Rebecca’s POV
The entire hall went silent.
Every guest held their breath; the air was so thick with tension I could hardly breathe.
I looked at Enzo, whose back was still turned to me like a wall.
His fists clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles turned bone white.
I looked at my sister, Clara, who was still crying bitterly into her hands, and then my eyes fell on my father.
He didn’t look at me like a daughter; he stared at me with an anger so cold it made my skin crawl.
”So, there is nothing to be done?” Enzo’s voice broke the silence as he addressed the priest.
The priest swallowed nervously before answering.
“The bond cannot be broken immediately, Alpha.
You may choose not to mark her as your Luna…” He hesitated carefully.
“But by blood law, she remains your legal wife for one full year.
After that period, if you still wish to annul the union, the council and Moon Temple will permit it.”
Enzo let out a pained groan that sounded like a wounded animal.
He didn’t move.
He stayed there, his back turned against everyone.
”This is not fair!” Clara shouted, her voice breaking through the silence.
“She took my place!
This marriage is a lie!
It’s a trick!” She sobbed harder.
Immediately, the maids who had escorted me earlier rushed toward her, wrapping blankets around her shoulders and comforting her as if she were the victim of a terrible tragedy.
And maybe she was.
I didn’t even know anymore.
I stood there, my hands shaking, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
I pinched my arm hard, hoping—praying—that this was just a nightmare and I would wake up in my bed.
But the pain was real.
The smell of Enzo’s blood still on my tongue was real.
Suddenly, someone in the back of the crowd shouted, “She has to be punished!”
”Yes!” another voice joined in.
“She can’t go unpunished for this!
She tried to kill a Princess!”
My heart sank into my stomach.
My wolf, Olivia, stood up inside me, her fur bristling as she bared her teeth, ready to protect me even if no one else would.
My father looked at Enzo’s back.
“You are the Alpha now, Enzo,” he said, his voice hard.
“The power has passed to you.
You must declare the punishment.”
My heart raced so fast I felt dizzy.
Everyone waited.
The silence stretched until it was deafening.
I stared at Enzo’s broad shoulders, waiting for him to banish me, throw me in the dungeons, or worse.
Finally, he spoke.
“Father…
I have just become Alpha today.
I do not want to start my reign in such a way.”
A murmur went through the crowd.
I felt a tiny spark of relief.
Did that mean he was letting me go free?
Did he secretly believe me?
But then he continued, and the spark died instantly.
”But,” Enzo said, his voice turning icy.
“Clara is the one she hurt.
She is the victim here.” He slowly turned his head, looking toward my sister but still refusing to let his eyes touch mine.
“Clara, you will give out the punishment.
Whatever you say will be carried out immediately.”
Nobody spoke after that.
Even the musicians looked uncomfortable.
Clara lowered her head, tears still running down her face.
“I… I can’t punish her,” she whispered brokenly.
“No matter what she did… Rebecca is still my sister.”
A soft wave of murmurs spread through the crowd immediately.
“Such a kind Princess…”
“Even after what was done to her…”
“She still has mercy.”
But not everyone agreed.
“Mercy?” a man shouted angrily.
“The girl tried to kill her!”
“She deceived the future Alpha!”
“She deserves punishment!”
The crowd started arguing loudly among themselves while I stood frozen in the middle of it all.
And through it all… Enzo still refused to look at me.
That hurt more than the accusations.
Finally, his deep voice cut through the noise.
“Clara.”
The hall instantly quieted again.
Slowly, Clara lifted her tear-stained face toward him.
Enzo’s expression remained cold.
Detached.
Blank.
“As your Alpha,” he said firmly, “I am commanding you to give Rebecca her punishment.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“Do not see her as your sister,” he continued harshly.
“Because a sister would never do what she did.”
The words slammed into me harder than my father’s slap had.
He believed it.
He truly believed I tried to murder Clara.
A sharp pain spread through my chest so violently I almost lost my balance.
I swallowed hard as I stared at my sister.
Clara hesitated.
And for the first time in my life… she looked like a stranger.
This was the woman who used to braid my hair when I was little.
The woman who held me when I cried about missing our mother.
The woman I admired more than anyone else in the world.
I thought she loved me.
But now she stood there looking at me like I was something disgusting.
Finally, Clara took a shaky breath.
“Rebecca committed three crimes,” she said softly.
The crowd fell silent.
“Impersonation of a royal bride,” she continued.
“Kidnapping…” She paused dramatically, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“…and attempted murder.”
A chill swept through the hall.
Then Clara whispered, “According to pack law… those crimes are punishable by death.”
A loud gasp exploded through the crowd.
My blood turned ice cold.
I noticed Enzo react instantly; his shoulders stiffened violently, and his head snapped slightly toward Clara for the first time.
For one brief second, I thought I saw hesitation flicker through him.
But Clara quickly continued.
“But…” she whispered weakly, “I can’t do that to her.”
The crowd erupted into whispers again.
“She’s too merciful…”
“The Princess has such a good heart…”
One woman near the front actually looked disappointed I wasn’t being executed.
Clara lowered her eyes sadly.
“So instead,” she said quietly, “Rebecca will be locked in the dungeon for three days.
And when she is released…” Clara continued, her voice turning colder, “she will live as a servant in this palace until the one-year marriage bond ends.”
Silence.
Then—
“That’s too merciful!”
“She should’ve been executed!”
“A maid?
That’s all?”
The crowd burst into chaos again, but I barely heard any of it.
Slowly… painfully… my eyes lifted toward Enzo.
And this time—he finally looked at me.