Chapter 3 CONDEMMED BY MY MATE
Celestia's POV
"Dead?" I threw the ridiculous word back at her pointing my finger towards Asher.
"My baby is alive and well, look!"
Out of nowhere Medea broke into sobs.
"Eclipse told me that your condition was bad, but I didn't know it had gotten so terrible..."
She came over hesitantly looking at my hands as if she wanted to hold them.
"Celestia I understand what you are going through I would also lose my mind if Jaxon had died during birth,"
I looked between Raphael and Rose, my bewildered eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"Aren't you going to say anything, Raphael? You know I'm not that kind of person-"
"Then why is he blonde?" He stated the same aggravating argument has pulled me further away from Asher. "Nobody on my side of the family has blonde hair except for extended relatives-"
"My grandfather has blonde hair, that's how genetics works!" I screamed at the top of my voice.
"That doesn't prove anything,"
Rose was still giving me that pitiful look as if I was the one falling off the edge of sanity.
I noticed that Asher was starting to squirm, probably because of our raised voices.
"Let's have this discussion somewhere else," I said quietly.
"Yes we are going to talk about this, but it will not be a discussion, it will be a trial... There all the evidence will be laid in front of you and we'll see how you try to deny it all,"
Since I was a high-ranking wolf my trial was heard in the official elder council room. The oldest Elder, Janice, would be the one acting as the judge since Raphael and I were directly involved.
The meeting was arranged in less than an hour and I was escorted inside the meeting hall like a criminal that had already been condemned. Next Raphael was Rose and beside her was her sister, who was all but grinning in my face.
"Luna Celestia Ashen, you have a trial before the Elder council for the following crimes..."
Crimes?
As in plural?
I stood before the council, the only one standing while the rest of them were seated, and different charges from kidnapping to assault were brought up.
"How do you plead to all these crimes, Luna Celestia?" The secretary of the Elder Council asked me, his lips sinking into their usual frown.
"The only one I'm guilty of is assaulting the guard, but technically I was defending myself because I had been locked away against my own will without even a trial,"
Murmuring swept through the table but everything proceeded.
First way to the evidence tabled against me.
The first witness that was called up was the doctor in charge of my delivery, she had a bruise on her neck that she was trying and failing to hide under a scarf, then she glanced at me briefly, and an apologetic expression swam through her eyes before Janice asked her to state what had happened last night from her perspective.
"The Luna struggled to deliver for over 12 hours," she began and that was the only truth that she would tell, I said locked in place as the story was twisted on its back.
"She insisted on a natural birth, unfortunately the pup did not make it and died from inhaling her bodily fluids. She delivered a dead pup,"
"Doctor!" I called out, my voice a shriek of pain and betrayal.
Janice glanced at me from the corner of her eye.
"Luna Celestia, you are not allowed to intimidate the witness you will speak when it is your turn to speak,"
I clamped back my defense tears burning in my eyes.
What... Just what have I done to deserve all this?
How much more of this do I have to endure?
The next person to speak was Eclipse.
"I would hate to say this about the mother of our Pack, but I feel compelled to say the truth and nothing more or less. Have most of you heard that I worked as her personal maid? As such I was given the front seat to someone with her peculiar traits..." she pretended to hesitate and continued, "she would often break down because even after being married to the alpha for almost half a decade she had not been able to single child and she also took several pills to function from day to day it was only about time..."
I wanted to scream.
It had taken everything inside me to finally start my depression medication.
The only people who know about it are my doctor and Eclipse.
That was how fondly I held her in my heart.
All for her to expose me; to strip my insecurities to the judgmental Elders.
After she spoke then Medea came, Raphael held her hand while she spoke as if she were no more than a pup herself, whimpering annoyingly
"I don't have much to say, but I hope the council will show mercy to Luna Celestia," she was still wearing that fake mask of innocence, while indirectly echoing what everyone already assumed-that I was guilty.
After she spoke she went to sit quickly as if her legs were about to fail her.
Raphael remained.
His eyes rested on me, unmoved by my pain...my tears, just standing by the lie both he and his mistress concocted to frame me.
"I've been married to Celestia for seven years now. My parents, the previous Alpha and Luna, believed that she would make the perfect bride as the Eldest daughter of our Beta. I trusted their choice...but..."
He sighed heavily with his full chest.
"...Celestia had two faces, one she showed to the world and one behind closed doors..."
He unbuttoned his shirt and from his pecs to his stomach were ragged claw marks.
"This is what I got while trying to stop her from taking the pup-"
"Raphael!" I seethed, "I never did that.! Why are you telling these vicious lies against me? Janice please..."
I turned to the Elder judge. There was nothing but conviction in her grey eyes and then I knew it.
It was over