Chapter 4 - The Royal Trial
The Great Throne Room was packed to capacity.
Hundreds of lords, ladies, high officials, and military commanders crammed into the gallery, whispering nervously among themselves. The air was thick with tension. News of Baroness Celeste’s arrest had spread through the capital like wildfire.
At the center of the room stood twenty-three chairs.
Seated upon them were the twenty-three rejected Omegas, dressed not in rags or simple gowns, but in fine silken robes of dark blue and silver provided by the King's personal tailors. Each woman still wore her white ribbon on her wrist, but now it was worn not as a mark of shame, but as a badge of honor and survival.
At the front sat Grace Rowan, her head held high, looking directly toward the empty golden throne.
The heavy trumpets sounded, echoing through the cavernous hall.
"All rise for His Majesty, King Nathaniel Crow, First of His Name, Ruler of the North!"
The nobles bowed low as Nathaniel strode into the room. He wore his full battle armor, a long obsidian cloak trailing behind him, his aura so potent that even the highest lords held their breath.
He did not sit on the throne. Instead, he stood at the top of the dais, looking down at the entire court.
"For ten years," Nathaniel began, his deep voice carrying into every corner of the vast chamber, "I have led this kingdom on the battlefield. I believed that inside these walls, justice was being served by the High Council. I was wrong."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Nathaniel raised his hand, and two guards dragged Baroness Celeste Pike into the room. She was wearing iron shackles, her hair wild, her grand dress ruined. Beside her was Dr. Hallow, the former Royal Apothecary, who was weeping uncontrollably.
"Baroness Celeste Pike, along with twelve members of the Royal Registry, has been found guilty of high treason, forgery, and the attempted murder of twenty-three noble daughters of this realm," Nathaniel declared.
Lord Vane, a cousin to Celeste, stepped out from the crowd of nobles, trying to mask his panic. "Your Majesty! You cannot condemn a High Baroness on the word of rejected Omegas! The White Fast is an ancient law!"
Nathaniel’s eyes locked onto Lord Vane. "Show him the registry, Grace."
Grace stood up gracefully from her seat. She walked to the center of the court, holding the original ledger high above her head.
"This is the true registry of the Moon Hall," Grace announced, her voice ringing clear and strong. "It contains the unbroken lineage of the Silver-Moon bloodlines. For generations, the High Council has systematically targeted young Omegas who manifested this rare gift, declaring them 'infertile' and 'cursed' to strip them of their rights and steal their family lands!"
She turned to face the crowd of nobles. "Lord Vane, your current estate in the Valley of Oaks... it belonged to my family. You acquired it three days after I was declared infertile and locked away!"
The room erupted into chaos. Gasps of outrage and shock broke out among the lower nobles, while several council members turned pale and attempted to sneak toward the back exits, only to find their paths blocked by armored royal guards.
"Order!" Nathaniel roared, his voice cutting through the noise like thunder.
The room fell instant silent.
"Every land, every title, and every coin stolen through these fraudulent rejections will be returned to these twenty-three women immediately," Nathaniel commanded. "The High Council is hereby dissolved."
Celeste let out a bitter, echoing laugh. "Dissolved? You fool, Nathaniel! You think you can just hand power back to these weak, broken girls? The noble houses will rebel! The northern lords will never accept Omegas holding high land rights!"
Nathaniel walked down the steps of the dais, stopping directly in front of Celeste.
"They are not weak," Nathaniel said softly, his eyes flashing with raw wolf power. "They survived eleven days of your darkness and walked out into my light. They are stronger than any coward hiding behind forged papers."
Nathaniel turned to face Grace, offering her his hand. "And as for their place in this kingdom..."
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Grace looked at his broad hand, then up into his piercing blue eyes. Slowly, she placed her hand in his. A violent spark of pure, electrical energy surged between them, visible to every noble in the room.
The air gasped as a glowing silver wolf mark materialized on the back of Grace's right hand—the ancient mark of the Alpha’s True Mate.
