As everyone streamed out of the trial hall, the air was filled with the murmur of voices, their whispered whispers carrying a mixture of judgment and expectation. In order to confer with the council elders and determine Leo's destiny, Oliver had called a timeout. However, I recognized the expression in his eyes—he was relishing the agony, extending the verdict to relish every moment of Leo's pain and the fear that was screaming through me.
With my heart racing, I looked around for Lucas as the crowd poured into the courtyard. Since the start of the trial, the so-called "witness" had been the focus of attention, and his words had been driving a cold blade further and deeper into my chest. Whether he realized it or not, I had to face him and make him recognize the harm he was doing.
At last I saw him at the steps, chatting softly with a few of our fighters. He had a calm, assured stance. Anger made my stomach turn. After what he had done, how could he appear so composed?
I ignored the glares and whispered comments aimed at me as I forced my way through the crowd. They hardly noticed; my attention was on him, on the necessity of facing him. Before I had a chance to consider it, I spoke as soon as I got near him.
"You're mistaken about Leo!" I yelled, raising my voice above my desired volume, drawing the attention of some close bystanders. “You don’t know him at all. You just condemned an innocent man.”
Lucas turned, focusing his sharp gaze on me. He was taken aback, as if he hadn't anticipated being questioned. As he assessed me, a slight frown came over his face.
“And you are…?” he raised an eyebrow coolly. "I don't remember seeing you at the trial, for some reason."
"My name is Anna." Even though his stare made me feel vulnerable, as like he could see every thought I had, I folded my arms and tried to stand my ground. "The closest thing to family that I have is Leo. I was raised by him. Plus, he didn't do the things you're accusing him of."
Something flickered across his face, maybe amusement, perhaps pity. I was unable to tell. However, he remained in his position, unconcerned by my accusations. "I just told them what I saw," he said in a level manner. "Your 'family' was in the middle of the woods, huddled around a dead pup, covered in blood. Tell me, Anna, what I should make of that."
I clinched my fists, trying to maintain a steady voice. “He was trying to help that pup. Nobody, especially a child, would ever be harmed by Leo. You're distorting the facts and making them into something they're not."
Lucas's eyes were sharp as he observed me. "You appear to be quite sure that he is innocent. But certainty isn’t proof, is it?”
My chest blazed with anger. "You have no right to judge someone's destiny based on your perception of what you witnessed. Maybe you didn’t understand what was really happening.”
He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head. "Perhaps. Or perhaps your devotion to a man who is obviously concealing something has blinded you."
"Or perhaps you're mistaken!" I didn't care that my voice was getting louder and attracting more attention from the onlookers. I needed him to get it. “Leo didn’t kill anyone. All his life, he has been devoted to this group. And because of you, he is now being punished for something he did not do."
Lucas continued to look at me, and I noticed a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. However, he shook his head and let out a gentle exhale, perhaps rejecting the idea.
He said, his voice lower now, "Listen. I recognize how difficult this is for you. But I’ve given my account to the Alpha. I have no influence over what he decides to do with it."
"You mean you don't care?" I retorted, my words tinged with resentment.
There was a hint of something inscrutable in his eyes as he gazed at me. "No, I didn't say that."
I was about to press further when a sharp bell rang out, signaling that the trial was about to resume. After giving a single, somewhat respectful nod, Lucas turned back to face the hallway. As we returned to the crowd gathered around the door, Maia's hand on my shoulder grounded me.
Leo's face was white but resolute as the guards escorted him back to the front, his hands still bound. He glanced at me and gave me the smallest nod, a tacit hint to keep going. Knowing that he was battling for me as much as for himself gave me a rush of pride.
Oliver stood in the front, his eyes gleaming predatorily as he scanned the audience. He was obviously relishing every moment of having control over Leo's destiny. Around him, the elders sat in a semicircle, their looks grim and unreadable.
Oliver said in a voice that reverberated down the hallway, "We have taken the evidence into consideration. But there is one final question that needs to be addressed before we render a judgment."
He looked at Lucas, who was standing directly behind him with his arms crossed over his chest and appeared composed. Oliver called, his voice tinged with satisfaction, "Lucas. Do you think Leo is guilty of this crime based on what you witnessed?"
Everyone in the crowd grew silent as they turned to face Lucas and awaited his answer. Leo tensed up in front of me, his breath catching, and as the silence drew on, I could feel my own heartbeat quicken.
Like he was weighing something, Lucas's eyes strayed to Leo and then momentarily to me. Despite the fear that had gripped me from the start of the trial, I held my breath as an odd hope rose in my chest.
Then, at last, he said something.
"No," he answered in a firm and unambiguous voice. "Leo is not guilty, in my opinion."
Shocked gasps and whispers filled the hall. Oliver looked at Lucas with a mix of incredulity and rage, his face contorted in hardly disguised rage and his jaw clinched. Leo's expression changed to one of surprise and relief as his eyes expanded and he turned back to face me.
I was astounded, too. I figured Lucas would automatically condemn Leo after what he had said. But here he was, in front of the whole pack, denying Leo's guilt while contradicting both Oliver and himself.
Oliver's harsh, piercing voice broke through the chaos. "Lucas, would you contradict what you said? You, who was there when it happened?"
Lucas remained steadfast and calmly met Oliver's stare. "I'm not claiming that what I witnessed didn't occur. However, I have cause to question whether Leo was the culprit. Things aren't always as easy as they seem."
For the first time since the trial started, I felt a glimpse of hope when a murmur of agreement echoed through the crowd. Maybe, just maybe, Leo would be spared.
As everyone streamed out of the trial hall, the air was filled with the murmur of voices, their whispered whispers carrying a mixture of judgment and expectation. In order to confer with the council elders and determine Leo's destiny, Oliver had called a timeout. However, I recognized the expression in his eyes—he was relishing the agony, extending the verdict to relish every moment of Leo's pain and the fear that was screaming through me.With my heart racing, I looked around for Lucas as the crowd poured into the courtyard. Since the start of the trial, the so-called "witness" had been the focus of attention, and his words had been driving a cold blade further and deeper into my chest. Whether he realized it or not, I had to face him and make him recognize the harm he was doing.At last I saw him at the steps, chatting softly with a few of our fighters. He had a calm, assured stance. Anger made my stomach turn. After what he had done, how could he appear so composed?I ignored the g
"So, Lucas," Oliver said in a tone laced with bitter laughter as he paced in front of the audience, his cold gaze fixed on the man who had the audacity to disagree with him. "Want to explain this abrupt change of heart?"Lucas kept a straight face, but I could see that the significance of Oliver's remarks wasn't lost on him. The murmurs of the gathering increased, sending a wave of uncertainty and bewilderment through the assembled wolves. Some of them gave me a sidelong glance, hatred and distrust lingering in their eyes as though Leo's innocence threatened them directly.To his credit, Lucas did not back down. With a steady, unwavering voice, he calmly responded, "Alpha, I didn't change my statement. I just stated that Leo is not necessarily guilty of the crime itself, even though I saw him close to the body."Oliver gave me the kind of half-smile that made my stomach turn. "Oh, I see. So maybe, Lucas,” he added, speaking to the audience, “someone slipped a few nice words or maybe e
“Anna,” Lucas started, his voice low, but I didn’t stop walking. I was unable to. Every time I remembered his face and his hesitating remarks during that trial that found Leo guilty, my blood burned. With shaking hands, I pushed past him and yelled, "Get out of my way." After Oliver's announcement, the crowd had dispersed, but I could still hear the buzzing in my ears. "Hold on." Lucas’s hand brushed my arm, and I yanked it away. “You have to believe me. I didn’t...” "What did you not do? Put an innocent man in jail? Allow them to execute Leo for a crime he didn't commit." With heated tears running down my cheeks, I broke my voice. “You stood there and said he wasn’t guilty, and then you let it happen anyway. Just give me some space."His gaze grew gloomy. “I’m sorry, I...” With anger in every word, I snarled, "Don't you dare apologize. If you cared, you wouldn’t have been here to destroy his life in the first place.” He looked at me as if he had more to say, but I wasn't in
I was startled awake by a loud, persistent hammering on the door. As the mist of sleep cleared and was replaced by fear, my heart pounded. Maia's eyes fluttered open as she stirred in the corner, her gentle snores breaking. This time the pounding was louder. "Open up, Anna!" A deep voice let out a bark. With my bare feet touching the cold floor, I clambered off the thin mattress. Maia gave me a worried look but remained silent. Two guards with stony faces loomed as I pulled the door open. “It’s time,” one said gruffly. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat. “Time for what?” Even though I knew the answer, I muttered. The other guard answered, "The Alpha has given you one last chance with the traitor." "Leo," I uttered, my voice wavering. They moved aside and gestured for me to come along. Maia took hold of my wrist. Despite the fear in her eyes, she said firmly, "I'll follow you." The guards looked at her doubtfully but remained silent. The cold morning air
"Get up. You need to move."Maia's voice was gentle, but she held my shoulders tightly. I remained motionless. My mind was a dense fog, and my legs felt like lead. Every time I closed my eyelids, the picture of Leo's dead body dangling from the gallows blazed behind them. Sharp and oppressive, the weight of it pressed against my chest."Anna, we can't stay here," Maia uttered in a tremulous whisper. "They’re watching."I looked up and blinked. Murmurs and whispered conversations filled the air as the crowd dispersed. Oliver appeared, his arrogant face piercing the mist of my sorrow like a blade. As if the execution of an innocent man were just another ordinary occurrence, his Luna stood next to him, her face expressionless.With her voice falling to a plea, Maia pulled at my arm once more. "We need to go now."As I stood up, my legs swayed. Maia supported me by putting an arm around my waist. The world around me
"Who's there?" My voice cracked, but I couldn't keep the words from coming out.The forest was of me, a black abyss that appeared alive. A soft but chilling whisper slithered through the silence, the same one I'd heard before."Anna…"The sound caused my heart to stutter. My chest rose and fell in uneven bursts as I clutched the doorframe for stability. The whisper had come from the woods, far away but impossibly close, and now the glow, the faint, unearthly light, danced like a will-o'-the-wisp, drawing me into the darkness.I should have stayed indoors. I should have barred the door and ignored it, but my legs failed me. I took one step after another until the cold grass crunched beneath my bare feet."Anna…" The voice called again, softer this time, like a lover's murmur.I paused, looking back at the house. Its warm glow was dim, and the thought of Maia sleeping inside made me uneasy. Should I wake her? Should I drag her into the craziness?The light glowed again, catching my atte
Since the hanging, the pack's tension had increased. I barely noticed the murmured conversations as I passed. Leo's trial, Anna's accusing stare, and the constant reminder that I might have made a mistake, an unforgivable one were all replayed in my head nonstop. I stood on the ridge close to the edge of the the forest, looking at Anna's house dim light. I couldn't sleep, and guilt was like a restless beast, eating away at my thoughts. Leo's blood-stained hands, the boy's lifeless body, and the wild fear in Leo's eyes when I sounded the alarm were all details from that night that clawed their way back, clearer now. I sighed and ran a hand over my hair. "What if I was mistaken?" I was repeating the question to myself. The stronger smell of blood had nearly overpowered the rogue aroma close to the spot. Back then, I should have followed my gut, but duty—the urge to take action—had taken precedence over all other considerations. I was bei
"Anna!" When Maia's upbeat voice cut through the fog of fatigue covering my thoughts, my heart leaped. She shocked me, the cold handle cutting into my palm, and I realized how tightly I'd been holding the bucket of soapy water. I tried to hide the wave of feelings roiling inside of me by forcing a smile. "Hey," I said, keeping a steady tone. "How are you doing?" Maia tilted her head in question. Her green eyes, full of worry, looked over my face. "You've spent the entire day off." I lied and looked away, saying, "I'm fine. Just worn out." Tired was not even close to explaining it. Ever since Lucas had noticed the mark on my wrist, I had been nervous. The unsolved questions hung between us like a chain, and I could still feel his eyes cutting into me. As quickly as I could, I rolled my sleeve down, but the harm was already done. He saw it. And he was fully aware that I was different. As I scrubbed, the cold council hall's stone floor bit my knees. The smell of pine disinf
With my luggage draped over my shoulder and a weary but determined heart, I stood at the edge of the woodland. Beside me were Lucas and Maia, whose faces reflected mine: a mixture of resolve and melancholy.Cain came toward us, his eyes full of resolution but his face etched with fatigue. Although he had been among Oliver's most devoted soldiers, the insurrection had altered him. We were leaving him in control after he had fought with us and put his life in danger for the pack."Are you sure about this?" he said softly.I gave a nod. "Cain, you're the greatest option. You are trusted by the pack. They will follow you."He paused, his eyes darting between Maia and Lucas. "How about the three of you? Where are you going?""Somewhere new," was all I said. "A place where we can start again."Cain's face softened as he nodded. "You've done enough for this pack. More than sufficient. Go if this is what you need. We'll be alright."I said my
In the broken remnants of Nightshade's great hall, the firelight wavered, creating unsettling shadows on the stone walls. I had nothing left to offer the pack, but they continued to hover, perhaps awaiting guidance. There was still a weight in my chest. I didn't feel like I had won, even though Oliver was defeated and his rule was overthrown by the people he used to rule.Sitting next to me on a splintered wooden bench, Maia was looking off into space as she absently traced a scar over her arm. Ever the guardian, Lucas stood a few feet away, his gaze sweeping the still audience.After a long pause, Lucas whispered, "They need a leader." He spoke in a quiet, wary tone. "Someone to rebuild what's left."Slowly, I nodded. "They need someone," I said, then looked over at Maia.She stiffened as I stared at her. "Don't even think about it."I cocked my head. "Why not?"She gave a dry laugh, but it was devoid of any humor. "Becaus
The trumpet's call echoed through the broken remains of Nightshade, a sound that once sent fear rippling through the pack but now carried a different weight. A summons. A reckoning.I stood in the heart of the pack's gathering grounds, where months ago, I had watched Leo be condemned to death. My fingers tightened into fists at my sides as I forced myself to take in every detail... the stone platform, the lofty arches, the wooden beams above that had once felt oppressive. The torches flickered, casting long shadows against the walls, just like they had that night.Only this time, it wasn't Leo standing before the pack.It was Oliver.He was on his knees in the center of the hall, bound, his body battered and broken. Blood matted his dark hair, his once-imposing body slumped forward in exhaustion. The very warriors who had formerly battled under him stood around the perimeter of the hall, their gazes flitting between me and the fall
There was silence on the battlefield.The silence was not one that resulted from relief or tranquility. It was the thick, stifling type that comes after a storm, as though the world itself was holding its breath. The ground was covered in fallen people, and the air was heavy with the smell of smoke and blood. With a mixture of amazement and incredulity, the rebels who had survived the slaughter and were still standing glanced at Anna.Oliver was lying at her feet, immobile and broken. His burnt body stood out sharply against the blood-soaked ground below, and his once-imposing figure had now collapsed into a crumpled heap. He was not yet dead, but he was very nearly so. His chest rose and fell in weak, irregular spasms, and his breaths were shallow.With her shoulders heaving and her hands still burning dimly from the last of her power, Anna stood over him. Her hair was knotted and wild, and her face was stained with blood and filth, but her ey
All I could do was observe.My entire existence begged me to step in, step in, and support Anna as she faced Oliver alone. However, I was unable to.I shouldn't.This was her fight.Standing opposite Oliver, Anna's body was bruised and covered in blood, yet her unwavering will remained burning. I had never seen the raw electricity crackle in the air around her before. It was hazardous, untamed, and wild. There was nothing weak about the dim glow that flickered from her palms, like a fading ember. The ground beneath her boots seemed to be reacting to her, quivering in expectation of what lay ahead.Oliver rolled his shoulders and grinned as though this were merely a minor annoyance. I shuddered at his self-assurance. For so long, he had ruled by terror, destroying anybody who tried to oppose him. He now considered Anna to be simply another idiot who believed they could prevail.However, she wasn't.
The battlefield was a bloody, chaotic nightmare.The night was filled with screams as the rebels gave it their all in battle, but Oliver's forces were unrelenting and mercilessly defeated us. My muscles ached from the never ending battle, and I was breathing in ragged breaths, but there was no time to pause. Another life was lost with every second that passed.Maia was down.Across the field, I saw her fall, hitting the ground with a horrible crack. As I surged at her, avoiding an enemy's claws at the last second, my stomach knotted in terror."Maia!" I fell on my knees next to her. Her breathing was shallow, and blood was leaking from a deep wound along her shoulder.Her body trembled uncontrollably as she attempted to push herself up. "I'm fine," she rasped, but I could tell she wasn't."You're not," I said as I applied pressure to the cut. My palm was stained by the warmth of her blood, and my chest developed a hollow hole.Lucas s
Every breath was tinged with the weight of what lay ahead, and the night air was heavy with stress. The rebels' bodies were tense with expectation as they stood at the forest's edge, concealed by the thick undergrowth. The clearing where Oliver's fortress stood in the distance was stricken with weird shadows as moonlight seeped through the treetops.To steady myself, I shifted my weight and clenched my fingers into fists. I thought the others could hear how loudly my heart was beating.I heard a sharp crack to my left. I snapped my head in the direction of the sound, every muscle in my body tensing up.Beside me, Lucas stiffened, his hand already reaching for his blade. Maia froze, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows.Out of the darkness came two bright golden eyes.For a painful moment, I mistakenly believed it to be one of Oliver's scouts. Then the figure moved closer, a solitary, gaunt wolf with ribs showing through its m
"It’s almost time."It wasn’t just a statement; it was a reckoning. The kind of words that carried the gravity of everything we had fought for, everything we had lost, and everything we stood to lose. Even though he was trying so hard to hide it, I could detect the slight tremor behind his firm tone. It was the shudder of a man who was preparing for what was about to happen.I let out a breath and looked out over the area of land in front of us. As though the world itself were holding its breath for what was about to happen, the night was strangely calm. Tension permeated the air, the kind that caused your chest to tighten and your skin to prickle. Long, jagged shadows were cast over the assembled rebels by the orange glare of distant fires. As though they were restless too, the flames danced madly, reflecting the uneasiness that descended upon us all.With low murmurs and deliberate movements, the rebels moved in quiet tones. Each one of
"This is a bad idea."Standing next to me and gazing at the man in front of us, Maia spoke sharply and crossed her arms. Every dissident wolf in the room was on full alert, and the tension was palpable. The stench of mistrust was nearly oppressive.Ronan, the man in question, stood still, his palms raised in a gesture of peace. He was a warrior who had assisted Oliver in enforcing his harsh reign and had previously been one of his top enforcers. He said that he had now turned against him.I did no trust him. However, I couldn't overlook what he had to offer. Ronan's voice was steady as he said, "I don't blame you for being wary. But raw power alone won't cut it if you want to defeat Oliver. You must be aware of what you're getting into.""And we’re supposed to believe you suddenly grew a conscience?" With his arms resting on his enormous chest, Cain scoffed. "You think we forgot what you did?"Ronan's mou