Chapter 73: When The Table Turned (Part 2)

Livia walked slowly, supported by Ria and Felly on either side. She was pale, still weak from the battle against black magic, but her chin remained high and her steps steady.

The blood that had once stained her lips was gone, replaced by a quiet determination that made many avert their eyes. Even weakened, Luna carried herself with a grace that commanded attention.

The hall erupted into whispers again.

“She came…”

“Look at her — she’s barely standing.”

“Is she brave or just desperate?”

Aldus’s jaw tightened as he watched her. A part of him wanted to stop her, to order her back to bed, but he knew Livia too well now. She would never forgive herself for hiding away while lies were spoken about her.

Once she reached the center of the hall, she gently pushed Ria and Felly’s hands away and stood on her own. The effort made her legs tremble, but she held her ground.

Elder Caelum, leader of the Council, rose from his seat and raised his hand. The whispers fell silent at once.

“Today,” he began, his voice echoing through the great hall, “we continue what was left unresolved. Yesterday’s proceedings were disrupted by unforeseen… circumstances. But now, we seek clarity. We seek the truth.”

His gaze swept over the crowd, sharp as a blade. “Lies will be exposed. Truth will be heard. And justice will be served — no matter who stands accused.”

Aldus’s eyes met Livia’s across the room. In that shared silence, there was an unspoken promise: This time, things will be different.

The stage was set. The crowd was ready.

And beneath the surface of the hall’s tense quiet, a thousand secrets waited to be unearthed.

The second trial was about to begin.

The hall was so silent after Elder Caelum’s declaration that even the faintest rustle of silk and the sound of breath seemed deafening. The Elder’s piercing gaze swept across the sea of expectant faces — nobles, warriors, Alphas, and Omegas — each waiting for the first word of the trial’s second day.

But instead of calling a familiar name from the Moonlight Pack as they had yesterday, the leader of the Council raised a parchment in his hand, his next words sending ripples through the crowd.

“Before we proceed,” Elder Caelum began, “the Council has agreed that additional witnesses must be heard. These individuals were present during the Unity Banquet between the Moonlight Pack and the Silvermoon Pack — the very night the alleged betrayal took place. They do not belong to the Moonlight Pack, nor to Silvermoon. They were merely observers. And now, they will testify.”

A stunned silence blanketed the room.

Then, like a wave breaking against stone, the murmurs began.

“What? New witnesses?”

“From other packs?”

“Why weren’t they called before?”

“Does this mean the Council suspects the testimonies in the previous trial?”

The noise swelled, some shocked, some angry, others elated. The division among the crowd was sharper now than ever before. Supporters of the Moonlight Pack shifted uneasily, exchanging worried glances, while those who believed Livia was innocent straightened with cautious hope.

Amber’s painted lips tightened into a thin line. Her knuckles turned white against the armrest of her chair as she clenched it too hard. Panic flickered behind her composed facade — this was not part of her plan.

She was supposed to have control over the narrative, supposed to ensure that only Moonlight wolves would speak and paint Livia as a traitor. Outsiders… witnesses beyond her influence? That could destroy everything.

“What is the meaning of this?” she hissed under her breath, her nails digging into her palms. “This wasn’t part of the procedure…”

Aldrake, sitting a few steps away from her, wasn’t any calmer. His jaw locked, the faintest tremor betraying his fury. His original plan — carefully crafted lies and rehearsed accusations — was beginning to crumble. He leaned closer to Amber, his voice a harsh whisper.

“You said we silenced everyone,” he muttered. “You promised they’d never bring outsiders into this.”

Amber’s golden eyes burned with irritation. “I did. I made sure no one would talk. But this—” her gaze flicked to Aldus’s unreadable face on the throne, “—this reeks of his doing.”

Meanwhile, Aldus sat in his seat like carved obsidian — calm, expressionless, but with a glint of satisfaction deep in his eyes. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. The Council had followed through on his request. Truth, at last, might have a chance to speak.

Livia, on the other hand, didn't even surprise. She knows about this plan of the King. So, she just sat there with calm and hope in her eyes.

“Order!” Elder Caelum’s voice boomed again, cutting through the clamor.

“These testimonies are crucial to ensure a fair trial. We will not allow hearsay alone to dictate justice. Every voice must be heard — especially those who stand to gain nothing from lies.”

The audience gradually fell silent, though tension still coiled thick in the air. This sudden shift had shaken everyone. It was no longer a simple battle of words between two packs. The trial had just evolved into something far larger — something much more dangerous.

Amber’s lips curled into a cold, venomous smile, hiding the storm brewing inside her. Fine, she thought, let them bring outsiders. It won’t matter. I’ll make sure they regret it.

And Aldrake, though outwardly calm, leaned back and exhaled sharply, trying to think of how to twist the situation to his advantage. This isn’t over, he vowed silently. Not even close.

At the center of it all, Livia closed her eyes for a brief second and whispered inwardly to her wolf.

“Lilly… maybe this time, we have a chance.”

The atmosphere in the hall had shifted — no longer merely a trial, but a battlefield. One where truth and lies would clash, and the outcome would change everything.

The heavy doors of the grand hall creaked open, and a young she-wolf dressed in simple clothes stepped forward — the first of the newly summoned witnesses.

Her steps were hesitant, but her gaze was steady as she approached the center of the marble floor where the witnesses were to stand. The tension inside the room was suffocating; every eye followed her, every breath held in anticipation.

Elder Caelum nodded. “State your name and your pack.”

“My name is Elara,” she said, her voice clear but trembling slightly. “I am from the Shadow Fang Pack. I was among the invited guests during the Unity Banquet.”

“Proceed,” Elder Caelum urged gently. “Tell us what you saw that night.”

Elara swallowed hard, stealing a glance toward Livia — the Luna who sat silently with her hands clasped tightly on her lap.

“I… I saw Luna Livia,” she began. “She was standing alone in the middle of the banquet hall. At first, I thought she was simply taking a moment to herself, but as the event went on, I noticed Alpha Aldrake wasn’t beside her. He was… he was introducing another woman.”

Her voice grew firmer as she went on, courage replacing her fear. “He introduced that woman — Amber — to every Alpha, Beta, and Elder present. People were calling her the Luna that night. And when some asked who the lady standing alone was… Alpha Aldrake simply said she was his ‘pack’s responsibility.’”

A loud gasp erupted from the audience. Murmurs followed quickly after, buzzing through the hall like angry hornets.

“Did you hear that?!”

“He called his mate a responsibility?”

“How humiliating…”

Amber’s face was drained of color, her perfectly painted smile faltering. Aldrake’s hands clenched into fists, his jaw twitching as he forced himself not to react.

But the nightmare was only beginning.

One by one, four more witnesses stepped forward — all from different packs, all with nothing to gain and nothing to lose. And each one confirmed the same story.

“Yes, I saw Luna Livia left alone. She stood there for nearly half the night.”

“I remember feeling pity. Everyone was whispering, wondering why Alpha Aldrake wasn’t by her side.”

“He was too busy showing Amber off. Many believed she was his mate.”

“One elder from the Crimson Howl Pack even asked me, ‘Isn’t that the Luna?’ I didn’t know how to answer.”

Each testimony struck like a hammer against stone, shattering the carefully built lies that Aldrake and Amber had woven. The once-skeptical crowd began to shift uneasily in their seats.

The doubt that had lingered around Livia was now being redirected — toward the very people who had accused her.

Amber’s hands trembled in her lap as whispers grew louder, sharper. Some were filled with anger, others with disappointment.

“So it’s true… she was humiliated.”

“And they dared to accuse her of neglect?”

“The Alpha treated Luna like she was nothing.”

Aldrake felt the weight of a thousand eyes bearing down on him. His chest tightened, heat creeping up his neck. For the first time since the trial began, his perfect mask began to crack. His reputation — his authority — was slipping from his grasp.

Amber forced herself to smile, pretending to be composed, but it was useless. Her heart hammered violently as the whispers turned into glares — eyes filled not with sympathy, but with disgust.

Livia, still seated quietly, lowered her gaze as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She had told them. She had told them the truth. And now, the world is finally beginning to see it.

Elder Caelum’s voice echoed across the hall, commanding silence once more. “It seems,” he said, his tone is heavy with implication, “that the testimonies today differ greatly from those presented in the first trail.”

All attention turned sharply to Aldrake and Amber, whose silence now spoke volumes. The disappointment in the hall was palpable — not only toward them as individuals, but toward the betrayal of trust they had committed before the Council.

The power dynamic in the room had shifted. The once-vilified Luna was now the wronged victim in the eyes of many, and those who had tried to break her… now stood on the edge of their own ruin.

And deep within the silent storm of emotions swirling around them, Aldus allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile.

This… was only the beginning.