If she decided to fight--and I didn't think she would--she'd be coming into the challenge tired and possibly hurt.
Then I remembered the way Henry had thrown her into the island in the kitchen.
She had either broken or cracked her ribs when she hit.
Though I couldn't see it in the way she was moving, there had not been enough time for her to heal.
No one healed that fast unless they were an Alpha with a full moon outside.
"Enough," roared Warren suddenly, his voice ringing out over the hubbub like a shot fired in a crowd.
Darryl turned to Mary Jo, and said, "No." "Not your call to make," she informed him.
"Adam?" "I have a problem," he said.
"Justice demands that I must step away from this determination because I am more than a little vested in the decision.
In the name of justice, then, let it fall to the next three in rank--Mercy, Darryl, and Auriele." He looked at me.
I know what I wanted to say.
Auriele was likely to agree with Mary Jo--and we'd already heard what Darryl's viewpoint was.
Even if Mary Jo lost, it would help Adam.
I looked at the wolves and saw a lot of resentful faces--they had done the math as well, and they were very unhappy with me being a part of the decision.
Then I saw some wiggle room.
"It seems to me that there is another problem," I said.
"If we agree that Mary Jo can fight because she ranks within three people of Paul.
I submit that Paul does not stand within three people of Adam." Like Mary Jo, I held up my hand.
"Adam, then me." I held up a finger.
"Darryl--and Auriele, then Warren." "Then Honey," said Warren with a little smile.
"Then Paul." Paul snarled.
"He has already accepted my challenge.
That presupposes I have the right." I looked at Adam.
"Nice try," he told me.
"But I agree with Paul." "And the official code of conduct," said Ben grumpily, "which I had to damn well memorize before I was allowed in the pack, says challenge within quote three men unquote.
The important word being `men.' " "So Mary Jo can't fight," said Paul with a relieved grin.
"She's not a man." "So Mary Jo's claim is still valid," I pointed out.
"She's within three men of your rank.
Does the code of conduct say that the challenger has to be a man?" Kyle told me that one of the secrets of being a lawyer was never to ask a witness a question you didn't know the answer to.
I knew what it said, but it would sound better coming from someone else.