5 The King's Arrival

"My esteemed council elders, she had intended to blame me for the pregnancy, which she was aware of prior to joining the pack. She never told me that she had dated someone else. She was just a whore, even though she swore to me that she was a virgin."

"Mason! That's a lie and you know it. You can't...."

"Quiet! She was interrupted by the white-haired, amber-eyed council head. "You have no right to speak here!"

Scarlett opened her eyes and dragged herself to a sitting position. Her trial of yesterday had turned into a nightmare. She knew that it would be this way.

Her former mate, Mason, showed up to testify against her. It was the apex of heartbreak; she felt as though she had experienced her worst nightmare and it had followed her.

As she shifted on the floor and rested her back against the cell, her head hammered against her skull. It might be due to inadequate sleep, the fact that she cried herself to sleep, not drinking enough water, or perhaps food. They have refused her basic needs that included food, water, and sleep, for the past four days that she had been there. She groveled to the satisfaction of the guards, pleading for everything before they would even give her a listening ear.

They didn't give her any food or drink because she wasn't strong enough to do any of it yesterday. She lost all of her powers and became a mere human as a result of the silver anklets around her ankles. She was aware that death was imminent given the torture she had already experienced.

Death did not sound so horrible after all; yesterday she had hoped that starvation or dehydration would take her life.

She wasn't prepared for the decision that would be made about her today. She was well aware of her fate. The worst punishment would be meted out to her. The biggest act of disobedience in Moonstone Town was having a child outside marriage; if the accused could not prove her innocence, the child would go to an orphanage and she would live out the rest of her days in the dungeon.

Since coming here, she had been mentally unstable because there was something terrible happening every day. She recalled that Luke, her adoptive father, had always advised her not to give up no matter what; nonetheless, the choice has now been taken away from her.

When she heard, "I see you're up and about today," she was still lost in thoughts. Behind her, outside the dungeon, Jack uttered those words.

"Please leave, Jack." The guard who'd made Scarlett beg for water these past two days was met with a frown.

"Are you certain about that?' He gave a sly smile. "Just show me a little of those boobies, begging is not necessary."

He was just as obnoxious as she thought, she thought with a sigh of annoyance. "Go away, leave."

"Do not behave like a saint, please," he mocked. "Your reason for being here is known to all of us. You were exposed for what you were. I take it that you're also carrying a bastard if I'm not mistaken." He chuckled to taunt her.

At first, she was reluctant to respond, but when she heard him refer to her child as a slut baby and a bastard, something within of her erupted, and she cursed.

"Stupid." She whispered to herself.

Jack must have heard her curse word because, without her knowledge, he struck her head with the wooden bat he was holding.

Her skull broke open from the collision, and blood gushed out of the crack and all over her face. Her healing power was negated by the anklets encircling her ankles, so her wound would not heal but instead kill her.

The anklets were made with powers far greater than her own, so she was unable to remove them.

She became weak as blood poured all over her face, body, and clothes. Her life seemed to be slipping away from her as her eyes grew weaker. She instantly realized that her death was imminent. After realizing what he had already done, Jack withdrew from the jail, leaving Scarlett by herself.

As she sat on the dungeon floor, her eyes gradually closed. This was it, the way out she had been hoping for, both for her child and herself. Her prayers were heard by the moon goddess. Even as she thought back on the few amazing memories she had made, she was grateful for them now that she was facing death.

Her eyes sparkled silver, a joyous tear flowed down her face, and she felt warmth depart her body. However, she felt the break in her skull mend in the same instant that her blood pressure dropped.

She was stunned to be alive and for the first minute was immobile. She then took a deep breath, and her lively, fluttering eyes showed it.

She looked at her blood-stained clothes, then back at her hands. Even though she should have died, she was still alive.

Her eyes glowed silver, and she recalled feeling warmth all over her body and then her wound healing immediately after. She was unable to explain what had happened. The fact that werewolf eyes never shine silver caused her to doubt her own sanity regarding what she believed had occurred.

"The moment is here! The council ordered to bring you." Said the other guard in command of the dungeon, Lucky. He slammed his baton against the cell bar and spoke, announcing his presence outside the cell.

Scarlett abruptly startled out of her reverie. She followed Lucky wordlessly, and he guided her to the Lycan court, where the council of seven elders regularly convened to consider cases.

Her clothes were now soaked in her blood, making her a complete mess, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The council's head came up, took her sentence in his hands, and said, "You have been declared guilty by the council after we heard the testimonies and considered the case."

A tear fell down her cheek at his words. Why didn't her parents report Leah for sleeping with Mason if morality was really so important? Was it any different from her previous actions? They nevertheless kept her safe and took care to keep her deed private—for her own sake.

They acted and treated her like she had committed a serious transgression, throwing her into the Lycan Court like a criminal. It didn't make any sense. Were they even her real parents? Despite having all these thoughts running through her mind, she said nothing.

"You are guilty of the counts of dishonesty and fraud, as well as of breaking your mate's vows and acting as a whore. You are hereby sentenced to..." Before he could finish speaking, the council drum was beaten.

In the following moment, the entire council lost its sense of direction. For the next second, fear and agitation were visible in their eyes, and a murmur started among them.

The woman next to him heard the elder on the left whispered in his ear. "Are we supposed to meet the Lycan king today?"

"We are not supposed to, that is for sure. His visit is not in line with the weekly schedule."

"Why do you think he's here today then?"

"Ron, I have no idea what is happening right now." She replied to him in a whisper.

They were all preoccupied with their own problems and forgot about Scarlett's presence. Despite her weariness, Scarlett's nose detected a scent that had been sticking in her memory for a while now.

This scent brought back a lot of memories. Then she wondered if her mind was escaping her like it usually did when she was way younger.

Though it was on her mind, she knew she had reached her breaking point and would gladly leave this current situation behind. The door opened in the following second, revealing the intimidatingly tall and fine men who escorted in the Lycan king, who was behind them.

The Lycan king moved behind them as they were led forward and made his way towards the council of seven.

Even with all the escorts, Scarlett caught a glimpse of the Lycan king, and her heart stopped.

She was shocked beyond words.

Standing right there was the stranger.

It was the man whose bed she woke up in, a few weeks ago. The father of the child she was carrying.