“If you’d heard the accusations that have been flying around this castle, you’d be wishing I got you out of there sooner.” Zelene kept her hand on me, like she thought I’d run when faced with that reality. But she wasn’t yanking my fur anymore. Even if she was doing it with love, it hurt.
“We insisted we have a chance to get you ready for trial.” Tavia said. She’d morphed into a total badass since mating with Dagger, and she let everyone know it in her leather military uniform. “We’ll tell you everything you need to know. But I have a feeling the king plans to blindside you with—”
“Adalai wouldn’t do that.” Zelene glared at her.
“He can’t possibly think he’ll convict her with the evidence he has,” Tavia countered. “And we know he wouldn’t be making such a big deal out of this if he didn’t expect a guilty verdict.”
“I won’t let him punish Ashla for something she didn’t do.”
“Even if it means you give up your crown?”
“Ladies!” They were about to rip each other’s heads off, and I had enough problems without having royal blood on my paws. “We swore to each other we wouldn’t let the alphas rip us apart under any circumstances. No alpha is worth fighting over, even the king.”
Tavia raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. “You wouldn’t fight for Solen?”
“I am fighting for Solen. But I won’t let it destroy my friendship with any of you. Friendship seems like such a trivial word for what we’ve been through. We’re fierce omega warriors who’ve spent hard time in the bowels of hell and are telling the tale from inside the king’s castle.” It was incredible that we’d come so far. “And it doesn’t matter what the charges are. I’m innocent.”
The sisters exchanged a concerned look that made my hackles rise. Thoughts twisted in my brain. Had I done anything wrong? No. They couldn’t make me believe I was guilty.
“Oh good, she’s here.” Rielle fell to her knees in front of me and wrapped her arms around my neck, giggling when I licked her cheek. It was good to be back with these ladies. I hoped my innocence was enough to keep me here. “I was so worried they’d bring you straight to trial.”
“The clock is ticking.” Charolet looked like Tavia’s badass twin in her leather uniform. “The King has assembled his court. He’s already called all the generals and prominent alphas, like it’s some sort of gala.”
And I was the entertainment.
“You need to shift, and we need to get you ready.” Rielle smoothed out my fur.
“We’ve been given explicit instructions on what she should wear to trial.” Zelene added, and then put her hand on her stomach and winced.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. “The baby’s getting ready to come. I have a feeling we’ll be meeting her any day now. She’s getting feisty.”
“Good. We need more feisty.” Tavia laughed. “But let’s get Auntie Ashla’s name cleared before she comes.”
They brought me into Zelene’s chambers so I could shift. A shower was apparently a luxury I didn’t have time for.
Rielle handed me a pile of clothes, but she wouldn’t look me in the eye. It was light and thin and I knew what it was before I unfolded it.
“They want me to dress as an omega?” I hugged the garments against my bare body before I put them on, like I could change them into something more substantial. It didn’t have to be a fancy gown, although I hadn’t complained about those as much as some of the other ladies here. But some leather would’ve been nice.
“Adalai wants to make sure that everyone understands who you are.”
For the first time, I was scared. My innocence was never enough to clear my name. His Majesty had made a mistake. It wasn’t taking Zelene as his queen, but it was letting others think that made him weak. He believed he was guilty of his own crime, and somehow, I was about to pay for it.
“So, does anyone want to fill me in on what I’ve done?”
That garnered a few sad snickers.
“We hear there’s credible evidence that you helped the betas breach castle security. They were able to access the armory.” Charolet sighed. “The fact that you helped us steal the truck to get to the Keep has been mentioned a few times too.”
“Nothing specific as far as what the evidence is,” Rielle added. “I really thought the King was using this as a ploy to bring his best soldier back to the castle until he started assembling an actual jury.”
I was dressed now, and honestly I was glad they’d given me these clothes. I was proud to be an omega, just as I was proud of my work at the castle. When I got cleared of these charges—which I didn’t think would be easy—it would prove an omega could go up against the king and come out victorious.
My objective wasn’t to make the king look bad for my gain. That would backfire, not just for me but for all the omegas. I’d play along with this sham of a trial and I’d do everything I could to get them to treat me with respect.
“I’m prepared to defend myself against those charges.” Or at least, that was what I’d keep telling myself. “Does anyone have any idea what Solen’s been charged with?”
Concerned expressions were the only immediate answer.
“Solen’s been charged?” Zelene asked.
“You didn’t know that?” A swirl of emotions went through me. Whatever Solen was up against, he thought it was better to run than face it. But
