Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Human Luna's Goodbye: Kabanata 81 - Kabanata 90

Elara's POV"She claims it was research funding. Nothing more. Says they never met before that day outside the apartment. So in her version, the three hundred grand Celeste wired her proves nothing. But the Council judges still want to charge her with attempted murder. Life in prison."He talked fast, still rattled, hands tight on the wheel. I let it sink in before I said anything."Wait. Celeste sent this woman money before France? Before the three of you were ever standing outside that apartment together? When exactly did the money go through?"Then it clicked. That's why he needed me. If the transfer happened while Celeste was standing somewhere with me, she had an alibi. Proof she never met the impostor face to face. It was thin. But it was the only version where any of this held together.Orion sighed. "During Victoria's gala. I already asked Veronica. She refused to back her up. Said even if Celeste never met the woman that night, she could've set the whole thing up by phone. Be

Elara's POVThe guards locked me up. Then, Orion had them release Celeste. Said he'd watch her himself. Said he'd personally guarantee she wouldn't run before the hearing.So there it was. Me behind bars. And Celeste, the one who actually did it, smiling at me from the free side. Not a mark on her anywhere.I clenched my jaw and swore to myself I would never testify for her. I would never testify for her. Not even if I rotted in this cell.Orion glanced back at me, and Celeste's face crumpled right on cue. "What do I do, Ori? She hates me this much.""Ignore her." He sounded calm. Bored, almost. "She testifies whether she wants to or not. It's her duty. Every citizen of this world has it."Celeste turned to me, all false sweetness. "Did you hear that, Elara? If you keep refusing, you're obstructing Council proceedings. That carries three to five years, you know."My nails dug into my palms. If I'd had a wolf right then, I'd have torn through those bars and ripped her throat out myself

Elara's POVFor once, Veronica said exactly what I was thinking.I turned to the judge. "She's right. If Celeste didn't deliberately hire someone to kill a child, then none of this makes any sense."Celeste shot me a look that could kill. Then she turned to Orion, and her eyes filled with tears right on cue."Ori, I didn't. I can't twist words the way Elara can. I've never been good at that. But you believe me. Don't you?"Orion let out a breath and turned to me. "Elara. Just say what you saw. Nothing more. You've confirmed Celeste was standing in front of you. That's the only fact that matters here."He turned to Judge Halloway. "You heard her. At the exact time of the transfer, Celeste was standing in front of Elara and Veronica. She never met the impostor."Judge Halloway scanned the muttering gallery, reading the room. "Alpha Orion. Let's hear from Prosecutor Marlowe first." It came out almost like an apology.Marlowe turned to Celeste. "Walk us through it. How exactly did that tr

Elara's POVThe tears came all at once. I threw myself at him. Fear. Relief. The feeling of being yanked back off the edge of a cliff. All of it crashing through me at once. I couldn't get a word out. I just held on and cried.Samuel wrapped both arms around me, his voice low and rough. "Don't be scared. I'm here now. Nobody's going to hurt you."I'm here now. Nobody's going to hurt you.I'd never once heard those words from Orion. Not for me. Only ever for Celeste.But now my Samuel was saying them.Something in me finally settled. I held him tighter and let the whole room see it. Let every one of them understand. He was the one I'd chosen. No hesitation. No looking back. The fear drained right out of me.I took Samuel's hand and faced the court."I'm human, and my situation is complicated. Orion and I never dissolved the mate bond, but our marriage is over. This Council ruled on it. Which means Alpha Orion has no right to control me through a bond that no longer means anything. My m

Elara's POVMy mind went blank.Part of me had expected Orion to execute her himself. Right there. In front of everyone.But deep down, I already knew what he was going to do. He was going to forgive her.The silence stretched. Nobody breathed.Three seconds. Then Orion sighed. The silver drained out of his eyes, slowly, like it didn't want to go. Fangs retracted. Claws retracted. He took that lethal hand off Celeste's head and just looked down at her."I know you didn't mean to hurt her. But Celeste, I won't ask the court to go easy on you. You'll answer for running unauthorized medical experiments on my daughter."My eyes went wide.So that's what this all boiled down to. Practicing medicine without a license. Which meant Celeste would lose her medical license. And that was it.She might not even see the inside of a prison. Medicine was never her real career anyway. She was a biogeneticist, one of the best alive. The medical license was a side credential. A title she barely used. Lo