Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 237 Breeding
Linus was brought in under armed escort with the sort of sleazy smirk that made Ann’s skin crawl. Although his appearance gave the impression that he was slightly unhinged, Ann knew that underneath it all, his vile little mind was as sharp and depraved as ever.
He shrugged the guards away angrily as they positioned him at the podium and sneered at them. “When this farce is all over, I’ll take your heads., mark my words.” He hissed viciously as they walked away without a backward glance to their former positions.
Linus’s gaze ran around the circle above before dropping and settling on Ann’s face as a smirk spread across his thin lips.
“Your grace,” He greeted in a tone that was clearly mocking as he inclined his head and quite openly allowed his eyes to roam up and down her body as he licked his lips.
“Dirty Bastard…”
“Shhh!”
“You shhh!”
The voices of Lexi and Allen trickled down to her from above and the faint sigh of resignation that she was sure belonged to Bartholomew followed only seconds after.
Linus raised a single eyebrow in disdain.
“You allowed your pet half-breed to attend? How… quaint.” He sneered into the stony silence that greeted his words.
Ann smiled back at him coldly.
“Half breed? That’s a poor insult, Linus, especially when you consider that the majority of shifters are half human and half animal… don’t you think? Doesn’t that make you, and indeed all of us, half breeds too?” she questioned casually with a tilt of her head as she narrowed her eyes at him.
The disdainful smirk froze on his face as his eyes burned with fury.
She could see it in his eyes that he knew there was no way that he could justify the use of that as a slur now and it made Ann want to punch the air.
‘Maeve and Ann, one point, Pervy old goat., zero points’ Maeve crowed inside of her head jubilantly as Ann mentally high-fived her.
“I’m sure you’re aware of why you’re here today, Linus,” Ann continued without missing a beat, pausing as she waited for his answer.
“I’m aware of the accusations, yes. Although why on earth I have to be put through this farce of a trial I don’t know. Just slap me on the wrist and release me for goodness sake. The backlog of work that will be waiting for me when I return is…”
“IF you return, Linus…” Ann cut him off cooly, emphasizing the word ‘if as he seethed at the interruption.
“Come on!” He exclaimed angrily, “You can’t be serious!”
“Well, that all depends on the outcome of the trial, does it not?” Ann chuckled and smirked back at him, “Now, you understand why you are here, do you understand the charges that are being levied against you?”
“I do.” He hissed through gritted teeth as he glowered at her furiously.
“Excellent. In the matter of misconduct and physical abuse against the named omega’s, what do you have to say for yourself in your defense?” Ann asked, forcing herself to sound as unbiased as she possibly could.
The truth was, she wanted to throw him to the rogues and Maeve was quite vocal about her desire to tear him limb from limb, but they couldn’t afford for the Elders that stood against them to get even a whiff of prejudice against him from their part as they would crow about unfair trials at the first inkling. She knew damn well she would lose countless days in preparation for a retrial if that happened, and she really didn’t want to put the girls through it.
If she could get him to confess now, then it was save everyone the future headache of a retrial, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the vast majority of the elders were not prepared for the wheels that she had already set in motion behind the scenes.
“Misconduct?” Linus scoffed as the sound of a few titters could be heard from above, “There is no misconduct on my part, your grace. The injuries the omega’s suffered in the line of their duty.. well… it’s unfortunate for them, but standard for their postings.” He simpered with a vicious smile that made Ann feel sick to her stomach.
“So you admit to the physical abuse of the complainants?”
“Again, your grace, I assume you didn’t hear me correctly so I shall repeat myself,” He sneered mockingly, “There is no room for physical abuse allegations if it is part of their job…” he said as he spread his hands before him.
Ann nodded and smiled softly.
“So, you don’t contest that they received their injuries at your hands?” Ann asked carefully. Linus laughed and shrugged nonchalantly
“Your grace, I am not the first, and nor will I be the last that seeks their entertainment with the omega’s.”
“I see. Your entertainment involves causing injury to them then?” Ann asked, having to dig her fingernails into the palm of her hands to stop herself from flying across the floor to claw his eye’s out. “Not always, your grace, but sometimes…” he licked his lips and smirked again before he spoke,
“Sometimes after a stressful day, things are necessary. If they did as they were told the first time, then additional punishment wouldn’t be necessary…”
“1 see.” Ann nodded thoughtfully as she tried to shut out Maeve’s insistence that they feed him his own c**k as punishment.
“Let me get this straight, you admit the injuries were caused by you, but refuse to accept the charges or any liability because, in your words, it is their job to accept physical punishments or any other punishments in
fact, that anyone in a position of superiority chooses to dish out to them. Is that correct?”
“1 see your grace has finally understood my position.” He simpered, “So with that in mind, there is no law that can be applied to those in power meting out punishments to those in their service.”
“But yours was a s*exually motivated attack on the majority of these women, yes?” Linus laughed, a cold sound that echoed across the chamber.
“Omega’s, your grace. Not women, they are not fit for breeding, only serving as we see fit, and in that service, satisfying s****l desires is well within their remit.”
Ann smiled, the smile stretching across her face as she looked at him. The change in her demeanor had clearly shaken Linus a little as his eyes flitted uncertainly up to the circle above him. “That’s where you’re wrong Linus.” Ann grinned.
“1 beg your pardon?” Linus stammered uncertainly, “Wrong about what?”
“Well, you see, there was a law passed recently during your absence, and silly me, forgot to sign it until the early hours of this morning However, with an overwhelming majority of signatories signing off on the bill, it was written into the laws of our people before my Consort had even left the building this morning.”
“What are you talking about? What law?” Linus blustered as a low murmuring had begun to emit from the circle above them.
Ann had been waiting for this. It had been a risky play, but her own scheming had clearly been worth it.
“The law that implicitly states that what you have just admitted to, constitutes a crime, and can be punished by either imprisonment or exile.” Ann grinned warmly as Linus’s face fell.
‘I still think you should have put castration in there as a punishment for s****l offences…’ Maeve mumbled.