THE FINAL ACCOUNTING

POV: Elaris

The first page is open before the councilor.

For several breaths, no one speaks.

The senior councilor folds his fingers together over the paper.

"Alpha Averic Thorne," he says, "the council will hear from the party who altered the conditions of the previous judgement. Describe what happened after you left this hall."

Averic remains on his feet.

"There is little to say."

Caedmon lets out a quiet scoff from across the chamber.

Sennik pays him no mind.

Averic continues, "My wolf had been surrender. The transfer saved Elaris and the child. I was told I would not shift again."

Several council members exchange thoughtful looks.

"The mark was completed."

An elder interrupts.

"You are saying the mark reinstated what your donation forfeited?"

"I am saying this is what happened."

"That is not satisfactory,"

Averic shakes his head.

"It is the truth."

Murmurs ripple across the chamber.

Sennik holds up a hand.

"Continue."

Averic pauses to glance at me.

"The mark healed the condition. My wolf survived. It was tested. Shifted while observed. And afterwards, it remained."

"Do you understand that there is no record in our history of a recovered condition so quickly?"

"I do."

"And there is no explanation as to how it came about this way?"

Averic hesitates only slightly.

"No."

"Then you are asking this council to accept an incident over which we have no control."

Averic's expression does not change.

"Do you think you understand why it happened to decide it did not?"

The room falls silent.

He taps his fingers against his chest.

"I am here. My wolf is alive. You saw it."

Sennik stares at him for several heartbeats before turning to the record keeper.

"Record that."

The quill scratches across the parchment.

Averic says nothing further.

He does not need to.

The living proof stands in the chamber with them.

Caedmon steps forward.

“I have a question.”

Sennik looks him over.

"You will have your turn."

"My question regards the reason for his dismissal from the council."

"The council will hear you."

Caedmon turns to Averic.

“You surrendered your wolf voluntarily.”Yes."

"For a woman."

"For Elaris and my child."

Caedmon's lips curve slightly.

"This distinction does not detract from the action."

Averic says nothing.

Caedmon turns to the council.

"The responsibility of an Alpha is to his pack. Not one woman. Not one unborn child. Every single creature within his borders."

One of the elders nods heavily.

Caedmon continues, "When the ordeal arose, Averic has favored a personal attachment over the wellbeing of his pack. He has deliberately destroyed the foundation of his own rule."

I feel my hand clenching against the fabric of my cloak.

Caedmon notices.

He does not stop.

"If his wolf remained unrecovered, would we not be engaged in this very discussion?"

"No," an elder replies.

"The principle should not be altered because an unexpected variable intervened afterwards."

Another council member fidgets slightly.

Caedmon's argument is simple.

Which makes it dangerous.

He is not challenging them to deny what they saw.

He is demanding they judge the intent behind it.

Averic finally speaks.

"You are condemning a decision you would not have made."

Caedmon's eyes narrow.

"This has nothing to do with me."

Averic shakes his head.

"It has everything to do with whether or not you believe saving a life makes an Alpha unworthy of his title."

Caedmon's gaze darkens.

"It makes him vulnerable."

There is a long pause.

More than one elder looks distinctly uncomfortable.

Sennik taps his fingers against the table.

"We will hear both sides of this before passing judgement."

Caedmon steps back.

The damage was already done.

Sennik stares at me.

"Elaris Veyne."

My name echoes in the chamber louder than I expect.

"You may speak."

For the briefest moment, I remember the walls of every room that once held me to listen to words I should never have heard in the first place.

I stand.

The chamber no longer feels the same from this vantage point.

When I fix my attention upon the council, I see not an audience but judges.

I need to convince no one that what happened to me was cruel.

No one interrupts when I say, "I do not have to make you understand that what happened to me was cruel."

I only have to remind them, "You were not present for the things I had to do to myself in order to continue existing."

A pause.

When I continue, my voice does not tremble.

"For years, I have given my wolf essence to Caedmon because his body could not create enough on its own.

I was assured that each donation would help him survive. So I gave him again "

I pause long enough for several warriors to turn their gaze toward Caedmon.

"and again."

Caedmon's face tightens slightly.

I do not look at him.

"When I finally became pregnant, I believed the trials of those years had a purpose."

My fingers brush against the fabric of my stomach.

"They did not."

I speak of the last donation.

The choice.

The pregnancy I carried to term solely to keep Caedmon breathing.

And then, the things I've said when the man wakes from the induced coma.

"He called me a killer."

A hush passes over the room.

"Once he had what he needed, Caedon refused me. After giving him the thing that sustained his life, he turned away from me."

I pause, drawing in a slow, measured breath.

"As I left, I had nothing with me. Averic provided shelter."

I fix my stare on Caedmon.

"You are not surprised by this."

He does not reply.

I continue, "I became pregnant again.

With Averic's child."

All eyes turn to me.

"With Virelle's return, I endured further hardship."

Caedmon's jaw twitches.

I do not stop.

"I had suffered for a long time already and the loss of my own child became another burden I would carry.

Virelle accused me of lying about the nature of the first pregnancy, then threatened me with bodily harm if I did not comply with her demands.

Maevra became gravely ill and despite her protests continued to threaten me.

None of this should have affected me, but it did.

In the end, Maevra revealed the truth.

She had known all along what Virelle was, and what she intended to do to me.

Before her death, she was certain the one thing left to protect was the child within me."

I force my voice to remain steady when I speak Maevra's name.

"She knew what Virelle was.

She knew what she had planned.

And in her final moments, she made certain the child survives."

No one moves.

The council turns to Averic.

"When my condition took a turn for the worse, he had the option to keep his wolf."

My voice grows quieter.

"He could have saved me and his son."

Averic remains utterly motionless.

"He chose us."

I finish by facing the council again.

"Say, if you will, that selfishness disqualifies an Alpha from his title."

The room holds its breath.

Say that a dying man's generosity is not worth consideration.

No one responds.

I lower my hand from my stomach.

"This is the sort of behaviour we have been debating from the start, is it not?"

No one responds when I finish sitting down.

It is not the silence of compliance.

It is something else entirely.

I meet the gazes of the warriors who once stood in this hall when I was escorted away.

Some bow their heads in shame.

Others hold my gaze.

I do not care which.

For the first time, the truth is in this room where it should always have been.

Caedmon faces the council.

He does not seem to have gotten any less comfortable with the idea.

The same cannot be said for Sennik.

One elder clears his throat.

"She has given us a personal account."

Averic speaks before Caedmon can interrupt.

"A personal statement does not constitute an argument for leadership ."

"No," replies another council member, "but it does account for factors that condition the outcome of one."

Caedmon turns to him.

“Circumstances do not replace law.”I do not make laws out of conditions," mutters a third.

"You may have the first word," says Sennik.

The first division appears across the table.

Two elders argue back and forth in tense, clipped sentences.

Sennik taps his fingers on the wood and signals the keeper of the book.

"Record Elaris Veyne's statement in it's entirety."

The quill resumes scratching.

I remain seated as Averic finally looks away from me.

Sennik rises again.

"The council must decide if the witnessed rehabilitation of Averic Thorne is sufficient cause to reinstate him as Alpha."

A new page is prepared.

The record keeper looks to the crowd.

"Those who find the conditions listed above sufficient cause for reinstatment, please raise your hands."

I count them.

There are enough.

The council turns to those who disagree.

More hands rise.

The count is close enough that neither side is likely to be in the majority for long .

Averic watches me closely.

The vote is taken.

Sennik examines the papers .

"The vote is evenly split."

A murmur passes through the room.

One elder leans forward and says to Sennik, "We cannot reinstate him without a clear majority".

"It is impossible to deny him the title entirely when the instigating conditions no longer apply," another replies.

Caedmon's supporters remain firm.

Averic rises quietly and looks me over.

He does not appear particularly concerned with the outcome.

Neither does he look surprised by it.

Sennik declares, "On a divided vote, no restoration shall be entered."

Caedmon's eyes narrow.

He realizes what this means.

The council has reached an impasse and the resolution requires more than politics.

Caedcon steps into the open space.

If the council cannot agree, the law allows for something else entirely.

"If the council finds it's decision indeterminate, the law provides for another option," says Caedmon.

"This chamber has not used the right of combat in many years," replies Sennik.

"The law still stands. If the council cannot come to an agreement, it will be decided by the pack."

Numerous members protest at the same time.

"The right of combat has not been used since the founding of this city," says Sennik.

"It still holds as law," replies Caedmon.

"You will not invoke the right of combat on a divided vote."

"No, I will invoke it because the council will not decide the matter."

Caedmon turns to Averic.

"If he believes himself to still be worthy of the Alpha title, he will accept the challenge of the pack."

Averic's face is impassive.

I rise halfway then force myself to stop.

Caedmon continues without interruption.

"No speeches, no records, and no consideration of what the mark might have done to him.

Let the wolves decide the matter."

Sennik looks to Averic.

"Do you know what you are saying, yes?"

"Yes,"

"The challenge is issued and he has accepted it."

"I understand.

If he loses the challenge, he relinquishes the title."

Averic looks Caedmon over.

"I accept."

He draws a sharp intake of breath.

Caedmon's mouth is curved into something close to a smile .

A low sound rumbles out through our bond.

I turn to Averic.

His posture is still, but something behind his ribs has stilled as well.

The wolf is stirring.

Caedmon hears it too. His nostrils flare.

"You've gotten confident," says Caedmon.

"It does not come with confidence," replies Averic.

It comes with certainty,"

Caedmon's expression is darkening.

The challenge is official when Sennik declares the council's agreement.

Warriors move to clear the center of the room.

Everyone rises at once, save the injured.

When Sennik tells them the conditions of the fight, no one hesitates .

"Begin," he says, "and the pack shall witness the decision of the council."

No weapons.

The warriors form a wide perimeter around the fighting pit.

Most of the younger pack members are already waiting at the edges when Caedmon and Averic step into the circle.

Averic pauses to look me over.

"I will be here when you finish," I say.

His gaze holds mine.

"Whatever the outcome."

"Yes,"

Caedmon hears me, and for the first time since entering this chamber he looks surprised.

"You may wish to reconsider that," he says.

I fix my gaze on him .

"I have spent enough of my life reconsidering things because of you."

The warriors around us fall silent.

Caedmon's expression darkens, but he does not reply.

"What happens inside that circle belongs to the two of you, said I when I place my hand over my stomach, My child and I will be here when the fight is over."

Averic nods once.

Then he turns away from me.

I do not follow him.

Not this time.

Caedmon steps forward first.

He removes the last piece of clothing that might restrict the shift.

The animal within him emerges almost at once.

I know this wolf.

That fact disturbs me far more than it should.

I remember feeding this wolf with my own lifeblood.

How many times have I fainted in my own apartments, curled up in a heap on the carpet?

Now this wolf stands across from mine, waiting to assume another's position.

Averic follows suit.

His wolf is larger than I remember.

Stronger.

There is no hesitation in its stance .

Two beasts lock eyes across the pit.

The crowd holds its breath.

A beat passes.

Another.

Sennik raises one hand.

"Begin!"

The wolves pounce at the same time.

Caedmon moves first.

Faster than most of the audience can react, but slower than Averic's wolf.

The animals collide violently, sending the earth vibrating beneath us.

Caedmon feints at Averic's flank, but my alpha redirects his strength and sends a powerful kick to Caedmon's gut.

The force sends Caedmon sprawling.

Instead of finishing the move, Averic pulls back and lets the wolf decide where to strike next.

Caedmon spins to the right, but Averic is already there waiting for him.

They trade blows in rapid succession.

Averic is fast enough that it is difficult to see where one strike ends and the next begins.

Finally, Caedmon's teeth clamp around Averic's shoulder.

Gasps erupt from the crowd.

Averic shakes him off, but blood is already trickling down his fur.

My fingers instinctively brush over the bond .

Averic feels me.

The wolf twists its head away from Caedmon just long enough to deliver a powerful blow to the pit wall.

Caedmon rolls, but Averic is ready.

He pins Caedmon's wolf against the far edge of the fighting pit by the front legs.

Once, twice .

Caedmon's tail slaps against the ground as he struggles to free himself.

Averic holds him there.

That is all it takes.

One hand, one bite to the throat, and Caedmon's wolf would be dead before he had the chance to reconsider his position.

Avery bites down on Caedmon's neck and tightens his grip.

The entire pit falls silent.

Caedmon's wolf writhes against the hold, but Averic will not release him.

I can feel it in my bones, in every thread of the bond connecting us.

Averic could kill him.

Everyone knows it except for Caedmon whose body stiffens at the sound of Averic's voice.

"Yield," says Avery.

Caedmon's wolf strains against the grip, but he is growing weaker with every heartbeat.

"Or I finish what the council left undone," says Averic.

The words take the wind out of Caedmon's lungs.

For the longest moment, Caedmon's wolf holds his gaze.

Then he lets his body go limp.

A murmur passes through the crowd.

Even the warriors at either end of the perimeter relax.

Sennik looks from Caedmon to Averic, and no one speaks the words aloud, but we all hear them nonetheless.

When Caedmon's wolf sinks slowly to the ground, his body finally goes still beneath Averic's hand.

It is only when the wolf begins to dissolve back into the man's bones that the realization sets in.

The council is not judging Averic by his decision to remain in the forest.

They are judging him for making the choice at all.