Page 70 of Crave

“Yes, Alpha General. Wilkie’s severed hand.”

Courtland raised an eyebrow. “How can you be sure?”

She turned the bag over, and I knew what she was about to show him. The fucking family monogram he’d made up and had tattooed on himself. Courtland’s lips thinned, but he gave a tight nod.

The Legion General beside him curled his nose. “Your evidence of Wilkie’s demise is accepted, Beta Gwenda. However, the flesh around the wrists looks torn, like a wild animal may have done it. Where was it found? What evidence do you have that this was foul play? Wilkie was living in the woods for several weeks before the fire.”

“It was found in the woods outside of Maxton, Legion General. I have a witness, sir.”

The Legion General nodded. “Bring him out.”

Electra cleared her throat. “Before we go on with that, Wilbur and I would like to hear from the accused about the nature of the deceased? After all, you all know the history, but we don’t.”

Electra looked fierce and regal. I wondered if it was too late to want to be her when I grew up?

Courtland inclined his head. “Of course.” His dark eyes flicked to me. “Susannah, could you please give us a brief summary of your relationship with Alduous Wilkie?”

Sucking in a deep breath, I tried not to look at Gwenda, in case my rage flared. “My mate, Quinn, was promised to Wilkie when we were teenagers, but his parents—”

Wilbur interrupted. “I thought Omegas were allowed to choose their own Packs?”

“They are, but Quinn was late presenting. Everyone thought he was a Beta. In those days, Betas were afforded a lot less respect than they are under the rule of the new Alpha General.” Wilbur nodded, indicating I should continue. “We were part of his Pack for nearly a decade, but we were never bonded. Wilkie developed erectile dysfunction and therefore couldn’t complete the matebond properly, especially with Quinn, who was an Omega.”

“How could he not know Quinn was an Omega?” the Legion General asked.

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “We acquired a suppressant from the black market in California.” Close enough. “Anyway, we lived in his Pack for a decade. He was abusive, emotionally and physically. Every time we tried to run, he beat us. Or Green would, his second-in-command. He bonded us to his Beta, Errol, so he’d know where we were if we actually made it out. He’d drag us back for punishment, and every time, he got more and more unhinged. He threatened to kill our families as a way to keep us in line. Said that he’d ensure my brother’s cubs had ‘accidents’ or that he’d bond Raiden as an Omega. He threatened Quinn’s sisters.

“Eventually, we decided it was safer to stay. He left us alone, as long as he could parade us around every now and then, so people thought he had us on a tight leash and that we loved him. So no one would know he hadn’t been able to bond us with his floppy dick.”

“You were a Beta. He shouldn’t need his, uh, penis to bond you,” Legion General Theodore muttered, and I shrugged.

“He did need my agreement, though, and I never gave it. No matter how much he threatened, how much he hurt me, I couldn’t tie myself to him. He tried to bond Quinn, but with his Omega designation, it never took.”

Electra’s steely silver eyes flashed like knives in the moonlight. “I’m getting a picture here. Tell us about the last time you saw Wilkie.”

My tongue wet my dry lips. “It was the day of the fire. He realized Quinn was an Omega, and it was too much. He wanted the Omega pair. We fought, and he got Quinn on the ground. He tried to…” I cleared my throat. “He tried to…”

Courtland’s eyes grew soft. “I think we know what he tried to do, Omega.”

“I knew we were fighting for our lives. Errol stood on the sidelines, wanting no part of what was about to happen. But Joseph, the other Pack Beta, tried to hold me back. I got free and got a couple of lucky hits in. My father trained me like I was going to be an Alpha soldier instead of a female Beta.” I gave my dad a tremulous smile. “We got away, and ran until we found Merrick. With him and Murphy, we escaped the fire before the town went up in flames, but it was close. That’s it.”

The Legion General watched my face with a frown. “And why were you so slow to get back here?”

I flushed. “The stress sent Quinn into yearning. We were holed up near the border, riding out my heat and Quinn’s yearning with Merrick and Murphy. It was a long one, because it had been repressed for so long.”

“Do you have proof of this?” the General asked my Alphas. Murphy nodded, his face grim. These were all lies with enough truth thrown in to make them sound real. I hoped no one would look too hard.

Electra stared at me, and I wondered if she could tell I was lying. She gave a short nod. “Thank you, Susannah.” She looked at Gwenda, her eyes hardening. “You can bring out your witness now.”

I was holding my breath when Errol stepped in the side door. He looked good. He looked younger, the lines and sadness dragging down his face now gone. I’d always thought of Errol as old, but I realized it was circumstance aging him, not time. He didn’t look at me as he walked to a second chair on the opposite side of the room.

“Beta Errol Wilkie, it’s good to see you alive and well,” Courtland greeted, and I think he was actually glad Errol was looking so good too.

“Thank you, Alpha General.”

“Where have you been?”

“Boise, sir.”

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