Karano and Hazel were still jittery, even with Eliza's duel over. "This was a lot more exciting than I was expecting," Hazel groaned. "I don't know if I can handle more stress. Why can't we skip to the mingling and stuff?"

"Hopefully, the rest of this is mostly meetings and talking to other packs then," Karano replied. "I wouldn't mind finding out how the others make money so that we can get our members better things." As much as they loved their little pack, it was easy to see that they weren't doing nearly as well as the other wolves. They could look around the stands at the members of other packs in the stands and easily see how many of them were wearing expensive clothing or nice jewelry or watches. Nothing like that was available to them in Florida. It wasn't like they were starving, but most of their money went towards boat and car maintenance, food or fixing up their old houses. Their little compound had never been meant to hold as many people as it did, so space was at a premium. For instance, as much as it might hurt to have Eliza move to the Black Tooth pack, it would give her brother Jack more room because their little place was cramped, assuming he didn't move up with her, which he probably would.

"Money would be good," agreed Hazel. "This resort is insane, and I'm sure that makes a lot of money for the pack. Maybe the other packs have other money making deals. I guess that is what the symposium tomorrow afternoon might tell us."

"It has to be better than the boat tours," snorted Karano.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen!" Nicholas called out over the speakers, which interrupted their discussion. "It has been a few years, but Alpha Gavin Macdonald from the Ice Hunters Pack has brought us some rogues that attacked his members, and they're here to stand trial and be executed."

"Executed? They're announcing that before the trial?" Hazel asked Karano in a shocked whisper. "That sounds like this is a total sham." Having technically been rogues themselves before joining South Glades, that wasn't something they wanted to hear.

"Maybe these rogues are a lot different kind than we have in our pack?" Karano replied, though she had a sinking feeling that her wife was right.

A large man in every dimension came out of one of the rooms that led to the locker rooms beneath the stands. He had dark hair, and a greying beard, but looked like a small giant in all other regards. He strode up next to Nicholas as though he owned the little sand court. Like the presenter, he also had a little mic box on his waist, and he thumbed it to make his own announcement.

"I know it's been a bit since I've had any rogues to bring here to the conclave, but I think that this year it will be worth the effort!" He turned in a circle, taking in everyone surrounding the court. "We were recently invaded by some rogues, and we have three left that we're here to pass judgement on." He turned his gaze back to the doors that he'd walked out of before. "Harv, bring them on out!" He waved his hand to move things along.

The scent of juniper berries hit Hazel and Karano like a sledgehammer, making them both gasp, and they knew what was about to happen before they ever saw her. As soon as the figures started to shuffle into the court, they both felt it. MATE...

"How?" Karano asked in a choked whisper. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, not knowing what was happening. Another mate? Was this real, or magic? She reached her hand over, gripping Hazel's tightly.

"I don't know!" Hazel replied, equally dazed. She didn't understand it, but the feeling was overwhelming, and couldn't be faked. "We have to save her, right?"

The greasy looking man named Harv led three figures onto the sandy court in silver manacles. The first two looked to be a pair of terrified kids right around Jack's age, maybe twelve or thirteen so, but the third was the one that drew the women's attention. She walked in on the balls of her feet, graceful and powerful, her head high as she sniffed the air and scanned the stands. Her dark hair was shaggy and unkempt, but her blue eyes were almost glowing when they finally found Karano and Hazel staring back at her.

She looked gorgeous and powerful, but her eyes were wide with fear as she took in their surroundings. Stretching out her mind, Karano joined with Hazel's and sent a quick thought to their new mate. "We're Karano and Hazel. We never knew that we had another mate, but do you feel the pull too?"

"Yes! I'm Melashka! Can you help me out of these chains? I'm not sure what they've been giving me, but I can't shift. I have no idea about mates, but I feel a strange connection to you and would love to know more." Even in their heads there was a thick accent, and the girls knew that they were going to be saving her no matter what else happened. It wouldn't matter if they were not mates, they would want to save innocent rogues. Certainly, the kids were much too young to be threats, they were barely old enough to have their wolves! How was this a judgement? Moments later, more thoughts came pouring through the link. "I was just trying to find allies to save my family and friends from their prison in Russia, and they attacked me! I've been held with these two kids who were with their parents just trying to find a new pack when they were attacked, and their parents killed."

"We'll take care of it, Melashka! We'd never let our mate be hurt."

Their conversation was interrupted by Gavin making another announcement. "Now, these two brats have been stealing our food, and breaking into our pack house and taking money as well. They're part of a gang of rogues that have been doing that same thing to us for over a year. But the last one, she is a Russian spy, sent over to invade us. Plus, she's not even a wolf, but a weretiger!"

The crowd roared in anger at the tale, which was obviously a complete fabrication to anyone who thought about it for even a second. Hell, the kids were cowering in fear, and didn't look like they could steal a thing. Is this how he brought all of his rogues here, with made up stories for an excuse to be slaughtered for entertainment? Neither Hazel nor Karano were going to stand for that.

"Come on," growled Hazel as she vaulted over the side of the stands and back down to the sand. Karano followed alongside her, both of them glowering at the large man who stood watching them in amusement. Down on the sand, Melashka felt her tiger growl with desire as the two women moved with grace to come stand in front of her. Yes, she had no idea what was happening, but she finally felt a little hopeful that she wouldn't die here at the hands of this horrid man.

"Ahh, two volunteers to pass judgement! Perfect!" He handed over the mic to Hazel, who snatched it from his hands.

"We do indeed pass judgement. But not on these innocents! We pass judgment on the man who would have you think these are depraved rogues. But is that true? For instance, the truth is that the two children were with their parents just trying to find a new pack when they were attacked and their parents killed. And Melashka here is indeed a weretiger from Russia, but she was here trying to find allies to help to free her family and friends from imprisonment. Instead, she is paraded about as a dangerous rogue. Most of our pack back home is made up of people that were once rogues fleeing packs that harmed them in one way or another, and we all get along just fine and peacefully. I'll say right now, that these three are invited to join the South Glade pack immediately, and if you want to execute our new pack members, you have to go through us!"

"You dare?" Gavin thundered. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Yeah, she is. And I am too." Karano stood between him and the prisoners, while Harv stood next to his Alpha in confusion. "Do you really think a single weretiger would come find you to invade you? And would two kids who barely have their wolves try to steal from you? No! They came to you for help, and this is what they got!" She looked around the stadium at the other stunned wolves. "We're supposed to learn about solutions to the declining supernatural population tomorrow, there is a whole symposium on it. Here is your answer! We saw two wolves killed because an Alpha thought he could steal anyone's mate that he liked. Now we have another Alpha with a death wish because he wants to execute more innocents. Is that really the way things should be? Shouldn't we be working together to protect our species and our packs, not killing for sport?"

"Death wish?" The immense man chuckled mirthlessly. "The only ones with a death wish here are you two."

"Four!" Eliza yelled as she came out from the locker room with Kenzie. The yelling was obviously loud enough for her to hear, and while she had a bandage around her bicep and a light dessing on her belly, she didn't look like it would stop her from pitching in if it came to a fight.

"Okay, hold on!" Nicholas yelled. "We don't really need any more Alphas dying today, especially in this case. Are these rogues really worth it?"

Karano looked at him in shock. "Yes. First of all, Melashka is our third mate. But even were she not, it is reprehensible for anyone to kill innocent wolves, rogues or not, when they pose no threat. Gavin can say what he wants to look good, but he knows the truth. If he wants to press the issue, we'll defend them with our lives, and he'll be the first to die."

"Ha! Little lady, I'd kill you in seconds." Gavin retorted. "Now, we're gonna kill these rogues, and that is that. If you want to defend them, then you'll die with them. Besides, your little mate there killed six of my packmates before we were able to tranquilize her, so we owe her."

"Pfft," Melashka scoffed in her thick accent. "I killed eight just defending myself, not six. But if I'd known you'd attack me when I knocked on the pack house door, then I would have killed you all." Her heart had already swelled at the defense her mates had mounted for her, and she itched to fight by their side. She'd never thought to have a mate, the moon goddess granted few of the tigers any as the only population they had was the guards in the compound, or inbreeding. But now, the prospect of it both overjoyed her and confused her. No, she wasn't confused by them being women, she actually liked that, but the fact that there were two of them scared her a little. Would she be enough for them? She wanted desperately to fight with them to prove her worth, but the one called Hazel was much stronger than she looked.

"Ha! See! She's bloodthirsty!" Gavin crowed, not noticing the audience frowning at him.

"It sounds like she was just there asking for help if she knocked on your door. Do most spies do that?" Karano replied. "But now it's my turn to defend her since you have her drugged and chained. So, either let this go, or I'll rip your fucking arm off and beat you over the head with it."

"Enough!" Nicholas yelled, this time using the microphones. "As I said, we don't want any more Alphas dying. Are you both determined to fight?"

Karano quickly shook her head. "If he lets these rogues go, then I have no quarrel with him."

Gavin thought about it, his thumb rubbing his chin. "I'll let the brats go, but the tiger dies."

"Then I guess your pack is going to need a new Alpha." Karano started stripping down to her underwear. "Bebita, free them all."

Hazel didn't hesitate, she just growled and ripped apart the chains holding the prisoners, herding them away with Eliza and Kenzie. Melashka pulled against her, wanting to fight with the woman that was protecting her, but Hazel was insistent. "She'll be fine, trust me. Nobody in this arena can hurt her."

"Wait!" Nicholas shouted as Gavin started shedding his clothes with an evil chuckle. "If you're really going to do this, at least don't kill anyone!"

"No promises!" The huge Alpha growled as he changed into an immense bipedal wolf. "You're not the only pack that knows this trick!" He was over seven feet tall and slate grey in color, but his eyes betrayed a little nervousness as Karano just grinned up at him.

Eowyn snarled within Karano's head, and she started changing and growing. Her eyes were glowing red when she was done, towering over the Alpha at over nine feet tall, with long, powerful arms that snatched him right off the ground. "Not my mate!" She slammed the grey wolf down to the ground, pinning him there with her foot as she pummeled his face. Gavin growled and screamed, trying to claw at her, but he could only scratch her arms as they were so long that he couldn't reach anything else. When his face was a pulp, she stood up and stomped on his right arm, then grabbed the wrist and twisted it until his elbow was dislocated with a large pop that echoed through the arena. The Alpha howled in pain, but she didn't stop, yanking and twisting on the limb until the flesh ripped and tore. She stood, his right forearm in her hand as she looked down at the Bleeding Alpha with contempt. With a pitiless smirk, she smacked him across the face with it several times before she tossed the useless flesh into the sand.

"Does anyone else have a problem with these rogues?" she bellowed to the audience. They were stunned into silence, though many were shaking their heads rapidly. Nobody wanted to face her, and most assumed correctly that Hazel was just as powerful. "Good." She looked over at Nicholas and grinned. "No more dead Alphas. But if he keeps mistreating innocents, there will be."

Nicholas just nodded, his face pale.