The courtroom falls into pin-drop silence seconds after the court police enter with Owen between them. The people are all shocked when they see the person they believed was dead walk in.
Even Justin looked shocked. Looking from Owen to his mother and back to Owen with his mouth half open. Not everyone is shocked actually. Evelyn isn't. She has the same sad and bored expression on her face.
Carol and Victoria look like they've just seen a ghost as they slowly stand up from their seats...
"Daddy?..." Victoria calls softly in disbelief. Her eyes brimming with fresh tears.
"Oh my god! Owen!? Is that really you or am I in a dream?" Carol also whispers, her voice heavy with emotion.
At that moment, the room suddenly wakes up and becomes abuzz as everyone begins to whisper to each other all at the same time...
"The Beta is not dead!?..."
"He's alive!?..."
"Oh my god! Beta Owen has been alive all this while!?..."
Both Victoria and her mother slowly walk out from between the bench they're sitting on to meet Owen who's also coming toward them.
"It's really me honey. In flesh and blood. You're not dreaming." He says
"We thought you were dead!" Carol says, then bursts out in tears. "What happened to you? We thought you were dead, Owen! Where have you been!?" She sobs as the three of them hug tightly.
"No, my love. I'm not dead, I'm alive! I'm alive, thanks to some good people that helped me. I would probably have been dead if they hadn't found me where I lay unconscious" The bastard clearly said for all to hear as he cried and rained kisses on his wife and daughter's heads.
Even though I find Owen's show of shame disgusting, I feel sorry for Carol and Victoria. It's obvious they know nothing about the conspiracy to kill my dad and frame me for his murder and it's just a pity that they will be disgraced and executed along with him just because they're his family.
After they finally pull away from each other, Carol suddenly turns towards me, bearing her claws but Owen and Victoria stop her.
"Mom, please! You don't have to do that. He's going to pay for his crimes, the judge will see to that..."
"How could you be so evil!" Carol shouts as she struggles to get free from those holding her back. "You said you knew nothing about this! Now I understand how you can look my daughter in the face and promise her you didn't kill her father. It was because you weren't able to kill him, not because you didn't want to, bastard!
How could you! How could you be so callous, Thor Quinn!..." She rants on and on until the asshole judge who has been watching the drama from his bench decided to stop her.
He strikes his gavel on his desk several times...
"Now, that's enough. Let's have order in the court! That's enough Mrs. Hampton!..." He warns her with a gentle smile on his face.
"I understand you're angry and disappointed in this man but remember that is why we're here. To give your family justice and hand out appropriate judgment to him! So please, go and have your seat so we can continue and you will be able to go home early with your husband."
I scoff. His smile disgusts me. 'Go home early with her husband', he says. If only he knew none of them would be sleeping in their beds tonight.
As Owen is being led to the witness box, my eyes drift toward Victoria and I see she still looks forlorn when she should be excited. Knowing her father is alive isn't enough to lift her spirit and I wonder why. I feel sorry for her.
Since we can't mind-link each other, I wish there was a way for me to slip her a note warning her to leave Silver Moon pack. To run for her life and never look back but there isn't. Me and her father are the center of attention and any movement I make right then will surely be noticed by everyone.
"Before we continue, Mr. Hampton, would you like a drink of water, maybe?" The asshole judge's voice interrupts my thoughts and I bring my gaze back to him
"No, your honor, thank you! Let's just get this over with so I can return home to my family. I've been away from them long enough, now I just can't wait to return to them." Owen replies
"Of course, I understand how you feel." Judge asshole says with an assuring smile. "This will all be over soon, so let's begin, shall we?"
And so it begins
The judge asked him to tell the court everything that happened from the beginning and he cooked up a very interesting story about the day I returned to America. How my dad called me ahead that they were coming to visit me at my estate and how I and my men ambushed them on a lonely road instead.
When asked why I would want to kill my own father, he replied...
'because he'd always blamed his father for getting mated to Luna Evelyn and not his mother. He hated the old Alpha for leaving his mother for the Luna. When his mother died, even though it was not the Alpha's fault he still blamed her death on him. That was why I think he decided to avenge her death by killing him. I guess he added me to the list because I was always in his way.
We were driving to his estate when all of a sudden, I heard rapid gunshots. Somebody was shooting at us. I lost control of the car and tried to maneuver it but I swiveled into a ditch. I was confused. When I looked up, I saw Thor Quinn with a gun in hand coming toward our car in the company of his men.
I panicked and got out of the car so I could run to get help but one of his men, Eric, pursued me. I was already injured you see, I sprained my knee and couldn't move very fast. He jumped on me and we fought. I managed to lay my hand on a big rock nearby and knocked him unconscious. That was how I was able to escape death that day.
I was badly injured from the fight and bleeding profusely." He says as he removes his three-piece suit to reveal badly healed claw scars all over his chest. The people gasped with shock. The wound must have been gory indeed when it was done. Evelyn and his cohorts sure did a good job on that.
"I must have lost consciousness somewhere along the way while running for my life. I woke up nine days after the incident. It was a human that found and took care of me all the while. The person told me about the trial three days ago and I immediately contacted the prosecutor.
When asked why he didn't contact his family or the Luna when he regained consciousness. He answered...
"I was afraid for my family. I knew his men would be watching them and the Luna like a hawk and I didn't want to put their lives in any more danger than they were already in. So I decided to wait until I was strong enough before reporting the matter at the Council."
Owen did a perfect job of painting not just me but my men as monsters. By the time he was done with his story, Carol, Victoria, and Evelyn were all crying and constantly dabbing their eyes and noses with handkerchiefs. The people's angry voices became revitalized.
"Okay, okay, settle down, people!" Judge asshole finally says while banging his gavel on the desk.
Silas and Zachary, two of the elders who worked with the patrol members, stood up then and requested from the judge to speak. After the judge gave his go-ahead, Zachary said...
"Your honor, as elders of Silver Moon pack. We're here to speak on behalf of the members of the pack, and we respectfully put it to you that Thor Quinn committed treason by not only standing up against his father, our Alpha but also killing him. Nothing short of a death sentence for this evil man will be accepted by the people of Silver Moon your honor. Regardless of who you are, the law is the law and shouldn't be changed for anyone." He finishes and they return to their seats
"Thank you, elders..." Judge asshole says with a smile. "I couldn't have agreed with you more. The law should not and will not be changed for anyone. Whoever he or she is. Not inside my courtroom anyway..."
He directs his gaze towards me then...
"Thor Quinn, I would have advised you to get a good lawyer next time but I regret to announce that there won't be a next time for you. True, your lawyer informed me that you wished to waive your right to a jury trial for a lesser sentence but no signed document was submitted to me to that effect. Your lawyer ought to know better than relying on verbal agreement in situations like this.
Now moving on to the matter at hand.
According to the North American Shifter's Law. Whoever owes allegiance to his Alpha and pack but later rises against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the pack or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death alongside his family and entire household.
Therefore, Thor Reginald Quinn, you and your entire household are hereby sentenced to death by heart extraction."