~Kaida Orion POV~
The hall smelled of ink and cold iron when dawn broke, every lantern from last night still burned, but the air was sharp, brittle with judgment. Kia knelt in the center, wrists bound in black cord, head low. He had not slept; his eyes were two dull pits under swollen lids, around him sat elders of the pack, their cloaks brushed with frost from the early morning wind.
I stood behind Lupus, shoulders aching from the strain of yesterday's rites, but my voice had to stay steady. This was law, not rage, and law had to hold, or roots would find their cracks.
Lupus rose first. "Magistrate Kia of Carmel River Circuit," he said, tone flat as steel. "You forged death record, concealed spouse, and sought blessing under false ledgers. Do you deny?"
Kia lifted his face slowly. "I do not deny the writing," he said hoarsely. "But I deny harm, I did what I must to keep lands whole, and to keep order."
