3. PRIVATE TRIAL

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW 

Before that day, Vivica had never known that the territory named The Heaven’s Gate even existed in the realm. Now, standing in the center of a place that seemed born from lust itself, she realized the man seated like a king at the heart of the room was not just a visitor, he was the master of this territory. 

She slowly resumed her walk toward him, every step carrying the grace that even attracted the male wolves to indulge in the most passionate sex with the she-wolves present. Finn’s dark blue eyes boldly followed her, drinking her in from head to toe. Her wine-red dress clung to her every curve, the high slits along her thighs leaving bare skin exposed under his smoldering gaze. The plunging neckline hinted at the fullness beneath, leaving his imagination free to roam, though she remained perfectly aware of the desires pulsing in the room just for her.

Vivica stopped in front of Finn as he gestured to a chair across from his own, a seat that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Just like the door had opened itself. 

“What a bold choice of attire to wear while you are mourning a dead man,” he said, his tone smooth, laced with meaning. She had appeared to the Council  meeting in mourning clothes but in front of Finn she did not bother to put on that act even though he was the Head of the Council who could seal her fate right then and there. Finn’s wolf growled in amusement to see this boldness of hers. He wanted to call her either too confident or too impulsive but behind those innocent brown eyes he always sensed a hidden darkness that ignited his hunger. 

Vivica took the seat with a subtle smile. “I’m glad the dress goes perfectly with the… interesting location the Council Head chose for this private trial,” she replied, her voice and posture deceptively calm, a reflex born of being the kind of woman who had never walked through rooms like this before.

“Perfect?” Finn murmured, fingers curling around the rim of his glass as he slowly let his gaze roam over curves. “Covering a little too much for this party theme, don’t you think?”

Vivica’s eyes flicked briefly, catching the implication. A nearly naked she-wolf approached with a glass of wine. Vivica accepted it, smiling slightly behind the rim. “If only I had known the theme required being… exposed and have public sex,” she murmured.

“They get excited from having an audience,” Finn’s voice was low, coated with meaning. “There are those who take pleasure in groups, openly… then there are those who love to have it in the dark corners but wants the others to be turned on by their pleasure, and then there are those…” he paused, his eyes locking with her intensely,”... who wait to step into action behind the veils.”

Their eyes remained locked across the table in silence. Vivica knew his words were pointed at her. And it was both for the murder and attack. 

“The Council Head hates veils,” she commented, picking up the wine glass. 

“I love ripping them off,” Finn said, his tone sharp, deliberate.

Her hand froze for a fraction of a second not just because of his bluntness but the fact his eyes were on the front of her dress while talking about ripping. 

“When everything is stripped away,” he continued, picking up her glass, his dark eyes fixed on hers, “when only nakedness remains… then, and only then… I love to fuck the truth until it cries out.” 

Vivica’s gaze fell on his brushing fingers over hers and then traveled from his striking, powerfully built frame to the dark line of his trousers. Just from watching she could tell he had a monster hidden there. 

“For someone who loves bareness so much, you’re dressed… quite a bit, Council Head Finn. Is it not time to lose the heat? The mood is perfect. The place is steamy. What exactly are you waiting for?”

He leaned back slightly, voice a slow murmur. “Waiting for you to take the first step.”

A charged silence fell across the table, sharp enough to slit throats. 

Their eyes remained locked, the air between them thick with unspoken challenges. Slowly, Vivica crossed her legs under his burning gaze, the movement deliberate, teasing as the smooth inner skin of her thighs was displayed to Finn for a moment.  

“The Council Head seems more interested in what’s between my thighs than the trial itself,” she smiled, her voice soft but sharp, laced with playful defiance. “Or perhaps it’s just my inexperience in such… private trials.”

Finn chuckled, a dark, low sound. “You misunderstand this trial, Luna Vivica. It was never about the murder. I already know you killed Alpha Basil. No need to waste breath on formalities.”

Finn watched her soft unwavering smile. She neither accepted nor denied the murder. She was simply expecting him to figure it out. 

“Then… why call me here?” her voice was deceptively soft. 

Finn tilted his head, a dark smile cutting through her calm façade like a blade. “You tell me why you came here,” he murmured, taking in her soft lips that seemed perfect for something else, “Planning to shift in this very room and try to kill me again? Got spare clothes for your escape? Remember the way back to your home?”

Vivica’s eyes turned to ice. Those beautiful brown eyes that had been so innocent earlier now darkened, morphing into the fierce, lethal gaze Finn had been waiting for. “Council Head Finn… choose your words carefully. They say what you speak can come true once a day. I might shift right here, give you a merciless death… and still return home with the spare clothes waiting for me,” she inclined, her wolf appearing in her eyes. “But then again… are there a few people to shed some tears over your death? Got a woman that would clad herself in mourning clothes for you? Confident you are even getting a spot in hell?” 

Finn’s wolf flashed in his eyes to see the challenge in her wolf. A devil being asked about their place in hell was so new for him that the beast between his legs grew excited to the point, the hunger she ignited within him turned flames. 

His lips curled into a slow, amused smirk, his wolf stirring hungrily at her boldness. “So much fire for a dead, good-for-nothing piece of trash for a father,” he murmured, inclining slightly to meet her bloodthirsty gaze. “I might have taken your revenge seriously… if it weren’t coming from daddy’s princess.” His eyes shimmered with predatory playfulness, the shadow of his wolf flaring within them. “I wanted to toy with you a little longer, but your vengeance… doesn’t seem worth my time.”

He lifted his glass with deliberate slowness as the massive doors behind her creaked open. “You may leave. The murder case will be handled by Austin. Judgment will follow in due course…”

Vivica chuckled, her amusement ringing sharp in the tense room.

Finn paused mid-sentence as she raised two fingers to her lips, a faintly mocking gesture.

“I had such high expectations,” she said, tilting her head, eyes gleaming with mischief, “After hearing all the rumors about the council head. But seeing you now… all that talk about strength, power, being unbeatable. it’s just that,  talk. Dismissing me, knowing I wanted your life, makes it feel like you are merely…scared of me,”

Her smile deepened, sharp as a blade, and Finn’s expression darkened imperceptibly.

“Looks like the legend of the Council Head, the one who intimidates the entire realm, is just hype,” she added, gathering her purse, disappointment faintly lacing her voice. “This revenge…does not seem as worthwhile as I had anticipated. I’ll take my leave first.”

Finn’s lips curled into a dark, amused smile at the clear provocation in her words and the daring in her eyes. This was far more interesting than he had anticipated. 

“Looks like I’ll have to take you more seriously, Luna Vivica,” he murmured, voice low and threaded with a dangerous heat.

Vivica paused, a faint smirk playing on her lips, “is that so…”

Turning to face him fully, she froze at the sight of him towering over her, every inch the predator. His dark blue wolf eyes bore into her deceptively innocent yet intoxicating brown ones.

“However,” he continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that brushed against her ears like fire, “For me to take your revenge seriously…you have to show me exactly how serious you are.”

His gaze drifted briefly, deliberately, to the swell of her chest beneath the fabric. She felt the subtle heat of his presence deepen against her. His breath was warm, teasing her lips, close enough to make her pulse race.

“Show me,” he whispered, his voice low, charged with challenge, “How far you’ll go to get your revenge on me.” His lips hovered barely an inch from hers, “Show me the hunger.”