Ch. I Refuse to Be Your Luna 286 I Refuse to Be Your Luna 286

Chapter 286 The Tribunal

Alpha Harold POV

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The tribunal chamber was full by the time I took my seat beside Magnus.

Every senior Alpha, Beta, council elder, and pack representative had been called in.

Guards stood along the walls, and the chamber wards had been reinforced before anyone entered.

Lydia was brought in through the eastern doors with her hands restrained, while two guards. remained on either side of her.

She looked smaller than I remembered. That did not change what she had done.

Magnus struck the table once.

“This tribunal is now in session.”

The room went silent.

Lydia was accused of taking part in the poisoning attempt against Garret and of maintaining ties with the network that had worked against Flourish and her bloodline.

The evidence had been collected from financial records, communications, witness statements, and information recovered during the investigation.

I read through the charges one final time.

“Lydia, you have been given the opportunity to respond to the evidence.”

She lifted her head.

“I didn’t poison Garret.”

“You knew about the attempt.”

She said nothing.

“You knew people were targeting him, and you chose not to warn him.”

Her mouth tightened.

“That doesn’t make me responsible for what they did.”

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“It makes you part of it.”

Several elders shifted in their seats.

Lydia looked toward Magnus. “You’re doing this because of her.”

Magnus did not answer.

She looked back at me.

“Flourish has destroyed everything.”

I felt my wolf move beneath my skin.

“Choose your next words carefully.”

She laughed once.

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“You think you’re protecting her, Harold? Look at what happened to everyone around her.”

Before I could respond, the chamber doors opened.

One of the guards turned sharply.

“Selene?”

I barely had time to look before she pushed past him.

She ran straight toward Flourish.

“You did this!”

Flourish stood near the council section, and Selene reached her before the second guard could grab her.

I moved.

Selene’s hands were already raised when I caught her from behind and pulled her away. She fought hard, kicking backward and trying to twist free.

“Let me go!”

My wolf reacted immediately.

She was too close, too wild, and still trying to attack.

“Harold.”

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I heard Magnus say my name, but my grip tightened as Selene tried to bite my arm.

“Stop!”

She screamed and struggled harder.

“You ruined my family!”

I dragged her several steps away from Flourish while two guards rushed over to help.

“Hold her.”

“I can handle her,” I said.

Selene twisted again.

“You killed everything we had!”

“I haven’t killed anything.”

“You took everything!”

Her voice broke halfway through the sentence, but she still fought against me.

My wolf pushed forward.

“Enough.”

I forced myself to breathe and kept my hold firm without hurting her. The guards secured her wrists, and only then did I release her.

She dropped to her knees.

Flourish hadn’t moved.

Selene looked at her through wet eyes.

“You should have left us alone.”

Flourish said nothing.

One of the guards pulled Selene to her feet and took her toward the side of the chamber.

I waited until the doors closed behind them before turning back to Lydia.

The room was quieter now.

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Magnus continued the proceedings.

“The evidence presented today confirms Lydia’s involvement in the conspiracy and her knowledge of the poisoning attempt.”

Lydia looked down at the table.

No apology came.

No denial either.

Magnus read the judgment.

“Lydia is stripped of all pack authority, titles, privileges, and standing. She is permanently exiled from Stonehedge territory and will have no claim to council protection or pack resources.”

Lydia’s head came up.

“You can’t do that.”

“I can,” Magnus said.

“You’re sending me away after everything I gave this pack?”

“You gave it loyalty only when it benefited you.”

Her face hardened.

I didn’t intervene.

The guards moved toward her.

She resisted at first, then stopped when she realized there was nowhere to go.

The tribunal turned to Selene.

Her actions inside the chamber had been witnessed by everyone present, and her previous involvement had already been documented.

She was not considered safe to remain near Stonehedge.

Magnus read the second judgment.

“Selene will be permanently exiled to the Northreach territory pack. She will remain there under pack supervision and will have no right to return to Stonehedge without council

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Chapter 286 The Tribunal

approval.”

Selene stared at him.

“No.”

The guards reached for her.

“No! You can’t send me there.”

One guard caught her arm.

She began crying.

“I don’t belong there.”

Nobody answered.

She looked toward Lydia.

“Mother.”

Lydia turned her face away.

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That seemed to break whatever strength Selene had left. She stumbled as the guards pulled her toward the doors, sobbing and trying to look back.

I watched her disappear.

For a moment, I felt something I didn’t want to name.

Pity.

She had made her choices. She had attacked Flourish in front of the entire tribunal. She had put herself in a position where the council could no longer trust her.

Still, watching her dragged away had been difficult.

I said nothing.

Magnus closed the file.

“This tribunal is concluded.”

The elders began gathering their papers and leaving in small groups. Chairs scraped against the floor, guards spoke quietly near the doors, and the chamber slowly emptied.

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Chapter 286 The Tribunal

I remained seated.

One of the guards approached me.

“Alpha Harold.”

I looked up.

“Yes?”

He lowered his voice.

“Phina has been trying to reach you all morning.”

I frowned.

“For what?”

“I don’t know. She has sent several messages.”

He hesitated.

“They’ve become increasingly frantic.”

I took out my phone.

There were already several notifications waiting.

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Phina had called more times than I could count. Then another message appeared.

Harold, please answer me. This is urgent.

I stared at the screen.

The tribunal was over.

Whatever Phina wanted could not wait until tomorrow.

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