Chapter 6

"Aria stands accused of murdering the named Alpha heir by use of poisonous herbs," Alex continued, his voice echoing across the clearing. "In doing so, she also endangered the life of one of our fellow pack members, Leah Woods. The trial today will examine the evidence to determine whether she is guilty of these crimes."

A cold sweat gathered at the back of my neck as I shifted slightly, my eyes flicking through the crowd, searching, hoping for Sophie. But her familiar face was nowhere to be seen. Panic started to coil in my chest with every passing second she remained absent.

"Do you swear on the Goddess' name, Aria, that you will tell the whole truth during this trial?" Alex asked, drawing my attention back to him.

I lifted my gaze to meet his.

His piercing Blue eyes locked onto mine, and I couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through me. Those eyes had once looked at me with love or at least I'd believed they had. Now they only haunted me.

"I do," I said, my voice strong despite the fear tightening in my chest.

"And how do you plead?"

I hesitated only a moment, gathering the strength to push the words from my lips as my heartbeat thundered in my ears.

"Not guilty."

A ripple spread through the crowd, a wave of hushed murmurs and whispers.

I didn't flinch.

Surely, they hadn't truly expected me to confess to such a vile crime? Even after everything, I still had some pride. I would not make this easy for them.

"Very well," Alex replied with a clipped nod. "We will begin with witness testimonies and any supporting evidence. Once all statements have been heard, the ranked members, elders, and I will vote on the verdict. Your sentence will be set accordingly."

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry as sand.

And with that, the trial began.

The first to be called was the pack doctor. I didn't know him well, Doctor Adam had only recently taken the position after the death of the previous pack doctor, my mother.

He stepped into the center of the circle, his expression neutral, almost clinical. He gave a small nod of respect to the podium before turning to face the crowd.

"The herb in question is Mortwert," he began in a professional tone. "From my investigation, I believe Leah was exposed to this substance through ingestion. She lost the child at approximately three months of pregnancy. Due to her already weakened constitution, the herb's effects severely endangered her life."

He paused, clearing his throat.

"I performed several tests. Results showed she had ingested nearly twice the amount needed to cause a miscarriage. When Leah arrived at the pack hospital, her condition was critical, dangerously low blood pressure, respiratory distress. It took a full day of intensive care to stabilize her, and several more days of observation before I was confident enough to discharge her."

He reached into a folder and produced a few sealed pouches for the Elders to view. "The herbs retrieved from Miss Aria's room were brought to me for verification. Upon close examination, I confirmed that it was, in fact, Mortwert—the same herb present in Leah's system."

A wave of tension rolled through the crowd like a storm cloud creeping in. I could feel their eyes on me, full of judgment.

But I kept my head high. I had to.

I had never seen that herb before in my life, so how had it ended up under my bed?

Another murmur rippled through the crowd after the doctor's testimony. I clenched my jaw, trying to block out the noise. How quickly they turned, ready to condemn me from a single statement, as if they'd been waiting for the excuse.

But it wasn't just one testimony.

One by one, more stepped forward to present their accounts.

Next was the warrior who had searched my quarters, the one who claimed to have found the evidence.

"I located the herbs the doctor referred to under Miss Aria's bed," he stated firmly. "They were well hidden, tucked beneath the frame in a way that suggested intent to conceal. In addition, I found a letter on the bed. It was addressed to former Beta James Crystal."

He paused, casting a meaningful look toward the crowd.

"I believe this letter reveals the defendant's true loyalties, sympathizing with a man who committed treason by aiding her escape, and by extension, someone capable of conspiring to harm the Alpha's heir."

The crowd stirred again, whispering loudly. I could feel their judgment like claws digging into my skin.

And then, to my horror, the warrior began to read the letter aloud.

Each word was like a fresh wound.

Lines taken out of context, private confessions twisted into poison, shared in front of the entire pack like a public execution of my dignity.

The crowd reacted instantly, voices rising in disgust, outrage, shock.

"Silence!" Alex barked, his voice a whip through the night air.

The clearing went quiet at once, the crowd shrinking under his authority.

He turned to me, his gaze cold and unrelenting. "Is this your handwriting, Aria?"

I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood. There was no point in lying—Alex had seen my handwriting too many times over the years. He'd recognize it in an instant.

"Yes," I admitted, begrudgingly.

A wave of humiliation washed over me.

They had read out a private letter, something meant only for my father. A letter where I'd poured out years of doubt and pain, where I'd finally confessed my admiration for the man I thought had spent his life being quietly disappointed in me. And now, it had been turned into evidence against me, a weapon to paint me as a traitor.

But it wasn't over yet.

The warrior continued, his voice crisp and unwavering. "In addition to the herbs and the letter, we found the former Luna near the door when we arrived. She was in possession of a backpack containing supplies and clothing. It is believed she was attempting to flee the pack that night. Furthermore, we have several eyewitnesses who claim she admitted as much while being taken into custody."

Every word was another nail in the coffin they were building for me.

"Thank you, Jared," Alex said, giving a short nod and motioning for him to step down. "We'll now hear from our Gamma, Brad."

Brad rose and walked to the podium with slow, deliberate steps. His face was tight, expression unreadable, but I knew better than to expect sympathy. Whatever he was about to say, it wouldn't be in my favor.

Not after everything.

"The morning Leah's pregnancy was announced, there was an incident inside the packhouse witnessed by several members," Brad said, his voice steady and cold. "It involved a confrontation between Leah and the former Luna. From what I observed, Thea appeared to be asking for forgiveness. In response, the former Luna was… unnecessarily cruel. She said horrible things. So much so that Leah collapsed from the emotional strain. I believe this was a deliberate act, meant to cause distress to both Thea and her unborn child, motivated by jealousy."

My mouth fell open.

They were using that conversation as evidence?

Did no one care to view things in context? I would love to see how composed they'd be if their mate had publicly cast them aside, only to then impregnate the very woman they were cast aside for. I hadn't laid a finger on her. I hadn't even raised my voice.

I'd only spoken to her; harshly, yes, but I hadn't caused her collapse. The hypocrisy in their judgment burned like acid under my skin. If roles were reversed, half of them would have torn Thea to pieces without hesitation.

Still, I couldn't deny what Brad said. I had been angry. I had been jealous. Who wouldn't be in my place?

But to harm her unborn child?

No. That was unthinkable. An abomination. And now, that moment of weakness, of emotional honesty, was being used to paint me as a monster.

Brad stepped back, the tension in the clearing rising like a tide.

"Thank you, Gamma," Aleric said. "Now… we have one final testimony today. One I believe will determine the fate of this trial."

He turned back to the crowd, and then to me.

"Everyone, please welcome Sophie ferry, Aria's main attendant."

The world stopped.

My breath caught in my throat. My body went numb.

They had Sophie.

She was here.

And if she spoke the truth, if she told them what she knew, then everything could change.

She knew me better than anyone.

She knew I couldn't have done this.

Sophie walked up to the podium, her steps slow but steady. She looked… fine. Physically, at least. Healthy, unharmed.

Relief briefly flickered in my chest. I'd been terrified they might have hurt her, used her to get to me. But seeing her like this; untouched,meant they hadn't broken her. Or so I thought.

Still, there was something off.

Her hands were clenched tightly at her sides. Her face wore a pale, drawn expression. And though I tried, she wouldn't meet my gaze. That tiny detail set a cold prickle across my skin.

Were they pressuring her?

Threatening her?

I held on to hope, watching her like a lifeline.

"I am Sophie Ferry," she began, her voice trembling. "I have been Aria's attendant for five years now."

She paused, swallowing, her gaze locked somewhere far beyond the crowd.

"Over these years, I believed Aria to be a sweet girl who had only been dealt misfortune in her life. It was easy for me to care for her as if she were my own daughter. I was the one who tended to her, who held her through the worst nights. Who saw her strength and pain and heart."

A soft, trembling smile touched my lips. Yes. She knew. She remembered. She would defend me.

But she still wouldn't look at me.

"Therefore," Sophie said, the tremor returning to her voice, "it is with a heavy heart that I stand before you all today, bound by my oath to the Goddess, to inform you of the atrocity she had me perform under her command."

My smile shattered.

The words hit me like ice water down my spine.

What?

No, this wasn't right. This wasn't real. Atrocity? I'd never, never commanded her to do anything remotely like that.

My heart thundered against my ribs, confusion turning into something darker. Dread.

She knew I was with her the entire week. She knew how devastated I'd been. She'd held me when I cried.

So why was she lying?

Why was she betraying me?

I stared at her, willing her to glance at me. To remember. To stop.

But Sophie just kept her eyes ahead, her expression tight with guilt and fear, and prepared to say more.

I felt sick.

Truly, physically ill.

Watching Sophie stand at the podium, her shoulders stiff and her eyes fixed on anything but me, it was like watching my entire world tilt off its axis. She wouldn't look at me. Wouldn't even try.

A feeling of impending doom wrapped itself around my chest like a vice, squeezing tighter with every second. My mind scrambled for understanding, but nothing made sense. My thoughts were fogged, clogged by disbelief and fear, and the only sound I could hear over the rush of murmurs was the rapid, shallow rhythm of my own breathing. Loud. Panicked.

Then she said it.

"An atrocity where Aria, the former Luna, ordered me to present Miss Leah Woods a herbal tea. A tea I believe caused her miscarriage."

Gasps broke out across the crowd like thunder cracking the silence.

My vision swam.

No.

No, no, no.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I felt like I'd been stabbed, as if my body had turned to stone while my insides bled out from the betrayal. My own voice was buried beneath the crashing noise of disbelief. She was lying. She had to be lying.

I'd never told her to give anything to Leah. Never mentioned herbs. Never even considered it.

But now, with just one sentence, Sophie had taken a blade and driven it clean through my back, right in front of the entire pack.

Sophie's hands were trembling, but her voice, to my horror, grew stronger with each word.

"I didn't know what was in the tea. She said it would help calm Leah's nerves. That it might ease tensions between them. I trusted her." She paused, biting her lip. "But when Leah fell ill, I began to suspect. I told no one, not at first. I thought I must have been wrong. I prayed I was wrong."

The whispers were growing again. This time harsher. Angrier.

Liars. All of them.

I shook my head slowly, disbelieving. "Sophie…" I breathed, barely audible. My knees felt weak, my stomach twisted in agony.

This wasn't just betrayal.

This was a death sentence.

And she had just placed the noose around my neck with her own trembling hands.