003: WOLFSBANE

Valerie

This meeting is nothing but a sham. They have already judged me without caring about what I have to say. It's no secret that the elders of the pack has never liked me. They shared the same sentiment that a human has no place in their pack.

“No,” I straighten, ignoring the sound of chain rattling on my hands. “I did no such thing.”

But my words falls on deaf ears. In their minds, they have a verdict already. I am guilty.

“We have good reason to believe that you did. I suggest you say the whole truth now, so as to lessen your punishment.”

The whole truth? They don’t care about the truth. They don’t believe a word I say. My heart thumps loudly in my chest, but I school my expression, hiding my fear. “I am innocent.”

Elder Fenris scowls, looking towards the door as if signaling for someone. Corvin walks in, a stack of papers in his hands. He places each document in front of each elder, then strides towards me.

“Corvin?” I question, confusion surging through me. What is he doing here at my hearing? “What's going on?”

Instead of giving me answers, he turns away, facing the elders. “Those are copies of Lord Caspian's medical records for the past few months,” he begins.

“During his recent checkups, the healers noticed irregularities in his system. They warned him to check it out, but he didn't listen.”

What on earth is Corvin talking about? Caspian has been completely healthy these past few months. I know that because I am his personal physician.

“Luna Valerie was his physician. He had these checkups with another hospital. Even with all the proof presented to him, he couldn't believe that Luna Valerie didn't brief him of his condition. Because of his trust in her, his immune system deteriorated.”

“Corvin!” I scream. “What the hell are you saying?”

“Attached to the check up results are the autopsy results,” Corvin continues without sparing me a glance. “Truly, Lord Caspian was stabbed with a silver coated knife, but that's not the cause of his death. The wolfsbane in his system combined with the poison on the knife killed him.”

Wolfsbane?

That does it. The elders go into a frenzy, muttering curses and evidence of their disdain for me. Dazed, I stare at Corvin. When did he have this elaborate speech planned out? 

“You found wolfsbane in his system?” Elder Fenris’s loud voice reverberates in the hall. 

Corvin nods. “Traces of it, administered over a long period of time.”

“Does this mean that Caspian has been injesting wolfsbane these past few months.”

“Yes, Elder Fenris. And I believe Luna Valerie is responsible for that.”

The room tilts. I stare at Corvin as if he's speaking a language foreign to me. Wolfsbane is lethal to wolves. Even trace amounts can kill them. If Caspian has been taking wolfsbane, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed.

Helen stands so abruptly her chair scrapes the floor. “Who else would it be?” she snarls, thrusting her finger in my direction. “She gives him those pills every month. She's the only one he takes medication from. Who could have killed him?”

“I didn't…” I stutter, dumbfounded. How did the narrative of Caspian's death spin in this manner? He was stabbed to death. I had no hand in it.

“She keeps insisting he takes those pills.” Helen glares at me. “Who could have known that she was killing him slowly?”

My eyes find Sebastian's. I can't figure out what he's thinking. Does he believe them or me? His jaw is clenched tightly, but that's about it.

Elder Fenris leans forward. “Doctor Corvin, do you have proof of your allegations towards the Luna?”

My heart pounds in my chest. Corvin nods.

“In the hospital dispensary,” he says, “We found a vial concealed among Luna Valerie’s supplies with wolfsbane residue in it.” 

Helen slumps to the floor. Sebastian stands, barking out orders for the guards to take her to the infirmary. The elders mumble words I can't hear among themselves. The world starts to spin rapidly.

I look at Corvin, my eyes rounded at his betrayal. Since I married into Bloodcrest pack three years ago and started working in the hospital, I have spent almost all my days with him. We have laughed together, mourned patients together, written papers together. It's hard to believe that he has turned against me too.

“Why are you doing this?” My voice cracks despite my desperation to maintain composure. “I trusted you.”

Corvin looks away from me, and in that moment, I realize that he has always seen me the way the other pack members did. A weak human.

“I think this is all the proof we need,” Elder Fenris rises to his feet. “Valerie, it's a shame that someone in your position was despicable enough to do this.”

I shake my head. “I didn't do it–” 

A sharp pain tears through my abdomen. Groaning, I sink to my knees, my eyes trailing to Sebastian. He averts his gaze, completely torn between believing me or the evidence that has been brought forward.

“You know the law, Valerie,” Elder Fenris' voice rises in anger. “You not only killed a member of this pack, your victim was also once an Alpha.” He stops talking, thin creases appearing on his head. Elder Fenris had been close friends with Caspian. He must feel obligated to bring him justice. 

“For this, you are sentenced to death,” he says with a tone of finality. 

The people at his side nod in agreement. Just like that, I'm sentenced based on false evidence, without even getting a chance to defend myself. Murmurs circulate round the hall, drowning out anything have to say.

“Enough,” Sebastian’s stern voice echoes in the tribunal hall. He walks towards the center to face the elders. For a brief moment, hope flickers in my chest.

“She’s carrying the pack’s heir. We cannot risk harming the child. The punishment must not be carried out till the child is born."

“That child should not be carried to term, Alpha,” Corvin remarks. “The child the Luna is carrying is not fit to be the heir.”