Chapter 7: The Trial Begins Anna POV

I managed to get close enough to the front to see the council members sitting in their high-backed seats, their expressions grim and far away, after squeezing past a few others. The focal point of it all was Oliver, who stood straight and exuded an authority that made me want to pull back.

I finally got to see Leo. Two guards carried him to the front, injured and shaken, his gaze sweeping the room before meeting mine. His face briefly lit up with relief, and I clinched my hands, wishing him to remain resilient.

The whispers stopped when Oliver held out his hand. His cold, authoritative voice pierced the atmosphere. "You are charged with murder, Leo. We offer you a chance to speak even though the evidence is damning. You may explain yourself.” He waved his hand as though he were giving Leo the tiniest, most reluctant favor.

Leo inhaled deeply before starting, "I didn't do it," in a steady but low voice. "Yes, I did find the child, wounded, hurt, and alone. I heard him as I was walking past. He was... gone by the time I got to him."

The audience let out a few gasps, and I saw Leo's eyes shift to Oliver and stay fixed on him. “I was about to call for help when someone else arrived. The alarm was sounded at that point. But I swear on my life, I would never harm a pup. I was only trying to help.”

A skepticism-filled mutter echoed through the gathering. I could feel the weight of their collective judgment, their mistrust, bearing down on me. Looking around, I realized how difficult it would be to persuade anyone of Leo's innocence, and my heart plummeted.

A sarcastic smile tugged at the corner of Oliver's lips as he tilted his head. "So you just so happened to come across the boy in the forest, bleeding and by himself? And you want us to think that you didn't touch him?"

Leo clinched his jaw and turned to face Oliver. "I know the truth, Alpha, whether you believe me or not. I vouch for my innocence by all I value."

Oliver shook his head and laughed coldly. "Really a heartwarming tale," he grumbled. “But stories are not proof. And it will take more than just words to clear your name as you stand here, Leo, with blood on your hands."

Leo's shoulders drooped a little, but his eyes remained fixed. My voice seemed trapped in my throat as I wanted to yell at Oliver and tell the crowd that Leo wasn't lying. I was a poor omega who hardly had the right to be at a trial like this, and they would never listen to me.

Just then, someone touched my shoulder, and I turned to find Maia standing beside me, her face set with a look of fierce determination. She must have just been let out of the cells since she came right here with a steady, unflinching presence.

Her voice was barely audible over the tight silence as she muttered, "Anna, don't give up on him yet. Leo needs us to believe in him, even if no one else does.”

Having her by my side gave me a wave of reassurance, and I nodded. Something in my chest was calmed by Maia's remarks, and I felt a little more courageous. We all concentrated on Leo in the hopes that he would sense our unspoken encouragement.

The whispering had resumed, but Oliver cleared his throat to silence them. He replied, a twisted smirk on his lips, "Maybe we should hear from the one who found you, the witness who saw you with the child, since words alone seem insufficient."

Once more, the audience whispered, intrigued and ready for a show. Oliver motioned to the doorway, and I could feel the fear building in my stomach. “Bring in the witness.”

A figure entered the hall as the huge doors groaned open. I leaned forward out of reflex to get a closer look as my breath caught. It was the stranger, about whom I had been hearing rumors since the evening of the tragedy. He was taller than I had anticipated, and his keen eyes searched the room with an eerie calm confidence.

As he moved steadily and confidently toward the front, the audience became silent. Something about him appeared threatening, like a storm lurking just below the surface, and he exuded an air of authority that was different from the other visitors to our pack.

He stopped next to Oliver and looked over the crowd, then at Leo, then at me for a moment. Maia tensed up next to me as if she sensed the same weird energy in the air, and I felt a chill go down my spine.

Oliver held up a hand, signaling once more for silence. With a tone of satisfaction in his voice, he declared, "This is Lucas, a warrior from the nearby pack. He is a guest here and, by chance, happened to be present when the incident occurred. Tell us what you saw, Lucas."

Before speaking, Lucas cocked his head slightly and spoke in a cool, collected tone. He started by saying, "I heard a youngster sobbing while I was walking around the area, taking care of my own business. I went to look into it and discovered... this man"—pointing to Leo—"kneeling next to the blood-covered child's body."

The audience let out a gasp, and as I watched Lucas talk with a deliberately neutral expression, I felt my stomach turn. He appeared so confident, so unfazed by his words, that I could practically feel the weight of the group's judgment descend on Leo like a threatening fog.

Leo's face contorted in exasperation as his fists gripped the chains that bound him. He clinched his teeth and muttered, "I was trying to help. I'd never hurt anyone, much less a child."

A small smile played on Lucas's lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. However, it didn't seem like help when I saw you. It appeared to be guilt."

I felt rage rise in my chest and clinched my fists as the crowd grumbled. What gave him the confidence to say that? He knew nothing about Leo and didn't even know him! Here, however, his remarks carried more weight than any defense Leo could come up with.

Oliver's calculating eyes landed on Leo. He added, with a hint of derision, "It seems the evidence against you is overwhelming, Leo. In matters of justice, wouldn't you agree that the testimony of a guest from a neighboring pack carries significant weight?"

Leo remained silent, his shoulders hunching a little under the charge. The guards around the perimeter were keeping a tight eye on me, and I knew that if I protested, I would probably be punished. I wanted to run forward and defend him.

Leaning close, Maia spoke in a ferocious whisper. "We can't just sit here and do nothing, Anna. We both know that he is innocent, but they are railroading him."

Despite feeling powerless, I nodded. Even if it meant using every last bit of my courage, I would find a way to show Leo was innocent.

However, a peculiar sense of fear descended upon me as I turned to face Lucas, who had gone back to his spot next to Oliver. I was really uneasy about something in his eyes that seemed... familiar.

Maia firmly grasped my arm and said, "Anna. Don’t give up. Leo needs us.”

I nodded as a feeling of dread crept over me, my eyes never leaving Lucas. I had a feeling that this stranger's presence was just the beginning of a series of events.