Chapter 115 THE SENTENCING

Chapter 115 THE SENTENCING
Lucian's Pov

I sat in the tribunal courtroom with Celestia beside me waiting for Eclipse's sentencing hearing to begin. The trial had concluded a week ago with guilty verdicts on all charges and today the judges would decide Eclipse's punishment.

Celestia had insisted on attending even though I knew it would be difficult for her. She wanted to see this through to the end and witness Eclipse facing consequences for everything she had done.

"Are you sure you want to be here for this?" I asked Celestia quietly.

"Yes. I need to see it. I need to know that she is really being punished," Celestia said.

"I understand. Just let me know if it becomes too much and we can leave," I said.

The courtroom doors opened and guards brought Eclipse in. She looked different from the last time I saw her. Thinner and paler with dark circles under her eyes. Prison had not been kind to her.

Eclipse was seated at the defense table with her lawyer and she looked around the courtroom with hatred in her eyes. When her gaze landed on Celestia I saw pure rage flash across her face.

The tribunal judges entered and everyone stood. Judge Morrison took his place at the center and looked down at the documents in front of him.

“We are here today for the sentencing of Eclipse Greyfang, who was found guilty on all charges. Before we pronounce sentence, does the defendant wish to make a statement?” Judge Morrison asked.

The room went silent.

Every eye turned toward me as I rose slowly, my legs unsteady but my resolve hardening with each breath. I could feel the pulse in my ears, the weight of the verdict pressing down on my chest, but I refused to let it bend me. This was my last chance to be heard—not as an accusation, not as a headline, but as a person.

I clasped my hands together, steadying them, and met the judge’s gaze.

“Yes, Your Honor,” I said, my voice clear despite the storm inside me.

And in that moment, I chose my words carefully—because whatever I said next would follow me for the rest of my life.

Eclipse's lawyer stood up and shook his head.

"No, your honor. The defendant has no statement," the lawyer said.

But Eclipse stood up anyway ignoring her lawyer's advice.

"I have something to say. This entire trial was a sham. I was railroaded by people who wanted revenge. The evidence was fabricated and the witnesses lied. I am innocent and history will prove that," Eclipse said.

"Sit down Eclipse. You have been found guilty by a fair trial. Nothing you say now will change that," Judge Morrison said firmly.

Eclipse sat down but she was glaring at everyone with open hostility. She had learned nothing from this experience and showed no remorse for her actions.

Judge Morrison cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Eclipse Greyfang you have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud, bribery of a medical professional, perjury before a tribunal, and child abduction. These are serious crimes that have caused immeasurable harm to innocent people. You separated a mother from her newborn child. You destroyed a woman's reputation and had her exiled. You corrupted the justice system through lies and bribes. You have shown no remorse for any of these actions," Judge Morrison said.

Eclipse sat there stone faced refusing to show any emotion.

"This tribunal has considered the severity of your crimes and the harm you have caused. We have also considered your complete lack of remorse and your continued insistence that you are innocent despite overwhelming evidence of your guilt. Therefore we are imposing the following sentence," Judge Morrison continued.

The courtroom went completely silent. Everyone was waiting to hear what punishment Eclipse would receive.

“You are hereby sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in the tribunal maximum security facility. This sentence is to be served in full with no possibility of parole or early release,” Judge Morrison announced.

The words echoed long after he stopped speaking, each one striking like a final blow. Twenty years. No appeals to time, no hope of mercy tucked between the lines. Just a future sealed shut.

For a moment, everything inside me went eerily calm.

I nodded once, slowly, as if accepting the sentence out loud might make it easier to carry. My hands were cold, my fingers numb, but I refused to let anyone see me falter. Not here. Not now.

As the bailiff stepped forward, I caught one last glimpse of Celestia, her face crumpling as the reality set in. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. That I loved her. That none of this was how I imagined it would end.

But the gavel came down, sharp and final.

And just like that, my life was no longer my own.

Twenty years. It was a harsh sentence but well deserved given everything Eclipse had done.

"Furthermore upon your release from prison, you will be permanently exiled from all pack territories. You will not be permitted to enter or reside in any werewolf pack land for the remainder of your life. If you are found in pack territory after your release you will be arrested and imprisoned again," Judge Morrison continued.

Permanent exile on top of twenty years in prison. Eclipse would lose everything. Her freedom, her home, her community. By the time she got out of prison, she would be in her forties with nowhere to go and no one to help her.

"Do you have anything to say Eclipse?" Judge Morrison asked.

Eclipse stood up and her face was twisted with rage.

"You are all going to regret this! Every single one of you! I will find a way to make you pay for what you have done to me!" Eclipse screamed.

"Take her away," Judge Morrison ordered.

The guards grabbed Eclipse's arms and started pulling her toward the exit. She fought against them and kept screaming.

"This is not over! I will get my revenge! Celestia, you think you won but I will destroy you! I swear it!" Eclipse screamed as she was dragged from the courtroom.

Her voice echoed through the chamber even after the doors closed behind her. Everyone sat in shocked silence for a moment before the murmuring started.

Judge Morrison banged his gavel.

"This sentencing is concluded. Eclipse Greyfang will be transported to the maximum security facility immediately to begin serving her sentence," Judge Morrison said.

The judges left and people started filing out of the courtroom. I looked at Celestia and saw tears streaming down her face.

She didn’t try to hide them. She just stood there, hands clenched at her sides, shoulders trembling as if holding herself together took everything she had left. Seeing her like that hurt more than the sentence ever could. This wasn’t about me anymore—it was about the people who would carry the weight of this long after the courtroom emptied.

I took a step toward her before the bailiff’s presence stopped me short. Our eyes met across the space between us. No words passed between us, but her expression said enough—grief, disbelief, and a love that hadn’t vanished despite everything.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to straighten.

If this was the price of my choices, then I would bear it.

But watching her break… that was the part I wasn’t sure I could survive.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I do not know. I thought I would feel happy or satisfied but I just feel sad," Celestia said.

"Why sad?" I asked.

“Because that woman helped destroy my entire life. She took everything from me. And now her life is destroyed too. It is what she deserves, but it is still sad to see. All this pain and destruction because of greed and jealousy,” Celestia said.

Her voice didn’t shake, but her eyes were red and swollen, grief dulled into something heavy and tired. There was no satisfaction in her expression, no sense of victory—only the quiet understanding that justice, when it finally came, did not heal what had already been broken.

She exhaled slowly and looked away, as if the sight of the courthouse itself had become too much to bear. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” she added softly. “Not even her.”

The words lingered in the air, fragile and unresolved, like the last echo of a story that had ended—but left scars behind.

I put my arm around her and we stood to leave. As we walked out of the courthouse reporters tried to ask us questions but my guards kept them back.

We got into the car and I told the driver to take us back to PhoenixClaw. Celestia was quiet during the drive and I let her have her thoughts.

Finally, she spoke.

"Do you think this gives me closure?" Celestia asked.

"I do not know. Does it?" I asked.

"Not really. Eclipse is going to prison for twenty years and that is good. But Medea is still free. She was just as involved in the conspiracy as Eclipse was but she is not facing any consequences. That does not feel like justice," Celestia said.

"Medea will face consequences eventually. Raphael knows about her fake pregnancy and the pack hates her. She is isolated and powerless. Her life is falling apart even if she is not in prison," I said.

"That is not enough. I want her to face real consequences. I want her to lose everything like she made me lose everything," Celestia said.