Chapter 12
Dominic
The file was taunting me, sitting there. Tempting me to know what exactly the fiery young woman I should never have kissed had come up with. Her words had played over and over in my head for the past week. I tried to come up with something to say to her, something that would undermine everything she’d said, but I hadn’t seen Renee since that day outside my office building. She hadn’t left my mind for even a moment.
And she was fucking right.
I knew what Philip was like, and even if I hadn’t before the Ceremony, he certainly showed his true colors now. Even if Renee and Tyler wanted to get married, I wouldn’t grant my blessing on the union a second time. Tyler had shown a dark, ugly side of himself that I would never humor allowing to take possession of Rence.
She deserved better. She deserved… a snow–capped wedding and a long, pure white fur cloak. She deserved winter blossoms coming alive across the Brightclaw Estate as the moon rose over head, words of devotion, love, and the Goddess to reach down and bless her union.
I could see it, too powerfully, too brightly, as if I was standing at the altar on the Brightclaw Estate grounds the way I had so many years ago, but more real, more tangibly, until I could feel the moonlight singing in my bones the way it had when we’d kissed in that parlor.
I growled at myself, scrubbing a hand over my face to erase the phantom of her lips against mine.
Stupid. It was stupid. She was young enough to be my daughter. My daughter’s best friend. Naive, too passionate to use good sense or patience, and…. utterly captivating.
Delicious, too.
The kiss still lingered–an irritation, a temptation, a mistake I couldn’t bring myself to regret because she had tasted like the first sip of the finest wine after a long time without even a drop of water. Kissing her had awakened something in me I had long since thought dead.
I tore my gaze from my reverie to look down at the file again. It was thicker than it should have been for a simple case thrown together in a week. Rence was a smart, resourceful young woman, but even the best lawyers tended to need two or three days to pull so much together. My assistant at the Judicial Panel office had delivered it all of a few minutes ago, but I knew the moment I saw it in her arms that it had been Renee’s case. I didn’t have to open it to know. I knew the Panel’s coding system well enough to read it at a glance.
Frostborne, Minor. Abuse. Alpha involvement.
At first, I had been stunned, but now, I was just wary. I reached out to pull it closer, debating. I could excuse myself from the case, recuse myself from making a judgment on something that tangled me up in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge. But that would require a reason. A good one. And being attracted to her? Not exactly the kind of thing I could put into an official record.
Besides, if Renee was as smart as I knew she was, she would eventually call upon me as a witness, and as a member of the Panel I would have to testify. I exhaled sharply, pushing back from my desk.
What had that woman done to me with just a kiss? Personal feelings had no place in the Court. I had sworn an oath to uphold the law, to not turn away from injustice or acts that undermined the order of the country.
Philip’s actions at the Ceremony had done just that, yet I was still hesitant to get involved.
Hesitant to be party to her getting emancipated. She would be considered an adult in every sense of the word more so that she already was now.
She wouldn’t need anyone’s consent to get married… and that snow–capped wedding seemed all the more real and intimate in my mind’s eye.
I hissed, shoving the thought away and standing. I snatched the file from the desk and headed toward the Court’s hall, glancing over the summary sheet. I couldn’t trust myself to read the rest of her case, not yet, and the walk always helped ground me in the weight of my position.
With every step, I felt my mind pushing personal thoughts of Renee further to the back of my mind, but they were never quite gone.
Today was the day.
The car rolled down the street. The road was a bit rough, and each bump sent a jolt to my already frayed nerves. I was irritated, scratching at the walls to get this done as the next semester loomed closer.
“Remember, Renee, composure. That’s your most powerful weapon today. The Interpack Judicial Panel is…. traditional.” I huffed, knowing what he really mean. “They’ll be looking for any sign of weakness, any hint of the hysterical female‘ they so readily expect. They’ll toss out your case at the first opportunity because of it.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to suppress the rising tide of anger. I knew that. It was why my mother had a male lawyer represent her, as ridiculous as it
was.
“They’re going to hear me.” They had to. “I can keep calm.”
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Chapter 12
“I know you can, but they will push you,” he assured me, his voice firm but gentle. “Philip will push you. You must present yourself as the picture of reason. You must make Philip look childish by comparison. The case is strong, but prejudice has a way of being stronger.”
I scoffed. “That’s… not exactly my strong suit.”
A flicker of a smile touched his lips. “It wasn’t your mother’s either,” he said softly, his gaze drifting out the window. “But she learned. And so will
you.
The carriage slowed, the imposing stone facade of the courthouse looming before us. My stomach twisted into knots. This wasn’t just about me anymore. It was about every woman who had been dismissed, ignored, and betrayed by the very people meant to protect them. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the battle ahead. I would not let them see me break. I would not let them dismiss me. I would make them listen.
My stomach was nervous, but I stepped out of the car, my jaw tight, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. The courthouse loomed ahead, and with every step closer, I felt the weight of everything this case would mean for me press harder against my chest. I walked down the corridor, a few steps ahead of my companion, toward the Court’s Hall.
Philip was already in the hallway, huffing mad. He glared at me as I approached. I didn’t look at him. I tried to open the door and he slammed his hand on in it. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t acknowledge him. I didn’t need to–I could feel his anger radiating like a heatwave, thick with resentment and the desire to control me.
I wondered for a moment if he was ever like this with my mother and what she tended to do about it.
You’re still trying to make a fool of me,” Philip hissed, his voice a low growl. “Parading around with some man like you have no shame.”
I scoffed, barely able to summon the energy to be surprised. Of course, he thought this was about a man. He couldn’t fathom that my world didn’t revolve around one. Good. I needed him riled up. I’d apologize later.
He sneered at me, “Wearing cheap clothes that look like they spent the night on the floor… What game do you think you’re going to win looking like a whore?”
The man beside me cleared his throat but said nothing. It was a warning not to engage with Philip. I was grateful, because a whole speech was beating at my teeth. I wouldn’t be borrowing my friend’s suit if all of my things weren’t at the Frostborne packhouse. And the suit wasn’t wrinkled, it was just cheaper than any of my clothing. I said nothing. I didn’t need to. The guards who were outside heard it all, and they would be oath bound to testify about this little exchange honestly if they were called.
I glanced up, catching sight of the surveillance camera recording everything and forced myself not to smile. I turned to Philip, keeping my expression as neutral as possible.
“If you could move out of the way? I’d hate to keep the Panel waiting.”
He flushed and flung the door open, sending it flying and slamming into the wall behind it. The sound, shook the air.
Philip’s eyes darkened, his lips pressing into a thin line. “You’ll regret this, Renee.”
Then, he stomped inside the courtroom ahead of me, and I took solace in knowing that he was the only one who was going to walk away today with
any regrets.
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