Page 138 of Hammer & Gavel

“Oh, I bet they fucking have,” Patrick barked, shaking out his arms as though preparing for a fight.

The Op Sceptre officers fidgeted, their hands twitching towards their utility belts. Oliver let out a sharp breath and shared a curt nod with the custody sergeant. Lucas squeezed his knee under the desk, helping temper his nerves.

“Patrick Coletta, the time is three thirty-five, and the date is?—”

“Oh fuck off you prat,” Patrick snarled, nostrils flaring as he licked his teeth.

Oliver cleared his throat. “The date is Thursday the 25th March. I am charging you with offences under the UK sexual offences act. Section fifty-eight, arranging and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child, namely?—“

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Patrick seethed, fangs bared. “This is your fault! You’ve done this, you spiteful little bitch.”

Lucas lurched forward, but Oliver threw his hand back and dug his fingers into the alpha’s thigh.

“I am also charging you with abusing a position of trust in order to facilitate the sexual exploitation of a child, namely, Alfie Spears, Roxanna Kaur, Samuel Beckett, Helena Cartwright…”

As Oliver reeled off all the names of the children with whom he was connected, Patrick’s face grew redder and redder. “You’ll never get this through court, Ollie! Just you wait, my fucking legal team is all over your arse and your alpha bitch. I’m going to drag your name through the fucking dirt!”

Oliver bit the inside of cheek. He wanted to say,“And I’m charging you with the offence of being a fucking twatbag,”but unfortunately it wasn’t a real offence. Instead, he flicked his eyes back to the charge sheet and said, “You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention now, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

Silence hung in the custody block as Oliver finished reading the charges. “Mr Coletta?” He said, raising his eyebrows. “Anything you’d like to say before the bus comes to take you and your associates to His Majesty’s Prison?”

“W-What?” Patrick said, eyes going wide as realisation set in. He shifted his gaze to the custody sergeant. “What about bail? You’re bailing me until court, right?”

A small smile tugged at the edge of Oliver’s mouth. “No, Mr Coletta. Bail has been denied.”

Patrick roared, launching himself forward as he shifted to wolf form. His sharp teeth gnashed and snarled at the barrier separating him and Oliver, leaving smears of saliva all across the toughened glass.

Lucas shoved Oliver behind him, growling and posturing despite the safety of the barrier. The detention officers threw themselves on top of Patrick, wrestling him to the ground and twisting him into a set of restraint belts. They didn’t bother to force him to shift back to human form—probably sick of the sound of his voice. But they did give him a little taste of the shield as the sound of electricity crackled through the custody suite.

Patrick was whimpering by the time they dragged him back to his cell.

Oliver wanted to say that Patrick’s suffering brought him joy. But it didn’t. In fact, he felt nothing much at all towards the auburn-haired alpha as he watched him disappear down the long corridor, towards the cells.

He never wanted revenge, but itwasrevenge, in a way. Ensuring he could never hurt another person.

“Reed?” Lucas said, squeezing his shoulder as thethunkof Patrick’s cell door echoed down the corridor.

Oliver cleared his throat and blinked several times. “S-Sorry, yes?”

Lucas gave him a soft smile. “Let’s go home.”

TWENTY-NINE

PACK

Moonlight flooded the sky as they strode across the shifter park that evening. Four wolves—two sandy, two the colour of night—stalked into the the forest. The cool, spring air brought with it a bright pop of bluebells across the woodland brush, and Oliver inhaled the breeze as he and Matteus leapt through the forest like two young pups. The alphas kept a careful distance, scouting for threats as they wound themselves possessively across the emerging pack bond.

Oliver nudged his brothers flank.“Be careful,”he said, pressing himself against Matteus’ side.

“I know,”Matteus huffed as he led the way through the undergrowth.“Pup prefers it. Less restless.”

In response, Oliver dropped his head and dipped his muzzle under Matteus’ belly. He licked the soft, white fur behind his ribs as they walked, which must have tickled as it made his brother scamper away. Oliver padded after him, the sound of their footfall uncoiling something playful and puppy-like across the bond.

Soon they were nipping and pawing at one another all the way to the top of the bank, crashing through the tree line like a pair of frolicsome litter-mates. They broke into a sprint acrossthe brow of the hill and Oliver felt unburdened for the first time in weeks, despite the newly emerging aches and pains across his body.

Damp undergrowth turned to wet grass under their paws, as they kicked up a spray of evening dew. They thundered towards the perimeter of the shifter park, until the alphas flew past them and came to a skidding halt at the edge of the cliff. Their breath misted the air as they peered down at the sheer drop to the town below, the network of streetlights making it look almost magical.

“Peaceful,”Oliver said, nuzzling into Lucas’ side.

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