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The trial had not taken place straight away. They had held her for weeks to try to get to the bottom of the plot she was a part of, but she had stubbornly held out against giving them any information.
“Things needed to change!” she had said over and over. “Everyone says how bad things are, but no one ever does anything. I decided to change things myself.”
It had gone on for weeks, and still, she gave no details of who else was involved in the attack.
Finally, she broke. “It was just me,” she had said with a sob. Xavier had thought she would continue with the same spiel she had used. But that time, it changed. “I love you,” she had declared to Xavier. “I’ve always loved you, and you never noticed me.”
Xavier had been shocked to the core. No, he had never noticed her. Well, never more than any other member of the pack.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he had said. “You attacked my mate and unborn child because you were jealous?”
She had grown angry then. “Not jealous!” she had said. “She usurped my rightful place. It should have been me! I should have been mated to the alpha. I should have been bearing your baby. She had no right!”
She had hurled it in his face. It was such a shock. It made him feel hollow and nauseous inside. The woman was obviously crazy.
“Have I ever given you any sort of sign that we could have a romantic relationship?” he had asked, leaning away from her.
“I could tell by the way you looked at me. I knew you wanted me too.” She had looked ravaged, like someone holding onto her sanity by the tips of her fingers. The story she had obviously told herself unraveled before Xavier’s unforgiving gaze.
“That was never the case, Matilda. I’m sorry if you felt that way,” he had told her as gently as he could.
His words had broken her. He could still hear her wailing in the cell as he walked away. That noise would live in his memory for a long while.
The trial took place two days later. The council was assembled. Five pack elders and himself, and Sara was by his side. The rest of the pack had crowded around the cage that held the condemned woman. Her family was there in the crowd, looking distraught.
Justin, the eldest member of the council, had stood and read out the charges. “Attempted murder of the alpha’s mate, Sara, and their unborn child. Conspiring with an enemy pack to bring harm to your own pack,” he had accused with his deep bass voice. It was a voice that held no pity for this woman who clung to the bars of the cage amid a sea of angry faces.
“It should have been me!” she had screamed at them. “Look at her sitting there in my place! She can’t even shift. She’s an outsider!”
The crowd had growled at her statements. There were boos and angry comments from the assembled pack. Her claims very obviously had no support from them.
“Does anyone here speak for the accused?” Justin called out once the crowd had quieted down. He looked very pointedly at Matilda’s family as he said this.
They shook their heads and walked out of the hall one by one. Every one of her family members had disowned her.
She had broken down then. Her fabricated world was obviously falling down around her ears. She had thrashed against the bars and then shifted into wolf form, her clothes ripping away from her body.
She had sat in the center of the cage and howled. It was a deep, mournful cry that had etched itself into his memory.
The jury was unanimous. “Matilda Blakes. You are banished from the pack. From this day forth, you may never return to pack soil, on pain of death,” declared Justin.
The crowd had gone wild, howling and yipping. It would appear Matilda had no favor to curry with any of them.
She had changed back into her human form then. She stood naked in the cage in the center of the room. It seemed she had finally realized where her actions had led her. With a tear-streaked face, she looked at Xavier. “I understand,” she had said. “You will get no more trouble from me.”
He hoped she meant those words. Not that she would be tolerated on pack turf if she ever showed up again. For a moment, he had felt sorry for her. But then she had turned a look of pure loathing toward Sara, and his heart had closed.
“Get her out of here,” he had said. “If anyone lays eyes on her again, show no mercy.”
Just then, Sara rocked the baby in her arms. It broke him from his memories. Today was not a day for bitter reminiscing. Today was the day of celebration. The pack was gathering for the presentation ceremony. The day when they all pledge fealty to Aiden, the next in line to be their alpha.
Sara looked stunning in a black velvet dress that fell to her knees. She was radiant and had been since the birth of their son. Aiden had been dressed in a onesie that looked like a tiny suit, complete with a bowtie.
Xavier stood and held his arms out to her. He gently hugged her to him, being careful not to squash her precious load. His heart was full of love and pride.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I think so,” she replied. “As long as Aiden doesn’t have any little accidents in the next couple of minutes.”
