The afternoon session began with Ryan Moss on the witness stand. He looked older than I remembered. Thinner. Desperate in a way that made him useful to men like Alaric.
"Ms. Voss approached me three weeks before the courthouse incident," he said. "She offered me money to arrange a public attack. Make it look real. Make sure cameras caught everything."
My stomach turned to ice. Tamsin started to object but the judge let him continue.
"She wanted sympathy. Wanted to break her engagement and make it look like Alaric was dangerous." He produced papers. Bank statements. Meeting logs. All fabricated but convincing. "She paid me ten thousand dollars."
Alaric's lawyer entered the parking garage photo into evidence. Me standing across from a hooded figure. The angle made guilt look like fact.
"I am asking for a recess," Tamsin said. Judge Henderson granted thirty minutes. We moved to the conference room.
"We need proof he is lying," Tamsin said. "Fast."
The door burst open. Olga ran in with her laptop and files spilling from her arms.
"I found it," she said. "Ryan Moss was not even in the city during the courthouse attack. He was in Portland for a job interview. I have the hotel receipt. Security footage. Time stamped records that put him two hundred miles away when the blade struck."
Tamsin grabbed the files. "This destroys his timeline."
"More. I traced the payments. They did not come from Mara's accounts. They came from a shell company Alaric controls. I have the transfer records."
"How did you get these?" I asked.
"I may have friends in banking who owe me favors." Olga smiled. Sharp. "Alaric used the same shell company he uses for all his off book deals."
We returned to the courtroom. Tamsin stood and requested to recall the witness. Judge Henderson allowed it.
"Mr. Moss, you testified that you met Ms. Voss three weeks before the courthouse attack."
"Yes."
"Can you explain how you attended meetings with Ms. Voss when you were in Portland, Oregon on October twentieth through twenty fourth?" She presented the hotel records. Security footage on a tablet. "This is you checking into the Marriott."
The color drained from his face. He looked at Alaric. No help came.
"Can you also explain why the payments you claim came from Ms. Voss actually originated from Thorn Holdings, a company owned by Alaric Thorn?" Tamsin presented the transfer records. "Ten thousand dollars. Not from Ms. Voss. From the man sitting at that table."
The courtroom erupted. Judge Henderson used her gavel. Ryan Moss stammered. Tamsin cut through every word.
"You committed perjury, Mr. Moss. You were paid to lie under oath."
"The defense calls Alaric Thorn to the stand."
He stood without hesitation. Confident. Composed. He took the oath and sat with perfect posture. Tamsin did not give him room to perform.
"Mr. Thorn, do you recognize these phone numbers?" She presented records. "This one belongs to you. This one belongs to Katarine Black."
"I have worked with Ms. Black professionally for years."
"Professionally." Tamsin pulled out printed messages. "Can you explain this text sent from your phone to hers on October twentieth? The Voss woman needs to be handled."
His face stayed smooth but something flickered behind his eyes.
"Ms. Black's response. I will take care of it. Your reply. Make it clean." She looked at the jury. "These messages are time stamped three days before the courthouse attack."
"That could refer to any number of professional matters," Alaric said.
"And this message from Ms. Black sent on October twenty third at two seventeen PM? It went wrong. The human got in the way. Your response. Fix this."
The courtroom went silent. Every eye turned to Alaric.
"Ms. Black acted outside the scope of our discussions," he said. "I authorized pressure tactics. I never ordered violence."
"But you authorized an incident. You wanted Ms. Voss frightened into compliance."
"I wanted her to understand the consequences of her choices."
"By having her attacked on courthouse steps." Tamsin's voice cut sharp. "With cameras rolling."
"I did not order an attack."
"But you authorized Katarine Black to handle the situation. When she used a blade and poison, you told her to fix it. Not to stop. Fix it."
Alaric's composure cracked by a degree. His jaw tightened. "Katarine Black made decisions I did not sanction."
"But you covered for her. You paid witnesses to commit perjury. You orchestrated a conspiracy to remove Ms. Voss from her position, claim custody of her child, and consolidate power."
The courtroom erupted. Judge Henderson called for order and granted a recess for deliberation. We waited in the hallway. The minutes stretched. Reporters lined the corridor. Alaric stood with his lawyers and maintained perfect calm.
Judge Henderson returned. We filed back in. She looked at the gallery. At Alaric. At me. Then she read her verdict:
"The engagement between Mara Voss and Alaric Thorn is hereby dissolved. Custody of Theo Voss remains with his mother. Mr. Thorn is subject to criminal investigation for conspiracy to commit assault. Ms. Katarine Black is subject to separate investigation for attempted murder. A restraining order is issued preventing Mr. Thorn from approaching Ms. Voss or her child within five hundred feet."
Victory tasted like ash.
We walked out into the dying light. October wind came off the harbor cold. Cameras swarmed. Alaric reached the microphones first.
"I made mistakes," he said. His voice carried authority even in admission. "I authorized pressure tactics I now regret. But I never wanted Mara Voss dead. Katarine Black acted beyond her mandate."
He looked directly at the cameras. Composed. Calculated.
"I offered Mara everything. She chose chaos."
His eyes found me in the crowd. "The ward will not hold with just love, Mara. You need strength. You need Alpha. When you fail, do not come looking for mercy."
He paused. Let the words settle.
"And the pack council meets Halloween night. I will see you there. Or see you forfeit everything."
He turned and walked away. Pack members split. Some followed him. Others stayed near me. The fracture was real. Elias pulled me into his arms—publicly. In front of cameras. And I leaned into his warmth.
"We won," he said.
"We survived," I corrected.
We started toward the car. Pack members who had sided with Alaric moved to block our path. Six of them. Young wolves with anger in their eyes.
Olga stepped between us and them. "Stand down. The trial is over. The law decided."
"Human law," one said. "Not pack law."
We reached the car. I slid into the passenger seat and closed my eyes. Elias drove while I tried to steady my breathing. We had won custody. Dissolved the engagement. Exposed Alaric's conspiracy. But the pack was fractured.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number. I opened it anyway.
Congratulations on your victory. Enjoy it while it lasts. The ward requires both parents present at midnight on Halloween. If either of you fails to appear, the Veil claims what it is owed. No exceptions. No mercy.
Below the text sat a photo. The lighthouse. Cracks spreading through the lens like spiderwebs. The damage had accelerated.