Hello! I want to thank everyone who took the time to read, alert, favorite and especially those of you who reviewed. Thank you for your continuous support it means the world to me. Sorry I took longer to update but I had a very good reason :(

Senpai I'm sorry but I couldn't find the story you recommended. Maybe the name of the author will help me find it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, its plot or any recognizable characters.

Chapter 28

"That's done; now take off your clothes slave…" Paul's words didn't register with the slave; he refused to believe what he was hearing. Not only had he beaten him, not the worst beating of his life but bad enough. He could feel the throbbing pain in his nose but the rest of his face felt mostly numb. But now the dominant wanted him to take off his clothes? To what avail?

Paul had been the one wolf who not only expressed a complete disinterest on the slave, he was very vocal about the way he felt about him. He was simply disgusted by the submissives. It killed him to see his daughter associate with the small wolf. Seth was well aware that if it wasn't for Emily he wouldn't be allowed to be twenty feet from Sophia. The slave wondered what made him change his mind, what caused the dominant to decide after a year that he wanted to join all the other men that had taken advantage of the sub.

Seth was being ordered to remove his clothes and there was only one reason for a sub to be asked to strip. Paul was going to force himself on him. After months of being in a loving and caring relationship the slave thought that his days of biting down a pillow to muffle his screams were over. No such luck, again fate decided to fuck him up for no reason. The submissive doubted his sanity when in such dire circumstances all he could think of was his master's face when he learned about what happened. Was this the end of the line for the slave? He doubted it; after all he was certain his master loved him. Seth felt he would be disappointing his master if he allowed this to happen.

The slave took several steps back until the back of his legs touched the footboard of his master's bed. He couldn't let this happen, for him, for his master but especially for their love. "S…s… sir please no." Seth's voice trembled as he spoke without authorization.

"What's the big deal? Oh damn, you think I want to fuck you?" Seth nodded his head nervously. "Please don't flatter yourself; I wouldn't touch you even if they paid me. You need to remove those clothes because they are stained with blood, not only that, they have my scent all over them. So hurry up!"

"Don't leave; there is something else I need to do." The slave turned so his back was towards Paul. It was ridiculous to think that after the life he had been forced to live he would be modest about his body. Since falling in love with Jake the slave felt he owned all his loyalty to the alpha and that included his body. Seth pulled his shirt over his head and pushed his pants down stepping aside to pick them up. Holding them in front of him to hide his nudity he turned to face the dominant.

"Dog you need to trust me, turn around and bend over." Seth's eyebrows rose on his forehead as he eyed Paul, distrust rolling off him in waves. He questioned his motivation for such an odd request.

"Fuck! This has taken long enough; if it wasn't for my little girl I wouldn't put my hands on you. I'm not doing myself any favors, Jake is going to rip my fucking balls off and make me eat them." The dominant turned Seth roughly and placed his hand flat on the slave's back to make him bend over. Seth whimpered when he felt a very hot pair of hands pressing on his hips painfully. Paul was making an imprint of his hands on the submissive's hips but the slave, for the life of him, couldn't understand his motivation. Actually the whole situation was very confusing. So far the dominant had beaten him and now was bruising his hips but how could this help him?

When Paul was finished he ordered Seth to shower to wash his scent off his body and opened all the windows to aerate the room. The ever obedient slave did as instructed and donned his oldest dingiest clothes. All he had left to do was to wait, he paced back and forth in their room stopping every once in a while to peek out the window. He wished Jacob was there with him, the alpha's presence always calmed him down. It was hard to believe that the scent he used to hate became so comforting and the person he feared above all others became as essential to him as breathing.

Seth observed as several wolves emerged from between the trees. There were more than he expected. When Paul said the council was coming he thought that a delegation would show up at their doorstep. Little did he know that the greed of the council members far surpassed their common sense and neither one of them trusted the man beside him. They knew that they would betray each other in the blink of an eye. If there was a margin of profit they wouldn't hesitate to do whatever was necessary to obtain it. The wolves ran towards the house flanked by several soldiers, some that were probably their escorts and several from Billy's pack. The uneasiness was so tangible that it felt like a swarm of bees ready to painfully sting their victim to death.

Before reaching the door the members of the council paused their running to phase back into their human selves and their companions handed them a cloth bag with their clothes. They wouldn't dare tie their clothes to their leg like all the other wolves did, that was beneath them. The soldiers all stayed in their wolf forms, the hackles on their necks standing straight up. The hostility could be felt by every single wolf that encountered them. The council had that effect in people; every bad feeling came to the surface by their mere presence.

They were greeted at the door by none other than Edward, in Billy's and Jacob's absence he was the only other alpha in the house. Never before had he felt the need to claim his position in the house but he suspected what the council was planning and recognized that he needed to protect Seth, with his life if necessary. He still didn't have much on an appreciation for Jacob. After all he had executed more men than any other wolf he knew. The cook was resentful for all of Jake's evil deeds. Others would be able to forgive him and maybe one day he would too but for now he watched each one of his movements, waiting for the time bomb to explode.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." Greeted Edward coldly.

"I can't believe William Black sent the hired help to welcome us into his home. I tell you, the entitlement of the Aleph is beyond any understanding. This is a slap in the face, he is acting like a demi-god and he deserves to be knocked down a few pegs." Hissed Aron, the leader of the council. He was very tall but thin, which gave him a lanky appearance. He seemed to compensate for being a useless sack of flesh by acting like the arrogant fool he had proved many times that he was. His eyes were cruel and his aura black as the darkest night. He would sell his own mother if that meant making a profit. His moral fiber could only be compared to that of a disease infested rat.

"Gentlemen, Billy means no disrespect, he holds you in his highest regard. As you know the harvest was quite successful and Billy personally supervises the processing and storage of all the grain." Stated Edward calmly, even though his wolf was gnawing at him trying to come out to deal with what he felt a serious threat. This was a feeling usually reserved for when they confronted a leech but Ed's loathing towards the council made him see red and the instinct that ordered him to kill came to the surface.

"We know very well how he tends to his duties, but that is no excuse for this rude behavior. Can you believe it brothers? A fucking cook greeting us? At least a soldier would have been more dignified." Mocked Cai; he had never liked Edward. He knew him from the time when Ed led his pack and always envied him. He was elated when the cook lost his pack and felt no remorse for celebrating his defeat.

"I apologize if my presence annoys you. But please come in, I'm sure you must be parched. There is cold lemonade to quench your thirst." Edward was making a monumental effort to be diplomatic; though his apology was as fake as the ethics of the council members. He was willing to do everything in his power to protect the submissives. He excused himself to the kitchen to fetch the drinks. He could've asked a servant to bring them but then he wouldn't have the pleasure of spitting in each cup. The cook asked one of the servants who was kind to Seth to shift and tell Jacob the council was in his house, nothing more, nothing less. Ed knew that they were most likely monitoring all the communication in and out of the house. Jacob would understand the gravity of the situation just by being notified of their wretched presence.

Jacob ardently asked the cook to look after his treasure, his little wolf. But there was another submissive that Edward couldn't get out of his mind. He would be eternally grateful for the fact that Sam was constantly absent. He would leave for days usually leaving Embry locked in their room. The cook lived for those occasions, he knew many of Sam's servants and that made seeing Embry much easier. He invariably would find the slave hungry and hurt. Embry's healing abilities were amazing but sometimes a little something extra was needed. Edward brought him food and he would bandage his wounds when needed.

The cook lived proud of his wolf, sometimes he would just sit back and observe his simple beauty. He admired the resilience of the submissives. They went through hell on a daily basis and still held on to life with both hands. Embry loved Ed's visits, after all he found him very handsome and more importantly since he phased no other wolf had treated him the way Ed did. When a person lives without loving human contact for so long they become cold but that was not Embry's case. The cook reveled in the warmth that exuded from the submissive. Edward didn't acknowledge any special feelings towards the slave. As far as he was concerned he was doing an act of charity, bringing companionship to somebody who was hungry for both food and affection.

The group moved to the sitting area with some of the soldiers keeping guard on the entrances. "May I ask what's the purpose of the two soldiers that are patrolling around the house? We're safe here; there are more than enough soldiers in the woods to protect all of us." Nothing escaped Edward's attention and he was very curious about the two soldiers patrolling the perimeter of the house.

"They are making sure that some idiot won't try to sneak the slave out of here. You have no idea how many times this has happened." Edi was the only member of the council Edward could stomach. He trained alongside Edward and Benjamin. His skin was darker than most wolves since his mother was African American. Edi was unique among the mythical creatures that surrounded him. A strong soldier with the physical prowess of an alpha but without the arrogance. His head always sported cornrows that covered his entire head. He was polite, respectful and not power hungry as the others. He almost seemed out of place among those vultures.

"Oh, so this visit is about the slave." Mumbled Edward to himself. He was suspicious but their little rant confirmed it. The council was there for Seth, apparently there were more rats in their home than they initially estimated.

"Indeed it is. You didn't think this was a social visit did you? Please, we wouldn't travel for days without a good reason." Spat Aron.

"And what makes you think anybody here would risk imprisonment for helping a dog?" Edward could win an award for his theatrics, pretending to be nauseated by the mere mention of the slaves.

"You would be surprised; some masters create a very unhealthy relationship with their slave. They break the law and then have the audacity to protest when we take the slave away. At the end they always let go of their submissive but it's quite a hassle. Our laws were created to have control among the chaos caused by the pandemic. If some wolves begin breaking our laws and nobody does anything to correct them we risk anarchy." Christopher was not necessarily the smartest wolf but he could bullshit like the best of them. Edward had never heard such a load of crap in his entire life. The cook even doubted that he knew the meaning of the word anarchy. He was probably repeating some script they had created for these situations.

At that moment Billy walked in, he took his time and walked calmly towards the group but not before stopping to talk to one of his soldiers. He had no intention of giving them more importance than they deserved, which was not much since he saw them as nothing more than the piles of shit left by the horses in the field. He eyed the group and nodded to Edward who understood the hidden message. He was not to leave them. "Gentlemen, what brings you to my home?" Greeted Billy without an ounce of enthusiasm.

"We have an important matter to discuss; there have been disturbing reports of irregularities in this house and we came to investigate." Billy could almost see the gears moving inside Aron's head as he savored the power trip he got every time he got to fuck with somebody's life.

"Irregularities in my home? And who informed you of these supposed wrongdoings in my house?" Asked Billy feigning ignorance.

"That's not important, don't try to steer the conversation away from the matter at hand." Christopher answered defensively. His reaction didn't surprise Billy but it still angered him. The council was out for blood; what they didn't know was that if they insisted in their witch hunt the blood that would be spilled was theirs. The Aleph knew how important Seth was to his son and he wouldn't risk his son's happiness for anything. The change in Jacob had been very dramatic and he had the submissive to thank. If they needed to fight for their independence from the council they would. Nobody had done it, but it was something to consider.

"I think we'll be more comfortable discussing this in my office. Please Edward, will you accompany us?" Billy's request seemed strange to the cook. If trouble loomed all the Aleph needed to do was say one word and the office would be flooded with so many wolves nobody would be able to blink. The cook wouldn't question the request though. He knew that Billy had to have some kind of plan to deal with this situation.

The group followed Billy to his office; the tension was so thick they could almost see it. Edward was the last one to go in and closed the door behind him to prevent one of the council's protectors to come in the office with them. The cook stood by the door ready to act the second Billy gave the order. He measured his opponents like any good fighter would do. He might be rusty but once an alpha always an alpha.

"Ok gentlemen what are these irregularities you speak of? If there is anything illegal going on in my house I need to know. I run a tight ship and there have never been any complaints before."

"You may or may not be surprised when I tell you that the offending party is none other than your son. The report we received states that he has failed to comply with the rules and regulations regarding the treatment of slaves." Edward felt his blood boil and he bit his lip to avoid growling at the son of a bitch that had the floor. It was acceptable to rape and torture another human being but it was against the law to treat them fairly and with compassion. It was ridiculously messed up. The cook feared what waited for them in the future. Instead of making the world a better place they had managed to turn it into a big cesspool.

"What does his failures consists of?" Edward and Billy exchanged looks before the Aleph's eyes landed on Aron once more.

"For starters his slave has been seen partaking in the consumption of food that is not provided by his master. No wonder he looks like a porker according to our sources. Also he is downright haughty when treating others that are way above him, which is basically everyone. Apparently your son has given him so much liberty, the dog believes he is more than he is. Jacob is not correcting these behaviors and this beast is getting out of his hands. But the worst and most disturbing thing we heard is that it's believed your son has romantic feelings towards his bitch." Billy let out a boisterous laugh at the last statement. Edward had to wash the shock off his face to help the Aleph keep the façade.

"Sorry for laughing but I think you have been fooled my friends. Do you realize how ridiculous these allegations are? Do you remember you're talking about Jacob Black? Believe me, I wished my son was not the cruel sadist that he is, but his reputation precedes him and I'm afraid that has not changed."

"That's not what we've heard." Christopher observed Billy intently, his eyes nothing more than slits. It was like he was trying to read the Aleph's mind.

"Gentlemen, do not confuse politeness with weakness; you will not come into my home and call me a liar." Billy sat forward placing his interlaced hands on top of the desk with barely controlled strength. He couldn't lose his cool; if he slammed his hands on the desk with all the strength his anger produced, they would go through the thick wood like a knife through butter. His face showed a disapproving frown and sported an angry smile that was more threatening than any snarl. His words flowed slowly, his voice acquiring the natural deep dominant tone that characterized him.

"We do not dare to disrespect you, but these are conflicting reports. Does he or does he not have a healthy weight?" Asked Edi, his tone much different than the others.

"As a matter of fact he does." This statement made the four members of the council exchange looks. "You see, my son's libido is through the roof, nothing new there. He insists on having some cushion for the pushin' if you know what I mean. The same goes to his disciplining, if there is need for an attitude adjustment that is taken care of in the bedroom. I have to give it to the slave though, he never screams when he is being disciplined. Even though the bruises speak for themselves."

"Well we would like to see the slave. It's not that we don't trust you. But we need to see with our own eyes."

"Of course, Edward could you please go get the slave and bring him here?" The cook studied Billy's face looking for clues that could direct him to the meaning of the Alephs words. He couldn't find any, Billy's expression was serene and eerily calm. Edward decided to trust him and fetch the submissive.

Edward entered Jake's room after the slave unlocked the door to let him in. He was shocked to see the submissive's appearance. It had been months since he last saw so many bruises on him. This angered him but at the same time it bathed him with relief. "What the fuck! Who hurt you?"

"I can't say sir; he just said that the council was coming," The slave was in submissive mode, eyes fixated on the floor, hands by his sides and total hopelessness. It was second nature for Seth to revert to his old behaviors. Taking on the role of respectful slave was as easy as breathing. Sometimes he even wondered if he would ever be able to act normally under stressful circumstances.

Seth was not so much scared for himself than he was for what could happen to Jacob. He survived so much already, at least he got to experience joy for the first time since he could remember. If they took him away he could die of sadness but his status would not change. To a dominant he was nothing but a punching bag and a hole to fuck and that would never change. What worried him was his master's reaction, would he be ok? The slave felt his master would go after him and that worried him. The council had been given too much power and every time somebody followed them blindly it gave them even more power. If his master went after him he could be imprisoned or even killed. Billy could rescue him but there was no guarantee he would make it in time.

Edward moved towards the slave and placing his arms around his shoulders pulled Seth towards him. For the slave the hug was reassuring, divine even, but it was not the same, this was not his wolf. Still the submissive clung to him seeking protection. He needed to be comforted by his master, unfortunately Jake was not around. Edward's scent was different and even the way Seth's body fit against his chest felt foreign. But Ed was there and he was willing to comfort him. "Seth you must come with me, don't worry we are not going to let those animals take you. But I have the feeling that whoever beat you did all of us a big favor."

Meanwhile over eight hundred miles away Jacob was signing the barter agreement. "Gentlemen it's been a pleasure doing business with you." Stated the master sincerely.

"I can't help feeling like we just got screwed." There was humor in Daniel's voice as he looked at the alpha arching an eyebrow and almost closing one eye in a very funny way.

The negotiations had gone without a hitch. Every part involved was satisfied and all that was left was for Jake and his group to have lunch so they could be on their way. The master was anxious to leave, he felt uneasy since he woke up that day. Going as far as sending his wolves on a recon mission but they came back with nothing to report. His mind was hundreds of miles away, it was in the place his soul resided, his little submissive.

"Jacob excuse me, one of the servants back at the house phased and asked me to tell you the council is there."

"What?! No no no no…!" Jacob shot off his seat, ran outside and phased mid jump before taking off in the direction of his home. His wolves followed him, calling for him to stop but he wouldn't. Their voices didn't even register with him.

Jacob slow down we can't keep up with you. Quil tried to get his friend's attention. Jake's thoughts were all jumbled in a mess of memories and images all scrambled together. All the trees and shrubs became blurry as he ran faster than he ever ran before. He couldn't slow down, there was too much at stake.

The alpha didn't care about the burning sensation in the muscles of his legs or the unreal and intense thirst. This frantic race against time was all that mattered. Flecks of leaves and branches came in contact with his eyes causing him to blink but he never missed a step. The rays of the sun filtered through the thinning canopy, their position giving them an idea of what time it was and how long they had been running. The blanket of leaves crunched under their heavy paws. The wolves slipped on slick rocks, some of them falling into the slow moving stream. Still their alpha didn't slow down.

Jake calm down, your father and Edward are there, they will not let anything happen to him. Once more Quil voice came into Jake's mind. He wanted to help the alpha; he could hear the wild beating of his heart. Not even during the fiercest battles had he seen Jacob panic, but the idea of losing the submissive filled him with fear, turning him into a different person.

What if they are not there, those bastards can just walk in grab Seth and leave. I will not know where to look; I'll never see him again. Jacob was creating all sorts of images in his head and none of them were good. He didn't see a happy ending in the horizon if his little wolf was taken. He pictured himself like Quil, in an endless quest for someone who could be long gone.

Brother that's highly unlikely. Who knows, Seth is very clever maybe he can get himself out of trouble. Quil was trying to inject some positivism on his alpha, his pessimism was warranted but they couldn't lose hope.

He won't, he sees himself as a slave and obeys blindly. You know very well that if those bastards tell him to jump, he will jump. If they tell him to bend over he will do it. If they hurt him I'll hunt them down and kill each one of them but that won't bring my puppy back. Quil knew the alpha was dead serious. He decided to let him be and instead of trying to calm him down joined him in his panic. Seth couldn't disappear like Albert did, not him, not again.

Back in the house Edward and Seth stood up by the door that led to Billy's office. The cook squeezed the slave's shoulder gently to let him know he was there. The submissive wouldn't be alone; he had somebody in his corner. When they entered the office instantly all the eyes in the room landed on the slave. Seth moved hastily and kneeled before the members of the council without lifting his face for even one second. It was unnerving to be under such scrutiny. The submissive hated it; bad memories from the times he had been auctioned came to mind. The way he stood naked on the chopping block, dozens of eyes on him and dozens of cocks lusting after him. He had never been before the council. Jacob and Billy dripped authority and power but the slave didn't feel any power coming from the council. His master was right, this was a group of clowns; charlatans who would sell their soul to the devil if that would give them some income.

"Slave, stand up and take off your clothes." Seth did as instructed and in no time stood bare before all the dominants in the room. Billy couldn't bring himself to look at his nakedness; it would be like betraying his son. Instead he observed Edward's reaction and became very concerned when he saw his frown and furrowed eyebrows. There was something disturbing about the eerie silence in the room. The Aleph felt the bitter taste of bile when his stomach revolted from the scent of the combined arousals of the councilmembers.

The four bastards stood up and surrounded Seth, examining every inch of his body. It was humiliating and degrading. There was no honor, no compassion and no humanity. Seth wanted to disappear, to at least be able to wrap his arms around his middle to feel some sense of security. But he couldn't, a good slave didn't hide his body, a well-trained submissive had to be ready for whatever a dominant desired and be willing to accept it.

"When did your master discipline you and why?" Demanded Christopher.

Up until then Billy hadn't looked at Seth but Christopher's words propelled him to. That was when he noticed the multitude of bruises that marred the slave's skin. The Aleph couldn't believe his eyes. Jacob had been adamant about never hurting the slave, was all that a lie?

"I asked you a question, what are you waiting for?" Roared the wolf, raising his hand to slap the helpless slave.

"You didn't give him permission to speak" Intervened Edward. Moving closer to the wolf to grab his hand if it became necessary. Nobody was going to hit the slave, not on his watch.

"That's right; slave, speak up and don't lie. We know your master has been gone for a while and most of those bruises look only a few days old." Seth stood between a rock and a hard place. The slave didn't know how good a job had Paul done. For all that he knew he could've dug his grave, where he would be buried alive if he was caught lying. On the other hand the councilmember could be bluffing, he did say Jacob had been gone a while when in reality it had been less than a day. If he said the truth there wouldn't be any hope for him, if he lied at least there was still a glimmer of hope.

"My master disciplined me before he left." Answered the slave, he knew he should only answer the question. It would be counterproductive to elaborate.

"But that was several days ago, you liar!" Thundered Aron, An evil smirk appeared on his lips. He rubbed his hands together satisfied with the way things were going. He was already counting the money he would get from the sale.

"My son left yesterday morning." All eyes turned to Billy; he had moved from behind his desk and stood only a few steps from the group. If he was threatening from a distance he was terrifying up close. "Again your informants make you look bad; I would seriously reconsider the people you plant in my house to spy on me." He couldn't keep the jeer out of his voice and this made Aron's blood begin to boil.

Noticing his brother's predicament, Cai intervened with a new question to give Aron a few minutes to pull himself together. "Explain your injuries, where they all for one transgression?" Seth moved his head from side to side in negation.

"Explain; speak, dog." Aron stood very close to Seth trying to intimidate him. Maybe that way the slave would falter and stumble on his words.

"Well the one in my stomach..." Said Seth motioning a trembling hand to his abdomen. "My master's food arrived cold. He kicked my stomach to make me throw up." For Seth it was very hard to lie. He couldn't understand how a person wouldn't say the truth. In this occasion he didn't have any choice. It was either lie or be separated from Jake.

"And what happened to your face? Speak." Asked Christopher while holding Seth's chin with his thumb and index finger and moving it from side to side. "Damn it brothers are we sure we want to take this thing? He is a pathetic piece of shit and ugly as hell." The boisterous laughter of the four wolves filled the room. Billy and Edward found nothing funny about his comment, if there was a pathetic loser in the room it would be any of the four wolves that were currently laughing. They were not only idiots but blind too since there was nothing ugly about the submissive.

"I thought this was a serious inquiry, not a beauty pageant." Intervened Billy, his voice was soft and melodic. He really knew how to work his poker face. His comment made the laughter die down and the attention to be on the slave once more.

"I think I told you to speak, slave." Huffed Christopher in annoyance.

"My master was displeased with me because my services had not been up to his standards. He has not been satisfied in bed." The mere mention of bedroom activities had the assholes of the council almost reaching inside their pants to stroke themselves. They didn't even try to hide the fact they were horny sons of bitches without an ounce of moral fiber in their bodies. Billy knew very well that if they took the slave the poor man would be abused by all of them until they reached their destination.

"And these weird ones on your hips? Speak" Cai struggled to speak. The scent of the slave combined with his nakedness were creating a big party on his loins. Being the youngest he had the least amount of control and that made it harder for him to be around slaves.

"When my master is taking me he holds me tight. His movements are very intense and if he doesn't hold me I topple forward." Billy cringed with every answer the slave gave. The ones that dealt with sex were the hardest to guzzle down. The worst thing was that the Aleph was well aware that the slave was speaking from experience, a truth he endured many times.

"Let me see if I understand, does your master punishes you when he determines your services are anything but perfect? Does he use you to satisfy his sexual urges?" Asked Edi.

Since Seth hadn't been given permission to speak the slave nodded as his only answer. "Do you or do you not receive special treatment because your master harbors unnatural feelings towards you? Speak."

"No sir I do not." This was the absolute truth; there was nothing unnatural about these feelings. They were beautiful and as perfect as real love can be.

"He does look healthy but not pudgy like he was described. He is very well-trained and his master is doing a great job chiseling him so he will earn his keep. Brothers, I honestly don't see any fault here." Edi's statement had the other three wolves seeing red. Was he with them or against them?

"Don't jump to conclusions; we need to concur in our decision." Spat Aron. He knew that Edi always was the voice of reason among them. But he wanted this slave, even if only to wipe the fuckin' smirk off the Aleph's face.

"Enough is enough!" Suddenly, all the eyes in the room turned to the Aleph. "I paid a ridiculously high price for this slave, he is my property. No law has been broken so the slave will remain here." William Black folded his arms across his chest, his gaze so intense it was burning holes in each member of the council. This was not a game; they were playing with the life of a man and he couldn't allow it. He had enabled his son to help in the extermination of the submissives for too long, but that was in the past. There was no denying that he could be very intimidating. He had to give it to the dogs before him; they had guts or were insane. He sided with the latter since it was the only logical explanation as to how they were able to stand their ground.

"William, you don't decide, we do." Barked Aron.

"I disagree. My house, my slave, my decision." Billy spoke with the firmness of one who has the truth with him.

"Are we to believe you are challenging us?" The four councilmembers formed a letter U before the slave as Edi and Christopher moved from behind him. Edward stood behind Seth and gently placing his hands on the slave's hips pulled him closer to the door. If a fight broke out the slave wouldn't be able to phase and with five pissed off wolves in the room he would be as good as dead.

"No I'm not; it wouldn't be fair to you. It would be a dishonor to fight wolves that are not my equal. You would be slaughtered and more than one would celebrate it. Of course, none of us wants it to come to that, do we?" Billy's honeyed tone didn't fool anyone.

It was so remarkable how each man had his own take on Billy's attitude. Aron saw it as a personal affront. Christopher saw it as a menace to everything they stood for. Cai felt it was another arrogant move from the Aleph. Edi was just tickled pink and waiting to see how the other three would dig themselves out of this predicament. Their arguments had never been contested by any other landowner. Even if there was some initial resistance they eventually just handed over their slave and went on to get a new one. What they all agreed on was that there had to be something special about this particular dog. The Aleph was putting himself in the position of challenging the council; he was defiant and insolent. Maybe there was more truth to the allegations than anyone thought. To their displeasure they had no proof and without it there was no way in hell Billy would hand over his property.

"William, may I remind you that you and your whole household are under the council's jurisdiction? If we give the word you will be stripped of your possessions and you and all your followers will be thrown in jail for the rest of your days." Aron arrogantly retorted.

"And may I remind you that I control all the packs on this side of the United States, if I give the word there would be nothing left of you and your followers to fill a sausage. Also I will like to contest your logic, without the army who would stop the west from invading this side? They are not under anyone's rule. All I ask for is to be given enough life to see you get fucked in the ass more times than the slave has." The Aleph was livid; he didn't take kindly to threats. It would be a cold day in hell when he allowed a group of good for nothing bastards to come into his home and throw idle threats at him or his people.

Aron stuck his nose in the air trying to come up with a counterargument, but he couldn't. There was nothing he could say that wouldn't make them look like even bigger fools. Their own words were betraying them. "I see there is no possibility of an agreement here. You played your cards, William Black, now we know where we stand when it comes to you. Pray that you never need a favor from the council because this well is dry when it comes to you."

"Don't worry for me; your time is too important to waste it on this old wolf."

"Let's go brothers, if we leave now we'll be out of his land before sundown."

The four members of the council marched towards the door but they were stopped by Billy's voice. "You're not staying for dinner? We can put this unfortunate situation behind us and share a meal." The Aleph hoped they would say no but in a sick twisted way was looking forward to watching them melt under pressure even more than they already had.

"Don't be ridiculous Black." Scoffed Aron. "We wouldn't eat here if this place had the last morsel of food in the planet. We would die from hunger before we lose our dignity." With a huff Aron opened the door with enough strength to rip it off its hinges. As each wolf exited the room they looked at Edward dying to wipe the smile off his face. The cook stood protectively before the slave but sporting a toothy grin that was eating them alive. He was very close to waving goodbye but that would've been overkill.

"Ed, I'll see these gentlemen off my property, please take Seth back to the room."

The council left with their entourage on their heels. Billy instructed his soldiers to allow them to pass but to accompany them to the edge of his land. They needed to make sure the council didn't turn around to come back and take them by surprise. Billy stood on a hill observing the forms of his new enemies as they disappeared in the horizon. He had earned himself some very powerful enemies but it was worth it. He had no regrets, if his son's happiness depended on him serving as a shield for him or his submissive he would gladly give his life for them. It was a decision he knew his Sarah would approve. The Aleph lifted his wolf face to the heavens to pray to his beloved. My love, difficult times approach us; help and guide us. Give me wisdom to make good decisions. Keep our son and his mate safe. Put in a good word for us with the man upstairs, we desperately need it. Bye darling, see you in my dreams…