Chapter 214

Grace

As Charles led the enigmatic woman to the seat beside him, murmurs rippled through the hall. I didn't recognize her from the news. Looking closer, the thing I thought was a crown looked more like a piece of jewelry. It was a large stone resting on her forehead, held in place by a thin chain.

Not a crown.

Not a queen or a princess.

The realization didn't make me feel any better. The senators all looked curious. Esme glanced over at Charles but looked unbothered, but no one, apart from Charles himself, seemed to know who she was.

No one paused to ask or even looked concerned that Charles and this woman were here until Sean cleared his throat.

"King Charles," he drawled, "your presence is unexpected. And even more surprising is your… companion. I wasn't aware that we were sharing court proceedings..."

A sardonic smile played on Charles's lips. "I thought I made my interest in Mooncrest's affairs rather clear during our last encounter. This," he gestured towards the woman, "is Elara, a revered member of my mother's coven and an expert in magical infrastructure."

Understanding dawned on me. Luna was likely here to salvage whatever was left of Mooncrest's system and expand it after we recovered all the records. Her sharp gaze met mine for a fleeting moment, and I swear I saw a flicker of distaste there. I set my jaw, feeling defensive. What was her problem?

"And her interest?"

Elara cocked an eyebrow at Sean. "The coven I represent stands with King Charles, though we will humor no further cooperation in Mooncrest's... predicament until this situation is resolved."

Her words hung heavy in the air and turned my stomach. I looked at Charles, hoping for some reassurance, but he wasn't looking at me. Sean, visibly flustered, cleared his throat.

"Well, then, let's get on with things. Chief Justice?"

The tension in the room continued to grow as everyone got seated. Then, the proceedings began. The Chief Justice, a stern woman with a voice that commanded attention, laid out the charges against me.

Her voice echoed through the hall and in my ears, feeling more damning by the second, but I took a deep breath and focused. I just had to get through this. Esme would make all these charges go away. I'd get out of here and get on with my life. Then, all I'd have to figure out was the path to Senate, how to keep Wolfe Medical in the black and ensure that Devin paid for what he'd done.

"The prosecution will make opening statements."

The Inter-Pack Auditor stood, adjusted his coat, and started to talk. I tuned him out, not wanting to listen to a thing he said. None of it mattered. Esme would get me out of this. I kept my gaze on him even as I wasn't listening. I knew enough to know what he would say. Calling me reckless and negligent, that I was a traitor to all werewolves. When he finally shut up.

"Before I make a defense," Esme said. "My client has a statement to make."

I swallowed, remembering the words well enough, though I glanced down at the pages in front of me. I recited them, letting them wash over me like empty words. As I looked up at Sean, all I could see was malice and hunger. He was practically leering at me as I spoke. It made it almost hard to focus. There was something in his eyes that...

That was familiar and uncanny all the same.

It made me sick.

"--and I--"

Sean held up his hand. "While your words appear heartfelt, they are not a defense. You talk about your intentions for Mooncrest, but that doesn't negate the sheer act of negligence it was to hand over full control of Mooncrest to what amounted to a teenager."

I swallowed as the room filled with murmurs. He picked up a page.

"Sources say that your husband at the time hadn't even completed his business degree at the Academy when you signed over all rights of governance." He cocked an eyebrow. "Well-meaning or not, you transferred management from a functioning system to a child. Where were your good intentions then?"

"He was--"

"What well-intending person would place the economy, the lives, the survival of so many in the hands of a child?" He tilted his head. "That would be akin to giving a toddler a loaded gun, wouldn't you think? Or at least leave it lying around to be found. That is the very essence of negligence, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that is what happened," I said. "You're making it seem like--"

"Did you or did you not sign over all governing rights to your former husband?"

"That isn't--"

"I will entertain only a yes or no answer, Ms. Wolfe." I glared at him. The way he drawled my name, the fact that he wasn't calling me Alpha Wolfe irritated me more than anything.

I said nothing for a long time.

"You are required to answer the president when asked, Ms. Wolfe," the Chief Justice hissed, looking at me with disgust.

"Yes, I did," I growled. "But--"

"Did you or did you not release full financial control over Mooncrest to your former husband?"

"Yes, but--"

"Did you or did you not continue to monitor his actions, transactions, etc.?"

"No, I didn't--"

"And prior to taking over Mooncrest when you returned, was the care of the governing and financial state of Mooncrest in the hands of your brother, Eason?"

"Yes, but Eason is barely older than Devin--"

"Which excuses your choice of an even younger child?"

I swallowed, unable to find words against it. I licked my lips, glancing down at the pages in front of me.

"You are being unfair. I don't deny that I made a mistake--"

"A choice," he hissed, narrowing his eyes. "A willfully negligent choice that has done irreparable damage to many lives."

"You're implying that I willfully disregard the potential for it. I didn't! He told me he could handle it. That he was trained for it. I had no reason to think--"

"Grace," Esme hissed grabbing my arm. "Stop."

I snarled. "I didn't."

"Think?"

I glared at him. "It wasn't a risk."

"You mean you didn't think it was a risk. No reasonable person would think that handing over control of your family's legacy to a 19-year-old young man without a degree or a single reference of work to his name makes sense. You willfully neglected to consider the consequences of your choice."

I swallowed. "That's not true."

Esme took a deep breath beside me. "If I may--"

"I'm not done, Counselor," Sean said, smirking. "I'm calling a preliminary questioning and impromptu deposition. I'm sure you understand what that means."

Esme shut her mouth with a click, and Sean's eye bored into me. I didn't have a clue. I vaguely remembered seeing it, but I couldn't remember what it meant.

"Answer his questions, Grace," Esme said. "Succintly."

I set my jaw.

"To continue, did you or did you not elect your brother, Eason, as your steward while you were at the Academy?"

I swallowed.

"Do keep in mind that lying at this juncture will only make things worse."

I set my jaw. "No."

"Did you elect any steward while you were at the Academy?"

"That's not--"

"It is a yes or no question," Sean said. "Did you or did you not return to the Academy after your father's death without electing a steward to watch over Mooncrest during your studies?"

I narrowed my eyes. My eyes burned with tears. "I didn't, but that's not the full story."

"Did you monitor Eason's management of Mooncrest while you were at the Academy?"

"No, but--"

"Senators, do be aware that Eason Wolfe, at the time we are speaking of, was a promising medical student at Northfall." He opened another document. "The documentation states that he withdrew after their father's death and never returned."

A murmur went through the room. I thought of the Zaibatsu and swore I heard someone whisper about the group.

"You're twisting everything," I hissed. "That's not the full story. Eason--" I swallowed. "Eason decided to take over Mooncrest as my acting steward."

"Without prompting?"

"Yes."

"Without guidance? Up until your late husband, all the documentation was signed as if she were an official steward. Are you saying that it was by his choice alone?"

Esme grabbed my arm. "Grace--"

"Yes. I didn't ask him to do any of it."

"Have it noted that Eason, though currently not a citizen of the States, should be tried for fraud."

"No!" I stood. "That's not what I'm saying. Stop twisting--"

Esme yanked me back down and pulled me close. "Be quiet, Grace. You are making it worse."

"But he--"She squeezed my arm, and our gazes met. Her eyes flashed with warning.

"Quiet, or I'm walking out right now."