Risky Business

Bambi

As I arrived home to the compound, I felt like a nervous wreck. I hadn’t seen Ekon since the previous night, when he left me in the interrogation room.

He looked so hurt and betrayed when he walked out, but I was feeling the same way.

If Alpha Leonardo could take the time and listen to what I had to say, why couldn’t my own mate?

Why was Ekon so afraid of confronting his past?

As I walked through the foyer of the house, I found a confrontation of my own awaiting me.

Ekon was sitting in the living room, a glass of brandy in his hand, a cold expression on his face.

He had scented me the moment I set foot through the door.

I sat down in an armchair across from him. It felt like those several feet between us were a thousand miles.

“I never wanted this,” I said, breaking the silence. “I didn’t think it would go this far.”

“Well, it did,” he said gruffly. “And now we both have to deal with the consequences of your stupid fucking decisions.”

He was drunk again. He always turned to the bottle when things got tough.

“A trial was the only way to get you to listen, the only way to get everyone to listen,” I said, trying to justify my position.

“Yes, they can listen to how you’ve committed treason, and my hands will be completely tied,” he growled. “You’ve no fucking idea what you’ve done. I hope you’ve got a damn good lawyer.”

“I’ve…I’ve asked Alpha Leonardo to represent me.” I knew Ekon wasn’t going to like this. They’d been close friends for years.

Ekon’s claws dug into the chair as he growled angrily. “You just keep amazing me, you know that? Just when I think you can’t possibly make things worse…”

“I was hoping Leonardo and my brother could stay in a couple of the guest rooms,” I said timidly.

By the way he laughed at my request, you’d think I’d asked him for the moon.

“That traitor is no friend of mine if he agreed to represent you without asking me,” Ekon growled. “He’s not staying under this roof.”

“Ekon, please…this isn’t personal,” I pleaded.

“You’re right. We should be professional, and come to think of it, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay here while the trial is going on, either,” he said sharply. “It’s best if I stay ~impartial~.”

“You’re…you’re kicking me out?” I stammered.

“Of course not,” he replied, annoyed. “I’ll make arrangements for your team to stay in a hotel together, but…I don’t want you here right now.”

He looked away as he said those last words, and I could tell it hurt him to say that.

“If that’s what you think is best,” I said, standing up, “I’ll pack my things.”

He poured himself another drink as I started to walk away.

Even though he was being stubborn, even though I was frustrated and sad, I didn’t want to leave things like this.

“Ekon, I have to trust that I’ve made the right decision,” I said calmly. “And you’ll just have to trust that too.”

“Trust?” he spat. “You’ve been lying to me since you came here. How can I trust anything you say? It’s all lies!”

“When I said I loved you, do you think that was a lie too?” I asked as tears welled up in my eyes.

He downed his drink and slammed the glass on the table.

“Yes,” he replied coldly.

I tried to fight them, but the tears came gushing out like a waterfall.

~Don’t let him see you cry!~

It was a stupid thought…not just because he was blind but because, despite how angry he was, he hadn’t let his wolf surface.

~He couldn’t even stand to look at me…~

I ran up the stairs to my bedroom and began throwing random clothes into a suitcase. Maybe it was a good thing that I was getting out of here.

After all, it wasn’t long ago that I wanted exactly this.

Wiping away my tears, I pulled out my phone and texted the girls.

Bambi

Ekon is making arrangements for me to stay in a hotel during the trial

Bambi

He doesn’t even want to see me

Bambi

I’d like the whole team to stay with me

Ela

of course!

Ela

and i’m sorry girl…

Ela

this must be really hard on you two

Ela

we’ll all get thru this together

Holly

😢

Holly

I’ll be there!

Victoria

It’s probably for the best.

Victoria

Ryland isn’t speaking to me either.

Bambi

💛💚💙

Bambi

I thank the Goddess for you girls every day

Bambi

Don’t know what I’d do without you

Ela

we got this

Victoria

Together ✊

Holly

Together! ✊

Ela

together ✊

I already felt more empowered by just that one simple word.

~Together.~

I wasn’t fighting alone. These girls had had my back from the beginning, and they weren’t going anywhere.

I only wished my mate wasn’t on the other side of this. Had I made a mistake by not trusting him?

I couldn’t second-guess myself now. No matter what happened to me, whatever punishment the Council deemed fit, the important thing was that my voice would be heard.

I lugged my suitcase out of the room and down the stairs, where Kalindi was waiting near the door.

He had already called a car for me, but he didn’t come to see me off himself.

I knew things were bad between us, but his absence hurt my heart in a way I couldn’t imagine.

He didn’t even want to say goodbye…

***

When I arrived at the hotel, I made a promise to myself to put Ekon out of my mind until the trial was finished.

If I was going to pull this off, I needed to put everything I had into preparing.

I was thankful I’d have my friends and my brother at my side, but when I walked into the hotel lobby, I saw the last person I would’ve expected.

“Hunter Blackwood?” I said, stunned as he grinned at me with that devilish smile. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t stay away from you, my dear. That perfect aroma of yours drew me back in.” He took my suitcase from me and started to lead me down the hall. “Let’s catch up in your room, alone.”

“Nice try,” I said, grabbing my suitcase back. “Just because I’m in a vulnerable position doesn’t mean I’ll be looking to you for comfort.”

“I’d never think of taking advantage of you, sweet Bambi,” he said unconvincingly.

I rolled my eyes, but even as he shamelessly flirted with me, I saw through his façade.

He wasn’t here to try and sleep with me. So, what was he actually here for?

“Drop the act, Hunter. What really brought you here?”

His expression became strangely serious, and he looked around as if he was nervous someone might be listening.

“In truth, I do need to speak to you alone,” he said somberly. “There’s a courtyard just outside. Shall we take a walk?”

I nodded and handed my suitcase to a bellman as we walked into a garden of manicured shrubbery that reached higher than our heads.

It was the perfect secluded spot…for someone who didn’t want to be seen.

“What’s with all the secrecy?” I asked.

“Well, for starters, as a member of the Royal Council, I’ve been called upon to sit on your jury. I told you before that I’m…let’s say, ~sympathetic~ to your cause, but it’s best if the Council doesn’t know that, for your sake.”

That made sense. If he wasn’t considered impartial, he’d be removed, like my brother. But there was more to this.

“The truth is, Bambi, I’m not well liked among the Council. Rumors about my sexual appetite aside, my father fought for Matthias on the side of the Rogues during the Great War. It’s difficult to live that down.”

“You can’t be held accountable for your father’s actions,” I said, feeling the honesty in his words. “You’re your own person.”

“True, but regardless, I was largely a bystander in the Great War. I was young, of course, but now I’m in a different position—a position to help right my father’s wrongs. That’s why I came here—to help you win. I won’t stand by while Matthias rises to power…not again.”

Hunter was constantly surprising me.

Maybe there was more to the cunt sniffer than people realized.

I blushed at the thought of his nickname. I’d probably still be wise to keep my distance.

“How are you going to help?” I asked warily.

Hunter stopped in his tracks and pulled an envelope from his leather jacket.

“What is—”

“Bambi, listen carefully. I have something that can turn the tide, maybe enough to help you win, but if you use it…it could change your relationship with Ekon forever.”

Hunter looked at me gravely as if he was already reconsidering.

“I searched my father’s old vaults and found a mountain of restricted intel from the Great War, but this was the needle in the haystack that I was looking for. This envelope contains a bombshell, but I only want you to open it if you’re willing to take the risk,” he said ominously.

I took the envelope from his hands, not knowing what to think.

If what he said was true, my relationship with Ekon could be irreparably altered, but if this could help prove that Matthias was still alive…

I extended my claws and sliced open the envelope.

Some risks were worth taking.