The Council's Verdict: Nora's Trial
1272 Words
**Nora**
I was abandoned in the damp darkness of the dungeon cell for the next three days. The moist, musty smell of the cement floor clings to my skin and attacks my senses. I swayed back and forth, curling my legs up to my chest. As I lay there, ashamed and utterly alone, tears pricked my face.
Nobody was going to save me. Not even a single person thought I was real. How people who had known me my entire life could turn against me so suddenly eluded me. In the pack, spies posed a serious threat, but I wasn't one. I had been sitting with one of my closest friends, Clark, when we found out about Xavier's passing. Because of espionage intelligence, he had perished. That is not how I would ever hurt Clarkson.
I was beaten so many times these past two days that I couldn't even recall. The guards would summon the healer to treat me each time I was on the verge of death. Then another round of torment started.
One time, I opened my lips and spit at the tormentor in an attempt to make him know the misery I had been through. The wad struck his cheek exactly. With a grunt, the tormentor withdrew his hand to wipe my spittle off him. He gave me a hard slap across the face while growling once more. I chewed my tongue and my teeth chattered. My mouth was full with coppery blood, and my vision quickly became blurry.
"Keep her alive! The Lycan king, so I've heard, was..."
The taste of that torturer's blood gave me the first sound dream in the cell, albeit I missed what they said later. And I had a sense that this time, when I woke up, I was going to have to deal with the hard truth.
I was correct, too.
I realized right away when I opened my eyes that I was outside of the dungeon. For a moment, the glaring brightness and the loud murmur of voices around me bothered me.
My heart sank to know that I knew exactly where I was.
A deep voice said, "You're awake," in the werewolf council.
My neck began to twinge as I whirled around. I rubbed my neck more firmly and winced. My body ached all over. Upon turning back at last, I noticed Clarkson and the werewolf council leader standing there.
"Clark-ah!" I gasped, but before I could say anything more, two soldiers firmly and brutally held me to the ground.
Clarkson's icy words, "It's time to face the werewolf council," stabbed like a knife into my chest.
"The inquiry is concluded. You have one more chance, Aurora Rays, to repent of your transgression."
"Aurora, welcome," said one of the council members. "We're here to decide your fate."
My tormentor was not far away. He was grinning in an unsightly way.
"I'm not a spy. I could feel my lips trembling, "I was tortured for days for nothing."
Holding up her hand, another council member stated, "We don't need to hear your testimony."
Another member stated, "Our interrogator has already given us all the information we need to know."
And that was all. Everything has already been decided. I wouldn't even get the opportunity to defend myself.
I looked to Clark, expecting him to give me his blessing, but he refused to look at me.
"What is your statement regarding Aurora, Clarkson Rays?" inquired a fellow council member.
He paused and said, "I considered Aurora a friend, but I'll never be able to look past the fact that she was involved in Xavier's death." I think she's capable of stealing my MATE's wolf if she could have killed my closest buddy."
The second he said "mate," he tightened his grip on Esme's hand. Her smile was like a dull axe, slowly taking my life away.
The council stated, "And that is why we take precautions when they are made." "You have betrayed the pack, Aurora. You have caused harm to certain pack members by interfering with their wolves, and you are accountable for the deaths of pack members. A council member yelled, "What do you have to say for yourself?" to get everyone's attention and make my "guilt" known.
Even though I had already lost my wolf, I could still sense the faces in this sea of eyes that were familiar to me from my early years. disgusting. Anguish. Taking pride. I was almost overcome by the intense emotion in their eyes. Anger followed the misery. The soaring fury.
"I am innocent! I'm not a spies! Furthermore, I didn't take anyone's wolf!" I growled, but at that moment, a heartbroken moan interrupted me.
"Not only did she steal my wolf, but she also snatched my mate!" Esme sobbed as she threw herself into Clarkson's arms.
"You've enjoyed things that didn't belong to you, Clark," turned to me, "all these years!"
My eyes grew wide at my lover's and friend's hurtful remarks. My speech stopped. I couldn't quite recall what had transpired at the time. They denounced. They rendered judgments. And they passed judgment.
"We can't risk you endangering the pack anymore."
I looked up impassively, feeling the needle-like gaze of every pack member on me.
"You are sentenced to death."
"-which should be, but," one of the council members commanded, seeming a little disgusted, "Though we don't want to, the plan has changed. Please remember that you don't deserve to die here."
"You will be sent to the Rogue Zone indefinitely. Get her back to the dungeon, soldiers.
I lay on my back, gazing up at the ceiling of the dungeon. Even though I was starving, I was relieved that they had stopped abusing me.
The council member's remarks were still fresh in my memory. "Not die here" and "plan has changed"—what did she mean? It appeared that my execution was due, but something or someone had intervened to prevent it. In that case, what would it be?
I closed my eyes and blinked for a long time. I opened them again, and Esme was there to greet me. With a sly pout on her lips, her hands were on her hips.
"What are you doing here?" My voice cracking, I questioned. I couldn't recall when I'd received water from them before.
"Licking her lips," Esme exclaimed. I snarled and narrowed my eyes, saying, "Get out." She could not contain her piercing laughter, as though my sad position was a big source of amusement for her.
"At last. "Aurora, we all get what we deserve," scoffed Esme. "My family is well-known and comes from a different pack. I've resided here in order to maintain harmony between the two packs. I should get status here for that. I'm just a face in the throng instead. But you, tiny orphan, my love. You are in excess of what you have been given. But not anymore," she remarked, giggling uncontrollably.
That Esme wasn't born to Moonery was common knowledge. Her purpose for moving here was to protect Moonery from future attacks by her home pack. She had to grow up as an outsider in our pack, but no one had ever treated her poorly or paid her any attention.
"And that was my fault?"
She looked at him cruelly and said, "Well, I wanted Clark, and you got in my way. Isn't that simple enough?"
"Well done. We all got what you wanted, at least one of us." I gave her a faint sneer and stopped focusing on her.
However, her next statement made me feel awake again for a brief moment.
- Writer
