Prologue… "I'm innocent!" he raged. "You
can't punish me without evidence."
"We have all of the evidence we need, Julian
Gallagher," Elder Belikov replied, shaking his head as if displeased
by Julian's protest. "You have been found guilty of one of the worst crimes
a clan member can commit, the crime of betrayal."
"I didn't betray anyone!" Julian shouted.
"The evidence says otherwise."
"The evidence is wrong. I am innocent of the
charges brought against me. I would never do anything that brought harm to
my clan, no matter what the evidence says." Julian had to make these men see
reason. He didn't betray his clan. He would never betray his clan. "If you'd
just listen to me—"
"Enough!" Elder Belikov shouted as he held up
his hand.
Julian felt the ominous silence that fell over
the small area like a lead weight around his neck. He glanced from one man
to the next until he had looked into the faces of all five and knew he was
doomed. They weren't ready to listen to reason.
"This is wrong!" Julian shouted. He could see
another man pull something from the fire pit and walk toward him. He started
to struggle between the two large council enforcers that held him.
"Maybe you should have thought of that before
you betrayed your clan, Julian."
"I didn't betray my clan."
"That is not the decision of this council.
"Council?" Julian sneered. "This isn't a
council, it's a joke."
Julian grunted as Elder Belikov stepped forward
and backhanded him across the face. He licked at the trail of blood the
dribble from his split lip and looked up to glare at the man. "Like I said,
a joke."
"You, Julian
Gallagher, have been found guilty by this council. You will be taken
from this place, stripped of your position as Alpha of your clan, punished
as befitting your crime and status."
"Punished?" Julian's struggles stopped as he
swallowed hard. "Don't you mean attacked?"
"It is the decision of this council that you be
punished, Julian Gallagher. You're name will be
stricken from all recorded records. No clan will accept you into their midst
or acknowledge your existence from this day forward."
"You can't do this,"
Julian whispered. "I have a mate. What's to become of him?"
The frown that
covered the man's face sent a chill of foreboding down Julian's spine. He
wasn't going to like what he elder had to say and he knew it.
"Where is this mate,
Julian?" the elder asked as he waved his hand around the small area. "Why
does he not stand by your side to defend you?"
Julian didn't have
an answer for that. He knew his mate was deep in the closet and having a
hard time coming to terms with their mating. But they were mated, destined
to be together. Rogan should have been here.
"What is the name of
this supposed mate?"
Julian pressed his
lips firmly together. If he was to be punished and banished, he refused to
drag his mate down with him. Rogan was everything in the world to him, more
precious to him than even the clan he governed. He would no more betray his
mate then he would betray his clan.
"That’s what I
thought," the man said after several minutes of silence. "No clan member
would leave his mate to face the council all alone. As the mate you say you
have is not standing here then I can only assume he does not exist or he
believes you to be as guilty as we do."
Julian inhaled
sharply and struggled to back away when the man from the fire held out a
small metal bowl to Elder Belikov. The liquid inside splashed around and
Julian got his first good look at the torture he was about to endure.
"This is wrong,"
Julian cried out desperately. "I can't be found guilty without a trial."
"You lost your right to a trial when you
betrayed your clan."
"I didn't betray my clan!" Julian shouted but
his words seem to fall on deaf ears. The men holding his arms forced him
down to his knees. Julian grunted when someone grabbed a handful of his hair
and jerked his head back.
"Julian Gallagher, you have been found guilty
of the crime of betrayal." Elder Belikov spoke the formal words of the
council but Julian knew he was just doing it for the men surrounding them.
Elder Belikov never cared a wit about the rules of the council. He cared
about power, his power.
"The council will punish you for this."
"Dear boy." Elder Belikov chuckled. "I am the
council."
Julian felt the first cut before Elder
Belikov's words had even left his ears. He jerked and tried to pull away,
refusing to utter a sound. He wouldn't give Elder Belikov the satisfaction
of hearing him beg. As the second and then the third cuts were made across
his skin, Julian wondered how long he could keep that promise to himself,
especially when he saw the evil grin on Elder Belikov's face.
Julian's eyes widened when the bowl of liquid
silver was brought closer to him. He felt true fear for the first time since
he had been kidnapped from his bed in the middle of the night. Shifters
didn't heal from silver.
White hot agony filled Julian as liquid silver
was poured over the cuts made in his skin moments before. He gritted his
teeth and stiffened, trying to ride out the pain. But the agony continued,
growing worse with each passing moment. The kicks and punches added to his
torture between cuts only increased his pain.
Julian's mind began to wander as one ache
melted into another. He didn't understand why he had been picked by Elder
Belikov to be tortured and he'd never have a chance to ask. Julian doubted
he'd survive his injuries.
Julian was saddened by that knowledge. He'd
never get to see his mate again, to hold the man in his arms or feel his
sweet kiss. He'd never get to convince his mate to come out of the closet
and live side by side with him.
Julian could only hope that Elder Belikov never
learned the name of his mate. Julian had no doubt that the elder was evil
enough to go after him. As much as he regretted it, Julian could die happy
knowing his mate was safe.
Julian looked up through glossy eyes when he
heard Elder Belikov's low laugh. The man really was just too happy. He had a
right to be. There wasn't an inch of Julian's body that didn't scream in
agony.
"You will pay for this, Belikov," Julian
whispered.
"You might be right, dear boy, but not before
your mate does." Belikov chuckled then leaned in close to Julian's hear.
"Rogan, isn't that his name?"
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