Chapter 89

Scarlett’s POV

“I did nothing wrong,” I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper, as tears streamed down my face. The words felt hollow, useless in the face of their judgment. Elder Timothy, the elder in the center, gave me a small, twisted smile that only deepened my despair.

“We have damning evidence that you planned this,” he said, his tone almost mocking “The kitchen staff you conspired with has confessed. Do you still wish to plead innocence? If you admit to your crime now, you’ll be allowed to remain with your mates, though stripped of your Luna title. If you maintain your innocence and are found guilty, you will be separated from them permanently and required to pay reparations for the insult to your bond. A seer will sever the mate connection, so they will feel no pain when they choose to move on. Only you will bear the heartache, so choose wisely.” His words were calculated, laced with a threat he knew would cut deep.

A strange laugh bubbled out of me, caught somewhere between despair and defiance. I shook my head, my tears falling freely. “I was a fool to think this would be fair. I was stupid to think I had a chance.” I looked up, meeting the elder’s gaze with a fold resolve. “No one here wanted a Vladislav as Luna. No one ever accepted me. This was planned from the beginning. Frame me, strip me of my title, and even if I stayed, my children would be condemned as bastards. This isn’t justice.”

Timothy’s smile faded, replaced by a hard glare, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. “Condemn me already,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt. “I won’t confess to something I didn’t do. Go ahead and finish the job. I’m already bound and stripped of my mates. Get it over with.”

The elders exchanged glances, a flicker of anger flashing in their eyes at my defiance. “Keep your distance, Alpha Clay,” Timothy commanded, not even sparing a glance at him. I turned, catching sight of Clay’s furious expression. Lucian and Maxwell were rigid with anger, and I could feel the burning loyalty in their gazes, but none of it mattered here.

The truth was painfully clear. I’d been set up to fail from the start. The people didn’t want a mate who brought no magic, who carried no wolf inside her,