Mrs. Castell notices Heidi at the sa ti. Her grief morphs instantly into rage.
She stands so fast her chair screeches backward. "You!" she screams, voice breaking. "You cursed thing!"
The courtroom erupts. Pack soldiers move imdiately, intercepting her as she throws herself forward, hands clawing in Heidi’s direction.
"She did this!" Mrs. Castell sobs, thrashing. "She ruined my family! She poisoned the land! She stole everything from us!"
"Mrs. Castell, sit down," a soldier orders.
"No!" She points at Heidi, wild-eyed. "She needs to die! She needs to be killed to appease the Goddess! The land is rotting because of her!"
Gasps ripple through the crowd. Heidi stands rooted, heart pounding.
It’s sad, really, she ponders. Despite everything that’s happened, the woman still hasn’t learned from her own mistakes. She didn’t know that if she had been a better woman and wife, her husband might have never cheated, if she had been a better mother, her son would have found peace in being with the love of his life, her daughter would never have considered raising a weapon at a fellow girl okay just because she’s of a lower status.
But okay, let’s bla the Moon Blessed.
Morgan’s forehead puckers. "Say another word, and I’ll personally ensure you never speak in this court again."
That stops the woman whose eyes flick to Morgan and whatever she sees there drains the fight from her body. She collapses back into her seat, sobbing brokenly as she pulls Sierra into her arms. Sierra buries her face in her mother’s chest, shaking.
Heidi’s throat burns.
This is my fault, a voice whispers cruelly.
Her wolf growls low. "No, it’s not. They suffer from the consequences of their actions."
True that, she concurs.
She’s guided to her seat. The stone bench is cold beneath her fingers. More officials arrive; elders, judges, pack leaders. They greet the heirs with asured nods, so with smiles that don’t reach their eyes. Handshakes are exchanged. Alliances acknowledged.
The gallery continues to fill until movent at the far entrance site stirs the crowd. The NAY boys arrive.
Nash strides in first with his usual sharp grin, though it falters briefly when he spots the heirs. Ace follows casually like this isn’t a eting that can make or break an innocent girl’s life. Their sisters trail behind, all well-dressed, whispering among themselves.
"Sierra’s crew. They’ll surely testify against us." Her wolf hisses.
Heidi is about to agree when she spots Val. Heidi’s heart skips at the sight. She wouldn’t have been able to locate her friend had she not walked beside Ace, close enough that their arms brush. She looks composed, confident. When her eyes et Heidi’s across the room, she lifts her hand subtly and signs, ’you’ve got this’.
Heidi responds in kind, a small, shaky smile forming.
Morgan notices. He scowls. "You have got to be kidding . This all started with their awful sisters."
Ace catches it and flashes a crude hand sign right back. Grayson scoffs quietly.
"Even in a court, these idiots will still bicker?" Her wolf pipes up judgentally.
An official steps forward, addressing the room in an amplified manner. "The court will co to order. Please remain calm as we await the Alpha’s arrival."
Calm. Heidi almost laughs. The word is like an insult considering how there’s nothing calm about the situation.
The murmurs don’t stop imdiately. They thin out, lower into a constant undercurrent of whispers that crawl along the walls and seep into her bones. Judgnt doesn’t need volu to be lethal.
She sits very still.
The bench beneath her is cold enough to bite through the fabric of her dress. She presses her palms flat against her thighs, grounding herself in the sensation. Don’t shake. Don’t fold inward. Don’t give them the satisfaction.
Darien stands just behind her seat, tall and immovable. She can feel him there without looking, a steady heat at her back. Grayson flanks the other side, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Morgan leans lazily against a pillar nearby, posture loose like a blade pretending to nap.
Her wolf lifts her head. "This place slls like rot," she murmurs.
It does.
Old power. Old grudges. Old laws that pretend neutrality while sharpening their knives. Heidi swallows and lets her gaze drift around the courtroom. Every section tells a story.
The elders sit higher than everyone else, their robes heavy with embroidery that signifies rank and years survived. So watch her with open distaste. Others with clinical curiosity, as though she’s a puzzle they’ll enjoy dissecting. A few won’t et her eyes at all.
Cowards.
The pack mbers fill the lower tiers. Mothers clutching handkerchiefs. Fathers with jaws set hard. Young wolves pretending indifference while watching the heirs like they’re the real spectacle.
And then there are the girls.
They lean forward in their seats, whispering behind their hands, eyes flicking between Darien, Grayson, Morgan—and then back to Heidi with contempt and envy.
Her wolf bristles." They want what you have."
I don’t want this, Heidi thinks back bitterly.
"Too bad."
She exhales slowly.
Across the room, Mrs. Castell rocks slightly as she holds Sierra, her fingers tangled in her daughter’s dull hair like she’s afraid Sierra might dissolve if she lets go. Sierra’s eyes are unfocused now, staring at nothing, her body trembling faintly.
A dic stands nearby, ready to attend to the unstable Castell heiress. Heidi looks away. Pity is dangerous here. It can be twisted into guilt, and guilt can be weaponized.
Still, her chest aches.
If she hadn’t raised the blade, Heidi thinks, throat tight, none of this would’ve happened.
That truth doesn’t comfort her the way it should. But why is Mr. Castell absent? She wonders. Shouldn’t he be here to sit and stand beside his wife and daughter?
Movent near the doors causes an uproar through the crowd. Soldiers straighten and the whispers sharpen.
Darien’s hand cos down briefly on Heidi’s shoulder in a single, firm squeeze to brace her.
"Father... ugh, the Alpha is arriving," Grayson murmurs under his breath.
Her pulse spikes as she sighs heavily. This is it.
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