"Thane. Next witness."
Corvin rose with that Stark-like calm — steady, grounded, unshaken.
"The Crown calls Captain Hunter Ryker, Commander of Border and Patrol."
Hunter Ryker stepped forward — tall, built like trouble, confidence flickering under pressure. His uniform was immaculate. His guilt was not.
He bowed to Jax with a politeness he never used on anyone else.
"Under oath, Captain Hunter Ryker, Border and Patrol Division — reporting as called."
Corvin did not indulge him with a smile.
"Captain, you were present at the sparring match between Nova Moonveil and Helga Emberhide?"
Hunter nodded once.
"Yes, sir. For part of it."
"Your relationship with either combatant?"
Hunter inhaled, bracing.
"Helga and I… trained together. Spent time together. More time than we should've."
A pointed cough from the jury.
Hunter winced.
"Look, I'm a social man, sir. I spread morale. Enthusiastically."
"And your relationship with the Queen?"
Hunter's shoulders tensed.
"We sparred the day prior. A mistake, I didn't mean to hurt her. I was… showing off."
He grimaced.
"I do that. It's a flaw. A very handsome flaw, but a flaw."
Jax's jaw twitched. Cael glared at him like he wished dueling was still legal.
Corvin didn't react. "Captain Ryker, did you witness Helga Emberhide interact with anyone connected to Princess Meredith the morning of the assault?"
Hunter exhaled sharply — the swagger dimming.
"Yeah. Meredith's omega — Lisa Rellane. Caught her slipping Helga a folded note. Red wax. Ashbane crest. Hard to miss."
"Helga's reaction."
Hunter's expression tightened.
"She read it, laughed — the ugly kind of laugh. The 'I'm about to do something stupid' laugh."
He shook his head.
"She tucked it into her sleeve and marched toward the arena like she was walking into destiny."
Fin's fist tightened. Cael's eyes were murder.
Jax didn't move — but the room felt colder.
"Did you report what you saw?"
Hunter looked down, rare for him.
"No, sir. I thought it was princess gossip. A love letter. A hate letter. Something catty. Not… a spark to light a war."
A low murmur followed. Hunter swallowed hard.
"I should've said something."
Corvin's nod was small, grim — the kind given when a truth finally shows itself.
"Entered for record."
Jax didn't lift his head, his voice commanded the room.
"Vaelor. Cross."
The room straightened like someone tightened the air.
Eldric Vaelor rose with a slow smile — the kind that meant someone was about to regret something. He approached Hunter like a wolf circling a stag that knew it shouldn't have wandered into the clearing.
"Captain Ryker. Eight years of service. Good record. Terrible judgment."
A few warriors snorted. Hunter didn't bite.
"Let's talk about Lisa Rellane — Princess Meredith's omega. Why was she anywhere near a combat arena instead of the royal wing?"
Hunter's jaw flexed.
"…Because of me."
A ripple moved through the room — equal parts scandal and satisfaction.
"Captain Ryker, you and Lisa Rellane were involved. Clarify the nature of that involvement."
Hunter's jaw flexed.
"It wasn't a relationship. It was… casual. Very casual."
Eldric raised his eyebrows and waited.
Hunter glanced around the room, then exhaled.
"Fine. We were sleeping together," he said. "Frequently. Poor judgment. Excellent cardio. Casual."
Eldric let the word hang, just long enough for the meaning to settle.
"Casual on whose terms?"
Hunter swallowed, uncomfortable for the first time.
"Mine. Not hers. She wanted more. I didn't."
A quiet ripple moved through the back rows — the kind born of warriors who knew exactly what that meant.
"She kept pushing for commitment. Kept showing up in places she didn't belong — training grounds, barracks, even patrol prep — trying to get my attention. I told her it wasn't going anywhere. She didn't take it well."
Eldric stepped closer, voice smooth as a blade sliding free.
"And when you expressed interest in Nova Moonveil… how did Lisa Rellane respond?"
Hunter exhaled sharply.
"Badly. She heard me talking about Nova with the other guys — praising her skill, saying she had potential. After that, she'd get snappy, clingy. Demanded to know if Nova was 'the reason' I wouldn't claim her."
Eldric's gaze sharpened.
"Jealousy. Consistent, escalating, and directed at the Queen."
Hunter nodded reluctantly.
"Yes. She'd ask who Nova thought she was. Why the Alpha even looked at her. She'd get emotional — crying one minute, furious the next. I tried to step back from… whatever we were doing, but she always pulled me back in."
Eldric raised a brow.
"Pulled you back… how exactly?"
Hunter cleared his throat, cheeks coloring — a rare crack in his swagger.
"You're asking me to say it under oath?"
Eldric: "Captain, this is a Tribunal. Not a confessional. Answer."
Hunter gave up.
"Sex. She'd show up at my cabin. My barracks. Even the patrol outpost once. She didn't want to let go — not of me, not of the idea of being attached to someone higher-ranked."
"And she hated anyone she thought was in her way."
Eldric's expression didn't change, but the jury leaned in.
"Including Nova Moonveil."
Hunter closed his eyes briefly.
"Yes. Especially Nova Moonveil."
"And did Lisa ever act on that jealousy?"
Hunter's jaw worked. He didn't answer right away — which was the answer.
"I didn't think so then. But now…"
He exhaled.
"I realize she might have. I found something in her things — a small wooden box. Unmarked. She kept it hidden. Said it was a gift for the princess, but she never let me see inside. I thought it was harmless."
Eldric tilted his head — the kind of motion he makes right before he corners a witness. "When?"
"The day before Moonveil and Varrin were poisoned."
The temperature in the room dropped. Even the air seemed to freeze.
"Were you in the dining hall when the poisoning occurred?"
Hunter shook his head.
"No. I was on border rotation. Didn't hear about it for days."
Eldric's voice dropped into that quiet, lethal calm — the one that meant the next sentence would hit like a hammer.
"So let me get this straight. You ignored a royal-sealed note delivered to the accused… and a secret container carried by the princess's omega — who then conveniently fled the pack with the princess?"
Hunter didn't flinch this time.
"Yes. I turned a blind eye. I regret it."
Eldric let the silence sit — heavy, suffocating — before delivering the final cut.
"If you had spoken sooner… do you believe the assault could have been prevented?"
Hunter's answer was barely a whisper, but it carried through the entire chamber.
"Yes."
The room was dead still.
Hunter swallowed, squared his shoulders, and forced the rest out.
"At the time, it didn't cross my mind. I've known Lisa for years—she was… familiar. Predictable. It wasn't until—"
He cut himself off, jaw tightening.
"I've been stationed at the war summit this past week. Lisa visited every night. Every. Night. Except the night the camp was invaded. She said she was reassigned under Bloodmoon, serving Princess Meredith. And I believed her."
Eldric's mouth curved. A predator's smile—one that knew the witness had just walked into his own trap.
"What was the nature of these visits, Captain?"
Hunter cleared his throat.
"The nature was… stress relief."
A wave of laughter broke—mostly from the warriors who knew him.
Hunter leaned back slightly, deadpan.
Eldric didn't laugh. He didn't even blink. He just waited.
Hunter broke first.
"Oh, you know. Monopoly. Maybe a little knitting. Real wholesome stuff."
A ripple of laughter shot through the gallery. Even a few Elders coughed into their sleeves.
Eldric didn't smile — but the corner of his mouth twitched like he absolutely appreciated the delivery. Hunter rolled his eyes and answered properly.
"Yes. We were intimate."
"Did she ever bring up the Queen?"
Hunter nodded once.
"Yes. She wasn't expecting to see Nova there. She knew about the fated bond to the Alpha—but she assumed it'd be months before anything official. Like Meredith. Seeing Nova crowned a week after being claimed? That hit her hard. When I told her the Queen was the reason we survived the attack on the camp… she lost it."
Eldric's tone sharpened.
"Lost it how?"
Hunter sighed.
"Crying. Yelling. Half the things she said didn't make sense. I tried to calm her—didn't work. I told her I had an errand and couldn't stay. She left."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
"Did she visit again after that?"
"Yes."
Hushed murmurs. A few curses. Someone in the back whispered, "This is bad."
Eldric stepped closer, voice slicing through the noise.
"And during the day, Captain? Did you see her then?"
Hunter hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Once. And that's why I'm here. The warriors assigned outside the Alpha's tent were missing, so I covered the post myself until relief arrived. That's when I saw Lisa exit the Alpha's tent."
The chamber froze.
Hunter continued, quieter.
"She told me Alpha Bloodmoon had sent her to retrieve Marra and the Queen. I was going to sweep the tent, but she stopped me—said the Queen was asleep… and not feeling well."
The courtroom detonated.
Gasps. Shouts.
Half the warriors lurched to their feet.
Finric went rigid — murder in his eyes.
Cael stood without realizing he'd moved.
Rex hissed a curse through his teeth.
And Jax—
CRACK.
The gavel hit like a thunder strike.
"Order!"
The hall snapped to silence.
Hunter swallowed, forcing his voice steady.
"Our Queen is close to Redmoon and Bloodmoon both. I didn't know she'd been poisoned until last night. When word spread about this trial, I asked why. Colonel Sterling told me everything. I filed my report immediately."
He exhaled — shaken, stripped bare.
For one heartbeat, no one moved.
Then the chamber exploded.
"—inside the Alpha's tent?"
"—said the Queen was asleep—?"
"—under Bloodmoon orders—?!"
Elders were on their feet.
Scribes nearly dropped their quills.
Warriors muttered curses that vibrated off the stone walls.
Finric didn't move.
Didn't blink.
His jaw trembled with the force of holding himself still.
Cael looked sick.
Elle covered her mouth.
Rex leaned forward, voice low and lethal: "If that omega left the Alpha's tent right before the Queen collapsed, that's no coincidence."
Beside him, Alpha Balen Bloodmoon's voice cut through the room—low, controlled, terrifying. "No woman from my pack had clearance in that camp. Only my daughter — Gamma of Shadowclaw. If Lisa Rellane was there…"
His gaze darkened to something dangerous.
"…she went under false orders."
Gasps rolled through the room.
His next words were almost a growl. "If she acted under my crest without sanction — she has shamed my House. And if she touched that girl… I'll deal with her myself."
Outrage surged like wildfire.
CRACK.
Jax's gavel slammed again — louder than before.
"Order! Enough!"
Silence crashed down.
"This testimony will be verified by the Crown Mage and the Palace Guard.
Until then, speculation ends."
He let his gaze sweep the room, cold and Alpha-absolute.
"The poisoning of the Queen is classified as treason. This court will proceed with discipline — not hysteria."
Finric's voice followed, quiet but blade-sharp.
"Gamma. When we adjourn, I want every step that omega took traced — from Bloodmoon to my camp."
"Already in motion." Jax said.
Alpha Bloodmoon added, voice like gravel and fury: "If someone sent her in… Meredith or otherwise… I'll have names before nightfall."
Rex exhaled hard. "Then we're closer to the truth than we thought."
The silence that followed was electric.
Jax raised the gavel again, voice iron-wrought.
CRACK.
The echo rolled through the chamber as the hall erupted into motion — boots scraping stone, whispers hissing like smoke, tension thick enough to choke on.
Eldric didn't rush. He let the room simmer — outrage, shock, dawning realization — all the ingredients he liked before landing the knockout.
Then he stepped forward, voice smooth as glass and twice as dangerous.
"Well… that's the problem with lies. They tend to walk themselves right into the light.
You didn't just confirm a pattern, Captain Ryker — you handed this court a roadmap."
He turned slightly, addressing the entire chamber without ever raising his voice.
"A royal note.
A secret box.
An omega with access she shouldn't have.
And a Queen who 'just happened' to fall ill after an unauthorized visit."
He let the silence breathe.
"You don't need to be a mage to follow the trail.
You just need to pay attention."
His gaze flicked toward the prosecution bench — not hostile, just superior.
"The defense rests on simple math:
Too many coincidences…
equals no coincidence."
He clicked his pen once, tucked it away, and straightened his coat — a Eldric signature.
"No further questions."
Then he walked back to his table without looking over his shoulder —
because Eldric never needs to watch the explosion behind him.
"This court will recess for fifteen minutes. All witnesses remain on-site and under guard."