Chapter 261

Hannah

The crowd fell into a low murmur as I walked into the Alpha Council chambers, my all-female security team flanking me and Viona close behind.

As we made our way down the aisle, I could hear the whispers and sneers from some of the males in the audience. Their eyes raked over me and my team in the most unabashed of ways, no matter that we were in a court of law.

“Look at that, a girl’s night out,” one muttered, eliciting chuckles from his nearby companions.

Another voice carried across the room, “I wonder if she’s here to bake us all cookies.”

I gritted my teeth but held my head high, resisting the urge to say something nasty in return. Their words were just pathetic attempts at getting a rise out of me just to say they could, and I had more important matters to focus on today.

After all, today was the day of my cousin’s trial before the Alpha Council.

As we approached the front of the chamber, I saw Alvin already sitting beside his lawyer, looking just as smug as ever.

But then his eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of something—fear—pass his face for the briefest of moments before his arrogant mask quickly slipped back into place.

Good.

Taking a deep breath, I passed by him and stopped in the center of the room, where the Alpha Council was seated around a semicircular panel facing the crowd.

Every Alpha on the Council was here today. All except one; Drake, of course, given his personal history with me, was exempt from sitting on the Council today.

As I stood in front of the Council, the room seemed to go deafeningly silent. One of the Alphas at the center of the table leaned forward, his cold gray eyes raking over me as if appraising me.

“Luna Hannah,” he said, gesturing to me. “Welcome—”

“It’s Alpha Hannah now,” I corrected without missing a beat. I felt Viona stiffen beside me, a snicker rippling across the audience.

The Alpha set his jaw, but nodded. “My apologies, Alpha Hannah. Let us continue.”

Taking a deep breath, I turned to face the rest of the Council. “Honorable members of the Alpha Council, I stand before you today to accuse my cousin, Alvin, of intentionally poisoning me in an attempt to kill the Silvermoon heir. With your permission, I would like to call my first witness to the stand. Jen, please step forward.”

Jen approached, looking nervous and so much smaller in her neat button-down and trousers—an outfit that I’d had to provide for her just hours before, seeing as how she pretty much only owned enormous hoodies.

“Jen, can you please tell the Council the name of your online alias?”

She swallowed hard, big eyes darting around the Council. “WhiteRabbit,” she finally said.

I think I saw Alvin’s shoulders tense.

“Thank you, Jen,” I said with a warm smile. “Now, could you please tell the Council of your history with Alvin? Starting from the beginning.”

She nodded, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Alvin reached out to me a few years back—said he had a job for me. He provided me with diet pills and instructed me to sell them to Alpha Hannah.”

Jen paused, sucking in a deep breath, then continued, “I really needed the money, so I took the job. It wasn’t until two years later that I tested one of the pills and found contraceptives inside.” She shook her head, her pale face somehow going even paler. “I didn’t know, at the time, why he wanted to give his cousin contraceptives. I knew it was wrong, though; and I told him as such. But he told me to keep selling, otherwise he would report me to the Alpha of Darkmoon.”

“And did you keep any record of your interactions with my cousin?” I prompted.

“Yes,” Jen replied, pulling out her phone. “I saved all of our text messages. I knew... I knew what we were doing was wrong, and I wanted to have proof in case things went south.”

“‘Keep selling or I’ll make sure you get locked up in the grimiest cell there is in Darkmoon,’” she read. “‘And that’s assuming I don’t decide to take you as my own prisoner. I wonder which would be worse…’”

Jen paused, glancing up at me and then at Alvin before continuing meekly. “‘To become my slave, or for a pretty little thing like you to be thrown in a Darkmoon prison with lots of other males to fight over you.’”

I suppressed a shudder at that; even the crowd murmured nervously. Turning to the Council—and ignoring my cousin’s piercing stare—I said, “I believe the evidence my witness just presented speaks for itself, Alphas.”

The Council looked around at each other, speaking in hushed tones. Some nodded, their gazes growing stony as they glanced at my cousin.

However, before any of them could speak, Alvin’s lawyer jumped up. “Objection. How can we trust the word of a criminal? Someone who has fled from Darkmoon and sought asylum in Silvermoon? Jen, also known as WhiteRabbit, is a known drug dealer in Darkmoon pack.”

The same Alpha from before nodded. “The objection is noted. Alpha Hannah, do you have any other evidence to corroborate this testimony?”

I had anticipated this, of course. “Yes, your honor. I understand your concerns,” I replied coolly. “Which is why I would like to call my next witness to the stand. Alpha David of Darkmoon, please step forward.”

A collective gasp went through the room as David entered. I could feel the tension rise, everyone all too aware of the animosity between us.

“Alpha David,” I began, “can you please tell the Council about Alvin’s recent behavior in Darkmoon?”

David’s testimony was damning. He spoke of Alvin’s drinking, his visits to prostitutes, his public indecency, having to arrest him and give him back to me like an unruly brat. And then, he dropped the bombshell.

“I have here,” David said, holding up a tablet, “security camera footage of Alvin bragging about his crimes to a prostitute.”

“‘The bitch will never sire a little brat of her own,’” my cousin’s voice echoed through the chamber. “‘She’s such a dumb whore who only cares about being skinny, she’ll probably even take enough pills to kill herself before too long.’”

I winced at the recording, but kept my shoulders pulled back.

“‘Don’t you feel… I don’t know… Bad about doing that to her?’” the prostitute replied. “‘She’s your relative, and—’”

“Sorry, am I here to listen to you spew shit out of your mouth or to fuck you? Roll over.’”

As the video ended, I could see the shock on the Council members’ faces turn to fury. Alvin’s smug expression had vanished, replaced by a sickly pallor.

After a palpable silence, one of the Council members turned to me, his brow furrowed. “Alpha Hannah, this is quite... unexpected. Your alliance with Alpha David, given your recent history…”

I nodded and replied, “We have made amends for the sake of justice.”

I glanced at David, whose jaw was set hard. I recalled our meeting from two weeks ago all too well, and the treaty we’d made still didn’t sit right. But for the sake of justice, and tentative peace…

It would be worth it.

As the Council retreated to deliberate, I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach. I had played all my cards. Now, all I could do was wait.

…

The minutes ticked by like hours.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the Council members filed back into the room. The same Alpha from before stood to give their decision, and I found myself clutching Viona’s hand like a vise.

“After careful consideration of the evidence presented,” the Alpha began, “we have come to a decision. Alvin, please rise.”

Alvin stood, his face a mask of feigned indifference, but I could see the fear in his eyes.

He knew he was going to prison.

And he wouldn’t be getting out.

“Alvin, you have been found guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy against an Alpha. You are hereby sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Furthermore, you are stripped of all pack rights and privileges. Do you understand these terms?”

Only then did Alvin’s facade crack, his face contorting with rage. “This… This is bullshit!” he shouted, whirling on his heel and striding toward me. “You can’t do this to me!”

I stepped back, allowing my guards to form a tight circle around me. My head guard let a feral snarl rip from her throat, claws extending. But the bailiff was already yanking Alvin back and cuffing him.

“You fucking bitch!” Alvin shrieked, spittle flying from his mouth. “You’re going to pay for this! You think I worked alone? You really are just as dumb as you look if that’s what you really think!”

“Alpha Hannah, want me to…?” My head guard turned to me, cracking her neck and nodding toward Alvin.

The thought of seeing Alvin being beaten to a pulp in front of everyone was tempting. But no; I wouldn’t give him, or anyone else for that matter, the satisfaction. So I shook my head, a tiny smile playing on my lips.

“No. That won’t be necessary.”

“This isn’t over, Hannah!” Alvin shouted as the guards dragged him out in handcuffs. “And you know it!”