Jade’s POV
Linda’s eyes flicked to him.
Then .
And sothing in her expression changed.
Not fear.
Not yet.
Sothing more dangerous.
Realization.
“This is ridiculous,” she said suddenly, louder now. “You’re all acting like I’m so villain in a story.”
She stood.
Slowly.
Carefully.
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Alpha Ashford didn’t move.
But his voice dropped.
“Then explain this.”
Another docunt.
This one made the room shift.
Even I felt it.
Ronan froze slightly beside .
Because it wasn’t about .
It was about my mother.
The stable.
The “accident.”
The night everything had been taken from .
Linda stared at it.
For the first ti...
Her mask cracked.
“Where did you get that?” she asked.
Alpha Ashford’s voice was ice.
“You were seen near the servant quarters that night.”
Silence.
“You were the last person recorded entering the area.”
Silence.
“And there is testimony,” he continued slowly, “that you ordered the cleaning of the scene before anyone else arrived.”
My body went cold.
No.
No, no, no.
Ronan’s head turned slightly toward .
Ryder’s fists clenched.
Renzo went still.
Linda exhaled slowly.
And then she laughed.
But it wasn’t sweet anymore.
It was sharp.
Broken.
“Oh,” she said softly. “That.”
Silence swallowed the hall.
She looked at .
Directly at .
And smiled.
“You think I killed her?”
My breath stopped.
“You think I just... killed her?”
A pause.
Then she shrugged slightly.
“She was in the way.”
The room erupted instantly.
Ryder moved forward so fast a guard had to block him.
Renzo’s voice broke out sharp.
“You’re insane.”
Ronan didn’t speak.
But his expression had changed completely.
Sothing had hardened inside him.
Linda tilted her head.
“She wasn’t supposed to die,” she said lightly. “It was an accident. A very unfortunate misunderstanding.”
My knees weakened slightly.
Ronan shifted closer to imdiately.
But I barely felt it.
Because I was rembering.
The stable.
The blood.
The silence.
The lies.
And her standing there now.
Calm.
Still smiling.
“I only needed Jade gone,” Linda continued. “The rest... was collateral.”
Alpha Ashford’s voice cut through everything.
“Enough.”
Linda turned to him.
And for the first ti...
She didn’t look like she was performing anymore.
“I did what was necessary,” she said simply.
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Final.
Alpha Ashford looked at her for a long mont.
Then spoke.
“Linda of the Northern Branch,” he said coldly. “For manipulation, treason, attempted murder, and the confird murder of a pack mber...”
Her smile finally faded.
“...you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging.”
The words landed like thunder.
For a second, she didn’t move.
Then she blinked.
Once.
Twice.
And then she scread.
“No!”
The guards moved instantly.
She struggled violently now.
The perfect mask gone.
Completely gone.
“This is a mistake!” she shouted. “You can’t do this to ! I belong here!”
Her eyes snapped to .
And for a split second...
There was hatred.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
“This is because of her!” she scread. “She ruined everything!”
But no one listened anymore.
Ronan turned away slightly as the guards dragged her out.
Ryder didn’t look at her.
Renzo didn’t move.
Linda’s screams echoed down the hallway as she was taken away.
But what stayed with ...
Wasn’t the noise.
It was the silence after.
Because for the first ti in a long ti...
There was no one left to bla.
No one left to fear.
Only the echo of everything she had done.
And the realization that it had almost broken beyond repair.
Ronan’s hand rested lightly at my back.
Not pushing.
Not pulling.
Just there.
And for the first ti...
I let myself stand still.
And I took a deep breath.
As Linda’s screams faded completely into nothing.
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