CHAPTER THREE

We got to the pack house in record time. The air in the building was fraught with tension as I was led through its echoing halls. Each step I took rhymed with the pounding of my heart and my nerves were jangled. My hands shook, my heart hammered, and every part of me wanted to make another run for it, even though I knew that I would not make it past the front doors. The weight of my actions bore down on my shoulders, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread for what lay ahead.

We stopped at a large foyer, lined with several framed pictures of past alphas. Under different circumstances, I would have been awed by the sight. Truthfully, under different circumstances, I wouldn't even be here.

The alpha turned to both guards who were holding me. "Take her to the courtroom. I will meet you there." He ordered, then turned and walked down another corridor.

Not once did he look at me.

Why was I complaining anyway? He was an alpha, I was nothing but an Omega. We existed on two extreme ends of the pack's hierarchy. To me, he was an important figurehead. To him, I was nothing but another person in his pack.

The guards roughly pushed me in the direction of the courtroom. I stumbled and hit a nearby wall, a gasp escaping my lips as my wrist connected with the wall. I'd pushed the pain from my wrist to the back of my mind, but it was back again, like an imminent virus. The wrist was throbbing now, the pain dulling all my other senses.

My mind raced with worry, not only for myself but also for my sick mother. The herbs I had stolen were meant to ease her suffering, to provide her with some hope in this world that seemed determined to crush us. If only the alpha had allowed me to go in and give her the healing herbs. If only I'd found my keys in time. A tear threatened to slip past my guard as I thought of her fragile form, lying helplessly in our house.

Finally, we reached the grand chamber where the Council of Wolves was supposed to determine my fate. The guards pushed me towards a small dais in the corner, which was meant for the condemned like me. I walked over to it and stood, waiting.

The room was empty, but soon it began to fill up with Council members. A wave of murmurs swept through the room as the members took their seats, their piercing gazes fixed upon me. They took one look at me as they walked past, then their faces contorted with equal curiosity and disgust. She's an Omega, they seemed to say with their gazes. All they do is get into trouble.

I felt like a small creature surrounded by a pack of vicious predators.

When all were seated, Alpha Noah walked in last. The entire courtroom fell silent as he walked to the table where the other members were seated and took his seat. My eyes followed his every movement, urging him to look at me, praying in my heart that he showed me mercy.

An Elder of the Council, a bald, stern, and imposing figure, spoke up. "You stand accused of stealing some healing herbs from a member of this pack. What does the accused plead?"

I took a deep breath, my voice trembling as I responded. "Guilty."

The Elder nodded. "Before we proceed, we must know why you did it."

"I um..." I cleared my throat and started again. "I stole the herbs to help my sick mother. She severely fell ill some days ago, and those herbs were her only hope."

The Council exchanged glances full of speculation. One of the members spoke up, his voice laced with accusation. "Why did you not buy the herbs or seek help from others? The herbs in question are native to this pack. Surely, there were other options available to you."

I lowered my gaze, feeling the weight of my insufficiency. "I am an Omega, an insignificant part of the pack. We live on the fringes, always struggling to survive. I barely have enough to feed myself and my mother, let alone purchase these herbs. And those I asked for help turned me down because..." The words clung to my throat, refusing to come out. I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked away. 

The Elder's response was quick and unforgiving. "Stealing is wrong, no matter the circumstances. It is a breach of trust and an act of defiance against the pack. It doesn't matter your status in the society. Stealing will come with its punishments."

I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it. What was the point? Their minds had been made up the moment they walked into the room and saw me. I was kidding myself if I expected mercy in this courtroom.

The Elders conversed amongst themselves, then Alpha Noah stood to his feet. His burning grey eyes locked into mine, his lips were tight and unforgiving. "For your actions," he declared. "We sentence you to two weeks in the dungeons."

I felt a lump forming in my throat as I heard my verdict. Two guards approached me, hands outstretched to pull me down the dais and towards the dungeons. I ignored them and turned to the Council instead.

"Can I ask one favor from the Council before I go?" I asked.

Alpha Noah frowned. "Go on..."

"Can I be allowed to give my mother the herbs, before....before I'm taken away? She is going to—"

My words were cut short by a raucous laughter that swept around the courtroom. The rest of my plea died in my throat as I became the object of ridicule. Aloha Noah was still looking at me, unsmiling, his expression unreadable.

"There is no such thing as partial justice, girl!" One of the Elders snapped at me as the laughter died down. "You stole those herbs, so you cannot be allowed to use them. Take her away!"

I succumbed to the beckoning hands of the guards and stepped down from the dais. As I crossed the courtroom, my eyes met the gaze of an Elder Wolf, whose expression held a mix of curiosity and fear. He stepped forward, his voice trembling with urgency. "Wait!"

I stopped in my tracks. His finger was pointed at me, his face a mask of horror. The entire courtroom seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what would happen next.

"What is it, Elder?" Alpha Noah asked brows furrowed as his eyes darted between me and the Elder.

"That's...that thing on her is an omen." The Elder said, his finger hovering around my face. "It's the omen of death!"