Chapter 118

Harper’s POV

Having the Councils’ full attention on me is unnerving. My footsteps boom in the otherwise silent room, the sounds of papers shuffling are far too loud, and the murmurs of the Elders are more irritating than they should be.

The temperature seems to drop several degrees, sending a chill down my spine as I step forward.

The Elders eye me with distrust, disgust, and disapproval, but I try to ignore them. Like Lucas said, they’ve already made up their minds. Nothing we say will change them until the Council makes their decision.

Their eyes track my movements, like a predator watching its prey. They wait.

The ten Council members lean forward, some watching me and others flipping through the pages of evidence Lucas and I gathered. Their gazes are sharp and attentive, and impossible to read behind the straight expressions.

“I’ll tell you everything I know,” I announce. I can’t afford to mess this up. If I do, I could be put in jail or worse. So, I wipe my clammy hands on my pants, ignore the tight feeling in my chest, and take a deep breath. I can’t falter. Not here. Not with my future riding on what I say.

“The Domain exits, and I’m sure it’s been around for much longer than anyone knows,” I begin, keeping my voice as steady as possible—even though my heart is pounding so loudly that I can barely hear myself speak. “It’s real. This isn’t some rumor being made up or a small operation. It stretches further and deeper than I could dig.”

“And you’ve been working with—”

“No,” I say, cutting the Elder off. He glares at me, but I continue, “I have never worked with the Domain. As Lucas pointed out, my clinic was used without my knowledge. The first time I found out about the Domain was when Lucas brought it up to me. After I was accused of working for them, I decided to look deeper into the horrible organization.”

The Councilman in the middle leans in, his eyes focusing on me. “And you found…?”

I curl my fingers into the fabric of my pants as I speak. “I found that the Domain operates through the Dark Web. The Domain, the traffickers, and illegal sellers created a page on the Dark Web where they can chat with and pull in new customers. As I was digging through the site, I joined conversations to get evidence. You can see the chat screenshots in the evidence folder.”

Several of the Council members flip through the folder before pulling out pages and spreading them out in front of them. My heart beats impossibly louder, sounding like it’s between my ears.

“I thought about how Lucas told me he saw a wolf soul that could possibly mine. I wanted to know if it was true, so I joined a chat about a wolf soul auction,” I tell them honestly. I have nothing to hide, and the only thing that will help me stay free is the truth.

At least, I hope they listen to truth and not the lies Logan spread.

“And this is how you got their physical location?” One of the Council members to the right side asks. I nod.

“It is,” I tell them. “I went to the Domain to get more evidence, but they figured out my plan. I was then captured by the Domain’s people, resulting in me being locked up within their secret location. If it weren’t for Lucas, I would’ve been sold off to some random buyer…”

I turn to look at Lucas, and I realize just how close he’s standing. I wouldn’t even need to fully straighten my arm out to touch him.

And now I want to touch him, to grab his hand and let his presence comfort me. The bond between us flares briefly, and something warm fills my chest. My anxiety eases a bit, and I take another deep breath.

Lucas’s blue eyes were already on me when I looked back at him, which is oddly comforting. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in this.

He fought for me, and now it’s my turn to fight for myself.

“After Lucas rescued me, we worked together to go back and free the wolf souls that had been captured,” I explain. “There were sixteen wolves total—one of them being my own wolf soul—and some were injured. Before we escaped, I helped heal their wounds and then we escaped.”

“Where did the wolf souls go?” One of the Council members asks, looking back down at the papers in front of them.

“Some of them left our group while we were on our way back to the pack, but others stayed with us. They chose not to leave,” I answer.

The only woman on the Council straightens up, her eyes narrowing on me, “I find it convenient that they stayed with you. They’ll only live a life of captivity, won’t they?”

“No,” I nearly hiss. “The wolves know they’re free to leave whenever they want. I’m not keeping them as pets.”

The Council woman stares at me for a minute before sitting back again.

“Do you expect us to believe that you have nothing to do with the Domain?” An Elder asks. “You easily hacked into their Dark Web, so how do we know you’re not the one lying by saying you’re not working with them.”

“I didn’t…” I grit my teeth and stop myself before I get too angry. Had he seriously not listened to a word we’ve said this entire time?

“As I Lucas and I have said, I didn’t know Logan before the mating ball,” I reiterate. “I took no part in his trafficking or dirty deeds. We have presented solid evidence that proves my innocence. If I’d known something like this was happening, I would’ve stopped—”

He cuts me off, “Are we to truly believe that you saw nothing at your clinic? Heard nothing?”

“Yes, because it’s the truth,” I growl. “I was not helping Logan. I would never do something so vile and disgusting.”

The elder growls right back at me, shooting to his feet. His chair topples back with a loud bang as he sneers, “You were there. How could you not notice that—”

“Harper is not the one with piles of evidence hidden on her computer,” the main Councilman announces loudly, cutting off the Elder. “The logs on Logan’s personal computer prove he is the one who arrange the transport and routes for trafficking. Not Harper.”

His words are like a soothing balm on my anger, and I take another deep breath. I let anger control me.

“If you don’t trust me, don’t just take my word for it,” I announce. “I can shift to show you my wolf is with me, or you can call on the wolf souls to see how they trust me. I’m not the enemy here.”

The doors behind me open, and the soft padding of paws on marble floors fill the room. I can feel them before they reach me; their warmth and care surrounding me before the wolves do.

“If I’d hurt the wolves like Logan claimed, they wouldn’t have stayed with me,” I explain. “You all know wolves are loyal creatures. Do you think they would let me near them if I’d hurt them?”

Silence falls over the room. The Council and Elders all stare at me, and soon enough, the angry elder sits back down. Again, their gazes are calculating. They watch how the wolves circle me protectively, and I feel like they’re finally starting to believe.

The silence breaks briefly as the Council confers, but it doesn’t take long before they turn back to me. The Councilman in the middle stands again, his full attention on me as he speaks, “The Council has heard your testimony, Harper. We have seen the proof of who is truly at fault of collusion with Logan and the Domain, and we find you, Harper Lewis…”

I hold my breath as the rest of the Council stands.

“Not guilty.”