Chapter 139: Wife Is The Word

"It was very traumatic. The front desk lady snorted at my holo-band credentials, Maverick. Like I had faked the encryption. How does she not know my face? It sounds conceited but there are only a few princesses in Helix. I can’t help that I was born a princess and famous. And I am her future BETA LUNA. I have never been more insulted in my entire life."

"Maria."

"I’m getting there. One thing led to another and I was arrested."

Maverick closed his eyes for a full second. "How the hell were you arrested?"

"Because Derek Thunderfang is in a coma. Nova wanted to see him and the front desk lady was a giant bitch. A SWAT team stormed the hospital room. We both screamed. It was scary. We’ve been in jail ever since."

Maverick shot out of his chair.

"And Nova didn’t have anyone to ping because Sierra was going to be her person too," Maria continued. "Which broke my heart, that she didn’t have anyone. So she gave hers to me because I already burned mine, no pun intended, and I am calling you. Now we are criminals. The best damn looking ones in here."

"We. As in both you and Nova?" Maverick asked, already knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer and already moving to grab his cloak.

"Yes. Nova is sitting next to me. She says hi. Actually she didn’t say hi. She is still upset. She cried when we were arrested. I yelled at the officers the entire time. Now she’s mad because I’m telling you that she cried. Oh, that made her even more mad. Just kidding. She’s fine."

Maverick stopped mid-step, his brain finally processing the first part of Maria’s explanation. "Hang on. You’re telling me Derek Thunderfang is in the hospital. You went to see him with Nova, and you both were arrested. What am I missing, Maria? Because that doesn’t make sense. "

"Yes. We are being charged with breaking and entering, which is insane because the damn door was unlocked, Mav. We walked right on in. But anyway, do you have any contacts in Thunderfang who would be willing to bail me out? I will pay them back immediately. I can’t access my funds for either of our bails until my bail is covered. It’s really a messed up system—"

Maverick put Maria on his ear comm as he left his study.

"Everything okay, Alpha?" his Beta asked.

"Prepare a hover bullet to Thunderfang," Maverick ordered.

The Beta perked up immediately. "Right away. Are you responding to their High Luna’s offer?"

"I still need to talk to Maria about that offer. But that’s not why I am going."

"Why are you going, Alpha?"

Maverick held up one finger and put Maria back on regular holo speaker.

"—simultaneously because Nova and I bonded over it and I think adversity brings people closer. But Mav, I’m a criminal. Out of you and me, I AM THE ONE. After your rebellious phase, who would have thought? It’s kind of funny—"

"Maria."

"Yes, Mav?"

"I’m on my way."

"Really? You don’t want to just send a contact?"

"My sister, the princess of Emberclaw, is sitting in the prison of a pack that is not ours, Maria. Yes, I am coming."

"Thank you so much, Mav. Emberclaw is far from Thunderfang though."

"I didn’t ask for logistics."

"That’s my line."

"I know. I taught it to you. And I’m taking a hover bullet."

There was a pause on the other end. The first genuine pause Maria Emberclaw had produced in the entire conversation, which meant something had landed in a place she wasn’t going to show him right now and the silence was her way of holding it without dropping it.

Her voice dropped. "I need to ask you something, Maverick."

Maverick cut her off. "I know what it is. We will have that conversation when we’re not using a prison holo-band."

"Fine. But we’re having it."

"We’re having it."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Maverick, one more thing."

The ping cut out.

Maverick stared at the dead feed for a full five seconds.

???

THUNDERFANG CORRECTIONAL CENTER

ONE HOVER BULLET LATER

"Emberclaw, Maria." The intake officer swiped on the holo-projection. "Found her. Charges: breaking and entering a restricted intensive care unit at Stormrest Hospital. One count of assault on an arresting officer. Refusal to comply with lawful orders. Verbal harassment of an escorting officer. Disorderly conduct during secure transport. Obstruction of booking procedures. Refusal to surrender personal effects during intake. Threatening statements directed at a processing officer. Inciting non-compliance in a co-detainee. Six counts of verbal intimidation of law enforcement personnel. And one additional count of verbal harassment of a supervising officer."

Maverick dragged a hand down his face. "Process the bail."

The officer swiped. "She is required to appear before a territorial magistrate within fourteen business days, pending formal charges from Stormrest Hospital and the Thunderfang household."

"Understood. And the second? Nova is her name."

The officer typed. Waited. Typed again. Frowned at her projection.

"I’m not pulling a Nova in this morning’s arrests."

"She was arrested alongside Maria Emberclaw."

"Oh that’s interesting. Is she 7709? No image. No pack affiliation."

"Yes. Her name is Nova. Pull up the full arrest record."

The officer tapped to expand the holo-projection. Then her brows furrowed.

"There must be a glitch in the system, Alpha Emberclaw. 7709 just updated to Nova Thunderfang here, which definitely is not right. The system auto-corrects registry anomalies." She double tapped on Nova’s file, expanding it. "No prior arrests. But the system will need to fix this before she can be released. If you know her last name, I can correct it here. Otherwise it can take up to five business days. She would be eligible for bail then."

Maverick let out a breath. It dawned on him that he did not, in fact, know the last name of the woman he had offered a hundred million for, kissed in front of every Alpha in Helix, and delivered a speech about that would be quoted in pack history for the next century. Yep, that was fucked.

"If she doesn’t have one, I can put her back to 7709 and she can go through proper channels to receive a surname," the officer offered.

"No. Put her down as Emberclaw."

The officer looked up from her display. "Continental registry law states surnames can only be transferred through marriage."

"Put her as my wife. Full Emberclaw credentials. Same clearance as Maria. Her own bio-encryption."

"If her name hits a screen anywhere on Helix, it comes back Emberclaw. Are you sure, Alpha Emberclaw?"

"Yes."

The officer quickly typed on her holo-keyboard, updating Nova’s file.

"She is officially Nova Emberclaw. Updated for the Helix registry. Will you be covering her bail as well, Alpha?"

"Yes."

"The Emberclaw princess is fifteen thousand. Standard trespassing. The other one..." The officer double tapped on the holo-projection. Read the screen. Read it again, like she was hoping the number would change. "Two hundred and fifty thousand. That is higher than expected. Do you still want to pay bail for her?"

"Yes. Why is hers higher?"