Page 32 of The Barren Luna

“Did you have any idea why?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Who was Miss Evans to the Luna?”

“I think she was her old nanny or something like that. She moved to our pack together with the Luna, and they were always together.”

“What did the Alpha do with Miss Evans?”

“He told the Luna that he would take what was most precious to her. She begged and pleaded with him not to do it,” he said and I shut my eyes, suddenly transported back to the dark, mustydungeon. I could almost feel the unfinished concrete under my knees.

“Are you alright, Gina?” I heard David’s smooth voice in my head and my eyes shot open and found his. He was looking at me with concern.

I mind-linked back: “To be honest, I’m struggling with this part, but it's important for her story to be heard.”

“If, at any time, you want to take a break, let me know. I’ll keep the mind link open for you.”

I nodded in thanks and we both refocused on the guard’s testimony.

“... The Alpha then commanded the Luna not to look away,” shocked gasps and hushed conversations could be heard throughout the courtroom and the guard himself looked uneasy at the idea of an Alpha using his power to command on his mate. David banged the gavel once and everyone stilled.

“Please, go on.”

“As I was saying, the Alpha commanded the Luna to watch as he ripped Miss Evans’ throat out, and the Luna then screamed until she fainted.”

I swallowed the bile that rose up and wanted out. They needed to hear this, for Dotty.

“Please ask him about Dorothy’s pendant, what they did with it,” I mind-linked David quickly.

“John, if I may,” David interjected. “Mr. Glover, I was told Miss Evans was wearing a pendant that night, do you have any idea what happened to it?”

“No, sir. We buried her behind the pack house in the condition she died in, so if she had it on, it was buried with her.”

My Dotty wasn’t even given proper burial rites. Her body hadn’t been washed or shrouded in green sheets to be given back to theearth in a beautiful ceremony. There was no stopping the tears now. I felt them flowing down my neck and didn’t make a move to wipe them off.

“One more question, and then we’ll reconvene tomorrow,” David said after glancing at me.

“Based on the events that you just described, is it your testimony that the late Alpha Henry Giles murdered an innocent pack member solely out of revenge, using the Alpha command on his mate in the process?” John asked.

“Yes, it is.”

Lucy ran over to me as soon as court was adjourned, and led me outside. We found a bathroom, where I cried and cried while she held me tightly, stroking my hair and murmuring comfortingly like the mom that she was. An hour later, with the reassurance that I would, indeed, be fine, I forced her to go eat dinner with her mate while I went outside to clear my head.

I walked to the small pond on the palace grounds that I had discovered on my walk two days ago. I wished Dotty could see it. Most things I’d seen or experienced since I’d arrived here were tinged with the sad realization that she would never see them or hear about them from me.

I sat down on the grass and hugged my knees tightly. The white wolf who watched over me soon came to my side and cuddled up to me. Feeling the soft white fur under my hands brought me great comfort and we sat in silence until the stars came out.

The next day, I felt much less anxiety at the thought of the proceedings. I figured the worst part was over, and now I also had a much better sense of what to expect. The assembledAlphas and Lunas (as well as the Betas) no longer felt like my enemies. Instead, it now felt vital that they be told my story, Dotty’s story.

Again, I dressed in a simple black dress with the same shoes and pendant as yesterday. Might as well not complicate things for myself. David smiled warmly at me as he took in my appearance, nodding in what seemed like approval. Perhaps I’d nailed the ideal court attire on my second try.

As soon as the clock struck 9, John called the first witness, “The Crown calls Daniel Mitchell to the stand,” he said and I recognized the name from the other guard’s testimony.

“Tell the truth,” David commanded before John began questioning the male.

“Mr. Mitchell, you were one of the guards assigned to the dungeon during Luna Regina’s stay there?”

“That is correct.”

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