The Rejected Omega

Manufactured Evidence

"What is it? Angry because your secret is out?" I asked, shifting my weight in an attempt to find some room to move my bound wrists. "You think you're such a wonderful candidate for Luna, yet you can't get rid of a single Omega without kidnapping her in her sleep and setting up a pathetic little trap."

"Shut up!"

Lynf snatched the kitchen knife from the table and pointed its sharp tip directly at my throat. Her hand trembled with barely restrained anger.

"You're nothing but trash in this pack! No one will believe a word you say!"

"Go ahead," I replied flatly. "Stab me in the throat if you dare. Let everyone in the main hall see their future Luna murdering a bound servant inside a storage room."

Lynf held her breath. The knife's tip trembled against my neck, leaving a thin line of blood on my collar. But she didn't dare push it any deeper. She knew perfectly well that killing a servant without an official council ruling would tarnish her family's reputation before she even had the chance to rise to power.

Suddenly, the storage room door was kicked open from the outside.

BANG!

Three council guards entered alongside the two senior examiners who had overseen the selection trials that afternoon. Behind them, dozens of kitchen servants crowded the corridor, including Wolfi, who stood there with a worried expression.

"What's going on here?" the senior examiner barked as he took in the scene.

Lynf quickly tossed the knife onto the table, then stepped back twice and put on a frightened expression, her eyes filling with tears.

"Examiner! Thank goodness you arrived in time! I caught this servant hiding valuable items from the main hall inside the storage room!"

Her two senior servants immediately nodded.

"That's right, Examiner! We saw her carrying these items last night!"

I narrowed my eyes.

Of course. The moment the examiners arrived, the three of them had their story ready. They didn't need to explain why I was tied up or why I'd been taken from my room. They only needed to point at the objects on the table and let everyone draw their own conclusions.

"Do these items really belong to the main residence?" the senior examiner asked, glancing at the contents of the table.

"Yes," Lynf replied. She wiped the corner of her eye as though trying to hold back her tears. "Several of these items were reported missing just recently. I didn't want to accuse anyone at first, but when I saw her hiding the perfume, I had no choice but to stop her."

She lowered her head briefly before continuing in a trembling voice.

"I knew she was upset about failing the combat selection. I also knew she had a problem with my family after what happened at the training grounds this afternoon. But I never imagined she would act out of revenge."

Damn it.

She wasn't just framing me for theft. She was using the incident at the selection grounds to make the accusation seem believable.

I could see the change in the examiners' expressions. They knew me as the Omega who had challenged the selection committee's decision, dared to talk back to council officials, and even threatened Lynf's cousin in front of a crowd. Now, Lynf only had to connect those incidents to the stolen items on the table to make her accusation sound convincing.

"That's right, Examiner," one of the senior servants added. "We were also worried she might do something after what happened this afternoon."

The senior examiner gave a small nod. He didn't issue a verdict immediately, but his gaze had already changed as he looked from Lynf to me.

I leaned back against the bench.

"They're lying. I was kidnapped from my room in the servants' quarters while I was asleep, then tied up here. Check my shirt pocket. This woman just put the perfume bottle in there with her own hands."

The senior examiner stepped closer. He briefly examined the ropes binding my body before shifting his gaze toward Lynf.

"Lady Lynf," he said, "did you personally witness these items being discovered?"

"Of course," Lynf replied without hesitation. "I found them with my two servants. We tried to stop her before she could escape."

The lie came out so smoothly that I almost laughed.

I was tied to a bench with both arms bound behind my back, and my injured shoulder hadn't even fully recovered. Yet, to them, none of that mattered as much as the word of a woman who was a candidate for Luna.

The senior examiner finally took the perfume bottle from my pocket and examined the valuable items scattered across the table.

"The evidence was found in your possession, Michel," he said coldly. "Two witnesses claim they saw you carrying these items, and you have a reason to hold a grudge against the future Luna's family."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Can't you see that I'm tied up like this?!" I raised my voice. "How could a thief tie herself up with her own hands bound behind her back?"

The senior examiner didn't answer. He merely looked at the two guards behind him and gave a brief signal.

"Enough. Cut the ropes and hold her in the underground cells until tomorrow morning's punishment ceremony. For theft and insulting the future Luna, she is hereby sentenced to whipping and imprisonment."

The two guards approached with folding knives and cut through the purple rope around my chest. As soon as the rope came loose, my stiff arms dropped abruptly to my sides. The guards immediately grabbed my bruised shoulders and dragged me to my feet.

I looked at Lynf standing beside the table. She wiped away her fake tears, then gave me a small, triumphant smile as the guards dragged me out of the kitchen storage room.

"Take her away!" the examiner shouted.

I stopped struggling as they led me down the corridor toward the underground cells. My right hand clenched tightly, feeling the red marks left by the ropes still imprinted on my skin.