Justice in the Hall

Cerys's POV

Harsh, unfeeling daylight spilled across the polished stone floors of the Justice Hall, casting long, cold shadows that mirrored the icy void expanding in my chest. Behind the high, imposing desks, the Enforcers on duty were completely baffled. Their bewildered scents filled the sterile air. It was unprecedented for a prime suspect to willingly walk into custody, demanding an investigation to prove their own innocence. Usually, guilty wolves ran. But I sat there, my posture rigid, my expression utterly devoid of panic.

The true shock, however, washed over the precinct the exact moment the Enforcers realized the dynamics of the group trailing behind me. They stared at the intake forms, their eyes darting between me and the weeping girl clinging to my supposed mate. The supposed "victim," Vespera, and I belonged to the exact same Pack. The reality of it was a bitter pill to swallow for anyone watching. I, the true blood daughter of the Moonglen Pack, stood completely alone in the center of the room, isolated by my own kin. Meanwhile, Vespera—the adopted ward—was suffocated by my family's obsessive, unwavering devotion.

I watched with deadened eyes as Kaelen Ashwood, the man who was supposed to be my bonded fiancé, hovered anxiously over a delicate, constantly coughing Vespera. He whispered sweet, soothing words, adjusting his jacket over her shoulders as if the ambient temperature of the hall might shatter her.

From behind the desk, the young female Enforcer handling the case physically rolled her eyes in blatant disgust. Her sharp gaze flicked from Kaelen's pathetic display to my stoic, solitary figure. Taking pity on my stark isolation, she stepped away from her station for a brief moment. When she returned, she quietly slipped me a steaming cup of hot tea and a small piece of dark chocolate, sliding them across the cold metal table. I offered her a tiny, silent nod of gratitude, wrapping my cold fingers around the warm ceramic.

The investigation into the car crash proved to be laughably simple. It didn't take hours of grueling police work. Under the intense, unyielding pressure of Enforcer interrogation, the hired driver immediately folded. He didn't even try to protect his employer. But when he opened his mouth, he pointed his finger not at me, but at Maeve Corvus, a notorious rival dancer from the Azuremoon Pack.

Within the hour, Maeve was brought into the hall. She didn't cry. She didn't deny it. Standing under the harsh fluorescent lights, Maeve openly admitted her guilt with a defiant lift of her chin. She confessed that she desperately wanted to ruin Vespera's chances at securing a lead ballet role in their upcoming troupe performance. With a chilling, unapologetic smirk, Maeve smugly revealed exactly how she pulled it off. She weaponized the widely known, toxic dynamic of the Moonglen family. She knew full well that my relatives would blindly swallow any lie, any fabricated evidence, as long as it painted me as the villain. She had banked on their hatred for me to get away with it.

Naturally, the moment the truth was laid bare, Vespera instantly switched tactics. The terrified victim vanished, replaced seamlessly by the forgiving saint. She wept softly, burying her face in her hands, telling Maeve in a fragile voice that she understood the heavy pressures of competition and held no malice in her heart. It was a sickening, Oscar-worthy performance.

On her way out in silver cuffs, escorted by two massive guards, Maeve paused next to my chair. Leaning in close enough for only me to hear, she whispered with a cruel, knowing smirk. "Even though your hands are clean, Cerys, you have still lost the war for your family."

The barbed words barely registered against my skin. A year ago, that realization would have shattered me. Today? I had already grown entirely numb to the reality of my isolation. Let them have each other.

A heavy, suffocating silence reigned in the interrogation room once the true culprit was hauled away. I waited for the apologies. I waited for the realization to dawn on the faces of my father, my mother, my brothers. But Alpha Tiberius, entirely incapable of admitting fault or acknowledging his own blind stupidity, twisted his profound regret into misdirected anger. His face flushed a dark, angry red.

"This doesn't change anything!" Tiberius claimed loudly, his voice booming off the stone walls. "Your inherent arrogance and abrasive attitude are what brought this suspicion upon yourself in the first place, Cerys! If you weren't so difficult, no one would have believed you capable of this!"

I scoffed loudly, the sharp sound cutting through his ridiculous tirade. I stared him dead in the eye. "Is that right? So, if Vespera sheds a single hair tomorrow, will that also be blamed on me simply breathing too closely to her?"

Tiberius slammed his heavy fist on the metal table, the force rattling my teacup. He let out a deep, threatening growl, his alpha aura flaring violently to force my submission. But he was instantly silenced.

"Stand down, Alpha!" the female Enforcer barked, her strict, authoritative command cracking like a whip. "This is a court of law, not your living room. Reign in your aura, or you will be placed in a holding cell."

Tiberius snapped his jaws shut, his chest heaving, but he stepped back.

Unfazed by the official, legal ruling of my innocence, Luna Vivienne immediately stepped forward to scold her daughter. "How dare you speak to your father that way, Cerys?" she berated me, her tone dripping with venom. "You maliciously dragged a fragile, recovering Vespera through a stressful legal investigation! You could have handled this quietly at the estate!"

"Yeah," Balthazar chimed in, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze filled with disgust. "You just had to make a scene."

Silas sneered, stepping closer to Vespera. "You deliberately embarrassed the Pack tonight just to garner attention. It's pathetic."

Staring at the faces of the family I once believed would lay down their lives for me, I felt nothing but glacial ice flowing through my veins. The last lingering shred of hope I held for them withered and died right there on the interrogation room floor.

"You're absolutely right," I said, my voice eerily calm, agreeing with their insults. "I am dramatic. I am jealous. I am vicious." I paused, letting my eyes sweep over each of them before locking onto Vespera, noting with a razor-sharp edge, "But at least I am still a true wolf. I am not a parasitic creature that hides behind a saint's shadow and labels it love."

Vespera flinched, burying her face into Kaelen's chest.

I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "It’s actually a glaring irony. You all possess the heightened senses of apex predators. You have the innate ability to smell lies on a person's breath. Yet, miraculously, you all go completely nose-blind whenever Vespera speaks."

With an amused flick of her tail, clearly enjoying the show, the female Enforcer stamped the final set of documents with a heavy thud. "You are officially cleared of all charges, Cerys," she announced, sliding the paperwork into a folder.

"Thank you for your time, officer," I said sincerely. I stood up, adjusting my torn jacket, and turned on my heel to leave the suffocating room. I didn't want to breathe their air for a second longer.

Behind me, I heard the scuff of boots. Kaelen made a brief, panicked motion to follow me. "Cerys, wait—" he started. But he froze mid-step the absolute second Vespera swayed dramatically on her feet, letting out a pathetic gasp, and clutched his sleeve for support. His protective instincts overrode his guilt in a heartbeat, and he stayed right where he was, wrapping his arms around my sister. Typical.

I kept walking. I didn't bother looking back until Luna Vivienne's shrill voice echoed through the sprawling hall, halting me near the exit doors.

"Do not think you are running away from your duties!" Vivienne casually announced, her tone dismissive and commanding. "Your interrupted bonding ceremony with Kaelen has been officially rescheduled. The elders have set the date for less than a month away. You are strictly ordered to return to the estate immediately to prepare for the event."

The sheer audacity of her words hit me like a sick, twisted joke. A harsh bark of laughter scraped its way up my throat.

I turned slowly, the heavy wooden doors of the precinct at my back. My cold, golden eyes bypassed my mother entirely, landing squarely on Kaelen. He stood frozen under the fluorescent lights, his strong arm still wrapped firmly and protectively around my sister's delicate waist, holding her close to his side.

"Luna Vivienne," I spoke softly, but the acoustics of the silent hall carried my biting words to every corner of the room. "Look again."

I raised my hand, pointing directly at the sight of them tangled together. "He is already holding his Luna. Do you truly believe the ceremony still belongs to me?"