Chapter 201: The Judgement.

Alpha Rolan's POV

It wasn't supposed to end this way. For days, I had turned it over and over in my mind, hoping that somewhere there was a version of events where I didn't have to stand in judgment over someone I once called my closest confidant.

But there wasn't. The pieces had been set long before I realized the extent of the betrayal. I paced in the dim light of my chambers, the dull hum of the council gathering in the Great Hall beneath me.

They were waiting for my final decision, for the judgment that would define the kingdom's response to treason. The decision had already been made. It wasn't just my choice, it was the law. And yet, knowing didn't make it any easier.

Griffin. His name tasted bitter now, where once it had brought me comfort, and trust. We had grown up together and endured the hardships of court life side by side. How did it come to this?

My hand hovered over the door handle. I had to see him before the council hearing, before the execution. One last time.

The dungeon smelled of damp stone and sweat, the kind of cold that clung to your bones no matter how thick your cloak was. Griffin was in one of the inner cells, isolated from the other prisoners.

His eyes, usually so sharp and calculating, were hollow now, though they flickered with a brief flash of recognition when he saw me approach. There was no fear there, only resignation.

"How long have you known?" His voice cracked from the dryness in his throat, but the accusation was clear.

I took a moment before answering, trying to maintain the composure that had been slipping from my grasp all morning. "Long enough," I said finally. "Long enough to wish you had told me the truth yourself."

Griffin laughed, but it was a sound devoid of humor. "Truth? You don't want the truth, Rolan. You want to believe that you're different from the others, but you're just like them. When the time came, you didn't hesitate to put the knife in."

I frowned. "I didn't want this. You know that. But you lied. You swapped the results, manipulated everything, and even tried so hard to kill me."

"I did what had to be done!" His voice was louder now, the desperation clawing at the surface.

"You could have told me!" My voice echoed in the stone corridor. "I hated my mother a little bit because of how she treated you, not knowing that she had seen right through your lying, betraying..." I stopped myself, taking a steadying breath. "Now, I have no choice."

Griffin leaned back against the wall of his cell, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "No choice? Is that what you're telling yourself? That you're doing this because your hands are tied?"

"Stop it," I snapped. "You know this isn't about me anymore. You killed someone, Griffin. And not just that, you did it on the full moon. You know what that means. You also set your men to kill me tonight, and went behind me to continue plotting even after I gave you back everything."

"I did what I had to do," he repeated quietly as if saying it again would somehow make it more justified.

I shook my head. There was no reasoning with him anymore. I had hoped, somewhere deep down, that he would show some remorse, some sign that the Griffin I knew still existed beneath the layers of betrayal.

There was nothing, nothing at all. Just cold determination. And in that moment, I knew that this was no longer the Griffin I had trusted for years. He had been lost long before I had even noticed.

"I thought you had changed," I said softly, more to myself than to him. "But I was wrong."

Griffin's eyes flicked to mine, and for the briefest moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of something. Regret? Guilt? It vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Go on then," he muttered, turning his back to me. "Do what you came to do."

I lingered for a moment longer, waiting for… I wasn't sure what. Some final words? Some explanation? But there was nothing. Just the silence of the dungeon and the steady beat of my own heart.

The council chamber was packed by the time I returned. Nobles, guards, and councilmen all waited for the verdict they knew was coming.

My footsteps felt heavy as I approached the throne, the weight of the crown on my head more oppressive than ever.

"Bring him in," I commanded, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me.

The guards hauled Griffin into the chamber, his wrists bound in iron chains. He looked smaller now, shrunken somehow, though his eyes remained defiant as ever. He didn't glance at me, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the assembly.

I rose from my seat, the words I had rehearsed in my head for days now tumbling out with cold precision.

"Griffin, you stand accused of treason, attempted murder, and murder. On the night of the full moon, you took a life, knowing full well the consequences of such an act." I paused, letting the weight of the words settle over the room. "By law, you have been sentenced to death. You will be burned at the stake tomorrow, as is custom for such crimes."

There was a murmur from the gathered crowd, but Griffin remained impassive. It was as if he had already resigned himself to this fate long ago.

"Take him back to the cell until the execution," I ordered.

As the guards moved to drag him away, Griffin suddenly lunged, his chains clattering as he fought to break free. His eyes locked onto mine, wild and full of rage.

"You're making a mistake, Rolan!" he shouted. "You think this ends with me? You have no idea what's coming. You'll see, this kingdom will fall, and you'll burn with it!"

The guards overpowered him easily, pinning him to the ground before hauling him to his feet again. He continued to shout as they dragged him back down to the dungeons, his voice echoing long after he had disappeared from sight.