving me a hard time left and right, but I made a promise to Jude to treat her like a queen; which I did, although it pained me immensely to do so. Jude was her only child, so any offense to her daughter she tried to enact vengeance tenfold on the offending party. I let her dig at me all the time too, sucking it up because I knew she helped raise my girls.

“Ah, Axel.” Walter nodded at me as I opened the door to the office, Albert and Teddy standing near him already. “Our ideas man. Come; take a look at this.” Walter ushered me forward, waving his hand over some papers. “Read these and tell us what you think.”

I walked forward and could see that they had a map of the United States laid out with markers on them, red dots and lines still visible here and there of packs we still hadn’t disbanded or eradicated. I picked up the first paper I saw and read it over, looking back at the map when I did. “Fuck me… That’s gonna need a whole lotta firepower to do.”

They were going to do a mass raid on the remaining packs and strongholds of Black Haven’s holdouts, working with our allies overseas and rounding up the last three council members. “You’ve been a busy bee since your parents’ house.” I looked to Teddy slightly, seeing his disheveled hair and eyes with dark circles. “This will be a good plan, but might I suggest catching the councilmen first? They’ve been the ones calling the shots, so if they’re gone, the rest should fall more easily.”

“Perfectly right, Axel, my boy.” Alvin nodded at me, leaning on his cane and oil ring to a small circle on the map. “We have intel saying that the remaining three are all gathered here, hiding from us for the time being.” He grinned as he flicked his finger and knocked over the little marker that was there, signaling their eminent demise.

“As long as f as you get them, then we won’t have any worries about them rebuilding Bla-“ I cut myself off as I saw another paper poking through the pile, pulling it out and reading the fine print. Across the top in bold letters was ‘Census and Ducumentation Process’.

It went on to detail the census that would ensue every five years, the card and licensing of all packs, clans, rogues, and groups of wolves. All of them were going to be issued ID cards and the ramifications for not having one issued. After reading over all the steps, I darted a glance at the three men with me. “Uh, Ted… What’s this?”

“Insurance to defeat to rogue problem.” He nodded his head at me, going back to discussing strategies with Walter. I wasn’t going to let him ignore me though, the fallout from something like this being too big for me to ignore. I slammed my hand on the table, making him and Walter jump.

Alvin had been watching me the whole time, so he just nodded and sipped his tea. “What seems to be the problem?” He inquired.

“This fucking “law” all three of you are gonna pass is what!” I yelled at them, my blood boiling. “Do you even know what you have written down here?!”

“A census, Nothing more.” Teddy shrugged, Walter not looking at me now.

A census, yah right. I huffed at them, shaking my head in disappointment. “This isn’t a census; this might as well be the Nazi party all over again with what you have on here.”

“Watch what you’re saying, Axel.” Teddy’s eyes flashed their yellow orange, Howler glaring at me from their depths.

“No, I’m not gonna watch what I say! You hired me to be a voice of damned reason for you Teddy! Telling me shit about making sure power doesn’t go to your head and such. Well this,” I pushed the paper into his face, glaring at him. “Does exactly that!”

“That’s preposterous.” He growled as fur pushed through in his arms.

“Oh, really? Let’s read this out loud then!” I challenged him. “Part one; all rogues must move to designated lands after the issuance of the census to classify themselves. Part two; Rogues must identify themselves to the pack and the crown and pay taxes for land rights on designated land….”

The more I spoke, the less Teddy looked at me, his face becoming ashamed with every word. “Ted..” I spoke softly now, seeing that my friend couldn’t even stand the words that were coming out of my mouth that he had written. “If you enact these laws, it might as well be World War Two all over again; but this time, it will be aimed at our own people.”