Chapter 235
ELENA
I hadn’t expected to be called so early.
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The defense had barely finished their opening remarks when Tessa Harrow turned to the Council and said calmly, “We call Princess Elena Hart of the Moonstone Pack as our first witness.”
A sharp intake of breath sucked the air from the room.
Whispers burst out in a dozen directions, rippling like wind through dry grass. Even behind the enchanted barriers, I could hear them.
“Did she just say Elena Hart?”
“She’s Moonstone–why would she testify for the defense?”
“What in the Goddess’s name is going on?”
The presiding judge–an older man with ivory robes and a gaze like ice–raised his hand. “Order. There will be order in this court.”
I stood.
My boots echoed on the polished stone as I walked past rows of shocked faces, past Maggie, who sat with her wrists cuffed but her shoulders straight. She didn’t meet my eyes.
I stepped up to the dais and placed my hand on the carved crest of the Council. The truth–binding magic in the wood pulsed faintly beneath my palm.
“I swear to speak the truth, by the Moon and by my bond.”
The main judge nodded. “You may proceed.”
Tessa approached with deliberate calm, letting the tension settle over the room like dust.
“Princess Elena,” she began. “Can you tell the Council why you’ve chosen to testify today? Why you–of all people–are sitting in defense of a woman who led rogue attacks on your pack and others?”
I took a breath.
My heartbeat echoed in my ears.
“Because I believe in telling the whole story,” I said.
Another ripple of whispers, quieter this time. Disbelieving.
Tessa gestured for me to continue.
I focused on the space just beyond the judges‘ bench. Not on Derek Not on Logan. Not on the cluster of elders from Moonstone who were probably grinding their teeth.
“I won’t deny that Maggie Thorn made choices that hurt people. That cost lives. She’s not innocent. But what she did… isn’t all she is.”
The courtroom was silent.
“I’m alive today because of her,” I said. “After I was kidnapped by Pierce Thorn, it was Maggie who freed me. It was Maggie who kept me hidden. She fed me. She helped me heal. She risked her own life to keep mine from being taken.“.
Tessa said nothing. She didn’t need to.
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“She defied her own father to get me out. She could’ve turned me. Used me as leverage. But she didn’t.” I looked directly at the judges. “I wouldn’t be sitting here today–none of this would be happening–if she hadn’t made that choice.”
And is that why you’re testifying?” Tessa asked gently. “Because she saved your life?”
“No,” I said. “That’s not the only reason.”
I looked out at the assembled crowd, feeling my voice steady.
“I’ve lived as a rogue,” I said. “For months. I lost my memories. My name. My family. And I survived because a group of rogue women took me in. Women with no pack ties, no protection. Women who ran from violent mates, from abuse, from the kinds of injustices no Council ever punished.”
Tessa’s expression didn’t change, but I saw something flicker in her eyes. Approval, maybe.
“I learned, during that time, that not all rogues are monsters. Some are just survivors. And we treat them like vermin. We blame them for the sins of their bloodlines or the circumstances they were born into.”
I raised my head and looked at the assembled wolves.
“We exile them with no safety net, no plan. And then we act shocked when they band together in desperation or violence. We force them to become the thing we already assumed they were.”
The lead judge’s brow furrowed. Across the aisle, the Gem Park Alpha shifted in his seat.
“I’m not saying Maggie should walk free without consequences. But I am saying that she–and others like her–deserve options.” My voice caught. “Rehabilitation. Protection during the full moon. Medical care. A way off the blood–soaked path instead of a cage or a silver collar.”
Tessa nodded once. “What would that look like, in your view?”
“A foundation,” I said. “A nonprofit, independent from pack rule. Run by both rogues and pack wolves. It would provide shelter, counseling, education, resources for those in transition. Safe zones during the full moon. Help with control, with stability. An alternative to exile or death.”
There were startled murmurs again. Some skeptical. Others—at least one voice–hopeful.
I turned back to the bench. “We always talk about peace. About unity. But peace isn’t forged by punishing the desperate. It’s built by giving them something to live for.”
Tessa placed a hand on the railing between us. “Thank you, Princess. No further questions.”
I stepped down.
My legs felt like water, my chest tight. I couldn’t read Derek’s expression as I passed. Or Jacob’s or the other judges‘.
I didn’t care.
I made it into the hallway before the courtroom doors creaked open again.
“Elena.”
I stopped.
Derek’s voice was soft, but I heard the weight behind it. I turned as he approached, the oak door groaning shut behind him. “You didn’t tell me you were testifying,” he said, searching my face.
“No,” I said. “I didn’t.”
“Why?”
”
‘Because I was afraid you’d talk me out of it.” My hands curled at my sides. “And because I wasn’t sure I’d be brave enough to
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do it if I had to explain it to you first.‘
He exhaled slowly. “You meant what you said in there?”
I nodded. “Every word.”
He looked away, out toward the row of windows that faced the snowy courtyard.
“You want to start a foundation,” he said, more to himself than to me.
“I am going to start one,” I corrected. “That’s my next project. My next purpose. Helping rogues who don’t have anyone else.”
He turned back to me, brow furrowed.
“Elena… after everything Maggie and her family did to yours–you don’t think this is a mistake?”
And just like that, something cracked open inside me.
“You don’t think rogues are capable of turning their lives around?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even. “Of belonging?”
Derek blinked. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.“.
He stepped closer, but I took a step back. My heart was pounding again, but not with nerves this time–with anger. And conviction.
“I know what it’s like to be cast out,” I said. “To be called rogue like it’s a curse. To feel like no matter what you do, you’ll never be enough. I won’t be part of a system that reinforces that.”
Derek’s jaw flexed. “That’s not what I’m saying. I just–Elena, this is personal. You’re close to it. To her. Maggie’s not just any rogue.”
“I know exactly who she is,” I snapped. “And I also know what she’s trying to be. That should count for something.”
He was quiet for a long moment.
“I’m not trying to stop you,” he said at last. “I just… I worry what it’ll cost you.”
“I’m not afraid of the cost,” I replied. “I’m afraid of doing nothing”
Silence stretched between us.
I turned on my heel and stalked out of the court building.
Leaving Derek behind.
Chapter 236
Chapter 236
