h4Chapter 75: Chapter 75: THE WITNESS/h4

    strongIVAN’S POV/strong

    Nina—Maeve’s little helper.

    What the hell?

    For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. My mind spun, gears grinding too fast to keep up.

    How the fuck was she here? How could she have known anything? What even did she know?

    Even Maeve didn’t learn of my supposed "instability" until the rumors had already spread. At most, during the Severance, she’d been morbidly confused. If anything, I looked like a pissed-off man.

    So how in the Goddess’ name did Nina get her hands on the story?

    My heart tightened, pounding as a range of questions flooded my mind—confusion growing louder than logic by the second.

    Nina’s face was carved nk. Expressionless. Quietly calm as she stepped to the center of the chamber.

    Thest time we’d met, she’d helped me sneak Asha out for the helicopter trip. Had I read her wrongly? Was this targeted?

    For the first time since this farce began, I was allowed to sit while someone else took the stand.

    Francis, still leaned against the wall, had his brows knotted, his posture taut, eyes snapping to mine with the same worry pressing in my chest. He was alert, suspicious.

    Barty, naturally, had no clue.

    "And who’s that supposed to be?" he asked with a chuckle. "Are we supposed to take the words of a nobody seriously?"

    The fool.

    Elder Halden rose with a grin wide enough to split his wrinkled face.

    "Oh, Barty, I think you should fear it. I took the liberty of tracing the root of this rumor," he dered, all smug dramatics. "Because I believe, dear council, that at the root of every tainted whisper lies a seed of truth. And who better to reveal that truth than the very source itself?"

    My gaze burned into Nina. She didn’t even nce my way, didn’t acknowledge my presence. She had the face of one who meant business. Well, fuck me.

    Halden’s grin sharpened. "Thisdy has told me some very interesting things that I believe will settle this once and for all."

    Elder Ilyas slid in smoothly, nodding once.

    "Then let her introduce herself. Swear by the Goddess’ name to speak only truth, and state her business in Ash Creek. The Order of Sight begins."

    Nina inclined her head. "My name is Nina Mores. I swear by the Moon Goddess that I testify to nothing but the truth. I am not a member of Ash Creek. I was rescued by Lady Maeve Oakes during her healing expeditions, and I serve as her assistant and her son’s caretaker."

    Ilyas nodded, signaling a guard. The man stepped forward with a polished moonstone, its natural glow a soothing blue.

    "ce your hands upon it," Ilyas instructed. "If you lie, it turns red. Lies before this council are punishable byw. You must speak nothing but the truth."

    Nina pressed her palms to the stone. It glowed a brighter blue.

    "What do you know of the Rabid Wolf?" Ilyas asked.

    "Prior to Ash Creek, I had never heard of such a thing," Nina said softly. "But when the word of the Alpha’s instability spread, the people began to call him that. The Rabid Wolf."

    "Are their words true?"

    "Yes."

    The stone stayed blue.

    A ripple of murmurs swept the room, elders exchanging nces, once again tense in their seats. My jaw tightened.

    "And how did the whispers begin?" Ilyas pressed. "What were the origins of your usation against the Alpha?"

    Atst, Nina’s eyes shifted to mine. Just for a heartbeat. Then she swept her gaze across the council, exhaling like some fragile dove.

    "I was not trying to use the Alpha," she said. "In fact, I was only trying to... protect the good of Ash Creek."

    "borate," I cut in with a scowl.

    The stone glowed steady blue.

    She dipped her head, then spoke.

    "On the night of the Severance, Lady Maeve had not returned to her chambers. It was past midnight. She had never been out thatte. I feared something had happened to her."

    Vance chuckled, dark amusement in his tone. "And why would you think that? Ash Creek is a safe pack."

    Nina’s voice dropped, fragile butced with an unmissable bite.

    "Forgive me, but Ash Creek has never been safe for Lady Maeve. Not with people like Lady Serena within its walls."

    The chamber erupted. And if it wasn’t my head on the chopping block, I might haveughed at the dramatic gasps and wide-eyed whispers.

    Oh, please. Even a newborn knew Serena was problematic. I might have been blind when I took her as my breeder, but you learn a lot in five years.

    Vance’s amusement vanished, his tone a low growl. "What do you mean by that?"

    Elder Mara leaned forward. "Yes, speak up, child! Serena Montrose, and the entire Montrose lineage, is respectable. A word against them must be exined."

    Nina bowed her head meekly.

    "It is only the truth. Unless Ash Creek has a council of liars, you all know Lady Maeve suffered greatly here. Even her own closest friend coveted her Alpha and cheated her out of her rightful ce."

    My heart twisted the second Nina’s eyes fell on me.

    "Now that she has returned, who is to say Lady Serena would not dare again?"

    Vance shot halfway to his feet with a growl. The stone red blue, pulsing with Nina’s apparent fear.

    "Sit," Ilyas snapped. "The witness must not be punished for honesty. That is exactly what is demanded here. She speaks truth regardless of consequence—that makes her respectable. Proceed, Nina."

    The girl sighed, then smiled meekly.

    "Yes, of course. Thank you, Elder," she said softly. "After I put Asha to bed, I went out searching for Lady Maeve. On my journey, I heard a ferocious howl. Foolishly, I ran toward it, fearing she was in danger."

    My frown deepened. The stone stayed blue. My chest tightened.

    "I did not know what to expect," she continued. "But the sight was... monstrous. I saw a beastly man ripping into a deer." Her voice trembled, tears brimming. "Blood, gore, flesh, mangled bones. Corpses for miles. It was a repulsive, inhumane scene, Elders. Only a demon is capable of such... vile actions. That sight still haunts my dreams."

    I couldn’t breathe—a cold hand pressing down on my chest. The world went still at her words.

    I... I did that?

    Francis shot off the wall instantly, fury propelling him forward.

    "That is not true!" he barked. "That is a false usation against the Alpha!"

    "Beta Francis!" Ilyas scowled. "This is not your ce—"

    But Francis didn’t hear her. He stormed up to Nina, seizing her throat, voice thundering.

    "Who put you up to this, woman? Why are you lying against your king?!"

    The room erupted in chaos. Elders crying for order. Guards half-lurching forward to restrain him from choking the life out of her.

    My voice slipped through the uproar.

    "Francis."

    He froze. His eyes locked on mine.

    "Let the girl go."

    Reluctantly, he did. His chest heaved, rage rolling off him in waves. Nina coughed, rubbing her neck, shooting him a sneaky re.

    Francis shook his head, muttering.

    "Forgive me. I acted out of turn. But I could not stand by and let this lie go unchallenged. I walked those woods three times that night. There were no corpses. Not one."

    I frowned inwardly. Nina had sounded certain—too certain. Enough to make me question my own memory. But Francis... Francis was meticulous. Always careful. Always one step ahead.

    If there had been corpses, he would’ve been the first to know.

    Bloodthirsty or not, I hadn’t touched a single beast beyond nearly tearing into Revierre.

    Halden’s voice slithered through the uproar.

    "And yet, by the moonstone’s glow, the witness tells no lies." His grin stretched.

    The stone stayed vividly blue. The other elders nodded grimly.

    Ilyas’s gaze fixed on me. "Then why, Alpha Ivan, during your Order of Oath, did you omit that you had ughtered the forest’s animals?"

    I dug deeper into my memory, wing for a single detail, a shred of truth, some forgotten moment. Nothing.

    "Because I had not remembered."

    Halden’sughter was insidious. "ughtering animals is as vile as ughtering men! Wolves are charged to protect the lesser creatures—not rip them apart at whim."

    Rather than dignify him, I turned to Nina.

    "What part of the forest did you see me?"

    Her eyes widened. She stuttered. "It—it all looked the same."

    "South, with therge oak tree?" I pressed. "Or north, with the pond? Both are impossible to miss."

    Her lips faltered. "The... oak tree."

    My gaze dropped to the stone. Still blue.

    Even when I knew there was no oak. No pond. Even when I knew I hadn’t been north or south that night.

    The stone did not betray her.

    A crease carved across my brow. Who the fuck was this girl?

    I leaned back. "That will be all."

    Ilyas reimed control. "What did you do after you encountered the Alpha?"

    Nina ducked her head. "Well... I searched for Lady Maeve some more, but there was no sight of her. So, I returned to the corpses after the Alpha was gone. I gathered them and burned them. I feared others might stumble across the trail of dead animals and trace it back to the Alpha in that state. Elder Halden saw the ashes himself."

    Halden nodded eagerly.

    "I then warned patrolling guards and maids to avoid that part of the woods. By morning, I told others to beware the Alpha’s temper—that his wolf mightsh out. I did not mean to blow things out of proportion. I only wished to raise awareness and prevent harm. That is why I called him rabid."

    Francis scoffed. "Oh, please. You knew exactly what you were doing. Who fed you these lies? Did Maeve put you up to this?"