Accidental Surrogate for Alpha novel Chapter 147

Ella

The room erupts with noise, as various reporters cry out, “What evidence!?”

Sinclair nods to the side door, and his father wheels into the room, followed by a group of grief-stricken she-wolves and my surviving guard. “The evidence is the lives the Prince stole to kidnap Ella, the widows who don’t even have the ability to lay their husbands to rest because he hid their husband’s bodies. The children Damon rendered fatherless in pursuit of the throne. The evidence is the eye-witness testimony of Ella and her guard, of myself and my men when we met Damon to set the ransom. The evidence is the all-clear chime everyone in the valley heard even though the battle was still waging on their television screens. The evidence is my father’s paralysis, which was the result of an attack orchestrated by the King during his own campaign – a strategy he clearly taught his son.”

The door opens again, and a number of shackled rogues are brought into the room, looking furious and sullen. “The evidence is the rogues Damon hired to attack his own people, whose financial records show lump sum deposits from off-shore bank accounts just before the battle. It’s even in the Prince’s inaction when the people he claims to love were under attack. And for anyone who might discard the testimony of these people for being my allies or in compromised positions, then I offer you the video footage of the Prince arriving at our hostage meeting, unbeknownst that Ella had already escaped and I was on my way to find her.”

Sinclair and I move away from the podium to give the room full view of the screen against the back wall, where a black and white image has suddenly appeared from a projector mounted on the ceiling. When Sinclair told me that he’d sent a few enforcers to the second ransom meeting to observe the Prince and notify him of the other man’s movements, he hadn’t mentioned that he’d also had them transmitting footage of the set up to Roger, or that his brother had recorded it. I’m honestly not sure he remembered, as chaotic as everything has been, because it wasn’t until Roger offered the footage after learning about the press conference that he even realized it might be useful as evidence.

As the feed begins to play, a timestamp appears on the bottom corner of the screen, revealing the date for the audience. The Prince is shown with an army at his back, pacing back and forth in frustration through what appears to be an abandoned warehouse. “Where the hell are they?” He demands, “They should have been here by now!”

“Sinclair’s probably just trying to set up his own perimeter.” His second in command suggests.

“Then why haven’t any of our lookouts sighted him?” Damon hisses. “No, I don’t like it. Something is off here.”

“You think it’s a trick, or a trap?” The beta inquires, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.

The Prince stomps his foot. “I told her! I told that dumb bitch he wouldn’t just give up his campaign – even for his mate. He’s up to something.”

“But what, a rescue? An Ambush?” The other man presses, clearly agitated by his Alpha’s foul mood.

“Maybe both.” The Prince growls. “Move out, and I want eyes on the girl right now, get in touch with the sentries we posted outside her room.”

The video goes dark as the Prince and his army exit the warehouse, but from the heavy silence in the room, it seems as though the footage was compelling enough to give our critics pause. I admit I’m amazed about how damning the scene was, despite being so brief. They actually managed to catch the Prince referencing Sinclair by name, as well as the ransom. No one might have said my name, but it’s difficult to find another explanation than the one we’ve provided.

The utter stillness is shattered after a pregnant pause, as all the reporters seem to come back to their senses at once. They surge to their feet, shouting questions over one each other in such a way that it makes it impossible to hear. Sinclair leads me back to the podium, pointing towards a man in the front row.

“Alpha, if there have been other crimes then why haven’t you ever accused the Prince before now?” He asks eagerly.

“For a long time Damon and I have been caught in a shadow war. I’ve known what the Prince is capable of for years, which is why I’ve been so devoted to opposing him. Still, it wasn’t until Ella came on the scene and he realized he might lose that he started to escalate his tactics. My father taught me that you don’t make accusations of this sort with evidence, and until now, I’ve only had my wolf’s instincts to rely on. This is the first time I’ve had the proof to bring our war out in the open, but trust me when I tell you that I haven’t let his offenses go unchecked. My strategy might be different, but I’ve defended this pack and my family with force when required, and done everything in my power to keep Moon Valley safe.”

There’s another uproar, and then Sinclair points to another reporter for the next question. “Ella, how did you escape the Prince? Were you mistreated when you were his captive?”