by Cara Wylde
The councilors waited for everyone to take their seats, then Zachary Willamar cleared his throat. This made everyone in the courtroom fall silent.
“We have gathered here to determine if the peace treaty has been violated by members of the following three factions: the wolf-shifters,” the Councilor turned his eyes to the right side of the courtroom and looked at Max and Avelyn, “the fox-shifters, and the dragon-shifters. Fourteen humans were kidnapped in the month of June by a rogue she-wolf, Sabine Miller, who belonged to Clan Blackmane until recently. She bit them and turned them into werewolves shortly after kidnapping them with the intention of creating her own pack. She succeeded.”
There was complete silence in the courtroom. Of course, everyone knew these details, but hearing them from Councilor Willamar made them even more real.
“Sabine Miller is dead. She was killed two months ago during a battle between Clan Blackmane, her own, newly-formed pack, and two earths of fox-shifters under the command of Inari Jason Woodtail, who was supporting Sabine Miller. Viggo of Clan Drekinn sided with Clan Blackmane against the rogue wolves and the werefoxes, and the confrontation ended with many unfortunate deaths.”
Avelyn swallowed heavily and thought of Christine and Val. Max squeezed her fingers reassuringly. “Be strong,” he encouraged her telepathically.
“Now… what’s been done is done. We cannot change what happened and we cannot bring anyone back to life. From what we have gathered from both the newly-turned wolves who managed to escape the massacre and the members of Clan Blackmane, Sabine Miller was the only one to blame. However, Sabine Miller is no longer among us. What’s left for us to do is try to get to the bottom of this incident and see what exactly led to it. Those who are found guilty of violating the terms of the peace treaty will be punished accordingly.”
Councilor Willamar made a brief pause, and his eyes traveled from the front of the courtroom to the far back. He was a man who liked to be straight to the point, so his introductory speech was over. He was just taking his time to observe the humans and shape-shifters before him and determine how ready they were for what was to come.
“The first witness is a young woman who was living in Dunkelstadt, Germany with her sick mother just three months ago. She is the one who came to the Council right after the battle at Alma Venus Boarding School. I call Heidi Blecher to the stand.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the left side of the room, where a girl with chestnut hair and blue, sad eyes stood up. She walked towards the witness stand, never looking at the people around her. She was tall and quite plump, with creamy skin and a round, pleasant face. Avelyn studied her for long minutes. So, that was the girl who had gone to Councilor Voinom and told him everything. Heidi Blecher. She was just an innocent woman who wanted her life back.
Councilor Willamar was the one who asked her most of the questions, with the other councilors chiming in whenever they felt it was necessary. Heidi spoke slowly and carefully, with a strong German accent. It was obvious she was taking her time to pronounce the words correctly, to make sure everyone understood her. Her story was simple, and it didn’t seem like she was trying to blame anyone present. Sabine had kidnapped her while she was going home from work later than usual because she had had to work extra hours, and taken her to an abandoned building. There were two more people there, another woman and a man. They had tried to escape a couple of times, but the she-wolf’s incredible senses had made it impossible.
“When did Sabine Miller bite you?” asked the bear councilor.
“Soon after we started traveling north,” answered Heidi. “She had kidnapped two more people, and one night she came with this idea that we didn’t know how to appreciate her and what she did for us. She said she hadn’t chosen us randomly. For instance, she told me there was nothing waiting for me in Dunkelstadt and that my mother, who is suffering from cancer, is nothing but a burden to me. She said she had only chosen young, bright people who had all the reasons to hate their lives and want something else. She was crazy.”
The girl made a pause and took a sip of water.
“Then, she said it was okay… that she understood it wasn’t easy for us to embrace the change. She said she knew what she had to do: give us something special, a gift that would truly change our lives, make us stronger, faster, sharper… Make us like her. She bit us all that night, and in less than a week we already started to see the changes. Until the full moon, we had already reached Denmark and Sabine had kidnapped and bitten nine more men and women. Because we were all starting to grow stronger and faster, she was constantly watching us. We became friends… the kidnapped people, I mean. But the truth was that the changes were frightening us, and if Sabine had left us alone, we wouldn’t have run anyway. We knew that we’d turn completely during the full moon, and at least Sabine knew what would happen and how to make things easier for us. She kept saying how she was our friend, the only one who cared, and how much fun we’d have together.”
Heidi stopped, lost in thought. It was as if she couldn’t find the power to continue.
“And then, the night of the full moon came…” Willamar encouraged her.
“Yes.” She took another small sip of water, just enough to wet her lips. “Something happened. Not just our bones breaking and our bodies taking the form of wolves. Suddenly, she was there… in our minds… we couldn’t block her, we couldn’t keep her out. We had no idea something like this would happen, and some of us had even made plans to run away once she taught us how to control our transformation and cope with the wolf inside us. Fourteen newly-turned werewolves against one crazy she-wolf… there was no way she could have stopped us. But then… I don’t know how she did it and why it worked, but we just didn’t want to escape anymore. There was this… this feeling that we belonged with her, that she was our Alpha and we had to follow her everywhere. We didn’t even dare think about attacking her and running away because we were afraid she’d read our minds and get very, very angry. We weren’t afraid that she’d hurt us once she found out about our plan, but that she’d be disappointed… I… I don’t know.”
Heidi was staring into space, clearly unaware of the world around her. Avelyn looked at her big, blue eyes and shuddered. They showed how lost and confused she was. So, that was how powerful werewolf telepathy could be. She had had no idea. Now, the connection she shared with Max seemed like such a small, insignificant thing. Sabine had almost hypnotized these people!
“We understand,” said Councilor Willamar. It was weird to hear such a soft tone coming from a mountain of a man covered in war medals.
Councilor Voinom furrowed his bushy brows and shifted in his seat. “Unfortunately, Sabine Miller used an ancient gift wolf-shifters have given up on centuries ago. Telepathy. It can be terribly invasive and unpleasant, and it wouldn’t be the first time it was used to control the members of a pack. Please go on, Miss Blecher.”
“What I’m trying to say is that, deep down, none of us wanted to go after Avelyn Blackmane, but we couldn’t help it.” Her eyes searched for Avelyn. “Sabine’s story made sense at the time. We could feel her anger and desire to take revenge for all the years she had spent locked up, and it made sense… This is why we did it. This is why we followed her. When the silver dragon killed her, it was like the spell was suddenly broken and we woke up from a terrible dream. Unfortunately, by that time it was too late for many of us.”
“Miss Blecher,” said Councilor Christian Kwahu, the eagle-shifter, “as I see it, you’re not accusing anyone in this room of anything. So, if I may ask, what are your expectations from the Council?”
“Of course…” For a second, Heidi seemed to lose her focus. She turned slightly, her eyes fixing on Kwahu’s handsome face. He looked way too young to be a Councilor, and the discrepancy between his boyish physique and the position he held unnerved her. “I know Sabine is gone and we’re finally free from her, but this is not the life we wanted to have. At least… it’s not the life I want to have. I want to go bac
k to my mother, in Dunkelstadt, but I know things cannot be the same. I’m a werewolf now, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it, or if I’ll ever learn how to control my strong emotions and my tendency to move too fast, or… or… break things by merely touching them… I can’t blend in anymore. So… I think I just want the Council to find a way to help me out, you know? Help me make sense of this new condition so I can go back to my normal life one day. But, leaving that aside, I think I came to you because I don’t want this to happen to anyone else ever again. Yes, Sabine Miller is dead, but this doesn’t mean it’s over. Revenge is not what I’m looking for. I want justice. Everything Sabine did came as a reaction to what was done to her.”
Heidi turned to look at Max, and it was Avelyn’s turn to squeeze his hand. She knew what would follow. The girl would start telling everyone what Sabine had told her and the other wolves, and they were all lies. But this was why they were here: to expose them as lies. And they were ready.
Heidi Blecher’s testimony lasted half an hour more, and by the time she was done, all the members of Clan Blackmane who were in the courtroom were boiling with anger. She didn’t say anything they didn’t already know from their meeting with the Council, but it still had a terrible impact on them. What was worse was that the next witnesses, two men and one woman, said the same things. Four of Sabine’s victims had survived the battle at Alma Venus. Only four. Two women and two men who had no clue what to do with their new gift, and who knew their lives would never be the same. It made Avelyn sick to her stomach every time she thought of it.
Their story about the werefoxes was interesting, though. Asked about Jason Woodtail, the Alpha fox-shifter who had attacked the school together with Sabine and her pack, Heidi smiled and said he and Sabine were lovers.
“He was crazy about her. They met in Denmark, and it was love at first sight. From that point on, he never left her side. When she told him she had business to take care of back in the Black Forest Mountains, he refused to let her go alone. Jason…” Heidi’s voice choked a bit and she immediately reached for the glass of water. “Jason did some terrible things for her… I mean, I can see it now. At the time, they seemed to make sense. We even thought they were sweet.”
“What kind of things?” asked Councilor Redfur. He hadn’t been very talkative until then, and Avelyn noticed how distressed he was. Of course he would be. They were talking about his faction.
“He killed his step-brother. When Sabine told him she was heading back south and that she was preparing for the worst because Clan Blackmane is quite numerous, he tried to convince his step-brother to join them so we would have more manpower. With two earths of werefoxes, he said, we would have a better chance at defeating the Blackmanes. He was right, of course, but his step-brother wouldn’t hear of it. It was against the peace treaty, and he had no reason to risk so much for Jason’s sake, no matter how much he cared about him. He also said Sabine was a bad influence. So, Jason killed him. Just like that. Now that I think of it… it’s unbelievable how, regardless of their faction, shape-shifters have this… tradition… of following the strongest.”
Heidi’s observation made ninety percent of the people in the courtroom feel incredibly uncomfortable. It was true, but it wasn’t because of tradition. Not entirely. It was the way they were wired. In the werewolves’ case, as it had already been proved, it could be even worse. Wolves didn’t only have the tendency to follow the most dominant member in the clan or pack, but they could also be controlled if the Alpha knew how to use his or her telepathy gift.
“Thank you, Miss Blecher,” Jonathan Redfur didn’t seem to be more satisfied than before.
All four survivors told roughly the same story, though one of the men wasn’t as relaxed and calm as Heidi. He did want some kind of revenge, although he had no idea who exactly was supposed to suffer. Max Blackmane, probably, for doing what he did to Sabine, turning her into a madwoman. Heavy words were spoken, and Councilor Willamar did his best to keep everything professional. Finally, after all four witnesses had made their testimonies, Willamar called Max to the stand. The entire hour he spoke and answered the councilors’ questions, Avelyn squeezed Rosanna’s tiny hand. He was doing a great job, and soon the councilors and the jury were listening to him with interest, asking pertinent questions here and there. Avelyn hoped with all her heart that these men and women were intelligent and righteous enough to put two and two together and come to the obvious conclusion: Sabine had been a ruthless, insane woman who had told her pack and Jason, her lover, the exact things that she knew would get their compassion. How else could she have convinced them?
Karl and Jocelyn were next, and they carefully told the same story as Max. Yes, he had turned Sabine before the war. Yes, her family had been murdered in an… unfortunate accident. Avelyn watched Karl’s impassive expression when he completely avoided the subject of her parents’ and brother’s deaths. He did it so well that the Council never even thought of digging deeper into the matter. They all knew terrible things had happened during the war, and there had been many innocent victims. Sabine’s family had just happened to be among them. Avelyn didn’t feel comfortable with that, but she had no other choice. She had to go along with this version of the story. After all, what good would it do if they all began to dig up the past?
Why had Max locked Sabine up in the dungeon?
“A barbaric choice for the world we live in…” Councilor Grimmr observed.
Because he still loved her. Max said it first when he was at the witness stand, and Karl and Jocelyn repeated it. It made sense. It still hadn’t been the right thing to do. Avelyn almost started hyperventilating thinking of the sentence her husband would get. They wouldn’t let him get away with it, would they? Not even after half a century, when the people to whom it might have mattered were long dead. Rosanna caressed the back of her hand.
“Avelyn, if you need some fresh air…”
“No. I’m fine. I’m fine.” She struggled to breathe evenly. The baby kicked and she winced, her hand flying to her ribs. It was a good reminder that everything would be sorted out somehow. It had to be.
The three Betas were next. Kevin, Ryan, and Matt answered the Council’s questions politely and clearly, reinforcing what their Alphas had just testified. So far, everything was going smoothly. Avelyn would have loved to see Heidi Blecher’s reaction to what the Blackmanes at the stand were saying, but it was impossible from that position. She did hope the girl understood what Sabine had done and just how much she had actually manipulated all of them, including Jason Woodtail and his foxes.
By the time Matt, Karl’s Beta, concluded his testimony, Avelyn couldn’t focus anymore. She was thirsty and in terrible need of fresh air. The baby kept kicking her, having woken up an hour ago. She was also a bit hungry. Max pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, then to her cheeks. She was very flushed, but no, she didn’t want Dr. Stevens. When Councilor Willamar finally announced they were taking a break and meeting in an hour, she released a long breath of relief.
“Come on, let’s get some lunch.” Max helped her up, and they all headed to the nearest restaurant.
***
After a quick lunch and a huge glass of fresh lemonade, Avelyn felt like a whole new person. She knew she would soon be called to the witness stand, and she thanked the heavens it would happen after the break. With Max and Jocelyn’s help, she went over what she had to say one last time. There were only two things she wasn’t comfortable with, because they weren’t exactly true: one, that she found Sabine in the dungeon when she went exploring out of boredom and curiosity, not because she was trying to find a way to run away, and two, that she was one hundred percent human, as she had always been. Well, they were both half true. She couldn’t possibly tell the Council she had once intended to run away from her responsibilities as a shifter-bride, since it was against the peace treaty. It was odd how she was just realizing this. After all, none of them was completely innocent.
When Counci
lor Willamar’s booming voice called her name, Avelyn’s heart jumped in her chest. She stood up and forced herself to walk to the stand. She suddenly felt out of place… Everyone’s eyes on her, the members of the Council and the jury waiting to hear what she had to say… The pressure was too much, and she felt like she didn’t know what to do with herself anymore, how to move, what to do with her hands… “Move naturally, just move naturally,” she kept repeating to herself. “The stand is right there, two more steps, move naturally.” She felt like an impostor. Yes, that was it. Now that she had identified the problem, she didn’t feel any better. She was going to lie. Not about everything, just about two small details. Except… they weren’t that small. In her mind, they had grown to impressive proportions. They were weighing on her soul, making her shoulders slump slightly and tiny cramps stab at her stomach. She sat down behind the witness stand and took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep her back straight.
“Mrs. Blackmane,” began Zachary Willamar, “can you tell us how you first met Sabine Miller, your husband’s ex-wife?”
“Here we go…” thought Avelyn. Then she began to talk. She had no way of knowing it, but her voice was steady and her words were well-measured. The story made sense, there was not a single glitch in it, and the people in the council, the jury, and the audience listened to her as if they were entranced. Again, she didn’t know it, but the way she looked and held herself helped a lot. Her red hair was tied up in a loose, yet stylish bun, a couple of stray curls falling out of it to frame her heart-shaped face. Her sea-blue eyes moved from one councilor to another, the tiny wrinkle on her forehead when she furrowed her brows in concentration showing how serious she was, and how eager to answer their questions as clearly as possible. The elegant dress she was wearing under the classy business jacket fit her perfectly, and the way she involuntarily rested her hands on her baby bump from time to time, made everyone look at her in awe, especially the humans in the courtroom. She was the image of the ideal shifter-bride, the beautiful, intelligent woman who had embraced her destiny and managed to make the best of it. Watching her and noticing the impression she was making on everyone in the room, Max smiled to himself. If only they knew what a handful his wife could be…