Let Me Live

Chapter 9: King Titan's POV

King Titan’s POV

“YOU HAVE GOT TO BE f*****g SHITTING ME?!?!” Ryker screamed at councilman Jenner and I tensed in case I had to stop him from jumping over the table. The councilmen all flinched and looked appalled at Ryker’s language. I honestly didn’t understand how they still weren’t used to it after all these years. The councilmen and additional soldiers had arrived a few hours ago and we had filled them in on all we had discovered thus far. Which, according to them, was not enough to prove the alpha guilty of slave trafficking. 

“Your Highness, with all due respect, will you please restrain your language?” Jenner said in a haughty tone. Of all the councilmen to come, why did it have to be him? I knew he was doing it on purpose to rile Ryker further, and as usual it worked. 

“My language?!?! You are sitting there saying that this piece of s**t alpha, who has been torturing, r****g and abusing his pack and A f*****g CHILD, SHOULD GET OFF SCOT FREE AND YOU WANT TO DISCUSS MY GODDAMN LANGUAGE?!?!” Ryker stood and so did I, setting my hand on his chest. His eyes were flashing dangerously and I wasn’t sure how much more restraint he had in him.

“Ryker, look at me. Calm down.” I said calmly, easing him back into the chair. 

“I am most certainly not saying he should get off ‘scot free’, as you put it. His actions towards his pack and the female are deplorable and he should be reprimanded, no doubt. However, even after interviewing nearly everyone in the pack, there is no concrete evidence that he had ever bought or sold a slave. Nor is there any evidence that he has ever had a slave here or had any intentions either. Forester has confirmed all his transactions and business dealings are legal and legitimate on paper and you have no physical proof of slavery. His actions towards his pack are repulsive from what we have uncovered but still fall within the law and are therefore not enough to seek death. Alphas are allowed to govern their packs as they see fit and the court cannot intervene unless the alpha or pack is in direct violation of a law.” He spewed.

“Child abuse is against the law and we have proof he has abused her since childhood.” I countered. 

“Child abuse of a child within a pack is illegal. However, if it is true that she was brought here as a rogue, she belonged to no pack and therefore was under no protection. That clause was added to discourage wolves from going rogue. When you leave a pack, you forfeit the protection and rights afforded to you in it.” He stated and I thought Ryker was going to break the table from gripping the edge, trying to control himself. 

“She was a f*****g child! She couldn’t have made the decision to go rogue! You’re really going to condemn her and this pack on some bullshit technicality?!” He shot, staring daggers at Jenner! 

“Then her parents, unfortunately, sealed her fate for her. I am not condemning them at all. I am simply stating that we have to follow the law and the law is very clear and clean in its wording.” He snipped, emphasizing again on Ryker’s language and that was Ryker’s breaking point!

“You want some clear and clean wording, Jenner?! How about this, f**k YOU AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN ON!!!” He shouted and sprang to his feet, but luckily I was faster and grabbed him before he hopped the table!

“RYKER, WALK! NOW!” I said, shoving him back towards the door. He wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were dead focused on Jenner! I pushed him further towards the door!

“Ryker! Run it off, fight it off, hell, find a woman and f**k it off! I don’t care what you do, but go get your head clear! Now!” I ordered him. He finally turned and stormed out, slamming the door so hard, the wood splintered down the middle! He had never been one for politics. I went back to the table.

“What about the r**e of the doctor’s wife and the maids who have come forward as well? They are in the pack and r**e is illegal?” I continued, doing my best to keep my own level head. Jenner sighed. Despite the fact that Ryker and I couldn’t stand him, it wasn’t because he was a bad man. In fact, that was the main problem, he had to follow every decree to the letter and would often let the law get in the way of actual justice. 

“We will most likely be able to use that and his cruelty to the girl to strip him of his alpha title and exile him. However, he can argue that it was used to ensure control of his pack and though those methods are frowned upon, they are not outright illegal.” He said, heavily. 

“That is going to have to change. Things like this cannot be allowed to continue. I can tolerate strict and heavy-handed. You have to be, to run a pack, but in my 11 years as king, I have never seen this level of blatant cruelty and abuse, and it is on my honor to protect those under my rule!” I said, slamming my fist on the table. The councilmen, even Jenner, nodded in agreement.

“I don’t disagree with you, Sire. None of us do. Regardless of what you and the prince may think of me, I do want to see justice for this pack, but I want to do it with the integrity of the crown and royal lycan court intact.” He said and I knew it was the truth. 

“There is no integrity to be had in the negligence that has happened here and that falls at our feet.” I said, and the councilmen all bowed their heads shamefully, at the truth of it. I cleared my throat. 

“There is another matter of which I have to inform you. The chi-, the woman we found in the dungeon, she is… my mate.” I said and kept my eyes on the table. There was a collective gasp from the room! Followed by stunned silence for a moment. 

“You’re quite certain, your Majesty?!” Councilman Cantrell asked in a whisper. I nodded solemnly. The silence stretched. I felt the want from them to congratulate me but, given the circumstances, they understood that it was not appropriate. 

“Your highness, the investigation is still ongoing. I assure you, we will turn this packhouse, its businesses and the town upside down and inside out if we have to. We will find something!” Councilman Cantrell said, rising to his feet and the rest followed quickly behind, even Jenner. We had reached the foyer when my phone rang and I looked down to see Dr Marshall's number. I answered immediately!

“Get here now!” He yelled into the phone and hung up! Ice pooled into my veins and a fear I had never known gripped my heart!