The grand courtroom was home to tension. High arched windows allowed the streaks of the morning sunlight into the gloomy space, casting its shadows across the wooden floor. Ornate pillars lined the entire space, all etched with the history of the Lycan kingdom. But today, history was going to record another betrayal, one that would forever shake the core of the kingdom.
Jess sat beside Luca, her hand fixed tightly on his. Despite the warmth of his touch, her finger could feel the cold, her pulse and uneven drumbeat in her own ears. The courtroom was filled with nobles, council members, guards and curious citizens who tried to watch from the windows. They had all come to witness the sentencing of Athena and Gabriel. The air filled up with anticipation, heavy and suffocating.
The judge, an
