Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,107
ridiculously old Law, I’m going to change that.”
“Excuse me?” The female Tribunal werewolf sat up, narrowing her eyes at Hasan. I was now completely forgotten. I didn’t mind. I was still trying to process what Hasan had just said.
“Humans. That’s who we werecats protect. Wouldn’t it be a good PR move for my kind to come out right now with Jacqueline’s story? To tell the world ‘Look. One of the monsters in the night is on your side.’” He smiled. “‘And the other monsters killed her for it.’ I’ll even tell them what killed her. I’m not afraid to expose us all.”
I let my jaw drop finally. He was serious.
“You…you can’t out your kind without—”
“I think I’m the only werecat that can do whatever I want without anyone telling me I can’t. I brought my kind peace. I saved us from extinction. I’m much older than most, and while I’ve been away...” He shook Lani’s hand as he passed her, patting the back of it once. “They have remained respectful of me. I can tell the world about my kind. If you push me to it, that is.”
I still wasn’t moving when he stopped at my side, looking down at the chair I knocked over. He righted it for me and patted the back.
“Sit, please, Jacky,” he said gently. He even used the name I liked more. He never did that. “You’re not dying tonight.”
“Thank you.” I fell into the chair, still finding it hard to breathe. He’d come to help me.
“You can’t promise her that. You can’t hold the Tribunal hostage with the threat that the humans will be on your side!” The male wolf pushed out of his seat, fury turning his face red. “Damn you, Hasan, you don’t get to walk in here—”
“I can, I will, I just did,” he growled. “Don’t test me, Callahan. I’m leaving here with her tonight and no one is going to stop me. My children are prepared to send the evidence the human media needs about the existence of the werecats right now.”
He got my older siblings involved. I looked up to him, wide-eyed. My ‘siblings’ and I hadn’t spoken since I walked out on the family when I found out Hasan let my fiancé die in that car.
“Why are you doing this for a no-name werecat? She’s not anyone special among your kind. We’ve checked. Even Lani, the other werecat here, doesn’t know where she came from. She had no lineage to back up her strength, something your kind finds important. She has no allies but the ones she’s met in the last week.” The female vampire seemed confused. “Hasan, certainly—”
“I won’t let another of my daughters die to werewolves,” he said softly. “And sometimes it feels like all of the werecats are mine.” He squeezed my shoulder. He claimed me as a daughter and still kept our relationship a secret.
I wanted to hate him, but in that moment, hating him was a hard thing to do. He was going above and beyond anything I ever expected from him, ever wanted from him.
And he doesn’t have to. I’ve never been the best daughter—or werecat.
“I agree with Lani, Jacqueline, and the werewolves. She didn’t enter the werewolf war over Dallas-Fort Worth without cause. She was oath-sworn, held by the very Laws you want to hang her with. She showed undeniable courage to risk herself for the safety of a human girl. She tried to remain impartial but knew there was only one good way to keep the girl safe. That was to help the Alpha, Mr. Heath Everson, defeat the traitors he was fighting against and rescue her from them.” Hasan ruffled my hair next, one of his more fatherly actions. I had picked it up from him. “I’m honored to have this werecat among the rest of my kind. I hope we shall all live up to the example she’s set.” He took a deep breath. “And maybe it’s time for us to rethink the Laws.”
Gasps filled the room. Chaos erupted. People were clamoring to speak, some yelling at Hasan, some cheering for him. The Tribunal watched in silence, and so did I.
“SILENCE!” a witch screamed, magic flying through the room. It wasn’t a graceful way to bring order, but it was an effective one. I looked out at the crowd. People were still yelling, but nothing could be heard. “It’s not permanent, everyone, but we must stay on track. Hasan, how would you recommend to change the Laws?”
“Like all