Mated To My Bullies

Chapter 27: "The Trial"

Maya's POV

The great hall had been transformed into a courtroom. Where just weeks ago I'd watched Seraphina's mating ceremony, now rows of chairs faced a raised platform where the pack council sat like judges. Pack members filled every available seat, their faces a mixture of anger, fear, and disgust as they waited for my trial to begin.

I sat in a wooden chair in the center of the room, my wrists bound with silver chains that burned against my skin. The metal sizzled where it touched me, sending waves of agony up my arms, but I forced myself to sit straight. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break down completely.

Beta Thomas stood to my left, supposedly my advocate, though he'd made it clear he believed I was guilty. To my right, Seraphina sat with perfect posture in an elegant black dress, playing the role of the grieving Luna whose pack had been attacked by a dangerous criminal.

The brothers sat at the high table with the council members. Stephen looked tired and conflicted, his eyes avoiding mine. Nathan was cold and analytical, taking notes like this was just another pack business meeting. Karl appeared angry, his jaw clenched tight as he stared at me with something that might have been disappointment. And Elijah... Elijah looked like he might be sick, his face pale and drawn.

Elder Morrison called the session to order with a sharp bang of his ceremonial staff. "We are here to determine the guilt or innocence of Maya Rodriguez in the matter of the systematic poisoning of pack members through contamination of our water supply."

A murmur ran through the crowd. I could hear the whispers, the accusations, the certainty in their voices that I was guilty of trying to murder them all.

"The defendant will stand," Elder Morrison commanded.

I struggled to my feet, the silver chains making every movement agony. The room spun slightly - I hadn't eaten in two days, and the constant burn of silver against my skin was taking its toll.

"Maya Rodriguez," Elder Morrison continued, his voice carrying the weight of formal judgment, "you stand accused of attempting to murder pack members through the deliberate poisoning of our water supply with toxic substances. How do you answer to these charges?"

"Not guilty," I said, my voice hoarse but clear. "I would never hurt innocent pack members."

A few people in the crowd scoffed at my denial. Someone shouted, "Liar!" before being shushed by those around them.

Elder Morrison nodded to Seraphina. "Luna Seraphina, please present your evidence."

Seraphina rose gracefully, every movement calculated to show her authority and righteousness. She looked like an avenging angel in her black dress, beautiful and terrible in her certainty.

"Honorable council members," she began, her voice carrying easily through the hall, "the evidence against Maya Rodriguez is overwhelming and damning."

She gestured to a table beside the platform where several items were displayed. "First, we have testimony from multiple witnesses that Maya had unrestricted access to the castle's water systems in her role as dungeon keeper and general servant."

Beta Marcus stepped forward. "I can confirm that prisoner meals and dungeon cleaning required regular trips to the main water sources. Maya Rodriguez had ample opportunity to contaminate the supply."

My stomach dropped. It was true - my duties had given me access to the water systems. But I'd never used that access for anything other than my assigned work.

"Second," Seraphina continued, "we have physical evidence found in Maya's personal belongings."

She held up a small glass vial filled with white powder. "This is silver dust, mixed with belladonna and nightshade. Highly toxic to werewolves, and found hidden in Maya's mattress in the servants' quarters."

The crowd gasped and muttered angrily. I stared at the vial in shock. "That's not mine! I've never seen that before in my life!"

"She's lying!" someone shouted from the crowd. "Murderer!"

Elder Morrison banged his staff for order. "The defendant will remain silent unless asked to speak."

Seraphina smiled sadly, as if my denials only proved her point. "Third, we have Maya's own history of violence and instability. She killed twelve wolves in Marcus Wells' facility. She shot Nathan Blackwood with a gun. She has repeatedly shown herself capable of extreme violence when she doesn't get what she wants."

Each word was like a dagger. She was taking every desperate act I'd committed to survive and twisting it into evidence of my supposed evil nature.

"Furthermore," Seraphina continued, "Maya has clear motive. She lost her position as mate to the Blackwood alphas. She was demoted to servant status. She has every reason to want revenge against the pack that rejected her."

The logic was flawless, I had to admit. If I didn't know the truth, I might believe it myself. But I did know the truth - and the truth was that Seraphina was the one poisoning the pack.

"Finally," Seraphina said, her voice growing more emotional, "we have the timeline. Pack members began falling ill exactly one week after Maya was given duties that included access to our water systems. The correlation is undeniable."

She sat down, her presentation complete. The crowd was buzzing with anger and fear, convinced by her carefully constructed case. Even some of the council members were nodding, their minds already made up.

Elder Morrison turned to me. "Maya Rodriguez, you may now present your defense."

I stood on shaking legs, the silver chains burning deeper into my wrists. "Everything Luna Seraphina said sounds convincing, but it's all lies."

The crowd erupted in angry shouts. "Murderer!" "Liar!" "Banish her!"

Elder Morrison called for order, then gestured for me to continue.

"I never poisoned anyone," I said, my voice growing stronger despite my physical weakness. "Yes, I had access to the water systems, but so do dozens of other servants and pack members. Yes, you found poison in my belongings, but I've never seen that vial before. Someone planted it there."

"Who would do such a thing?" Elder Morrison asked skeptically.

I looked directly at Seraphina. "The person who's actually been poisoning pack members. The person who needed a scapegoat for her crimes."

Seraphina's eyes flashed with what might have been anger, but her expression remained perfectly composed. "These are desperate accusations from a guilty woman."

"Am I?" I turned to address the entire hall. "Think about it. Who benefits from weak pack members being eliminated? Who gains power when the 'inferior' wolves are removed? Who has been systematically working to purge anyone she considers unworthy?"

"That's enough," Stephen said, speaking for the first time during the trial. His voice was tired but firm. "Maya, these conspiracy theories aren't helping your case."

"They're not theories!" I protested, desperation making my voice crack. "Stephen, you know me. You know I would never hurt innocent people. I've only ever used violence to protect myself or people I cared about."

"The people you cared about?" Nathan asked coldly. "Like when you shot me?"

"You were attacking me!" I shot back. "All of you were trying to assault me, and you know it!"

Karl leaned forward. "Even if that were true, it doesn't excuse what you've done to our pack members. Children are sick, Maya. Elders are dying. How can you claim to be innocent?"

"Because I am innocent!" I screamed, the silver chains cutting deeper as I struggled against them. "I'm being framed! Can't you see that?"

Elijah finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maya, they found the poison in your possession. Multiple witnesses place you near the water systems. The timeline matches perfectly. What are we supposed to think?"

The defeat in his voice broke something inside me. Even Elijah, the one brother who'd sometimes shown me kindness, believed I was guilty.

"You're supposed to know me," I whispered, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. "You're supposed to remember that I saved your lives. That I chose all of you over my own safety, over my own life."

"That was before," Stephen said quietly. "Before the serum, before Marcus, before everything changed. You're not the same person you were then, Maya. The things that were done to you... they changed you."

"Into a killer," Nathan added. "Into someone capable of mass murder."

The words hit me like physical blows. They really believed it. The four men I'd once loved, once been mated to, genuinely thought I was capable of poisoning innocent pack members including children and elders.

Elder Morrison called for the council to deliberate. They huddled together for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, their voices too low for me to hear over the angry murmurs of the crowd.

Finally, Elder Morrison stood. "The council has reached a unanimous decision."

The hall fell silent, every eye fixed on the elder's weathered face.

"Maya Rodriguez, we find you guilty of the attempted mass murder of pack members through systematic poisoning. This is a crime against the most fundamental laws of pack society, a betrayal of the most sacred trusts."

The room exploded with cheers and shouts of approval. I sank back into my chair, the reality of it hitting me like a physical blow. They'd found me guilty of a crime I didn't commit, using evidence that had been planted and testimony that ignored the truth.

Elder Morrison banged his staff for order. "The sentence for such crimes is traditionally exile and banishment. However, given the severity of the offense and the ongoing danger the defendant poses, the council has decided on a more permanent solution."

My blood turned to ice.

"Maya Rodriguez," Elder Morrison pronounced, his voice carrying the weight of absolute judgment, "you are sentenced to death by silver poisoning. The execution will be carried out at dawn tomorrow, allowing you one night to make peace with the Moon Goddess."

The hall erupted again, but this time I couldn't hear the individual voices. Everything had gone numb, distant, like I was watching someone else's nightmare unfold.

Death by silver poisoning. They were going to force me to drink liquid silver until it burned through my organs and killed me from the inside out. It was one of the most agonizing deaths possible for a werewolf, reserved for only the most heinous crimes.

And I was innocent.

I looked at the brothers one last time, hoping to see doubt in their eyes, some sign that they weren't completely convinced of my guilt. But Stephen was staring at his hands, Nathan was making notes, Karl was nodding in approval, and Elijah was looking at me with something that might have been pity but not belief.

They were going to let me die for a crime I didn't commit. The men I'd once loved were going to watch me be executed in the morning, and they believed I deserved it."