In their defense, Rachelle was a very convincing liar. She’d made Ally an outsider in her own pack. And thanks to the heifer’s latest stunt, Ally might be cast out.
“No one’s going to buy your story, Ally,” Clint growled into her ear. Her wolf snapped her teeth at him. The guy certainly had the Prick Factor going on. “No one’s going to believe you. We have a witness who claims they saw you attack Rachelle.”
“I doubt that.”
He straightened. “Oh, really? Why?”
“One, because the assault didn’t happen. Two, because if you did have a witness, you wouldn’t need a confession. As you said, it’s currently my word against Rachelle’s. People might trust her and like her, but that’s not enough to justify an execution. Particularly since there are some gaping holes in Rachelle’s little tale.”
“Such as?”
“Why would someone who wanted to kill her run away while she was unconscious? Wouldn’t they take advantage of that moment in which she was totally helpless and deliver a killing blow, considering they were a ‘coward’ and all?”
Clint was quiet for a moment. “Maybe you heard someone coming. Or maybe you noticed someone was watching.”
“Or maybe Rachelle’s just talking out of her ass.” Again.
“You know what I think, Ally?” asked Greg.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” she muttered sardonically.
“I think that you didn’t really want to kill Rachelle. I think you just lost your temper at a weak moment. We’ve all acted impulsively with anger at some point, right?” His tone turned soft and understanding. More mind games. “I think that you might have genuinely believed Rachelle had ordered the boys to trash your cabin. You were already very upset with her for taking Zeke from you. You’ve been feeling lost and alone. Jealousy has often got the better of you lately, and who could blame you for that?” Greg actually patted her hand.
Oh, for Christ’s sake, was she really supposed to buy this oh-so-caring act?
“When you walked into the cabin and saw the chaos, it was the icing on the cake. You did what anybody would do in that situation. You snapped, and you tracked down the person you convinced yourself was responsible. That was why you fled the scene after attacking Rachelle. Once you saw her unconscious on the ground, your anger dimmed and you felt bad for what you did.”
“It’s either that,” began Clint, “or you went after Rachelle with the intention of killing her but then lost your confidence at the last moment. Which is it?”
“Do the right thing and tell us the truth,” encouraged Greg. “Make things easier on yourself. As soon as you confess, this will all be over. Don’t you want this to be over?”
Yeah, she damn well did. Frick and Frack had kept her in this tiny room for over two hours, and her wolf was at serious risk of losing it. But making a false confession wasn’t on her list of things to do. “I’ve already told you what happened. I have nothing more to say.”
Clint sighed. “Fine, if that’s how you want to play it.” He looked at Greg. “Call Matt. Maybe he’ll do the execution right here, right now.”
This was where she was obviously supposed to quiver in fear and finally confess. Instead, she gave a theatrical gasp. “What? Now? But the night is young, boys.”
“Ally,” Clint gritted out.
“Bring out the cuffs, let’s have some fun.”
“Ally.”
She threw up her arms. “All right, I confess . . . I ransacked my apartment for fun, falsely accused a bunch of well-meaning youths, attacked my Beta female, and then stuck around long enough to be detained and possibly executed.” She shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Clint’s face flushed again—most likely because when she put it like that, it became clear just how pitiful their argument really was. “Don’t get smart with me.”
She snickered. “Are you sure you’d know if I did?”
“I’d say it’s time we—” Greg paused as the door behind her swung open. “Zeke.”
Oh, goody.
“She refuses to accept responsibility or—”
“I’ll take it from here.” Once the enforcers had left and closed the door behind them, Zeke took one of the seats opposite her, his blue eyes tired. He looked tortured, just as he had each time he’d stepped between Ally and Rachelle in the past few months.
She could feel how deeply it hurt him to choose sides; his pain chafed her nerve endings like sandpaper. That was what it was like for Seers: picking up positive emotions created pleasant, warm sensations. Negative emotions, however, could cause anything from mild discomfort to excruciating pain.