A Warrior's Love
Chapter 14: The trial

(K’aalógii: Butterfly in Navajo)

Wyatt could tell Becky was nervous on the ten-minute drive to the Porter home. He knew she didn’t like confrontation and the one time she had stood up for herself it ended badly. Now he was going to settle the score for her because she hadn’t deserved what had happened to her.

This Cherry girl will wish she had never met me, he thought with a silent snarl.

As he pulled up in front of the Porter home, he noticed that Alpha Bannon was already there. Becky’s parents were also there because he saw their car.

Looking over at Becky, he realized she was even paler than she usually was, and it concerned him. Placing a hand on her cheek, she turned her head to face him as he gently asked, “K’aalógii, are you okay? Are you in pain?”

“I’m alright Wyatt. The painkillers are still numbing everything so I’m not in pain, I’m just nervous about what’s going to happen here. I’ve only met Alpha Bannon a couple of times and he’s very... big and... well, scary!” She exclaimed; her eyes wide.

“I’m big and scary too, K’aalógii, yet you aren’t scared of me,” he reminded her.

“I know, but you’re different! You...”

“Hush K’aalógii,” Wyatt whispered before placing a kiss on her lips. He then told her, “You are strong and brave. You stood up to this Cherry person, and there is nothing keeping you from standing strong in front of the Alpha also.”

Becky nodded her agreement, saying, “okay”. She then took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

Once she seemed calmer, Wyatt climbed out of the car. He then walked around to open her door and gently take her out, so he could carry her. She giggled as he closed her door. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he asked, “What?”

“How am I going to “stand strong” if you’re carrying me, Wyatt?” She asked, still giggling.

Wyatt just shook his head and began to walk. He knew she wasn’t expecting an answer. As he began walking up the walkway, he realized someone must have been watching for them because as soon as they were in sight the door opened.

Gary stepped out onto the porch just as Wyatt stepped onto it. Clearly upset as he spied her cast, Gary asked, “Becky, what happened to you?”

“This is the reason why we are here Gary,” Wyatt answered for her.

“Let’s just go inside Papa. I’ll explain what happened to everyone at one time,” Becky whispered.

Gary nodded, his face full of worry as he stepped back, holding the door open.

Wyatt stepped inside with Becky, and Gary closed the door behind them. Then the three of them headed into a large sitting room. There were three large couches in the room making a U shape. In the front of the room was a large fireplace and Alpha Bannon was standing in front of it, his arm propped on the mantle. As soon as they entered the room, he straightened up, his face showing concern.

Mr. and Mrs. Porter sat on one of the couches looking puzzled. Their daughter, Cherry, was seated between them looking belligerent.

Julie was seated on the couch facing them. When they entered the room, she jumped up and moved forward. Placing her hand on Becky’s back, she let her eyes move over her as she exclaimed, “Becky! What happened to you? Why are we here? What did...?”

Wyatt stopped Julie’s flow of questions with a growl. He saw the look she was giving him even as she fretted over Becky. It was that “this has to be your fault somehow” look, and he hated it! Why am I always the bad guy? What have I ever done to her? I have never shown any aggression toward my mate, so why does Julie think I would hurt her? She thought I was the cause of this without even hearing what happened! Why would we be HERE if it was something I had done? Seriously, lady, I am fed up with your blame games!

“Julie sit down, now!” The Alpha boomed, his voice close to rattling the windows.

Apparently, I’m not the only one she annoys, Wyatt thought as he stared at the irritated look on the Alpha’s face. I do wonder though what she has already been saying to have gotten him that way.

“Warrior Stone has asked us to be here, so now that he has arrived let’s be seated,” Alpha Bannon said, sounding a bit calmer.

Julie and Gary took their seats.

Wyatt carefully sat Becky down on the third couch, but not carefully enough because she hissed out a pained “ouch”. This caused him to growl at himself internally, wishing he could take the pain for her. Needing to know how badly he’d hurt her, he asked, “Are you okay? I thought you said the pills had taken away the pain.”

Becky placed her hand on his arm and rubbed it soothingly as she told him, “It’s okay, I just put my foot down a little too hard. It didn’t feel too good on my bruised stub. I did it to myself Wyatt, not you.”

“This is why the doctor didn’t want you putting your prosthesis back on you know,” Wyatt reminded her.

Becky sighed quietly before, in a voice so soft he barely heard her, stated, “I know but... I just don’t like people seeing me without it on.”

Giving in, Wyatt gave her a slight nod. He then turned toward the Alpha, who seemed to be waiting, once more.

“Could someone tell me what’s going on, please. Why are you all here in my home?” Mr. Porter asked abruptly, and quite loudly.

Alpha Bannon turned to look at Mr. Porter as he asked, “So, your daughter gave you no reason at all as to why we were coming?”

Mr. Porter shook his head emphatically as he stated, “All she said was to expect the Alpha in a little bit because he was going to be paying us a visit. Then she went to her room and stayed there until you showed up.”

Wyatt growled at Mr. Porter’s answer as he glared hard at the girl. When she glanced up, he saw fear enter her eyes before she quickly looked away. Narrowing his eyes at her, he thought, Yes, little girl, be scared because I alone hold your life in my hands!

“Did she tell you how she’s been bullying Becky?” Wyatt asked, unable to stay quiet any longer, as he turned his attention to the Porters.

Mrs. Porter’s face paled as she gasps.

Mr. Porter’s face also paled, and he audibly swallowed before asking, “Cherry, is this true?”

Cherry shrugged.

“Cherry, this is serious, she’s a ranking wolf’s daughter, a second beta’s daughter no less!” Mr. Porter almost yelled, his face turning red in anger.

Cherry straightened up then, a sneer on her face as she argued, “No she isn’t! She’s just a pathetic, crippled human who was taken in by the second beta and his family.”

Wyatt let out a growl that almost shook the windows because of the way she was speaking of his mate. He opened his mouth to blast her again, but Gary beat him to it, giving his own snarl.

“How dare you talk about her in that manner? She is as much my child as my son is who was born of my mate! I won’t sit here and let you…” Gary yelled as he half stood up.

“Silence!” Alpha Bannon boomed.

Everyone sat back.

Gary was still growling.

Julie had a snarl on her face.

Cherry just shrugged, unconcerned, and went back to looking bored.

Wyatt held back his urge to remove her head from her body!

“Now, Cherry,” Alpha Bannon began, only to grimace and look at Mr. Porter as he asked, “is that her name?”

Mr. Porter gave a tired sigh, his anger now seemingly gone, saying, “No, Alpha, her name is Cheryl, she just insists that we call her Cherry.”

Alpha Bannon nodded, then continued by saying, “Cheryl, it does not matter if she is his flesh and blood or not. My beta came to me and asked to keep the human child he had found and bonded with. I granted his request; therefore, she IS his child and you should have shown her the respect her rank deserves.” He turned to Becky and said, “Now Becky, tell us why we have been called here please.”

Becky took a deep breath and giving a head bow to show respect she began by politely agreeing with, “Yes, Alpha. I guess it started sophomore year. Mostly it was just insults thrown my way, sometimes she would push me, but when that started Demi made sure she stuck by me.”

“Demi?” Alpha Bannon questioned.

“Demi Freedman. She’s my friend and she protected me when she could from the bullying,” Becky answered.

“So where was Demi today when Cheryl injured you bad enough to end up in a cast?” Alpha Bannon asked.

Becky looked down and ran her hand along her cast as she answered, “I sent Demi out ahead of me to the car because I needed to go to the restroom before we left. I figured it would be okay to be alone because I’d stayed behind in class for a good thirty minutes, and everyone should have been gone by then. So, I felt safe in sending Demi ahead and told her I would meet her at the car. That was my mistake, sir, because I know better than to assume anything. Anyway, Cherry caught me as I was leaving, the building, but...” she huffed slightly, then said, “I guess I need to start my story with Sunday so that what I say will make more sense.”

The Alpha nodded, giving her the go ahead.

“Wyatt and I went to the mall with Jake and Demi on Saturday,” Becky began. “Jake and Wyatt went for milkshakes. I guess Cherry saw them at the Shake Shack and went over to talk to them.”

“You guess, you don’t know?” The Alpha questioned.

Becky looked up and replied, “Demi and I had separated from them to go into another store three doors down. When we finished our shopping and went to join them, she was already there talking to them. We didn’t hear the conversation sir because as soon as I walked up Wyatt asked if I was ready to leave.”

The Alpha hummed as he rubbed his chin. He then turned to Wyatt and asked, “Warrior Stone, what did Cheryl want?”

Wyatt heard Becky giggle because she knew he hadn’t heard a word the girl had said.

Alpha Bannon raised an eyebrow at Becky’s giggle but said nothing.

Unconcerned about it, Wyatt shrugged as he answered, “I don’t know sir, I thought she was talking to Jake. I had no interest in her mindless chatter.”

Cherry gave an indignant gasp then as she jumped up from her seat. She screeched, “Mindless chatter? It’s called trying to get to know someone, you know, by holding a CONVERSATION!”

Wyatt just looked at Cherry as she stood there red-faced and almost panting in her anger, his eyes narrowed on her.

Mrs. Porter pulled Cherry back into her seat.

Alpha Bannon turned to glare at her as he asked, “So, you tried to speak to him and he ignored you, correct?”

Cherry crossed her arms as she sulked, but she answered saying, “Yes.”

Alpha Bannon nodded, saying, “Continue Becky.”

“We left then,” Becky continued, “and when we got to the car Jake grumbled at Wyatt because he had ignored Cherry and not answered any of her questions. Wyatt just shrugged and told Jake what he told you, that he thought she was speaking to Jake. So, I told Jake that girls are invisible to Wyatt.”

“Invisible,” Alpha Bannon murmured, “yes, I suppose if all the stories I’ve heard about him are true then that is a possibility.”

“So, when Cherry caught me outside school today, she wanted to know who Wyatt was because he wouldn’t tell her,” Becky paused. Then she looked at Wyatt before turning back to the Alpha to say, “I told her all she needed to know was that he’s mine.”

“Yours,” Cherry snarled, “you’re just a stupid human! No wolf in his right mind would ever claim such a wimpy, ugly, one-legged human. I mean, come on, you couldn’t even hold that human boy’s interest, what makes you think you could hold a man’s? Look at him gimpy, he’s a big, sexy warrior wolf! He needs a she-wolf, a woman, not a...”

Becky gave a soft cry from next to Wyatt and he saw a tear roll down her cheek at the girl’s hateful words. His claws came out along with low and deadly sounding growls as he stood to his feet. He then began to stalk toward the girl as he informed her, “You really should have stayed invisible Cherry Porter!” He then grabbed Cherry by the neck, his nails lengthening even more until they had drawn blood. His wolf surged forward, ready to kill the one who had spoken badly of his sweet mate.

“Stand down Warrior!” Alpha Bannon commanded.

Wyatt ignored the Alpha as his wolf took control. He watched with glee as Cherry lost her snarl, fear taking over and causing her to whimper and cry. He tilted his head and said, “Now who is the pathetic one? You talk big until someone comes along that is bigger than you. Your days of talking big are over though because you just signed your death warrant!”

“I said stand down Warrior!” Alpha Bannon said again.

Wyatt turned to snarl at the Alpha, his wolf now completely in control of him as he snarled, “It is my right!”

Alpha Bannon froze.

Wyatt knew his eyes were a glowing red in his anger because his wolf wanted blood!

“Wyatt?” A small voice said.

Wyatt turned to face his mate, his broken K’aalógii. He snarled again because of the tear tracks on her cheeks and turned once more to the one who had broken her. His grip tightened on Cherry’s neck as he snarled, “You see what you have done? You have made her cry and you will pay dearly for that because nobody, and I mean nobody, will hurt what is mine and live to tell the tale!”

Cherry began to gasp for air as her face turned blue.

Wyatt’s wolf howled in his head for her blood to be shed and he was ready to give the wolf what he wanted.

“Wyatt, please look at me,” Becky whispered from behind him. “If you don’t, sore leg or not I’m going to come to you.”

Becky knew just how to get Wyatt’s attention. She knew he wouldn’t want her in pain, not because of something he was doing. So, he turned again.

Smiling, Becky spoke softly, saying, “Wolf Wyatt, it’s alright, I’m alright. You need to let her go now and let me finish. You will get the chance to punish her, but first, the Alpha must sentence her. That’s the way it works right?”

Wyatt gave a slight nod as he felt her calm voice soothe the savage beast inside. Now, instead of wanting to kill, his wolf just wanted to please his mate by doing what she had asked of him. He wanted to hold her, to make sure she really was okay. So, he went and sat down.

Everyone let out a relieved sigh.

Wyatt took her in his arms and lovingly ran a hand through her hair. He then asked, “Are you really alright my precious?”

“I really am,” Becky replied. Then she told him, “One day I’d like to see you when you’re not mad at the world wolf Wyatt.”

Wyatt bowed his head as he agreed, “As would I, my precious, as would I.”

Becky then cleared her throat before turning toward the Alpha. She then continued by saying, “When I told her that she said, “wrong answer” and shoved me down the stairs.”

The room became quiet and Alpha Bannon frowned before he said, “Becky I have one last question. You told her he was yours, is Warrior Stone your mate?”

“Yes, Alpha he is” Becky answered.

Cherry whimpered, as did her mother. Her father swallowed hard.

Her life was now in Wyatt’s hands and they all knew it. His wolf howled inside before growling, now we will have justice for our mate!

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