Knowing what she knew about the past of their pack, Cassandra must also recognize the magnitude of the debt that the elders owed. They had all given him their words after that one dark episode not so long ago, and Nicholas intended to remind them of the oaths that they had spoken.
Finally, he would put his advisory team's honour to the test.
*****
Dr. Rebecca Lee stared at Johanna from beyond the glass wall that was meant, in equal parts, to contain the prisoner and to keep the observers safe. Today, Johanna had the full array of medications pumped into her bloodstream, courtesy of another doctor who worked for Michael Gilford. Rebecca could only imagine how Johanna was suffering, but the female wolf was, as always, unbreakable. There was nothing on Johanna's countenance to suggest that she actually felt any pain.
Rebecca hid the sudden flash of irritation on her face by looking at the notepad that she always carried whenever she found herself on this side of the glass wall. She did not want Johanna to see the extent of the hatred that she felt, lest the woman started clamming up.
It took Rebecca every ounce of self-control to avoid hurting Johanna whenever she was administering -- or not -- the drugs that were supposed to give the female wolf pain. And who could blame her? She had loved Dr. James Reinhart deeply, and it was on Johanna's account that the man lost his life. Time had not healed Rebecca's wounds; in fact, they seemed to have festered, giving her much more reason to detest the woman who now stared defiantly at the group behind the glass wall.
Yet, Rebecca could not deny that she
loved
Johanna, and deeply, too -- perhaps as much as she had loved James, if not more. No amount of pain or hatred could overpower the sense of love and loyalty that she felt for the female wolf. Johanna had always been her dearest friend and ally, in spite of -- and sometimes, perhaps even because of -- the drastic turn of events that would have torn apart a friendship not as strong as theirs.
Beside her, Michael Gilford spoke. "She will never break, will she?"
Rebecca looked at the younger man, wondering what manner of depraved life he had lived for him to stomach the kind of torture that he subjected Johanna to. Not even Reginald Gilford on his most cruel and most frustrated mood was brutal enough to do to Johanna what Michael Gilford was doing now. The fact that Johanna had never given the man the satisfaction of seeing her reduced to a pleading mess delighted Rebecca to no end. It served him right to seek pleasure and be denied.
"If she were capable of breaking, she would have broken a long time ago," Rebecca replied, dragging her gaze back to her friend. "I warned you, didn't I?"
"Yes, yes," Gilford said impatiently. "And you are certain that the drugs work?"
"Yes," Rebecca answered steadily. One day, she would enjoy injecting the torture serum into Michael Gilford's bloodstream, so that he might understand how painful the effects were to the receiving agent.
Then
he could question the effectiveness of her invention, and Rebecca would gladly increase the dosage to accommodate his pleasure.
As of yet, however, such plans would not work, so she satisfied herself with watching as Gilford leaned forward, against the low rail just below the glass window. His face reflected the frustration that he felt. "What am I going to do with her?"
Rebecca heaved a frustrated sigh -- a dramatic show of emotion meant to tell the man that she was getting tired of catering to his whims. "What do you want from her, anyway?"
"Many things," Gilford replied. "Answers, most of them. Where is her pack? What is their motive? Are they friends or foe? And, most important of all, why is she so interested in Raine?"
A mother is always interested in her child
, Rebecca thought, turning back to Johanna, who must have heard the man's answer. "I warned you, Gilford. You are going about this the wrong way."
Irritation crossed Michael Gilford's face as he turned around to face her squarely. "You don't have to remind me every time."
Rebecca only shook her head and distracted herself with the notepad. The younger man did not understand how the strongest emotions worked -- how love and loyalty trumped fear and pain time and time again. It was why Michael would never be as cruel and cunning as his father, Reginald. The late head of the slayer society had befriended Johanna, insisting that the female wolf was not a prisoner but a guest in his household. Knowing the lie for what it was, Johanna had played along until she genuinely began caring for the man as a friend. It was a pity that Rebecca had had to kill him: the love that Reginald Gilford began to feel for Johanna was second to none -- with the exception, of course, of Raine's father.
Not for the first time, Rebecca felt a tug of jealousy at the thought of how loved Johanna had always been. Johanna had parents who loved her dearly and who put everything on the line -- their lives included -- for the protection of their daughter. James had also loved Johanna with a passion that was only equaled by his love for research, and he died for Johanna, too. Even Rebecca was willing to lay down her life for her friend, much like how Raine's father had done all those years ago.
Yes, Johanna always inspired love in the people she came in contact with, while Rebecca knew that there were three people who loved her enough to make sacrifices for her. James had been one, Johanna was another: the former had died a long time ago, and the latter was currently in prison. But there was a third person whose love Rebecca could count on, and it was through him that Johanna's plan would be set in motion.
As Michael Gilford turned his back on Rebecca once again, the doctor nodded her head almost imperceptibly, trusting that Johanna was keeping an eye out for it. Rebecca would find Melisande for the wolf, and then she would be free of this place forever.
*****
Cassandra walked into a quiet room full of some of the strongest and wisest members of the Ambercrest pack. The other members of the congress -- ten in all -- were seated around the conference table, each of them seemingly lost in thought. She looked at them one by one, acknowledging the nods that they directed her way, before taking her seat at the farther end of the table.
Normally, Cassandra would sit at the end near the door, but Nicholas was bound to join them any minute, and the most prominent place always belonged to the alpha. It was a privilege that came with power -- the same privilege that Cassandra would only be too willing to surrender if given the chance.
She had met with the members of the congress countless of times before; she knew first-hand how difficult it was to get them to take up her position. There were, of course, those who had her back for good or ill: Henry Cadwell, Fiona Macgregor, and Josiah Ridley. Then there were those whose opinions could be swayed depending on the situation: Mary Elizabeth Wallace, Jacob Avery, Timothy Bingham, and Melanie Forrester. But then there were those who seemed to be always opposed to her, no matter what the cause.
Cassandra looked at them now, wondering if Collbreed would be able to convince them. After all, anything that had to do with Raine also had to do with her, the grandmother.
Victor Hartwell was Vice-President of Titan-Argentum, the man to whom Cassandra entrusted the future of their company should anything ill befall her. When it came to business, the two of them thought alike, but in all matters pack-related, they were always on opposite ends. Strangely enough, they were still on friendly terms, despite the wedge created between them by the death of Cassandra's husband, Thomas, who was Victor's best friend.
Sitting beside Victor and in deep conversation with Melanie Forrester was Conrad Randall -- probably the most influential member of the congress of elders. Hailing from a family whose name was as old as that of the Collbreeds, Conrad was among the most respected in the pack. Many had thought that he would be head of the congress when Nicholas took over, but for reasons that might have to do with his grandson Tristan, Conrad lost the position, which was one of the many reasons why he was always disagreeing with Cassandra. Of course, the enmity Conrad felt ran deeper than petty competition for status, and that was part of why Cassandra was worried that even Collbreed would not be able to win Conrad over.
Finally, there was Catherine Norwood-Ackerworth, the only member of the congress who was not on speaking terms with Cassandra. Not that Cassandra blamed her. Catherine -- five years Cassandra's senior -- was Thomas's younger sister, and she still blamed Cassandra for the fate of her brother. For years, Cassandra had wondered if Catherine knew the extent of her betrayal of Thomas. As close as the Norwood siblings had been, it would not be a wonder if Thomas had told Catherine everything, but it would also imply that Catherine had betrayed her brother -- which Cassandra doubted the woman ever would.
