Chapter 103

Chapter 103
The high seating returned in twenty-five minutes and resumed the session, throwing the hall into total silence. But silence wasn’t the only thing that filled the hall; as Dr. Bridgette stood to speak, anticipation and tension crackled so much that you could almost touch it.

“Following your accounts of the events that took place and the findings of our investigation, the high seating has agreed, and this is the verdict. Miss Rashel has been found innocent and cleared of charges of fraud. However, she will be suspended from joining the council meetings as a member but will be allowed as an observer. This is not in any way related to the case. Irrespective of her qualifications, she is not a Luna. And this is the sole reason why her membership has been suspended till further notice. This ruling will be reviewed in the event that the right thing is done.”

Immediately after she finished speaking, applause went up from among the very few observers seated. Still, there were people whose faces couldn’t mask their disappointment at the ruling. Rashel took note of this but didn’t let it bother her. What was of utmost importance was that the ruling was in her favor, and as for the suspension, it didn’t put a dent in her joy because once she and Jethro were married, it would be called off, and she would be reinstated as a member of the council.

As was customary, everyone stood in silence as the members of the high seating made their way out of the hall before the hall broke into a little room of chaos. There was the sound of rich, deep laughter and cheerfully called-out congratulations, some of which Rashel knew were fake, but it didn’t matter now. What mattered to her was that her name had been cleared and, most importantly, Jethro and Scepter did not suffer because of her. It felt like a weight had been lifted.

“We won, my love,” Jethro said to Rashel, just loud enough for her to hear.

“We did.” Rashel beamed.

“So, have you been convinced to start planning our wedding yet? Or would you rather join the meetings from the observers' stand?” Jethro teased, and to his delight, his words drew soft laughter from Rashel.

“I actually do think I’d enjoy the meetings more from there.” She said seriously, even though it was obvious she was trying so hard to hide the smile that threatened to fill her face.

“We’ll talk about this when we get home,” Jethro said and took her hand, leading her out of the hall the same way they came in. They were met with a herd of photographers and reporters, but Jethro didn’t let them have access to Rashel. He shielded her with his body as they made their way out of the building. The guards held the crowd back as soon as they made their way into the car.

“My goodness, those guys are wild.” It was Rashel who spoke first.

“I’m just glad all of that is over and we can return to our normal lives.”

“It’s not like you were a recluse before all this, Alpha. Everyone already knew who you were.” Rashel teased.

“One more word and I’ll throw you to them.” Jethro joked.

“But I was scared for a moment there. There was so much that could go wrong.”

“I wouldn’t have let it happen. I told you I was going to protect you, and I meant it, Rashel.”

“I know, okay? And I didn’t doubt it for a moment. I just feared that it would actually get to that point. I didn’t want you to be on bad terms with the council or have to take up arms for my sake, Jethro.”

Jethro didn’t say anything in reply; instead, he just stared at her intently, like there was something he could see in her eyes, or he could discover her deepest secrets if he looked hard enough.

The rest of the ride home was silent; it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but it was comforting. Like a warm blanket over their bodies. They had gotten to the stage where they could hear each other even in their silence.



Charlene and Kael were waiting at the front porch when they arrived, and for a moment, Rashel’s heart leaped, and she was worried that something might have gone wrong. Immediately, the car stopped moving, she jumped out and sprinted to where they stood, and took Kael from Charlene immediately.

“Mama!” Kael said as he held on to Rashel tightly.

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he is. Why do you look so worried? Did everything go well today?” Charlene’s brows knitted together in concern. Jethro watched them from where he stood, concern etched into his features. Rashel’s behavior reminded him of the earlier days when all Rashel did was fight. She always expected the worst, and now he feared that they might have returned to that time.

“Is there a problem?” Jethro asked as he walked towards them. He needed to confirm that everything was okay.

“Yeah, I just—when I saw Charlene standing here with him, I just thought something was wrong.”

“It’s alright, let’s go in.” Jethro held the door open for them as they filed in. While Charlene headed for the kitchen, he followed Rashel to her room.

“Rashel? You okay?” Jethro asked them the moment he shut the door behind them.

“Yeah. Why?” Rashel looked surprised.

“I don’t know. What happened out there?”

“It was nothing really. I guess I’ve just been overwhelmed, and this was me crashing out.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Jethro asked softly as he took Rashel’s hand.

“Take Kael? I need to take a nap, and he’s being clingy. Kael, baby, go to Papa.”

“Kael, come to Daddy.”

“Papa!” Kael mumbled as his little plump arms reached for Jethro.

“You know where to find us when you’re up. And please, actually sleep, Rashel.”

Rashel only smiled and gave a nod.

“Let’s go have ourselves a boy’s night, champ,” Jethro said to Kael as they left the room.

Rashel’s heart was full with love and gratitude for Jethro; she had struck gold with this one. The way he loved Kael almost made her forget that it wasn’t his blood that flowed through the boy; it was Seth’s. How could she forget something like that? It was impossible. Yet, she held on firmly to that reality and believed it so fiercely. It was in that moment that she had the conviction that it was the right time to get married to Jethro. With all that she was feeling and all that she now believed, she knew beyond a reasonable doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man. These were the thoughts that stayed on Rashel’s mind before she gave in to the strong pull of sleep.



Viola was enraged; the news of the hearing had just gotten to her, and she wanted to burst with anger. How did everything turn around so fast?

“You need to calm down, Viola,” Seth said to her as he watched her pace the room.

“You don’t understand, do you? That woman was allowed to walk free! That means I did all that for nothing, Seth!” Her voice had become dangerously low.

“I know, and I’m not happy about it as well, but this won’t fix anything, baby. I need you to calm down. For you and for the baby’s sake, please.”

Viola looked at Seth for a moment like he had gone crazy, but she stopped her pacing and sat down on the couch.

“I promise that at the next council meeting, I’ll lobby for Rashel to be fully suspended from the council, and I’ll raise a motion for a review of the judgment passed. A member of the high seating owes me a favor, and I think it’s my time to collect.”

“I don’t know how you’re going to get it done, but get it done, Seth. Please get it done.”

“I will; I just need you to be careful, okay?” Seth said warmly.

Viola didn’t reply immediately; she only glanced in Seth’s direction. As a matter of fact, while Seth spoke to her, she was texting Merikh. She had carefully avoided him for a long time, but now she needed him. For some reason, she wasn’t convinced that Seth could handle this, and so she enlisted the help of the one person she knew who could handle Rashel the way she wanted.

“I need to see you, Merikh.”

“Really? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, Viola.”

“I need your help, Merikh. And you know you owe me.”

“What is it this time? Let me guess, Rashel.”

“I’ll be waiting at the old warehouse just out of town.”

“I’ll be there.”

Viola waited a few moments before speaking to Seth again.

“Seth, I have somewhere to be; I won’t be long.” With Seth under the influence of the potion, Viola didn’t bother to sneak around anymore.

“Do you need me to go with you? Drive you maybe?” Seth asked, concerned.

“I can take care of myself, Seth; I’ll be home soon.”