My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

have some fun for all of the work that she’s put into us?” he asked the crowd.

They erupted in applause, several of them retaking their seats. Drake folded his arms across his chest, but I settled back, anxious to see what Jake had in mind. “I think that’s a yes,” Jake said, looking at her. The other guys were already clearing out the remains of the ballroom number. Even parts of the stage was starting to rise. They were all so used to it by now that they just moved around it. She reached up and pushed the button on her ear piece.

“Fine.” Was the only thing that she said before walking to the back. The lights dimmed as she approached the new stage. It looked like a concert stage now. I just found it amazing how they could do that in a matter of minutes. Jake ran back to get his guitar, talking to the rest of them. When the music started she spun back and stared at Jake, but Keira and Chris came up to either side of her, and she started to sing.

I recognized it, it was one that Ailith played in the office when she thought she was alone. There was no routine for this song, it was just for fun, and after the first few measures she threw herself into it. For a few moments, just a few it felt like she was singing to me. Like it was just the two of us, and I had a hard time breathing.

Moving around up there, swaying to the music, and the sincerity she put into the lyrics, she wasn’t just beautiful anymore. She was gorgeous, like nothing I had ever seen before. At one point her shirt rode up slightly, exposing her side, the same side that was shot, and I caught a glimpse of a tattoo, just as the music ended.

When she was done, the spell broke, and I was able to breath again. I looked over to see Drake staring at me with an odd expression. I just shrugged at him and moved past to leave.

Chapter 27

Ailith

 

 

 

 

It was over, and now for the hard part. The lobby was filled to the brim with people buying chess club t-shirts, home made muffins, paintings done by the art club. Pretty much everything anyone could think of selling. Including, clothes with Last Stand printed on them. Everything from sweat pants to halter tops.

I spotted Markus in the crowd. He was being congratulated for having such talented children. He was livid, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. If he laid a hand on either of them, not only would he have me to deal with as promised, but everyone had their eyes on Chris and Jake. Someone would notice something.

The place was so full people were still waiting in the auditorium to get out the doors. It was marvelous. Everywhere I looked someone I had worked with over the last several months was smiling and handing over change. After it was all done, the cash would be gathered up and counted. I was going to get a text when they had a total.

Thanks to those trusty back doors, I managed to get home before Drake. I had just enough time to get out the papers I had hidden for the last several weeks, and get something to drink. For just a couple of minutes I got the chance to take a deep breath. The house was silent with the only light coming from the kitchen. I was exhausted, but when I heard the front door open I stood up straighter. Prepared for the battle at hand.

Drake walked in, with Jen, Camilla, and every high ranking enforcer in his employ. After his family came Stephan and his men. To say that Drake was upset would be more than a mild understatement. He tossed his jacket across the banister as everyone else filed into the kitchen. The girls came to stand at either side of me, making sure that I didn’t take sole blame. While the guys all lined up on either side of us. Sadler stayed in the doorway, next to Bastion.

“Someone want to tell me what the hell all of that was?” he snapped, kicking a chair out to sit. He eyes found mine as I set my cup down on the island. I didn’t expect him to listen to a word I said, so I grabbed my neatly organized file and dropped it on the table in front of him. He glared at me but flipped the top of the file open. I backed up to lean against the counter and waited. “What is this? What am I looking at here?”

“The sale agreement for the school,” I answered. He looked up at me.

“I already have a copy of that.”

“Do you have one with Collin Dragger’s real name on it?” I asked in return.

“Real name? I’m not in the mood for nonsense, Ailith.”

“Flip to the next page.” He did as I instructed. The next page had a very unflattering picture of Van along with a list of all of his alias’. Collin Dragger was the second to last. I couldn’t believe that Van would leave that just sitting on his desk. He wasn’t much of an organizer but he was thorough.

“This is preposterous,” he muttered, closing the file before reading anything else in it. “Van would have no interest in buying a school on my territory.”

“He would if it meant that he could challenge you for the territory.” He shook his head.

“That law hasn’t been followed in over a hundred years.”

“But it’s still law. Can you honestly tell me that if he followed that law to the letter, that he would have met any resistance?” I asked, he opened his mouth several times but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Instead he bypassed me and turned to the rest of them.

“What do you have to say for yourselves? You all deliberately defied me. Some of you even went against my direct orders.” He eyed the enforcers, but Bastion was the one that answered.

“We understand our actions, Alpha. But given the circumstances we felt obligated to act on Ailith’s information.”

“Then you should have brought it to me sooner!” he yelled back. Bastion had always seemed like he would snap at a confrontation, or just straight up beat the shit out of you. But he just bowed respectfully before answering.

“With all do respect, Alpha, Ailith tried. You wouldn‘t listen so we did.” Drake’s face turned red.

“That doesn’t mean that you couldn’t have brought it to my attention,” he responded. I couldn’t keep quiet anymore, not after that huge fight me and Sadler had, over the exact same thing.

“And when they told you where the information came from?” I asked, he spun on me. But he couldn’t hold my gaze.

“I would have looked into it.”

“No, you would have told them to stop humoring a female’s tales. You knew how much that school meant to me, and that’s why you wouldn’t have listened!” He started breathing heavily.

“And bringing my daughters into it? Was that to get back at me for not listening to every syllable you uttered?” he snapped.

“They got involved because they wanted too. They wanted to fight for something that mattered to them. That you wouldn’t allow them.”

“For good reason!”

“Yeah, those skills wouldn’t do them any good once they were married and knocked up! That’s all they’re good for isn’t it? It doesn’t matter if they want a career, or a hobby they’re passionate about, that would just get in the way of starting a family.”

“Our customs are in place for a reason,” he growled. “And you directly defied me,” he finished.

“So kick me off the territory, Drake. That’s the punishment for treason. Forget that if I hadn’t done what I did, you would have died and your pack would belong to Van!”

“Pardon me, Drake,” Stephan interrupted before Drake could speak. “But me and my men have been working closely with Ailith for quite some time now. She has a good head on her shoulders and a skill for leading. I only wanted to say that as long as she is on your territory you may count us as an ally. That’s all I wished to say, and we bid you a good night.” With that he and his men walked out. Leaving a stunned silence in their wake. Drake sighed and ran a hand over his face, before turning to his men.

“Bastion,” he called, the man stepped up to his side. “I am thankful that you acted to protect the pack. You and your men saved my family and myself as well as several others.” Bastion bowed, and several of the men in question sagged with relief. “But I’m afraid Ailith will have to be punished for her insolence,” he muttered, regret evident in his voice. Jen and Camilla were not so resigned.

“Dad, that’s not fair!”

“She’s the one that did most of the work!” Camilla added. I just held up a hand and they went quiet.

“I don’t write the laws, I just enforce them.”

“What law?” I asked, I had been reading up on the legalities of the packs for a while now.

“I cannot tolerate a low ranking wolf showing such blatant disobedience, regardless of the reasons for doing so,” he replied, Sadler was actually the one that stepped forward.

“Drake, she’s not low ranking, she’s alpha.” But Drake only shook his head.

“She’s still female, Sadler. That puts her below Bastion,” Bastion was his beta, he just said I was no higher than a third. “and every ranking man Bastion already has.” Correction, I was no higher than the lowest ranked enforcer. Any male in the pack can become an enforcer, no matter the rank, if they have the skill. So I was just the highest female, besides Becca. Who wasn’t even allowed at any meetings, and barely allowed at the hearings.

“She’s at the top of her training class, Drake,” Bastion rumbled.

“Training?” Asher said, sitting up straight for the first time since he sat down.

“She’s not supposed to be in a training class!” Drake snapped, standing so quickly his seat almost toppled over.

“She’s been training?” Asher yelled, standing herself.

“You were just supposed to teach her how to defend herself. You told me she had stopped training weeks ago!” Now I was confused. They were going to make me stop training?

“I lied,” Bastion replied, standing straighter and meeting my eyes. “She’s one of the best fighters I’ve had. I couldn’t let her skill go to waist.”

“What skill?” Asher asked, laughing brokenly as though the very idea were preposterous. “She’s female, there’s no way she could hold up against even one male.”

“Actually, she’s wiped the floor with all of us at some point,” Alex cut in.

“A couple of times it was at the same time,” Dalton added. That wasn’t entirely true, so far I could only stand against three of them at a time, and still come out on top.

“All while sustaining minimal damage,” Bastion finished, several of them smiled at me.

“Regardless, she’s not and will never be an enforcer. Therefore, her previous rank still holds,” Drake snapped, doing his best to control the room.

“I just want to make sure I understand this