Alpha Assignment (GL) Chapter 59 (Early Access) (Patreon)

“Those that have reached adulthood will receive life imprisonment. The minor will be detained for five years and then returned to his birth pack.”

There was no gasp from the crowd, no one was surprised at the verdict or the punishment.

"I'm so sorry, my mate," Quinn murmured into Remi's hair. "I failed to protect you."

"I would choose a life with you in a cell over him in a pack any day," Remi whispered back. She cuddled in close and Quinn bowed her head to nuzzle at her.

Se didn’t want to ask, but the words slipped out before she could think. "And Wes, and Eveline?"

Remi's eyes welled and she looked away. They both knew what was in store for Wes for the first five years, after that was a terrifying mystery. And for Eveline, a lifetime in prison, with no chance to ever have the kind of bond they had found in each other. For a moment it almost made Quinn feel lucky. At least she had Remi.

The silence of the Assembly following Justice Mile’s announcement allowed Eveline’s voice to be heard loud and clear.

“Justices Mile, Williams and Kelly, now that your verdict has been passed, the Assembly has violated two laws of Sanctuary,” she accused. She had perked up considerably in the course of ten seconds. "And those of us detained under these verdicts now have the right to appeal and claim damages in all forms permittable under a case that encroaches into base rights."

Quinn stood a little straighter, her mouth falling open. Base rights, under the Assembly, were the rights that attributed to basic life. It protected the very bare minimum of a werewolf's right to exist. And it was usually the Assembly defending those rights.

“And which laws would those be, Miss Cross?” Justice Williams asked, partly irritated and partly weary. She looked about ready to slump out of her seat, but still she asked, and that was all Eveline needed.

“Sections 3B and 6F of the Sanctuary Protections Code. Not only have we been illegally removed from a Sanctuary site, but we have now been prosecuted for refusing to leave a Sanctuary site, therefore we have been punished for upholding an Assembly law, which breaks a third law of the sanctity of the Assembly’s rule-”

“Now hold on!” Justice Mile barked. “We have already proven that you do not hold Sanctuary status, and you never did.”

“Untrue, Justice.” Eveline was smiling like a cat, it transformed her. “You did not prove that at all. You decided that the evidence you had was enough to prove that only to yourself and the other Justices.” She pressed in closer to the bars of her cage. “And I can prove, with hard paper evidence, otherwise.”

Justice Mile’s face darkened, and his chest puffed. Justice Kelly held a dainty hand out to halt whatever outburst he was about to release.

“We will give you five minutes to substantiate your claim," she said, every word careful and contained.

“They have had their time,” Justice Mile grumbled. He received two sets of warning glares from the women either side of him.

Justice Williams cut her eyes down at their group from behind thin, rectangular spectacles. "A claim of the Assembly encroaching on base rights is a very serious accusation to make. Do you understand that you may face further conviction should this turn out to be a waste of the court's time?"

Eveline nodded. Quinn and Remi glanced at each other - how much worse could it get than life in prison? They opted to trust their friend and nodded as well.

As Eveline was released from her cage, this time with her paperwork clutched to her chest, she announced, “That trial was for separate charges." Answering Justice Mile's concerns. "I had to allow you to make the mistake of passing your verdict before I could show you where your investigation had fallen foul, honourable Justice.”

Justice Mile did not appreciate her honeyed words, and his scowl held firm as Eveline took to her stage. She pulled papers from her box like she were playing an instrument and the witnesses were expecting a grand performance. “Any space that is larger than one-hundred-feet-squared and outside of the Assembly’s written jurisdiction boundary lines may apply for sanctuary status, those are the only requirements, and Alpha Quinn’s land, which she owns, meets those requirements," she began.

“The law states only that you may apply for sanctuary,” Justice Mile sneered.

“And we did.” Eveline made a pantomime show of rifling through a small packet of papers. Finally, she waved a single piece of paper in the air. “And on the 28th of November, we were approved.”

A murmur ran through the room. Quinn's own mouth fell open again, that was just a day before they were snatched up by the Assembly's agents, if she remembered correctly. Her memory had become a strange thing in the time-less cell... Remi whispered the same thought into her ear excitedly.

“Sanctuary has not been approved to any place for decades.” Justice Mile laughed haughtily. “This is clearly fraud.” The other Justices were ever so slightly hesitant to agree with him. They were curious, watching Eveline's paper puppetry intensely.

“What reason would the assembly have to deny us? Could it be that the Assembly has a secret backlog of sanctuary requests that they neither approve nor deny in order to deny by inaction? Requests that have no legal reason to be denied?” Eveline tapped her chin, acting for the crowd. She was so gaunt, and her skin so grey, but her enthusiasm for justice shone through nonetheless.

“The Assembly is not on trial, you are. " Justice Mile looked about ready to swish away in a flurry of embroidered material. "If you wish to start a smear campaign, you are welcome to do so from your prison cell.”

“Ask the Assembly agent who approved us, then. It has the Assembly seal and a signature.” Eveline turned the paper back to herself and read the name aloud. “Isaac Brown, Department of Social Affairs.”

Now a gasp rang through the room. Including inside Quinn and Remi's cage.

Justice Mile's howls of, "Forgery!" were overruled by the Justices either side of him demanding that Assembly Agent Brown be located for immediate authentication. They were looking at each other with the fear of two women realising they had just fucked up. Justice Mile wasn't ready to admit it, yet, but Eveline was correct.

Apparently it was too early in the morning for Isaac, their personal guardian angel, to be in his office, but a pair of guards were sent to seek him out at home. The Justices were flustered, and it swelled Quinn with hope. The more scared they looked, the less she felt.

Eveline inched over to their cage with tiny shuffles of her feet to whisper, "A case that involves base rights must be settled with the utmost speed and efficiency. Otherwise we can appeal again for any delays and get them in even more trouble."

"Eveline, you're a fucking genius," Quinn hissed through the bars. "I knew you had something!"

"Really? You looked pretty defeated for a minute there."

"Yeah, yeah, you're not the only actress," Quinn lied. Remi giggled in her ear, and then she started to cry.