Page 55 of Threads of Fate

Jay finds a seat directly to Antonio’s right, with Gideon and Rowan on the sofa beside him. It’ll keep Rowan within reach ifthings go off the rail.Goddess, please don’t let them go off the rail.

Gideon has his eyes on the door and their host despite him being family, but at least he’s not standing in front of it like an angry sentinel like he had been yesterday. Leo, Gray, and Finn are seated opposite them on the sofa on the other side of the table.

“How is Nix, Jay? Boo-Boo says he’s still sleeping.” Leo points a finger at Finn in warning, already anticipating Finn’s chuckle at the nickname but not even looking up from pouring his father’s coffee with his other hand.

Jay clears his throat. “He’s still asleep, but every day is closer to him waking up. Soon, I hope.”

“He’ll have a bit of a learning curve, especially with…everything,” Antonio says with a meaningful eyebrow. “So, tell me why we’re here. I’m concerned, given Gideon is looking like I’m going to have to mount a murder defense for my favorite son-in-law.” Gideon widens his eyes and points to himself in ame?gesture.

Antonio must see the hesitation in Jay’s face. Add to it that every Rhodes’s pack member has gone still, and the older man is too smart to miss it. “Am I really going to help you hide a murder, Gideon Carnell? Because I am genuinely concerned.” He looks from face to face, all joking aside.

“Nothing so bad as that, sir,” Finn says, clearing his throat, before moving to get the books and a few of the medical reports from Dr. Spencer out of his bag should they need them.

“Well, not yet,”whispers Leo, who gets a glare from Gideon for his audacity.

“Let me start us off then, so we’re all on the same page. I’ll try to be as sensitive as I can. Our goal here is to be sure the defendant receives the maximum penalty possible for his crimes against our Nix.” Antonio is not looking for a response,so continues, “I understand from my contact in the prosecution’s office that the defendant has confessed to the assault only. He retracted the parts where he had left the scene because he thought the assault had resulted in the death of his partner.” Gideon puts his hand on Rowan’s arm as a reminder that Antonio is on their side.

“Can he do that?” Grayson asks.

“He can. Whether the courts believe him or not is another thing entirely. In addition to the matter of the assault and attempted murder is the supposed violation of the Were-Human Alliance that references the attempted forced turning.”

Rowan takes immediate offense, jumping to his feet and bumping the coffee table hard enough that the cups and saucers clank loudly. “Supposed! You didn’t see his back! It was awful. Hundreds of vicious–”

Jay stands, too. “Rowan! Sit.” His stomach drops because Rowan hesitates and Jay worries that there might be a repeat of earlier in the week—this time in front of Leo’s father. The situation is escalating, and Jay finally feels a tinge of alpha anger simmer in his gut.

But Rowan finally sits, and the room heaves an imperceptible sigh of relief.

Antonio clears his throat. “As I was saying, the defense will argue that it was a series of simple assaults, not an attempt to violate the Alliance. They’ll claim the defendant knew that, as a beta, he couldn’t possibly change Nix. Alternatively, they’ll paint him as unhinged. We need to disprove those narrativesbeforethe trial begins.”

Jay bites back his frustration. Hayes might be crazy, but a plea of insanity won’t keep him behind bars for life. “How do we do that?” Finn asks, perched on the edge of his seat, his books and papers still in hand, glasses balanced on his nose.

“His defense team hasn’t had him undergo any psychiatric testing, and I think it’s because heiscompetent. With Alliance violations, both sides must agree on which psychiatrists conduct the interviews. If we can put Hayes on the hot seat unexpectedly, we get to draw first blood.” He looks at Gideon. “I don’t mean that literally.”

“Whatdoyou mean, sir?” Jay asks.

Finn leans forward, his voice calm but resonating with conviction. “I think what he’s saying is that every time Hayes bit Nix, he intended to force a non-consensual change on a human. He knew full well it was illegal—regardless of whether he claims ignorance about his ability to effect the change or his beta status.”

“What does that mean for the prosecution and the charges?” Jay presses, needing to eliminate any chance of Hayes escaping justice. It’s not their job to build the case, but knowing the strategy calms his nerves.

“The prosecution needs to prove Hayes believed he could turn Nix—that he just had to try hard enough, long enough. Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, they’ll argue that the repeated assaults over five years show intent. They’ll emphasize that Hayes maintained a job and a social presence in the community andstillchose to harm a human in violation of the Alliance. It closes off the defense’s counters.”

Finn pieces the argument together with remarkable speed. “So, the prosecution can argue he made a deliberate choice, and his persistence proves it?”

“Exactly so, Finn.” Antonio’s tone is proud.

“So what happens then, Dad?”

Antonio gives his son a reassuring smile. “The prosecution only has to prove intent—and with Hayes’s persistence, that’s not a high bar. The key for us is ensuring the case gets tried in a Were Court. He’s ours now, Jay. As soon as you register hisbeta status, they can get the ball rolling.” The mates freeze, and Jay’s grateful for the scent blocker patches preventing a blast of anxious uncertainty from tipping their host off prematurely.

Antonio isn’t at the top of his field for nothing, and he figures it out anyway. Placing his coffee cup on the table and folding his hands in his lap, he asks. “Alright, boys. You’re clearly worked up about something, and if you want me to help you, then you have to get on with it, even if it’s that body I mentioned. We will handle it.”

“Sir, we hesitate to share it with you since it’s sensitive information, and we take Nix’s personal information seriously. He’s not able to consent and we don’t want to take that away from him.” It’s not that he doesn’t trust Antonio, but this isn’t his story to share. They’d arranged this meeting for this exact purpose, but now that they’re here, Jay feels like they’re genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place.

If they wanted this handled by the Were Courts with its more severe punishments, then they had to prove Nix was Were, and Jay can think of no way around sharing with Antonio that their Sunshine is amythicalomega and subsequently risking his well-being and violating his privacy.

“Consent is integral to what we do here, and you’re right; Nix can’t advocate for himself right now. While the pack’s interests are at the forefront of my mind, there is no one just for Nix, right?” Antonio looks like he’s considering something. “Hmm. Boo-Boo, do you have any cash on you? It doesn’t have to be much.”

“Who carries cash, Dad?” Leo’s cheeks are pink when he shakes his head. He’s not the only one.

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