Page 31 of The Barren Luna

“I believe she was aware that this was only the beginning of their dalliance.”

“And was she right?”

“Yes, over the following two months, I’d had to repeatedly refill her supplies.”

“I see. So all of those were non-sanctioned trysts. Let’s jump ahead. What can you tell us about the Luna’s state when you visited her in the dungeon with the Beta’s mate?”

Liam briefly closed his eyes, “She was emaciated, her once long hair looked like it had been chopped off with an axe, and her wolf was completely absent, I could not feel her at all.”

“What did the Luna tell you at your visit?”

“She told both Lucy and me not to visit her anymore so that we wouldn’t endanger our lives.”

“So she wasn’t pleading for help or asking you to find solutions to her problem?”

“No, I don’t think she thought that was our job to do so, nor do I think she believed a solution existed at that point. All she worried about was keeping her remaining friends safe.”

“Would you say that is in line with everything you know about your Luna’s character?”

“Absolutely, Luna Ginny is the best, kindest, most selfless person I’ve ever met in my life,” Liam puffed his chest out as he was saying this, and David smiled at me proudly, or so it seemed through my tear-filled eyes.

“Thank you, Gamma Bidey, you may step down.”

“The Crown calls Robert Glover to the stand,” John called the next witness, and a male I barely recognized as one of the dungeon guards walked into the courtroom.

“Tell the truth,” David commanded the male, who shuddered.

“Mr. Glover, can you describe your guard duties in the period between September and Christmas Day last year?”

“I was part of a roster of guards assigned to the dungeon while Luna Regina was being detained in it.”

“What were your standing orders regarding the prisoner?”

The guard looked a bit uncomfortable, “We were ordered not to have the Luna’s cell cleaned, and she was only to be given bread and water during her stay.”

“Were you ever directly given any reason for her imprisonment or an explanation for the treatment she was being subjected to?”

“Not directly.”

“But indirectly?” John trailed off.

“Former Luna Catherine had been going around the pack, telling everyone that Luna Regina had tried murdering the pack’s heir,” he said and all I could think wasthat bitch.

“Did you believe that?”

“At first, I didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Luna Regina didn’t seem the type. She was always so nice and kind.”

“But then?”

“I figured no male would keep his mate in the dungeon for three months without good reason,” he shrugged as if it was the most obvious explanation in the world.

“Wow, I – okay. Can you describe to us the events that transpired on September 10, the first night the Luna was imprisoned?”

“Yes. The King assembled us four guards, explained our duties, and instructed me and Daniel Mitchell, another guard, to go to the home of a pack member, Jonathan Wilkes, get his live-in partner, Dorothy Evans, and bring her to the dungeon.”

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