Chapter 11
Bog grumbles silently as he pulls the bedding over the sleeping figure. Dame Plum is a nuisance best left alone. Of course, he figured out who she is, it wasn't that hard, especially hearing her call Dame Dawn her sister as he left the judge's chamber. What he wanted to know is why, is that so hard to get a straight answer for? Bog snorts, remembering who he asked it to.
"Who's the problem now," Marianne mumbles?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Go on back to sleep," Bog comments, watching bleary golden eyes open.
"I woke a little when Griselda was cleaning me. I haven't been treated like a human child since Momma died," Marianne admits before sniffing. "Why am I in your bed?"
"To rest. Dame Plum said that she'll be here with your things in a few hours, so I figured you'd be able to get better sleep in our house and Mom's bedroom is closest to the cottage," Bog explains, sitting down on the bed. "Are you okay, Marianne?"
Marianne shakes off her fogginess at the tender look from the man leaning over her. It takes her a moment of staring into those endless blue eyes to realize that he called her by her name.
"I'm good, Bog. It'll only take me a day or so to heal," Marianne replies with her own tender smile. "Alpha healing is exceptional."
"I'm sorry, about yesterday," Bog starts. "I shouldn't have kissed you. Dame Plum is right, I'm no better than him to have forced myself on you. I was also wrong about what I said last week. I had no right to say such things and if I didn't make you feel threatened then you would've rested like you needed to. I..."
If there is one thing that Marianne likes about the human world and being in a human form, it's that it's much nicer to kiss than in a wolf form. She whimpers as he deepens the kiss but yelps as her left arm is jostled. Stemming another apology with a quick kiss, Marianne burrows back into the comfortable mattress.
"I can admit that I was a little rash in my decision last week and I really should have just stayed in the cottage. Not like you knew what really happened the night before," she points out. "I was more sensitive than any other time we've had our...discussions."
Bog shares a laugh with her about her pause and sensitive phrasing of their quarrels. They really had made a game out of arguing, a duel between them but instead of using physical weapons they used elaborate words to best the other.
"Plus, Griselda explained yesterday about why you were so upset," Marianne adds.
"She said that she told you about Dad," Bog admits. "With the eyewitness, I was so sure that I had an open-shut case and when I found out that you decided to defend him...I may not have thought the whole thing through. I can't believe that my witness turned out to be the killer. I can understand why you didn't out him out as a wolf but why didn't Dame Plum or even Sunny?"
"Because they didn't know what Roland's human form looks like and he smelt human to them," Marianne explains. "No wolf is required to appear in human form before Dame Plum, just that they appear. You can come in, boys. We're not talking secret."
Both adults chuckle as the boys run across the room and climb onto the bed, snuggling close to their mother with whimpers. Bog shakes his head in amusement, now understanding why the boys whimper, whine, and growl a lot. Like Sunny said, it's so obvious and there were so many signs but he missed them.
"Are you feeling better, Mommy," Gabe asks?
"A bit better, little pup," Marianne reassures. "Are you two behaving?"
"Yep. Granny is having us do our school but we heard you awake," Mikey replies.
"Mr Bog found your papers and had us start our work while Granny was giving you a bath," Gabe grumbles.
"Come now, Gabe, school isn't that bad," Bog remarks, pulling the boy onto his lap.
"No, but I wanted to stay with Mommy," Gabe whines, nuzzling Bog's chest.
"Well, Mommy is going to take the next four days off. No arguing," Bog warns! "Besides, Judge Gordan informed our offices that court is closed tomorrow, giving us a two-day weekend."
Marianne sighs before grudgingly admitting that he was right. Sure, she would be fully healed in two days but four days of no work does sound really good. 'Avoiding the consequences of revealing yourself is not going to help,' great the stupid voice is back. At least thrashing Roland wasn't something it argued against.
"Mommy's okay, boys, so go on back to your schoolwork," Marianne suggests.
After another nuzzling to both adults, the boys run back out of the room but Gabe pauses and runs back to the bed on the side where Bog is sitting.
"Mommy, now that Daddy is gone, can we stay with Mr Bog and Granny instead of moving again," Gabe asks softly?
"I...We'll just have to see, Gabe," Marianne answers, watching as he nods and runs to join his brother.
"Why don't you, Marianne," Bog questions? "Stay here and continue training lawyers for wolf court. Start that school you were talking about a few weeks ago and teach wolves and humans to cohabit peacefully. Or, just stay here with me."
"You want me to stay even after finding out all that you had found out today," Marianne states in shock, a does-not-compute flashing through her head. "You're not asking just for the boys' sake, are you?"
"I love you, Marianne," Bog admits softly. "I know we haven't really known each other and this past week has been a glaring example of things kept a secret between us but nothing has changed what I feel about you. I felt my world end last week when I came to the cottage to find your things all gone and what I didn't tell Mom, is that after the call with Dame Plum then I called the office to try to get someone else to take the case but no one else was qualified for a murder case. Losing you wasn't even worth keeping my oath to Dad but I knew I wouldn't be worth anything to you if I didn't still fight my best. I love you and I love Gabriel and Michael as if they were my own. I want to be a dad to them if you'll let me."
"I love you too but it's not that simple, Bog," Marianne sighs out, grabbing his hand. "Dominance claim is a tricky thing. Despite what I said in the courtroom, my children belong to Roland according to wolf law and he is legal to take them whenever he chooses."
"According to wolf law," Bog repeats, smirking as his hand moves her chin to look at him. "But Roland forfeited wolf law, remember? You also said that for the wolf world and all it's inhabitants that he is dead. Can any of his relatives claim the boys in his stead?"
"No, no they can't," Marianne confirms slowly. "Only the direct sire can claim offspring from a dominance claim and once his death, the dame can reclaim her offspring even if he had already removed them. They never have to call him Daddy ever again. We're free!"
Bog watches as tears stream down her face but the large smile tells him that they are happy tears. He couldn't fathom the fear that she must've been living under each leap year with the knowledge that not only was Roland returning but that he could also take her sons away from her. Stretching his form out on the bed next to her, Bog smiles as she turns on her right side to curl up against him and to nuzzle against his throat.
"I told Judge Gordan about what you told me and he's also going to bring up several other charges against Roland before he fully passes sentencing. He asked Bane Dagda to stay behind to make sure the courts could rule in a satisfactory way," he comments before continuing at her questioning look. "There's the crimes he committed in the courtroom today of perjury, aggravated assault, and attempted murder. Roland is also guilty of several additional charges of aggravated assault, sexual assault, child endangerment, and assault on a minor. Since he chose to go under human law than he will be charged for human crimes."
"What's the point of convicting him of those crimes when he's going to be executed anyway," Marianne asks?
"Justice, for starters, and also to give you and the boys the compensation you deserve for the crimes he committed against you," Bog states. "Chief Rochelle performed a background check on Roland when he gave his testimony to validate him. Which is why we never thought that he was a wolf because it came back that he had a job, a bank account, and he owns a few houses, including one he just purchased in this city. None of those have him registered as a wolf in their information but as a human. I asked Thadius to double check all the information before I brought you home and he called a little while ago to confirm that it was all correct."
"His mother's family keeps up his facade in exchange for wolf world gold," Marianne explains, yawning, her teeth sending shivers down his spine as it gently touches his throat. "The job is registered with his uncle's company but you won't be able to find out what he does, so don't try because you'll waste your time. I found that out after the dominance claim that resulted in Gabe's birth. I'm not surprised that he bought a house in this city because he usually sticks around to make sure his claim isn't challenged and to claim the new pup as his."
Bog shakes away the pleasant fog created by her continued nuzzling and intermittently licks against his throat. From Marianne's drowsy speech, he only has a short time before she falls back to sleep but he didn't want to forget and he certainly didn't want the boys to hear this.
"Marianne," he murmurs, pulling back away from her and getting a growl mixed with a whine. "This is important. You don't have to tell me about how the boys came to be but how bad did Roland hurt you last week? Gabe said that he hurt you worse than the last time and that Goblin kept Roland away from the boys."
"If you really want the boys as your own then you might as well know about their sire," Marianne remarks, laying back onto her back. "Roland started trying to get my favor twelve years ago when I went back home and I allowed him to court me there for a little while. It didn't take me long to figure out that his courting wasn't true when he sniffed around several other females and so I continued with my plan to come to the human world right before the gateway closed. I didn't think anything of it until eight years ago when he showed up in human form and I figured out that he paid Imp to find my location. He tried to court me again but I rebuffed him and when I returned to my house, he challenged me to a dominance claim. Submissive posturing is the only weapon a common wolf has against an alpha. Our instincts don't permit us to attack a wolf displaying such a sign and it gives them enough time to flee till our anger cools. I figured that he conceded defeat and let him leave but I didn't expect him to break the rules of a dominance claim, so I didn't watch my back."
"Then Gabe was born," Bog remarks. "While Mom was tending to your wounds, I asked Gabe to show me his scar again. Dame Plum said that attacking children is a crime in wolf law, so why couldn't you punish him for that?"
"It's also illegal to punish without witnesses to the punishment and he could have easily claimed that he was trying to take his son, a legal act, but that my interference caused him to injure Gabe," Marianne answers. "I was furious and terrified at the same time when he took off towards my room where I knew Gabe was hiding. Roland had just managed to grab him when I entered the room and he threw Gabe against the wall, so I forgot about paying attention to him. When Gabe passed out I was terrified that he was dead and he would have been if he wasn't an alpha."
"Then Mikey was born but what about this time," Bog asks?
"During this fight, Roland caused the circuit breaker to trip and took the moment of disorientation to track the boys down. Good ole Goblin, she screamed at him and scratched his snout good. I think she actually terrified him more than me," Marianne laughs softly. "He took off for the woods but Roland is surprisingly smart for acting so stupid. He had seen you carrying Gabe at the park, added to the boys fleeing underneath your porch, and our recent scent in your home. Roland figured out real quick that you were threatening his plans and turned back once we heard you come home. You would think that I'd learn by now not to take my eyes off him but I still made the same mistake in the courtroom. Anyway, I won't be pregnant for another three weeks."
"I don't want you to take this the wrong way because I do love the boys but why didn't you terminate the pregnancy since it was forced," Bog questions cautiously?
"I've been in the human world long enough to figure human thinking out so don't worry about me not understanding," Marianne reassures, chuckling at the man's sigh of relief. "Wolf females are different than human females and dominance claim is seen different than rape. First off, no wolf female would do anything to harm her offspring because even in a dominance claim or a rape, she views them as hers. We're very possessive and protective of things that is ours even if they're not born yet. Wolves view all offspring as a precious treasure without an estimated value, hence why it's against the law to harm a pup because that usually results in the severe injury, and sometimes death, of the offender."
"That's understandable and also different than most humans," Bog admits. "What's different between dominance claim and rape to a wolf?"
"Wolves don't agree to rape because that is just about sexual gratification at the expense of another and any wolf caught doing that is outright killed once that it's determined that it wasn't a dominance claim. Dominance claim is caused by a female rejecting a male from being a mate. Some wolves don't view dominance claim as much different but it's not made illegal because it really isn't practiced much and it doesn't have a high success rate. Less then half of the dominance claims issued ever become successful and most of the successful ones became mates later on," a long yawn interrupts Marianne's explanation. "In those cases, the female only rejected him because of small reasons and the male proved his worth to her during her pregnancy. Even though the male is not required to help her take care of the offspring from a dominance claim, he is required to care for the female during her pregnancy and those females didn't have a preferred male as the reason of rejection. The successful ones that didn't result in mates were usually ones that did have a preferred male but he wasn't present to assist the female in the fight. Most of those ones, the offending male still lost because the preferred male challenged his claim and impregnated the female himself."
"Wait, what do you mean by challenging the claim? You also said earlier that Roland usually stuck around to make sure his claim wasn't challenged," Bog mentions before noticing her groggy look. "Nevermind, I'll ask later. Go on back to sleep."
Marianne smiles up at him before allowing herself to drift off. Despite that persistent voice's pessimism, she's sure he would agree once she asked him.