Chapter 55 55. Justice
Tabitha’s POV
“She’s shifting!” Wyatt exclaims.
Yennifer’s body twists at awkward angles, bones snapping as her skin stretches. Thick fur erupts across her limbs. A guttural growl bursts out as she completes her shift.
Shit.
In her wolf form, Yennifer snarls and thrashes free from Wyatt and Rye. She lunges straight at me, jaws wide. I stumble back, heart hammering. Before she can reach me, Jace darts forward. He grabs her snout with his bare hands and wrenches her sideways. He hurls her across the floor with a force that rattles my bones. Yennifer’s wolf body slams down, rolling with such impact that the floor cracks beneath her.
Holy…
“Crap! That was close!” Reed curses under his breath.
Jace’s eyes blaze molten gold. He plants himself in front of me protectively. A low growl rumbles from his chest, so raw it makes the Yennifer’s wolf whimper where she lies. They’ve done nothing but pamper me since yesterday that I almost forgot how the Aldair brothers have terrifying strengths even in their human form.
“Seize her!” Evren commands, his voice booming with anger.
Guards rush in. Yennifer writhes, but her strength fades as her body shrinks back into human form. Pale skin replaces fur, and she collapses, trembling and in pain. The guards press her down roughly that she doesn’t have the chance to fight back.
I shudder at the sight. Only then do I realize that I am holding my breath. Jace swiftly turns to me as he cups my face in his hand, his thumb resting against my cheek. “You okay?” he whispers.
“Yeah,” I croak.
The guards fasten silver cuffs around Yennifer’s wrists and ankles. She groans as the metal bites into her skin, searing it in angry burns marks.
Reed crosses his arms and scowls. “Let’s end this fucking circus. The footage proves that Yennifer is guilty. She should be punished accordingly.”
Beta Renston looks shaken, though he hides it quickly. His niece lies bound on the floor, yet his expression shifts back to neutral as he clears his throat. “You are right. The video speaks for itself. The evidence is clear and I apologize for wrongly accusing Tabitha.” His eyes waft back to his whimpering niece and I notice how his gaze turns into a mixture of pity and disappointment. “Still, Yennifer is my niece, and she has been a friend to your family since childhood. Can we show her mercy?”
“Mercy?” Jace’s gaze hardens. “No one gave Tabitha mercy when you threw her into a cell without proof. So, you can’t expect anything from us either. Yennifer should face the same punishment.”
Alfred steps forward, face red. “This is not right! We should not be rash—”
“Silence!” Renston snaps, cutting off his brother-in-law with steel in his voice. “You are not helping your daughter’s case, Alfred.”
“You know what? Why don’t we punish the elders too while we’re at it?” Reed suggests. “First, for tossing Tabitha into a dungeon without a trial. Second, for accusing her without a shred of proof. And third, for Alfred, specifically, for being too blind to realize his own daughter caused this mess.”
The elders erupt in protest, but Renston raises his hand, silencing them again.
“I expect that you’ll handle this properly, Beta. You would not want to be the one standing in front of our father when he returns and learns how the council turned our name into a laughingstock.” Evren’s cold voice cuts through the chamber.
Renston’s mouth tightens. He looks almost repentant as he nods. “I will handle this.”
He gestures to the guards. “Take Yennifer to the dungeon. Ava, Alfred, Eli—you go with her.”
Yennifer shrieks as they drag her across the floor. The elders cry out in outrage.
“This is unacceptable!” Eli bellows. “I am third in command of this pack!”
Renston glares at him. “Believe me, spending a little time in the dungeon is better than facing Alpha Emery’s wrath. You would do well to stay quiet.”
That shuts him up. They are hauled away screaming, their voices fading down the hall.
Reed exhales.
“That’s enough drama for today. We’re done here.”
Evren turns to the remaining council. There is a clear warning in his eyes as he regards each one of them. “This should serve as a warning and reminder for everyone today. If anyone dares to cross the Aldairs again, you will share their fate. Or maybe suffer even worse. We are unforgiving to those who cross us.”
Silence swallows the hall. No one dares breathe or retort back, not even the elders. They shouldn’t. Evren is really scary when he is mad, after all.
With that, Evren takes my hand and ushers me out of the hall, followed by Luca, Reed, and Jace. Together, the four of us leave the station behind.
Finally, justice has been served.
We return to the Aldair estate before noon. The mood is lighter than it has been all morning. The torturous days I spent in the dungeon and the gnawing anxiety I carried through the trial are now replaced with relief and satisfaction. I cleared my name in front of the entire pack and it doesn’t get any better than that. With the charges against me dropped and the council silenced, it feels like a heavy weight has finally been lifted off my chest.
Even so, I notice a few of the staff casting me sideways glances as we pass. Their faces are hard to read, a mix of curiosity and nerves. My stomach knots. News travel fast in the island, especially in the werewolf community or humans who are at least associated with them. They must have heard about the whole mess that I had with the elders.
I wonder what they think about me now.
“Don’t overthink it,” Luca mutters under his breath as he falls into step beside me. “Everyone knows what Yennifer did now. No one’s going to be stupid enough to cross us.”
Cross us. Not just them. Us.