Chapter 9 The Weight of Accusation

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the Black Ridge Pack. A cold wind whispered through the trees, as if nature itself mourned the unraveling truth. The entire pack was abuzz with the shocking accusation against Samantha. Whispers spread like wildfire, slipping from mouth to mouth, twisting with each telling, growing darker and more damning by the hour.

Even the cubs, usually oblivious to the tensions of adults, sat quiet beneath the trees, sensing something terrible had happened.

At Erynn's home, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. The hearth burned low, barely warming the stone walls. Erynn sat rigidly on a wooden chair, her hands clenched into fists, knuckles pale. Her heart beat like a war drum, a thunderous rhythm of disbelief and dread. She had always feared this day might come not because of Samantha's actions, but because of Serene's hatred.

The moment Ronan burst through the door, the look in his eyes confirmed it.

"Mother," he gasped, his voice breathless and broken. "You won't believe what they're saying about Samantha."

Erynn did believe it. She had seen it coming. The moment Serene returned home earlier, her eyes red with forced tears, her voice trembling with carefully rehearsed sorrow, Erynn had known something was wrong.

"She... she broke the pack law, Mother," Serene had whispered, her words dripping with false grief. "I never wanted to believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes. Samantha betrayed us."

A dagger to the heart would have hurt less than hearing those words.

Erynn had stared into her daughter's face, hoping begging for a crack in the lie, a flicker of guilt, anything to prove this was all a mistake. But Serene had become a master of performance. Her lies wrapped themselves around the truth like thorns around a rose.

"She wouldn't do that," Erynn had said firmly. Her voice was steady, but her soul trembled. "Samantha would never betray this pack. She would never harm her family."

"She did," Serene had insisted, her voice tightening with feigned pain. "And the Council knows. She'll be judged tomorrow."

Now, as Ronan stood before her, his desperation echoing her own, Erynn felt the crushing weight of helplessness descend like a storm cloud. Everything she had tried to protect was unraveling.

"I don't know what to do," Ronan said, running a trembling hand through his dark hair. "Serene's lies have everyone convinced. And Father... he's already passed judgment."

Erynn's breath caught in her throat. Riven. Her mate. A Council member. A warrior whose loyalty to the laws of the pack had always overshadowed his love for his children. She had once admired that. Now, it terrified her.

"I made a promise," she whispered, more to herself than Ronan. "I promised to protect Samantha... I swore it the day I took her in."

"You didn't fail," Ronan said, eyes pleading. "But we have to do something tonight before it's too late."

Before Erynn could speak, the door creaked open.

Riven stepped inside, tall and imposing, his face a carved mask of stone. The flickering firelight danced across the scars on his arms, reminders of his years on the battlefield. His presence always carried weight, but tonight, it pressed down on them like a boulder.

"It's done," he said without emotion. "The Council has ruled. The evidence is overwhelming. Samantha will stand trial at dawn."

"No!" Ronan snapped, stepping forward. "You know she's innocent! You've known her since she was a baby."

"Watch your tone," Riven said, his voice like flint on steel.

"She's your daughter!" Ronan shouted.

"She is an outcast," Riven corrected, his tone cold. "And an outcast has no place breaking the laws of this pack."

Erynn rose slowly, her voice low and trembling with fury. "She didn't do this. You know she didn't."

Riven met her gaze with the same hard eyes he'd turned on a hundred enemies. "The pack must be protected. One life is not worth the risk."

"And what about the truth?" she asked. "What about justice?"

"There is no justice in defying the law," he said. "Even for her."

Ronan wanted to scream. He wanted to hurl the truth at his father until the man broke beneath the weight of it. But Riven was already turning away, his back a wall of finality.

Derek's Plea

At the Alpha's home, Derek stood rigid in front of his father, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. His heart thundered in his chest like the drums of war.

"This is wrong," he said, his voice sharp with restrained anger. "You're condemning an innocent girl."

Alpha Darius sat on his grand wooden chair, surrounded by the relics of past leaders, his face expressionless. "You are speaking out of turn," he said flatly. "She broke the law. The Council was unanimous."

"She didn't do anything!" Derek shouted. "I know Samantha. She wouldn't hurt anyone."

"You know nothing," Darius growled, rising to his feet. "You are the heir to this pack. You will learn to put duty above emotion."

Derek's jaw tightened. "If duty means sacrificing the innocent, I want no part of it."

Darius's eyes flashed with warning. "You will say nothing more. If you defy me again, you will regret it."

It was the first time Darius had ever threatened him.

But Derek didn't flinch. His heart ached with rage, but his voice remained steady. "I'll protect her. Even if I have to stand alone."

Ronan Confronts Serene

Ronan's fury couldn't be contained. He stormed into Serene's room like a thunderclap, slamming the door shut behind him. She sat on her bed with unnatural calm, her lips curled into a small, satisfied smile.

"Take it back," Ronan growled. "You know Samantha didn't do it."

Serene didn't even blink. "Why are you so worked up, brother? Do you care about her that much?"

"You ruined her life!"

"I told the truth."

"No," Ronan hissed. "You spun a web of lies, and you know it. You want her gone because you can't stand not being the center of everything."

For a moment, Serene's mask cracked. Her smile faltered, and something dark flickered in her eyes.

"She deserves it," she whispered.

"Why?!" Ronan demanded. "What did she ever do to you?"

Serene stood slowly, her voice cold and venomous. "She took everything from me. Mother's love. Your attention. Derek's heart. I won't let her have more."

Ronan staggered back as if struck. "This... this is about Derek?"

Serene's lips curled into a snarl. "He was supposed to be mine. And she's ruining everything."

"You're sick," Ronan whispered, his voice hollow. "You're destroying your own sister... for a boy."

"She's not my sister," Serene said coldly. "Not anymore."

As Ronan stood there, watching the monster Serene had become, he realized something with terrifying clarity if Samantha had any chance of survival, it would have to come from those who still believed in truth.

Because Serene was willing to burn the world to ash.

And tomorrow, if nothing changed, Samantha would be buried in the flames.