Chapter 483: The Weight of a Verdict

The council hall felt smaller than it had any right to be.

The circular chamber was built to hold voices—arguments, strategy, fury, hope—but at this point, it held silence.

High above them, the carved timber ceiling curved like a ribcage over their heads, the intricate patterns catching the light. Madam Tyler always said the carvings were charms—protection etched into wood and history.

Tonight, they did nothing to soften what had to be said.

The long wooden table stood at the heart of the room, scarred by years of clenched fists and dragged blades and arguments that had shaped the fate of an entire pack. Chairs surrounded it in a familiar ring.

Almost every seat was filled.

Orion stood at the head of the table.

Beside him stood Brynhild.

Only six of them were present.

Lysander was present. Rita was taking care of Raina while Raina slept, and Brynhild had been insistent that Lysander attend the meeting. Given the fact that he could hardly ever say no to Brynhild, he showed up. And besides, Brynhild was of the belief that whatever was to be said would require every elder in the pack.

Orion’s hands rested on the back of his chair.

He had not sat down.

Neither had Brynhild.

Caspian broke the silence first.

His voice was quiet, but it carried.

"So," he said slowly, his eyes lifting to Orion. "We are all gathered, and from what I know, we are not here because of the meeting you and Sophia had with Eldric."

Orion exhaled through his nose. "We are gathered for something else. Brynhild and I spoke with Sophia, and we got the full details of what happened between her and Holly."

"Everyone knows that Holly left Sophia to die, but we—Brynhild and I—just found out that Holly actually tried to kill Sophia first before leaving her to die," Orion told them.

There was silence immediately after he said those words.

Daniel frowned. "I... is this some joke?" Daniel asked.

"Do I look like I’m joking?" Orion asked him calmly.

"Can you tell us exactly what Sophia said?" Caspian asked.

Orion then told them everything—how Sophia and her group members had finished the group tasks and how they had split up for the individual tasks, but then Holly had followed Sophia and called her a demon, trying to kill her, claiming that if she did, the pack would be free from Sophia’s spell.

Silence pressed against the walls.

Caspian closed his eyes.

Slowly, he lifted a hand and dragged it down his face.

His palm lingered over his mouth.

When he finally spoke, his voice was worn.

"I am... deeply disappointed in her."

Mary leaned back slightly in her chair, arms folded across her chest.

Her expression did not change.

"I’m not surprised," she said flatly.

Several eyes shifted toward her.

"What?" she asked them. "It’s no news that Holly and I didn’t get along, and there’s also the fact that she was obsessed with Orion."

"That is true," Lysander said with a nod.

Madam Tyler folded her hands together tightly on the table.

Her eyes were glossy already.

"What will be done with Holly?" she asked softly. Her gaze rested on Orion.

He did not hesitate.

"You of all people know the answer to that, Madam Tyler."

Her lips trembled faintly.

Orion’s voice did not.

"Attempted murder of a pack member carries a death sentence. One far worse than what the offender intended for their victim."

Madam Tyler inhaled sharply. She knew the punishment, but it hurt to hear it.

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

She shook her head once.

Then again.

"Oh, child..." she whispered under her breath, though no one needed to ask who she meant.

Orion’s voice cut back into the room. Revealing more of the truth, he placed both hands flat against the table as he spoke.

"Holly did not only attempt to murder a pack member."

His eyes darkened.

"She attempted to murder my mate."

"And by doing so," Orion went on, "she committed an indirect attempt on the life of the Alpha. I will not allow this to be framed as personal conflict. This was not rivalry. It was not jealousy. It was treason against the very structure of the pack."

Brynhild nodded once.

Her voice followed immediately after his.

"Attempting to kill the mate of the Alpha is the highest crime one can commit within this pack."

Her eyes moved from face to face.

"There is no precedent above it."

Lysander finally spoke.

"I never liked her, but I’ll admit I thought she was better than this."

Madam Tyler closed her eyes briefly.

Daniel leaned forward then, resting his arm against the table.

"There’s something else we need to address."

Everyone turned to him.

"Holly has already been declared exiled," Daniel said carefully. "That order was issued before Sophia’s account was fully confirmed."

He paused.

"But this is no longer just exile. This is a death sentence. And although everyone in the pack is already aware of Holly being in the dungeons, they will need to be informed fully of her crime," he told them. "We cannot keep this behind closed doors."

He lifted his eyes to Orion.

"If we do, people will talk. They will sense it. And with how much this pack gossips, I can only imagine what will happen when people find out and then twist the information to suit themselves. If we do not announce the full charge and the judgement process, it will be seen as injustice."

All eyes returned to Orion.

He gave a short nod.

"I already planned to inform Garrett to prepare for court in the square, but I wanted to inform you all first," Orion told them.

The elders nodded one by one.

It was decided.

Madam Tyler pressed trembling fingers to her mouth.

Her shoulders shook faintly.

"I never imagined..." she whispered.

Her voice cracked.

"That one of our own would do the very thing we have spent years trying to prevent."

She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"As though what the enclave did to us was not enough. As though the threats we suffered, those years of doubting ourselves, were not enough."

She shook her head again, tears slipping freely now.

"We taught forgiveness," she whispered. "We taught unity. We taught restraint."

Her breath hitched.

"And still... she chose this."

At last, Madam Tyler lowered her hands. She drew in a slow, trembling breath.

"I will pray for her," she said quietly.

Several heads lifted.

"I will pray that her return to the goddess is gentle."

Her voice was soft as she spoke.

"That maybe... just maybe... the goddess will forgive her for attempting to kill Sophia."

Orion’s mouth curved slightly at that. He let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.

"I’m not so certain," he said softly, "that the goddess will forgive Holly for attempting to kill the Luna."

His eyes hardened.

"Even if she failed."