Chapter 256

Grace

The next morning, Charles was adorned in his ceremonial robes. We ate breakfast in the garden with Cecil. Charles led her around the gardens and then he sent her off to play with the attendants. Then, he led me to the grand hall of the Blackwoods Castle. The air buzzed with an electric tension. There was no festive air. A heavy shroud of seriousness had descended upon the room. Then, I realized that it was the throne room.

"What's going on?"

"Today, I try Devin for what he's done."

My eyes bulged as he led me to a seat on the left of the room. He went to take his seat in the ornately carved throne. Soon, older men filed in and filed the right side. Then, Devin and Amy were brought in. My stomach jolted looking at Amy. She was so very pregnant. She looked a few weeks if not days from going into labor.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out as much of what was happening as possible. I was lucky in that Charles didn't seem to be planning to call me to give testimony. As he read the charges, my head swirled. The rawness of the emotions, the fear, the betrayal – it all came flooding back, a painful reminder of the scars that still lingered.

Across the courtroom, Devin sat ramrod straight, his face an impassive mask. Esme was there. She and Ascher looked furious and they sat on my side. Even from a distance, I could sense the turmoil churning beneath the surface.

Charles called a parade of witnesses about Devin's erratic behavior and growing need for money. Then came the presentation of records and other evidence. What it all was, I wasn't sure, and I didn't really care.

The Elders, a panel of ancient wolves, stared at me. Their expressions were unreadable, but a flicker of disgust occasionally crossed their features. But it wasn't toward Devin...

It was toward me.

I felt sick.

"Last statements," Charles said. "Amy. Please step forward."

A gasp escaped my lips as she waddled toward the seat in the room. She was glowing. She looked at peace save for the way she rested her hand on her stomach. She sat back and breathed. A wave of emotions washed over me – a pang of sympathy for her stated, a flicker of anger for everything that happened, and a powerful, primal surge of protectiveness for the innocent lives she carried in her.

The sight of Amy, so visibly pregnant, triggered a cascade of memories. Memories of my own pregnancy with Cecil, the anticipation, the wonder, the love. A lump formed in my throat, a stark contrast to the cold reality of the situation at hand and the truth of the pregnancy.

"Did you know that Devin was married?"

"No, Your Majesty."

A collective gasp rippled through the courtroom as Devin lurched to his feet, a snarl twisting his features.

"Shut your mouth, Amy!" he roared, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. "You don't know what you're saying!"

"When did you find out that he was married?"

"T-The day I met her and you."

The Greenvalley Elder glared at her. She flinched under his stare. Murmurs of outrage and disbelief erupted from the Elders.

"Watch yourself, girl," the Greenvalley Elder said.

Why were they trying to silence her? Charles set his jaw.

"Elders will hold their tongue or they'll be implicated in this case."

The shut up as she kept talking. The more she did, the angrier I got. I wanted to believe she was lying, but the way Devin started yelling at her, the calmness on Charles face... She wasn't.

She was... a victim of Devin's lies too. A familiar knot of apprehension tightened in my gut.

"Shut your mouth; I command you!" Devin snarled, his eyes flashed amber. Amy flinched.

I swallowed thickly. I braced myself for her to crumble under his pressure. How many times during our marriage had I folded in the face of his anger? How many times had I allowed him to dictate my moves? If what she'd said was true, she'd had a lifetime of someone else dictating her every move.

But she turned her head and looked at Devin. He seemed stunned when she looked at him. I wish I could see her face, but her voice was steady.

"No."

Devin snarled. "What?"

"I said no," she hissed. "I'm not going to let you get away with everything you've done to me, your children, or your ex-wife!"

She trembled. "And I'm not going to let you have any more power over me. By the grace of the moon, and the strength of the earth--"

Devin's eyes bulged. A gasp filled the room. "You can't---You'll be nothing without me!"

"--And in the name of blood and fidelity and bonds broken, I severe the bond between us and submit to the Goddess' will."

The air shook. A bright flash of light filled the air. Devin let out a blood-curdling scream. The Greenvalley Elder blanched. Devin was wrapped in a bright red light, swayed on his feet, then, with a sickening thud, Devin crumpled to the ground, unconscious. A collective gasp echoed through the hall, momentarily eclipsing the chaos that erupted on the other side of the courtroom.

Amy swayed and waters splashed on the ground between her legs. She stumbled and clutched her swollen belly, a whimper escaping her lips.

"She's going into labor!" I shouted, the urgency in my voice cutting through the tension.

Pandemonium broke loose as medical personnel rushed to Amy's side, ushering her out of the courtroom amidst a flurry of activity.

Charles jumped to his feet, rushing to Amy and bellowing for order. He caught her before she fell and helped her onto the gurney.

"Get her to the birthing room." He stood and looked around. "The trial will be put on hold."

As Charles addressed the court, his voice calm and authoritative, I couldn't help but steal a glance at the spot where Devin lay unconscious. A strange sense of foreboding washed over me. The breaking of the mate bond seemed visceral. If Devin was unconscious, what was it doing to Amy?

Panic and concern warred within me. A flurry of activity surrounded Amy, her cries of pain and panic echoed off the stone walls. My gaze darted between the commotion and the unconscious form of Devin. This unforeseen turn of events left me shaken. A jolt of empathy pierced through my lingering resentment towards Amy. Memories surfaced of my own unexpected labor with Richard, the fear of being alone in the sterile hospital room, the desperate longing for Eason by my side, knowing that I couldn't ask for him.

I crossed the room to where Amy was.

"Let me go with her," I declared, my voice surprisingly steady. The head healer, a stoic woman with eyes that held a lifetime of experience, gave me a surprised look.

"But Alpha Wolfe..." she began, her voice hesitant.

"He's unconscious," I interrupted, gesturing towards Devin. "And someone needs to be with her."

The healer studied me for a moment, and then a flicker of understanding passed through her eyes. With a curt nod, she gestured for me to follow.

As we navigated the corridors, the echoes of Amy's cries echoed down the halls. My animosity towards her began to fade.

She looked so young and so scared lying on the cot the healers carried. She was pale and shaking as if she wasn't sure she'd make it.

The birthing room was painted in calming colors and the air felt safe. It was probably enchanted the way the rest of the castle was. The healers worked quickly. Amy's cries of pain vanished, replaced by grunts of exertion. She gripped my hand tightly, but she was never told to push. The healers kept casting spells over her. The babies came one after the other in what had to be the smoothest birthing procedure ever.

It was a little unfair. This had to be how Eason was born because Mooncrest didn't have healers.

I'd pushed both of my kids out, pain and all. The two cries filled the air as Amy lay back, shaking. Her eyes cast down toward where the children were.

"Twins," the healer said. "A boy and a girl."

They were cleaned and wrapped up. Amy's eyes fluttered, a fragile smile graced her lips. Our eyes met, and for a fleeting moment, all animosity vanished.

"Here," the healer said gently, placing the swaddled baby girl in my arms. The warmth of the tiny body against my chest sent a jolt of maternal instinct coursing through me. I remembered the first time I'd held Cecil and how nothing in the world had been more beautiful as that moment. I looked down at the baby's face, searching for any resemblance to Devin, but all I saw was pure, innocent potential.

"She's beautiful," I whispered, the words catching in my throat. Amy's eyes welled up with tears. The nurse placed the baby boy in Amy's arms.

She sniffled.

"Thank you, Grace," she croaked, her voice raspy. "For everything."

The weight of her words settled on me. As much as I hated how we came to be here, I sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her.

"... we're family now."

Her eyes widened and filled with tears before she started crying, and I breathed a deep sigh of relief and forgiveness.

Everything was okay now.