The clang of my boots against the polished marble floor echoed as I was shoved forward, hands cuffed, straight toward the courtroom's center. The whispers that had filled the hall quieted abruptly, cut off as though someone had flipped a switch, and suddenly, every eye was on me. Hundreds of spectators—all waiting, all judgmental—watched as the Enforcers marched me to that single wooden chair, set like a throne of punishment in the middle of the room. Leather straps dangled from the armrests, ready to hold me in place.
I schooled my face, staring ahead. I wouldn't give these people the satisfaction of seeing a single ounce of fear.
One of the Enforcers yanked me down into the chair, the roughness of his grip making my teeth grit. Before I knew it, two others were locking the restraints around my wrists and ankles, like I was some kind of rabid animal. The hard wooden back dug uncomfortably into my spine. Typical. Everyone else got to sit in their cushy, leather-covered pews, but I got to squirm in this torture device.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of my parents. My father was holding my mom, who was sobbing quietly into a handkerchief, her small shoulders shaking. My father's face was carved from granite as he glared at me, fury blazing in his eyes as if he wished he could set me alight with his gaze alone. I knew exactly what that look meant: I was a disgrace, a stain on the family name, and here I was making my mother weep in public. But I raised my head anyway, defiant. Sunlight filtered through a stained-glass mural depicting a wolf gripping a sword in its jaws, casting fractured light across the room. A fitting backdrop for the scene about to unfold.
The door at the front of the courtroom creaked open, drawing my attention to a raised wooden platform—dark, polished, and intricately carved. The five members of the Wolven Council, clad in crimson robes that billowed as they walked, entered with the solemnity of executioners. The whispers returned, rising to a hum, until the bailiff's voice boomed, silencing the crowd.
"All rise! This Council Court is now in session, presided over by Chief Elder Alaric of the Wolven Council. Respect the honor of the court, and remain silent unless addressed."
The bailiff's eyes flicked in my direction, almost daring me to disobey, as if he expected me to make some scene. When Chief Elder Alaric took his seat in the center, his silver gaze swept the room, sharp as a blade, until it landed on me. I could feel the weight of it—a heavy judgment even before the words were spoken.
The Chief Elder's voice was gravelly, like rocks grinding together, as he announced, "We are here today to sentence Caleb Gibson Grand on the charges of desertion, violation of the 1923 Omega Protection Act, forgery, fraud, impersonation of an officer of the law, assault on an officer..." He kept going, piling charge upon charge, each one stirring a fresh wave of murmurs from the crowd.
I sighed, barely stifling an eye roll as I scratched at the dirt under my fingernails. They were calling this a sentencing, but the truth was, they'd already made their decision. A joke of a trial carried out behind closed doors without even letting me speak. The reporters nearby scribbled furiously, no doubt thrilled to document my downfall. They wanted the world to see what happens to an Omega who refuses to fit their mold.
A series of thunderous bangs from the judges' table pulled me out of my thoughts. The Council members were glaring daggers at me, clearly unamused by my lack of reverence for their little show. I shifted in the chair, trying to find some relief from the backrest digging into my spine.
"Are you listening, Mr. Grand?" one of the Elders, an old woman with a tightly wound gray bouffant, snapped.
I cracked my neck, leaning forward to ease the ache in my back. "Not in the slightest. Why would I care what happens in this circus you call a courtroom?"
I felt Orion's amusement from somewhere deep within me. "Oh, she's going to pop a hernia," he snickered.
I bit back a laugh. "Maybe she should."
The gavel struck again, the Chief Elder demanding order as the courtroom erupted with gasps and whispers. When silence finally returned, he fixed me with an icy stare.
"Mr. Grand, you seem to show no remorse for your actions. I had hoped that the seriousness of these charges might make you reflect on the consequences."
I snorted. "And I had hoped that by now you'd understand I don't give a damn about your judgment." The Council members flinched, as if I'd slapped them. "This isn't justice. You want me to grovel, to beg for mercy, to prove that I'm the docile little Omega you all expect me to be. That's never going to happen."
The room pulsed with barely restrained anger. My hands clenched the armrests so tightly that I heard wood creak beneath my fingers. The Chief Elder's mustache bristled, his nostrils flaring as he tried to contain his anger.
"Then your fate is sealed, Mr. Grand. The Wolven Council finds you guilty of all charges and sentences you to twenty years in a maximum-security facility," he intoned. My mother's soft cries broke through the silence, twisting something deep in my chest, but I couldn't let that break me. "A specialist will remove those unnatural runes from your body," he continued, "and you will undergo rehabilitation to return to your rightful duty as a male Omega."
A surge of bile rose in my throat. They could try to break me, strip me of everything, but I would never become the obedient little breeder they wanted.
"As you serve your time, Mr. Grand, I hope you'll come to understand that male Omegas are valued in our society," the Chief Elder continued, his voice taking on a self-righteous tone. "Without them, we would descend into chaos. Your actions threaten that balance. Any last words you wish to add?"
I swallowed, my pulse pounding in my ears, drowning out the rest of his speech. My whole body thrummed with a wild, desperate energy as I realized this was it—the moment I'd been dreading and preparing for. I glanced at my mother one last time, my heart splintering at the look of confusion and despair on her face. But I couldn't back down now.
Orion's voice was calm in my mind. "I'm ready when you are, idiot. Let's end this."
I tightened my grip, the Council members' eyes fixed on me as I finally spoke, my voice clear and steady. "I will never surrender to you, and I'll never submit to your twisted idea of justice. If you drag me to prison, it'll be over my dead body." My words caused a fresh wave of shocked murmurs to ripple through the room.
Then I raised my voice, channeling the power that surged between Orion and me, letting it ring out through the court. "I, Caleb Gibson Grant--Orion, the Omega wolf--release our souls in the embrace of the Moon Goddess. By the sacred bond of fur and flesh, we relinquish our hold on this form, casting our spirits to the winds and our strength to the earth. Wolf and man, bound by fate, we call upon the moon's grace to sever our chains and open the gates of eternity."
The Council's faces morphed from anger to horror as my voice grew stronger, Orion lending his strength to mine.
"Through the shadow of night and the light of dawn, we cast off the bindings of our bodies. With reverence, we vow to return our essences to the stars, to howl alongside the eternal pack. As the Goddess bears witness, we offer our freedom to her mercy, to be scattered among the heavens."
A commotion to my left broke out but my eyes stood defiant against the anguished eyes of the chief whip's.
"In her name, we surrender, whole and unbroken, wolf and man united, bound only by the promise of release. May the Moon's light guide us home, now and forever. So mote--"
A hand wrenched back my head, cutting off the words as a sharp, electrifying pain seared across my neck. I cried out as everything turned into a blur, my vision swimming. A heady scent of sandalwood and citrus filled my senses, mingling with the taste of blood, clouding my mind.
Before I could even process what was happening, a low, commanding voice whispered in my ear, "Sleep."
Darkness closed in, and the courtroom, the Council, and everything around me faded to black.