The sky was gray the morning of the trial.
Dark Ash Pack gathered in the stone clearing — where generations of judgment had taken place. It was tradition. Justice before the moon.
Sienna stood in the center, wrists bound in silver. Her skin was pale, but her spine was straight.
Daemon stood at the edge of the circle, hands clenched, jaw tight. He hadn't spoken all night. Not to Victor. Not to Sage. Not even to Sienna.
Victor stepped forward, voice loud and sure. "She attempted to poison the Alpha. She endangered our future. She—"
"She saved my pup," someone shouted from the crowd.
"She warned us before the rogue attack!"
"She risked her life twice!" another yelled.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Victor's smile tightened.
"She's dangerous!" he snapped. "We've all felt it."
Sienna turned her face to the sky for a moment, then looked around at the pack.
"I never asked to be here," she said. "I never asked to be anyone's mate."
"I came here by accident — and yes, I was cursed. Not by my blood, not by prophecy. But by people who chose to believe lies."
She locked eyes with Daemon.
"I won't beg. And I won't stay where I'm unwanted."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Daemon took a step forward.
"Enough."
Victor froze.
"She's not the threat," Daemon said. "She's the warning."
He turned to Sage.
"Tell them."
Sage nodded and stepped forward, holding up a small vial and a torn cloth. "The poison came from Victor's supply. Hidden in his old hunting kit. I found it myself."
Gasps echoed around the circle.
Victor's eyes went wide.
"That's a lie!" he roared — and lunged at Sage.
But before he could strike, Sienna moved.
With a strength she'd never shown before, she threw herself between them — and her hands glowed.
The silver chains around her wrists cracked and shattered.
The glow pulsed outward, pushing Victor back violently.
The crowd stood frozen.
Daemon's voice rang out.
"Victor — Beta of Dark Ash — you are accused of treason, attempted murder, and sabotage."
Victor snarled, eyes flashing.
"I was trying to protect this pack from her!"
"No," Daemon said, stepping forward, his voice cold and final. "You were trying to destroy it from the inside."