Page 81 of Forced Alpha Bride
“A trial!” Winnie screams. “You can’t do this—it’s against pack law! Damon should have to fight a challenge—”
“The time for that is passed,” Mitchell says. “We asked for a vote, and the pack gave their decision. Damon is to be put on trial to answer for his crimes.”
“What crimes?” Winnie demands.
“For conspiring with Valentine Creek, of course,” Regina says. “It’s obvious that he’s been working with them from the start, attempting to tear us apart from within. He planned to betray us all, and his evil plan almost succeeded.”
“This is ridiculous,” Winnie spits, trying to push through the guard. “I won’t allow this. I’m the luna—”
“You are nothing,” Regina hisses so quietly that only those of us closest can hear her. “Winnie Ramses has been a victim of this horrible plan,” she says to the pack. “Once Damon’s fate has been decided, Winnie can be absolved of this marriage. So long as she did not conspire against us, this horrible dark stain can be removed, and she’ll be free to marry a good wolf.”
Winnie stares at Regina in disbelief as the guards surround me, shoving me to force me to walk. The elders go ahead of us, and somewhere behind me, I can hear Krista talking to Winnie, telling her everything will be alright. The first familiesand counselors follow us to the courtyard, which has finally been cleaned of decorations from the failed evening party.
The elders take their seats on the stone benches, and I say a brief prayer of thanks that they didn’t force all of us underground to the sacred chamber. Whatever happens next, I’m glad to have the sky overhead.
The guards surround me, keeping me in place as the first families gather behind the elders. Regina clearly can’t hide her smile, confirming all my worst fears of her.
“I hereby open the trial,” Mitchell announces. “Alpha Damon, you are here to be judged for your crimes of treason—assisting the enemy, killing our own, failing to protect the pack, and betraying our loyalty. If you cannot satisfy the elders of your innocence, you will be executed where you stand.”
Winnie gasps, fighting to get free of Krista, but her friend holds her tight, stopping her from joining me. I stare at the elders, numbness flooding through me as I realize exactly how fucked I am.
I’m not even going to get a chance to fight! They’re just going to kill me!
Sweat breaks out all over my body, and rage and fear collide in my guts. Dying in a fight is one thing. Standing still while someone cuts my throat is another.
“Damon!” Winnie calls, wiping tears off her cheeks. I meet her eyes, wishing I could say the words I’ve been too afraid to say.
I love you, Winnie.
“Let’s begin,” Regina says, lacing her fingers together. The glee on her face tells me my fate has already been decided, and the trial is only a show for the rest of the pack.
That’s when I hear a faint howl in the distance, so far away, the voice is impossible to recognize. The elders react with shock, looking around at each other in confusion.
Another howl sounds from a different direction, closer than the first. The first families begin to turn around and look towards the hills. The guards around me close ranks.
I find Winnie’s face in the crowd. She has her hands clasped together, a smile of triumph on her face.
The howls get closer, each one coming from a separate direction and seeming to bounce off each other as the two wolves sing in harmony. The sound echoes from the closest ridge, flowing into the valley, and I recognize it for what it is—and so do the elders.
It’s the call of the alphas!
Chapter 25 - Winnie
Cold sweat breaks out down my sides as the council members announce the trial. The guards surrounding Damon, the words of the elders, and Krista holding me back only add to my panic.
I knew it was going to be bad… but not this bad!
Damon knew that it was going to come to a leadership challenge sooner or later, and we both agreed it would mostly be from Regina, who would choose a champion to fight for her. I wanted to buy time for us to get the evidence we needed to prove who was behind the attack. If Damon triumphed in the challenge, we’d have more weight to hold back the pack from war.
As Damon is marched into the center of the circle with the guard around him, true fear grips my heart. The council won’t let this take very long. They will want Damon executed as quickly as possible.
He won’t even get a chance to fight!
The idea of watching him get killed in front of me and being utterly helpless to stop it horrifies me beyond imagining. When we left the house this morning, I was prepared for an extremely hard day. But I was not prepared for this.
Where the fuck is Galen?
Just as my panic begins to overwhelm me, I hear howls in the distance. They come from different directions and spiral off each other, a song sung in a common rhythm.
