Ruby;
“Tell me.” Lilith leaned closer, her eyes widening with disbelief, showing eagerness to hear more, seemingly unfazed by the silver cage.
Her love for Damian must be intense. Too bad she didn’t know Ava was back from the dead and Selene was in love with Damian. The naive fool had thought I was the only threat, but now she was in for a surprise.
But before I could reveal any further details, a man interrupted, and I instantly recognized him as one of the men who had roughly taken me away from Damian’s pack and had hit me on the head.
The damn bastard.
“Luna Lilith,” he bowed in respect toward Lilith before sending a disrespectful glare my way, igniting a fire within me.
“I will make sure you bow before me and beg for your life,” I countered with a smirk, refusing to cower in the face of his aggression. As a Luna, I knew that automatically placed me above him. Despite being locked up in a cell, I wouldn’t tolerate such disrespect and I intended to make him pay for hurting me.
“You ugly bitch,” the man yelled as he hurried to my cage, inserting the keys.
“You’ll be begging soon enough,” I taunted, my voice dripping with venom. As the man angrily opened the cage door, I shifted backwards as his fist instantly connected with my nose with a sickening crunch. Blood spurted from my nostrils as pain exploded through my face, but I refused to back down.
“I’m going to make sure you die at my hands someday-all of you. I will make you crawl on all fours like an animal and squeal for forgiveness,” I screamed, spitting out blood.
“Shut up,” he growled, his hands proceeding to silence me with brute force.
“Enough. You can have your fun later. Bring her in,” Lilith instructed, shooting me a venomous glare before walking out, leaving me alone with the man.
“You heard Luna Lilth. Soon, I can have fun with you and do whatever I want. I can’t wait to taste you and devour you,” the man sneered, grabbing me by the hair with a harsh and unforgiving grip, then dragging me out of the cell.
His grip tightened along the way, and with each step, my screams fell on deaf ears. Dread gnawed at my insides as my struggles only seemed to amuse him further.
As we entered the courtroom, my heart sank at the sight of the twelve elders seated before us, their expressions stern and judgmental. Among them sat Lilith, her smirk sending shivers down my spine, and her proud lover, Mr. Smith, with a grin on his face after betraying me and going back on his words.
I knew this wasn’t going to end well.
Suddenly, the man forced me to my knees in front of the elders, his grip unyielding as he held me in place. I could feel their scrutinising gazes bearing down on me, each gaze carrying centuries of power and authority.
I swallowed hard, trying to muster up the courage to face whatever fate awaited me. But as the man’s sneer grew wider and the elders’ silence stretched on, I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that my life was about to be over.
“You have been brought forward for committing these crimes. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” A thick voice asked, and I looked up to see a man with thick white hair staring down at me. He looked like the oldest among everyone, and I could only hope that his age came with wisdom.
I met his deep green, intimidating eyes, searching for any sign of leniency or understanding. But all I found was a stern gaze that sent a chill down my spine.
“Will anything I say make a difference because, judging from the look in your eyes, I have been sentenced to death already?” I remarked, unable to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “It’s rather ironic that I’m supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, yet you’ve locked me up like a common prisoner without even water.”
The man’s expression remained impassive as he listened to my words, and his posture relaxed, which only served to fuel my frustration.
“That’s because the crimes you committed are grievous,” he replied calmly, his voice carrying a hint of authority. I couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation.
“I know I’m going to die anyway, but don’t you think I at least deserve a fair trial?” I implored, my eyes scanning the faces of the elders, searching for any sign of empathy or reason. “It’s just me against the twelve of you. What could go wrong?”
I turned to face Lilith, and her smirk only fueled my determination. “My bad, thirteen of you, so I demand a fair trial,” I declared, my voice ringing with defiance despite the dire situation.
“And we are going to give you that,” the elder said, his voice firm but calm.
“I don’t trust you all. I need the chief spirit judge to decide my fate. Summon him,” I demanded.
“How dare you? You don’t have the right to demand that,” another elder interjected, his voice laced with irritation.
“If you didn’t notice my scent, I am the Luna of the Pearl Moon Pack, and you have disrespected me. Killing me without a proper trial will lead to war,” I countered, my words sharp with conviction.
“The real Luna of the Pearl Moon Pack is back alive, so you have no way to prove it,” the elder argued, but I chuckled inwardly. This was one of the times I was grateful for Damian’s scent marking me.
“If you step closer and inhale my scent, you will see that I am Alpha Damian’s mate-his second chance mate, to be precise. So unless you call in the chief spirit judge to carry out my trial fairly, then release me,” I demanded, holding my ground.
I recalled from my grandmother’s book that the chief spirit judge was known for his fairness. Unlike humans, he wasn’t swayed by biases or personal agendas. No one had ever seen him, but his reputation for impartiality was widely acknowledged. If he were to make an appearance, it could potentially save me from the false and exaggerated accusations levelled against me.
The expressions on the elders’ faces shifted to surprise, indicating they had likely never encountered such a demand before. This provided me with a window of opportunity to buy time, remove the silver restraints, and contact Damian for assistance.
“Just because you have Alpha Damian’s scent all around you doesn’t mean we can believe you. We need more proof, as what you’re asking of us is almost impossible,” he said sternly, his tone laced with scepticism.
Mr. Smith began to chuckle, joined by Lilith, their laughter echoing through the room, and frustration bubbled within me, threatening to spill over.
Just as I was about to give up hope, a glimmer of realization dawned upon me-I had the oath hidden beneath my now bloody dress. A wide grin spread across my face as I realised I finally had my chance to prove my innocence and secure a fair trial.
Damn, how could I forget about that?
I had planned to tell Damian about it after the ceremony, since I had begun to trust him again, but so many unpleasant events had interrupted my plans.
“Would this be enough?” I asked, then reached under my dress to retrieve the oath hidden in my underwear.
“This is a blood oath Alpha Damian has given to me, and he owes me a favor. I could offer you that favour,” I lied, presenting the oath to the man, who signalled the evil guard behind me to collect it.
As they passed the paper among themselves, I watched the elders’ expressions closely, hoping to see signs of belief and understanding.
I raised my eyebrows in anticipation as the man cleared his throat. “Very well, then. Your wish will be granted. But you will have to be patient, as no one has ever seen the chief spirit judge before. It will take some time to locate him,” he declared, his voice carrying a tone of reluctant acceptance.
Turning to Lilith, I couldn’t help but grin widely at the disbelief written all over her face. This was my chance to turn the tables and prove my innocence, and nothing could dampen my spirits now.
It was clear I had won this round.