The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,87
“You have to tell them the truth. They have a warrant.”
“The truth will destroy people.”
“So will a lie.”
He shook his head, finishing the last berry. “Telling the truth will put an end to that family, and if you think they’re the only ones I’ve been helping, think again. I’ve hunted on land I shouldn’t have to feed them. And do you think that would be enough to convince them that I’m not guilty? They want to paint us as savages. We’ve been dealing with this bullshit for too many centuries.” He set the bowl in the sink and strode up to the island. “If I strike a deal with them and confess, they might leave my father out of this.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Tak rounded the island and smoothed his braid. “Doesn’t it? What world do you think you’re living in? One made up of justice and happy endings? Our world doesn’t work that way. Never has. Let’s just say they believe my alibi and let me go. What do you think will happen next? The packs will come after us. They’ll think we bought off the Council with our money, and they’ll invade our territory and kill our women and children as retribution. It happened fifteen years ago when Koi’s father was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. The outsiders took the law into their own hands and hung him from a tree along with two boys he was hunting with—their throats slit.”
I swung my eyes down to the granite countertop. “So I’ll tell them we were together. I’ll be your alibi.”
“And blacken your good name? You’re about to be wed this very night.”
“To a man I don’t even know—for a deal. My reputation is already tarnished with this pack. I’ll tell them we went out alone together and had sex.”
“Shikoba will break your deal. Besides, your word isn’t good enough. Kaota said they have my satchel and knife.”
“Where did you leave it?”
He jerked his thumb at the window. “A half a mile away. If someone had seen me coming from the woods with that empty bag, they would have asked questions.”
“Was anyone around?”
He tilted his head to the side and gave me a perturbed look. “Don’t ruin your life. Your mating ceremony and negotiation are at least two good things my father has to look forward to. I already brought shame to this pack long ago, so this won’t come as a surprise to anyone. They won’t go to war for me. Better it was me than someone else.”
“You would rather your father think you were a murderer? There has to be a way out of this.”
“My father would shun me if he knew the truth. No matter how this works out, I’ll never have his respect again. The truth will set me free, but it will put my people in bondage when they are kicked off their land. Those families I’ve helped will suffer. The right choice isn’t always the easy one.”
“Tak!” someone bellowed.
He glanced at the door. “My time is up. I don’t want more bloodshed on this land.” He lowered his head. “Sooner or later, there will be another murder, and they’ll see it wasn’t me.”
“Or they’ll think more of you are behind it.”
I wanted to tell him that Lakota had his back, but the two had recently had a falling out, so it probably wouldn’t matter to him. Lakota’s secret wasn’t mine to divulge, and I wasn’t about to put a target on his back.
“Don’t give me an alibi,” Tak insisted, his voice tight. “If they separate us and ask questions, our stories won’t match. You’ll make my tribe look deceitful. You’re just a drifter in our world, little flower.”
“Tak!” the person yelled again.
Without another word, Tak walked proudly—like a warrior—ready to sacrifice his freedom.
Why would an alpha have such an affinity for outcasts in our world? I rested my arms on the kitchen island, my head hung low. It was all so unjust, yet I knew he was right. If they let him go, it was going to be a witch hunt. That was what happened out in the country among packs when the Council didn’t do its job. I’d already witnessed the discord between the Shifters in the community, and after having experienced a pack war myself, I knew the fatalities it could bring. If they found him, they would torture him, and his death would be on my hands. At least in jail he’d be safe.