Chapter 200 - Getting PAWlitical

Jos buried her face in the wolf's soft fur. "I can't do this. There is no way I can talk openly about our relationship to any degree..." Jos glanced around the room and to the large screen set up at the front of the courtroom. "There are too many people here..." She whispered nervously.

Prometheus let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, my child, I don't see that you have much option. The boy will be asked the majority of the questions anyways." He said leaning back in his chair and tossing the file onto the table. When she still clung to the wolf nervously, he sat forward and patted her back. "Just answer the questions as truthfully as you can, remember Themis and her daughters will know the difference."

Jos nodded her head as some of the tension in her body began to ease. "I... I'll try..."

Noting Jos was yet to brush off his hand, Prometheus smiled. "That is all any of us can do, child." He stood and nodded toward the group of council members filing in. "I'm going to go speak with everyone else. Try to relax some."

She nodded but didn't say anything else as the man walked away. Her eyes scanned over the room again landing on massive, familiar frame. Arei was standing at the back of the room talking with a man she'd never seen before. As if he'd felt her eyes on him, he turned toward her and smiled. Saying something else to the other man, they both began walking toward her. Jos watched as the man gave Arei a pat before taking a seat behind their box.

Arei bent and whispered into Jos's ear so that only she could hear. "That was Father." He nodded back to the man who winked at them when Jos turned surprised eyes toward him. "The claim has been submitted and should be announced this afternoon or at the latest in the morning." Arei glanced around the courtroom. "Father is confident that one or more of the council members are working against you. He's sitting in on today's trial to see if he can figure it out... indirectly for now."

Jos tented her brows. "What do you mean indirectly for now?"

Arei sent her a wicked smile. "There are ways of getting information, Kitten."

"Oh...Oh!" Her eyes widened with realization. "I don't think it needs to go that far."

He shrugged, "We'll see if you still feel the same after this hearing today."

She frowned but before she could respond Prometheus was walking back to their box with Lamia following behind him. She watched as the two nodded to each other as they parted ways at the boxes. Lamia lifted a remote from the desk inside her box and pointed it toward the large overhead projector. Within minutes Russ's face filled the screen. He looked irritated and it was obvious he was arguing with someone else in the room with him, most likely Ry. Themis approached the front of the council box along with her two daughters on either side. Jos swallowed hard as the woman's irritated glare that had surveyed the rest of the room already, landed on her.

"Though for the life of me, I cannot see the point of this hearing today," She lifted her hands toward the court. "Yet here we are." She directed her attention to Lamia. "Lamia you will be representing Prince Russell Boosilis today, though he seems to have no complaint in matters being addressed here today." She held her hand up cutting anything Lamia had to say off. Turning her attention to Prometheus and Jos, she continued. "Prometheus, it seems you shall go against each councilman here before things are all said and done with this defendant, Joslyn Decker. Is there anything you would like to say?"

Prometheus stood and cleared his throat. "I agree, there has been no crimes committed or current involvement between the parties-" His words were cut off as Lamia stood and spoke up.

"The hearing today is a matter of intent, My Goddess. It is for the courts to determine whether Joslyn Decker used her powers of seduction on the young prince and to what avail. Considering her position within his protective household, there is much to be suspected."

Themis arched her brow at the woman. "Then shouldn't the guardian also be present here today?" She turned her attention to Selena, who sat behind her. "Shall you be summonsing her?"

Selena stood, a stoic expression masking her inner turmoil. "There shall be no point. The fairy was sent away already for knowingly allowing such corruption."

Themis nodded as Selena sat back down. "How convenient." She turned her attention back to Lamia. "What does the prince have to say about these allegations?" She pointed toward the screen that showed Russ's angry but muted face. "Obviously, he is being kept at a distance. Why, to test whether it is a form of seduction?"

Lamia nodded. "Though after review earlier, I believe it is best I speak for the boy-"

Themis lifted her hand. "No, I will hear the prince's own words on the matter." She waited for several minutes, but when no one spoke or moved, she pinned Lamia with another irritated glare. "Shall you unmute the screen, or shall we wait here all day?"

Lamia shot a nervous look at Selena as she lifted the remote and unmuted Russ.

"This is bullshit!" Russ yelled the second he was unmuted.

Lamia quickly lifted the remote and muted him again. "As you can see, the young prince is still-"

Themis interrupted her. "Unmute the boy. He is only expressing what half the court is feeling here today." She turned her attention to the screen. "Please give your account of your involvement and relationship with Ms. Joslyn Decker."

Russ crossed his arms over his chest as he glared out over the court. "This is ridiculous. She has been nothing but a loving, caring friend and companion to my sister and I since birth and our mother before then." He pointed toward Jos. "She is there as we speak clinging nervously to my sister! How the hell is that meant to cause damage to my kingdom?"

Themis rolled her eyes in irritation. "What is your relationship and involvement with Ms. Joslyn Decker."

"As you can see, not a damn thing at the moment." He sputtered in aggravation.

"Then what was your relationship?" Themis redirected the question.

"We grew up together- I mean she was able to change her appearances in order to stay with us, to protect us, throughout our life. She attended schools with us posing as the same age or only slightly older. It came in handy numerous times if the trial involving the pedo gym teacher wasn't proof enough. Our friendship built into more, and against her initial wishes, I pushed for more."

Themis nodded her head. "You say it began as being against her wishes," She turned her attention to Jos. "Would you like to elaborate on this?"

Jos let out a heavy sigh as she felt Arei's gaze burn into her. "I..."

"The whole truth please, Ms. Decker," Themis added, reading the energy coming from Jos.

Jos blew out a breath. "It's true, I was not open to a relationship with Russ...ell" She added his full name as an afterthought. "In honesty, I preferred to avoid romantic entanglements period, but his continued push... and the knowledge that his father who was also an alpha was not affected by my curse caused me to finally give in."

"Please clarify for the court, what you mean by 'continued push'." Themis replied.

"He..." She glanced nervously at the screen. "He..." She cleared her throat feeling her vocal cords tighten at the thought of her next words.

Russ spoke up. "I all but forced her. Is that what you want to hear? Should we switch boxes?" He glared at Lamia. "Is that what the courts want to hear? The woman they are trying to pin as a monster was forced into s.e.x.u.a.l acts by an eighteen-year-old wolf? Please tell me how any part of this hearing today is going to help anyone here?" He pointed toward Jos. "It's putting undue stress on Jos and my sister, causing humiliation on all our parts, and forcing me to admit behaviors I'm sure you all should frown upon. Do you truly worry about the impact of all this on my people? How the f.u.c.k do you think they are going to take this information if it is brought to trial?"

Lamia quickly pushed the mute button before Russ could say anything else. She turned her focus to Themis. "It seems a mistake was made. I apologize for wasting the court's time."

Themis narrowed her eyes on Lamia as she slammed the gavel down. "Dismissed."

Arei nodded to the man directly behind them as he stood. He turned and held his hand out to Jos. "Ready?" When Jos took his hand, he pulled her to her feet. "Meet us in the room. I need to talk to Jos first." He whispered leaning toward the man behind them. Arei walked as quickly as he could without dragging Jos and forcing Shelly to struggle to keep up. Once inside their room, he turned to Shelly. "Give us a minute?"

Shelly nodded, still in shock at what her brother had said only moments ago. She had already felt bad enough for acting as she had toward their relationship in the beginning but to now hear her brother openly admit he'd... forced himself on her... Shelly forced down the bile that was rising in her throat. She wobbled over to the pile of cushions and bedding everyone had contributed to for her comfort. She watched as Arei led Jos down the hall toward the back bedroom, no doubt with his own questions about what Russ had said.

Arei pushed the door quietly closed behind them before pulling Jos against him into a tight hug. "I would ask if what was said today was true, but considering I've seen the way the boy has treated you personally it leaves little doubt in my mind of his honesty... especially since Themis seemed so put off by the whole hearing today." He stroked her hair as she remained silent, pressing her face against his rumpled white button-up. "Why? Why did you let him hurt you so badly?" He held her face away so that their eyes could meet. As he'd expected there were silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivered as she fought to hold back her emotions. He pulled her head back against his chest as he wrapped his other arm tightly around her waist. He placed a kiss on the top of her head as he held her. "I know what you're thinking, Kitten... and no, you don't deserve that kind of treatment. What you deserve is boundless love without cause, stipulation, or expectation." He held her tighter as her sobs broke free. "No matter the reason you finally gave in and decided to put up with his... attentions... that was not love on his part, curse or otherwise."

Jos shook her head against his chest. "I just wanted him to be happy." She sobbed. "I promised Cam that I would always..."

Arei arched a brow as he held her away from his chest. "Jos, I'm sure when Cam asked that of you, she didn't mean to allow her son to **** you."

Jos shook her head harder. "He didn't... it wasn't like that... not all the time anyway."

Arei bent his knees slightly bringing his gaze eye level with her. "But you admit some of his behaviors toward you were aggressive enough to be considered so by definition?"

Jos shrugged against his tight hold on her. "He's an alpha, it's to be expected."

Arei searched her eyes. "So, his father was the same way with his mother?" Arei asked already knowing the answer and implications to come.

"N...no... but..." She stuttered thinking back to those many years ago when she'd first met Camila and Alesandro.

He let her own answer sink in before he said the words, he knew she wouldn't admit to herself. "That's because his actions with you were his alone and not the actions of a wolf, an alpha... and most definitely a man in love."

Jos shook her head as she tried to turn away from his seeking eyes. "Then I must be a masochist because I didn't hate it as I should have..." She regretted the words almost immediately as stormy hazel eyes met hers.

"I don't doubt that at all. No one else would go through the pain and humiliation that kid has drug you through otherwise." He held her face so that she couldn't look away this time. Jos, no matter what you think of yourself and the curse put upon you, you don't deserve to be treated that way." His brows furrowed, "You have to promise me, no matter what happens between the two of us, you are finished with that kid romantically... if you can even call it that."

Another pained sob escaped Jos's trembling lips. "I... I don't know..." She squeezed her eyes shut expecting him to be angry at her response, but when his grip on her face released and he pulled her into another tight hug instead, she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his waist and return the hug.

"At least promise me you'll be safer... I can't see you hurt like this again." He whispered against her hair. "Come on, father, Peg, and Andy wants to celebrate your claim." He released her except her hand and led her toward the door. When they stepped into the kitchen Peg was placing drinks on the bar and Andy was lighting a candle on a grocery store sheet cake. He turned back and smiled sadly down at her. "I wished I would have let this happen years ago, then none of this would be happening now and it could be me promising to always make you happy..." He didn't say anything else as he released her and turned his attention to their company.