Chapter 50
VESSA
My blunt-clipped nails dig into the pockets of my blazer.
Staring at the gnarly cuticles, I bite my lip, ashamed by how I’ve picked and torn at them.
A nervous habit that, even at my best, I’ve never been able to overcome.
Especially now, considering how thoroughly the sadness devours me.
My clothes have almost nothing to cling to.
At the podium, a woman casts her voice out into the assembly room.
The councilwoman dons a floor-length violet robe, her dark hair coiled and pinned neatly to the crown of her head.
Nearly every chair has been filled. Unlike the foyer outside, garnished with polished oak engravings and stained glass, the hearing room is rather mundane, with mauve drapes concealing the mountain views and stiff chair cushions that I can’t get comfortable in no matter how many ways I cross my legs.
As she reads to the court, Jabir whispers her name to me. Cecily. I gulp. Thirty-two souls lost. It's unfathomable. Half of them were likely the other girls who were executed before the rescue team showed up.
Nell looks like she might be sick.
"On a positive note, fourteen humans made it out safely."
The silver-haired regent, Naomi, straightens in her chair, eyes narrowing with interest. "Has the Commander turned them over to the local authorities?"
Axe shakes his head. "I have not, though it is unlikely enforcers are actively pursuing missing persons reports for these girls.
The survivors have been brought back to Tukkon, where they seek shelter in the lands of the Tilaak people.
Chief Kismet has humbly accepted them into the community, where they will be cared for and taught to abide by the conditions of the peace treaty. "
It’s devastating, knowing that lycan law prohibits these girls from being reunited with their families after what they have witnessed. But sanctuary is better than imprisonment.
The regent grits her teeth. "Very well."
The first who are called to testify are the only two lycans Axe's men spared in the recovery mission, both from Kiersten and Levi’s employ.
One is the middle-aged woman who managed the Ludone processing shifts.
The other is a guard who I only saw briefly in passing.
Beaten and darkly bruised, it is difficult at times to comprehend his account.
Two hours into the hearing, my composure begins to waver. Eyeing the clock, I sit on my anxious hands, breathing deeply in and out. After Cora, I will be the next to speak.
Naomi shuffles her papers and looks to her colleagues. My heart drums against its cage. Axe’s hand strokes my shoulder while sending an affirmation of comfort through our heartline connection. The first gesture I’ve felt there in almost a week.
At last, my name is uttered, echoing to the back of the room. Releasing a heavy exhale, I accept Cora’s hand and approach the testimony box.
Stay calm. Show no fear.
I lower myself onto the rigid wood chair, staring out at the crowd and bracing for the first of many uncomfortable questions.
The head of the Council clears her throat.
“I understand that the trauma you experienced might still feel raw. It is not our intention to put you through any more distress, but your testimony is crucial to our records.”
“I understand, your excellence.”
Naomi nods, ready to proceed. Over the next hour, the Council probes me, exhausting dozens of questions surrounding the kidnapping, Ludone manufacturing, and the brutality of being under Levi’s thumb.
Jabir plays the audio from the blackmail video, cutting off just as Kiersten storms into the room.
I shudder, recalling how defiled I felt with that camera pointed at me, strapped down and half-naked.
One of the elder councilmen casts a scrutinous gaze at me. “How many lycans did you say you took down exactly?”
“Five, including the shooter who killed Demi.”
The councilman stares me down in disbelief. “In your state of exhaustion, you executed five men?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting,” Naomi mutters, eyes panning over to my mate, where they linger with contempt.
Following a brief recess, Axe and the inner circle reclaim their seats, watching as the councilmen file back into the assembly room along with Maurleen, whose wrists are bound by shackles.
Naomi turns to address Paul, Alpha of Glacier Meadow. His expression is just as vindictive now as it was on the full moon when patrol officers escorted him off Bleeding Sun grounds.
"From the archives, I have a petition of asylum which states Vespera James, first cousin of Maurleen James, has voluntarily accepted the terms of confidentiality and is therefore granted pack protection. Do you verify that this is your signature and that the information recorded is correct?"
Paul examines the document and dips his head. "I do. Though it was my understanding that, for the sake of concealing the human's identity during an open investigation for her disappearance in Crayford, her last name and relation to Ms. James were falsified."
Elders exchange glances with each other, then look back to the speaker. Naomi’s gaze fixes on Axe. "Commander Skornokovy, do you also have a petition to introduce today?"
Nell swears under her breath. Axe stares straight ahead as he tells her he does not.
Naomi's thin lips twitch with annoyance. "That is not in alignment with the conditions of asylum laid out in the Maxim Minora. Neither is appointing a human to the highest position of power within your territory without seeking the Council's approval. It is an impudent offense."
"You never would have allowed it.” Dominik scoffs. “Everyone in this room knows that.”
"Silence!" the councilman on the far left shouts. “You were not called upon!”
Cecily pipes up. "Humans have stolen the vast majority of our territory within the last few decades. They are not allies. Placing a human at the helm of authority is not only forbidden, it symbolizes everything lycans are against."
My breath catches in my throat. Have they no compassion?
She continues. "Frankly, you put us in an embarrassing position, Commander. We could've settled on allowing her as your mate. But by law, she is not permitted to govern. Therefore, we request that Miss Lemaire be stripped of her title and prohibited from all matters of leadership."
A muscle tics in Axe's jaw. "What's done is done," he barks. “The Lunaship belongs to her."
"Then you must face the repercussions.” Naomi smiles viciously. “Surrender your title and the human for internment. Refuse, and we will put her to death before the sunrise."
Surely, it wouldn't come to this . . .
A loud voice from the rear shouts in dissent, turning dozens of heads. Axe doesn't waver. In fact, he grins. "Try laying one finger her, and you'll have war before sunset.”
"Axe," Jabir cautions. "Let's think about this—"
“You’re all a bunch of fucking hypocrites,” Dominik interjects.
“Sit down,” the regent orders. “We will take another recess while the Aleksandr deliberates.”
Emboldened, my voice soars over the rest. "There will be no deliberation." The room goes entirely mute. Breathing deeply, I think of Demi, using her words. "The goddess makes no mistakes. If you take my life, you defy the Luna Mother's will.”
Naomi laughs heartily. “The laws upheld in this chamber were not created by our deity, Miss Lemaire. It appears the Skornokovys still have much to teach you.”
She turns to face the oracle, only to be diverted once again. Preston Caulder stomps to the front of the room. My stomach lurches at the sight of him. Maurleen’s does as well, judging by the bone-white paleness of her face.
"You can't kill her!” he thunders. “You don't know how valuable she is."
Axe leaps over the edge of the pew, fisting the scientist's shirt. "The fuck do you think you're doing?"
The councilmembers raise their brows with intrigue. Preston hollers, "You put Vespera to death and you'll have your war. But not just against the Skornokovys. You'll face the wrath of the Blood Master and every vampire he's ever created."
"If you’re half as smart as you think you are, you’ll shut your mouth," Nell hisses at him.
Naomi narrows her eyes. "Guards. Release Dr. Caulder. I would like to hear more on the matter."
Preston meets my eyes, which silently beg him to stop while he’s ahead. But I know what he’s thinking. Why he’s doing this. He sees his daughter’s blood on my hands.
With a deep exhale, he raises his chin to the panel. "The Luna Superior . . . She is the Sponsa Noctis. Commander Skornokovy has claimed Somnium’s future queen."
Ice crackles beneath my skin. That’s the last title I would ever want.
Axe launches himself onto Preston, elbowing the guards who attempt to block him. "You're dead."
Naomi stiffens. "Sit down, Commander, or I will hold you in contempt. The witness will be allowed to speak and if you threaten his life again, there will be additional charges."
Heart thundering, I sink back into my seat along with the others.
Preston strolls up to the platform and takes the empty chair next to Maurleen.
"All of my files were stored onsite during the period when my family and I were being held by the Hawleys.
My other work remains encrypted on my personal computer, which I believe has been wiped and confiscated by Bleeding Sun officials.
Everything I am about to tell you can be corroborated by that research and the Servos Primae Lunari, seated to my right. "
Shit.
Maurleen simmers. “You son of a bitch.”
Preston proceeds to explain to the Council how he had been previously contacted for an independent research opportunity.
His part of the operation was simple. Expose subjects to Ludone and then examine blood samples taken from their bodies during the high.
Kiersten had designed this strand of Ludone to isolate a magical property in the blood, one that would magnify pheromones that attract vampires.
Instead, what he observed was a strange phosphorescence, amplified by the night drug.
Before he realized the third party was involved in a trafficking scheme, his family had been taken hostage.
I look away, praying to the gods that Preston doesn’t expose me further. My thoughts pull me back to Esmé’s warning: Remember what I said. Protect your secret, no matter the cost.
A roil in my stomach causes me to shudder, realizing now that the witch never meant concealing my identity as the Sponsa Noctis. She was referring to the hidden twist in the vampire’s curse. The lethal elixir running through my veins.
But as his testimony concludes, Preston doesn't make any mention of Kiersten’s “pets.” Lungs filling with relief, I ease back in my chair. Perhaps it remains that I’m the only the one who knows the most dangerous truth of all.
Unless . . .
The regent cuts sharp eyes to Maurleen the same moment I do. "If you live by a sacred oath to protect this human, why not come to Bleeding Sun sooner? Why not warn the Commander about the kidnapping or Kiersten's contract with the vampires?"
She hesitates. "My visions have limitations."
"But surely you knew about her capture and the tests? About Demitrya?"
Another elder shakes his head. "This accusation requires more proof other than a blood phenomenon and a witch with eccentric visions."
Maurleen’s eyes fill with tears as she shakes her head.
Like a true wolf, Naomi snaps, going in for the kill. "Did you or did you not foresee these events?"
"Answer her," Axe thunders in a voice I’ve only heard used against enemies.
She finds my eyes, lip quivering.
No. We trust each other. We always have. She wouldn't—
"Yes, I knew. And for that I am so, so sorry."
I tear my eyes away, the truth slicing clean through me. This is why she fled before the induction. She knew. She knew everything. Gods, for how long?
Since she drew that stupid snowflake? Wait.
“It’s Snow now.”
Fucking Kiersten.
How were any of us supposed to make that connection? How could she let this happen, knowing so many innocents would die?
Axe hurries to my side. My lungs burn as I hyperventilate, my heart wrenching with betrayal. I choke on sobs that rattle me to my core.
Axe takes my face in his big hands, begging me to listen to his voice. Only his voice. But Nell's rips through the chaos unraveling in my mind. I jerk my head just in time to see the frazzled witch rush over to us.
"Get the hell away from her," Nell snarls, her grey-blue eyes glowing with rage.
Maurleen backs away slowly, whispering, "I'm sorry, Vessa. From the bottom of my heart. I never meant—I tried to—”
Axe’s roar rattles the rooftop.
"You don’t want him to repeat that," Dominik warns in his lowest register.
Maurleen swallows, dabbing her cheeks. Two heavyset men donned in blue approach her, clasping her arms. Her head falls as they shepherd her back to the platform, where the regent announces our dismissal.