It literally took all morning to go through all the horrors of what Ariana experienced with the slave traders. I had to agree with her that it sounded as if her pack sold the omegas into slavery. They were orphans mostly and not linked to any family which made them the perfect assets, so to speak. I was slowly forming a plan on how to take care of the slave traders and perhaps get the pixie queen onboard at the same time.In between our discussions, my councillors kept me up to date on what was happening with my father, and just before Ariana left for lunch with my mother, I realized that I hadn’t even spoken to my mother about my plans. If I was going to hijack her lady-in-waiting until this problem was sorted out, it would be the decent thing to do to discuss the situation with her.On the spur of the moment, I decided to join the ladies for lunch. My mother was still looking defeated, but as soon as she saw Ariana walking in with me, she lit up like a Christmas tree! That might be
FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS we spend all of our time planning Ella’s wedding until an official-looking letter arrives. The queen’s face turns white as a sheet when she reads it and my heart aches for her. I didn’t have to read the letter to know exactly what it was about.My plans to leave had been put on the back burner for a little while so that I could have free time if Lorenzo needed me to help with the slave situation, but he hadn’t called me once. That could only mean that the letter had to do with the old king’s trial. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but when Lorenzo and I last spoke, he told me that it would help with our case to save the slaves.So, I agreed to testify. Lorenzo felt if he put me on the witness stand it would prove to all the people how the slaves were being treated. Once he had the people on his side, the council would have no other alternative but to agree that Lorenzo might go to war against the slave traders. As the queen got up and walked out, Ella and I were abou
I arrived after everyone had taken their seats and stood waiting outside the enormous double doors of the throne room. I knew that Lorenzo would be sitting on the throne with his mother at his side and Ella beside her. Since I was one of the witnesses, I had to wait outside in the passage until I was called. Lorenzo made very sure that I knew I couldn’t talk to anyone until after I had given my testimony.There were three of us waiting to be called and I could see that the two gentlemen were looking as nervous as I felt. I was going to be up first and I had just gotten up to start pacing when one of the palace guards called me.As I walked into the throne room, all eyes turned to me and I could hear whispers in the background. It was the most terrified I had ever been in my entire life! I made my way down the aisle and was sworn in, to tell the truth. Taking my spot at the small podium, I waited to be bombarded by questions. I could actually feel the hatred radiating off from the old
Sighting, I turned around to look at the woman who gave me life. I opened my mouth to say something and noticed a foot around one of the corners. Grabbing my mother by the arm, I pulled her into the room beside us and closed the door. So, fine. They could stand outside the door and hear us talking, but at least I wouldn’t have to see who saw us!“Mother, he can choose exile if he doesn’t want to.” Knowing full well what that would mean for her, I walked over to the window to look at everyone making their way across the gardens to their different apartments.“Lorenzo, can’t you speak to the council? Have your father declared innocent, then he doesn’t have to leave or be beaten to a damn pulp!” Her eyes filled with tears and my heart ached for my mother, but things had gone too far.“No, I can’t. I’m sorry. If he hadn't interfered with my orders, none of this would have happened.” I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “I couldn’t even sweep it under the rug because you had to inte
I hardly slept a wink and when Lesley woke me in the morning, I could actually see the dark circles under my eyes. The poor girl tried her best to hide it with makeup, but there was no hiding the fact that all of this was getting to me. I wasn’t finished with my damn testimony. The old king and his representative still had the opportunity to ask me some questions.Lesley, my new guard, and I made our way down the passage to the throne room and all along the way, people were telling me how sorry they were for what I had gone through. It was nauseating, to say the least! Why, if they were so damn sorry, hadn’t any of them do anything to protect their property?! Thankfully, my new guard noticed my irritation and he started stopping people from talking to me. We reached the throne room and Lesley went inside while I waited to be called.“Everything is going to be okay, miss. You will finish today and then you will be able to relax and I will be here to stop anyone from bothering you.” He
The evidence was as overwhelming as I knew it would be and Ariana’s return to court was the last straw I needed. Nothing my father said would change the fact that he actually went as far as giving orders that were contrary to mine. The head of the castle guard was the last to testify and from the reaction of the gallery, I knew we were done. Nobody would listen to a word my father had to say ever again. Even his supporters had to agree with my supporters that what he had done was treasonous.When the time came for the verdict, it was no surprise that he was found guilty. Before we started the trial, I was worried he would be found innocent, but now that all was said and done, I knew things were going to go my way. There was no reason to reconvene for sentencing since we had very strict laws regarding treason.I cleared my throat after the judge read the verdict and stood up as silence fell over the entire hall. My eyes caught sight of Ariana and I knew what my wolf had said was true!
Thankfully, Lorenzo understood that I didn’t want to be there and didn’t want to relive the experience. The queen was so preoccupied in the early hours of the morning that she didn’t notice as I sneaked out of her morning room and made my way outside. I crossed the clearing without thinking of who might be seeing me and ran into the forest.I felt as if I wasn’t able to breathe. The dress was strangling me and I started to rip at it while I ran. I had lost my shoes somewhere along the way. I couldn’t even remember shifting, but as I did, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My paws dug deep into the soft ground of the forest as the wind caressed my fur.I ran and ran, not looking which way I was going and honestly not caring until I caught a strange scent and before I could figure out what it was, a sparkling creature appeared in front of me. Trying to stop so I wouldn’t run her over, I came to a halt just a short distance from where she was standing.I sniffed the
I didn’t have to wait for Lesley to let me know that it was over. I could hear it from the movement in the passages outside of my room. I almost wished I had been there, but seeing someone experience what I went through was too much. It was bad enough that I went through it myself. The second Lesley walked into my room, I wanted to know how the old king was doing and if he was okay.The man was a lot older than I was and I couldn’t imagine him surviving what I had, but according to Lesley, he didn’t even cry out. Well, I didn’t cry out most of the time, so it couldn’t have been that bad, could it? I honestly couldn’t imagine Lorenzo allowing anybody to whip his father to the full extent to which I had been whipped.Unfortunately, Lesley had a lot more to tell and by the time she was done, I was actually feeling nauseous. At least, it was over. We could all move forward from here. The slaves could be freed and no one would ever have to go through that again. Which made her think about