The Lost Lycan Empress of House Dewari

The iron restraints around Selene Vale's wrists pressed against her skin with a freezing weight that made her fingers numb. Every step she took across the polished black stone floor of the High Tribunal sent the chains rattling through the enormous chamber, drawing the attention of every noble gathered in the galleries above. She kept her head high despite the humiliation threatening to crush her. The tribunal hall was built for power, its towering pillars engraved with the ancient crests of the Five Ruling Houses, each one gleaming beneath the torchlight. It was the sort of place where lives were decided with a single word and forgotten just as quickly. Tonight, her life was one of them. At the centre of the hall sat the Lycan Judge, an old and merciless figure wrapped in ceremonial black robes, his silver staff resting across his lap as though judgment itself had taken form. Before him lay a bloodstained ring. The signet of Duke Roman of House Riyan. Selene stared at it, her chest tightening. That ring had become the weapon used against her. "Selene Vale," the Judge called, his voice carrying through the chamber with cold authority. "You stand accused of the unlawful killing of Duke Roman, lesser noble of House Riyan. Witnesses have testified. Evidence has been presented. Before sentence is carried out, you may speak." Selene swallowed, forcing herself to breathe through the storm building inside her. Her eyes searched the room until they found her family. Her uncle stood near the front, broad and imposing in his Alpha robes, his expression carefully arranged into something resembling disappointment. Beside him stood her aunt, elegant and composed, with the faintest satisfaction hiding in her eyes. Her cousin stood between them, refusing to look at her at all. That was when understanding struck her with terrible clarity. They had done this. The realization hollowed her out. "I did not kill Duke Roman," Selene said, her voice steady despite the fear coiling inside her. "I did not kill the Duke. He tried to take advantage of me, and I defended myself, but when I left him, he was still alive." A ripple of whispers moved through the noble crowd. The Judge's face remained unreadable. "The testimony says otherwise." At his signal, the Beta of Crescent Moon Pack stepped forward. Selene's breath caught. She knew him. He had trained her as a child. He had once carried her on his shoulders after her father died. Now, he would bury her. "I witnessed the duke attacking her and try to take her by force, but she hit him and ran away, but before I could reach them she came back and attacked the Duke," the Beta said solemnly. "When I arrived, she stood over his body. Her hands were covered in blood." Selene stared at him in disbelief. It was a lie so bold she almost laughed. Instead, her stomach twisted. Her gaze darted desperately through the chamber until it landed on the one person she had been searching for. Kael Riyan. The moment her eyes found him, the bond inside her stirred violently. It had always been that way with him, though she had never fully understood why. Her father had raised her away from pack law, away from the traditions that governed wolves and mates. He had taught her freedom, not bonds. But she knew enough to understand what Kael meant to her. He was hers. And she believed, foolishly, that he would stop this. Kael stood near the Riyan delegation, dressed in dark formal robes marked with silver embroidery. His face was unreadable, his posture rigid, his eyes fixed on her with a distance that unsettled her. For a brief moment, hope flared in her chest. He knew she was innocent. He had to. The Judge rose from his seat. "By witness testimony, noble evidence, and the laws of the Crown, Selene Vale is found guilty of manslaughter against House Riyan." The staff struck the stone. The sound echoed like a death bell. "For this crime, you are sentenced to five years within the Dome." The chamber erupted in murmurs. Selene felt the blood drain from her face. The Dome. Every wolf in the kingdom knew what that meant. It was not simply a prison. It was a place where the Crown and houses of power buried monsters and inconvenient truths. Few ever returned. Those who did were rarely whole. Panic clawed at her chest as the guards seized her arms. Her restraint broke. She turned toward her uncle, desperation overtaking pride. "You know I did not do this," she said, her voice trembling. "Please tell them." Her uncle's face remained expressionless. He did not move. Her aunt smiled. It was small and cruel, but it was enough. The truth became undeniable. They had planned every part of this. The Judge lifted his gaze to the assembly. "Under sacred mate law, does any wolf claim the condemned?" The question froze Selene where she stood. Her eyes found Kael again. This was it. If he stepped forward, everything could change. Kael moved. Relief flooded her so quickly that it nearly weakened her knees. He stopped before the tribunal, his gaze locking with hers. There was no warmth in it. No hesitation. Only calculation. "I am Kael Riyan, alpha of Redwood pack and future cheiftain of house Riyan. My house is reknowned for our belief in justice and truth. For the intergrity of my clan and the dignity of our name I cut all ties with Selena Vale and before this tribunal and under the laws of the Crown," Kael said clearly, "I reject Selene Vale as my fated mate." The words struck harder than the sentence. Selene felt something tear inside her, a sharp and savage pain that stole the breath from her lungs. Her knees nearly gave way, but the guards held her upright. Kael turned his back on her. Just like that. As though the bond between them had never existed. As though she had never mattered. The guards dragged her toward the waiting prison transport outside the tribunal hall. The heavy black doors stood open like the mouth of some beast waiting to swallow her whole. Before they forced her inside, Selene looked back one final time. Her uncle was smiling. Kael was already walking away. And her family watched her leave as though they had finally rid themselves of a burden. As the iron doors slammed shut behind her and the transport began its journey toward the Dome, Selene understood something with perfect clarity. The people she had trusted most had not merely betrayed her. They had buried her alive.