Luna Revealed

Chapter Seventeen

The council consists of five members of Aurora and five members of Artem. Alpha Julian, Octavius, Antonia, and two people I don't recognize represent Aurora. Phoenix, Caine, and three others represent Artem. I am uncomfortable with the unfamiliar people. Do they all know what happened to me?

We meet in a large conference room in a building about half a mile from the Artem pack house. Everything is a deep wood shade, from the tables to the walls. Two long tables are set up with chairs, facing each other in the middle of the room. Nameplates indicate who sits where and there are two wolves I don't recognize setting up glasses of water, as well as a projector and laptop.

Caine, who has accompanied me to the meeting since Phoenix had to be here early, notices me regarding the two people. "Those are the current Artem law attendants. They are at every single trial or council meeting that we hold."

I furrow my brows. "Isn't that dangerous? From what I've read, most packs have a rotating law staff to avoid pack secrets being leaked."

Caine gives me a strange smile and looks over at them. "We don't have to worry about that here. They've been voluntarily deafened."

I blink at his words. Voluntarily deafened? What the hell does that mean? I don't get the chance to ask because the members of Aurora that I don't know approach me.

They are both older, likely in their fifties or sixties, and dressed nicely in dark suits. The woman reaches her hand out to shake my hand. "Miss Hemming, my name is Genevieve. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it were under better circumstances." She gestures to the man next to her. "And this is Ricardo."

I shake his hand as well and smile tightly. He grips my hand a second longer and gives me a warm look. "I wish you the best of luck today, sweet girl. We vow to remain just and unbiased during these coming weeks."

I nod jerkily and he releases my hand. They walk to their seats at the table and I turn to Caine. "Okay, now I'm nervous." He laughs and leads me to another, much smaller room off of the main one. It smells of coffee and there is a single table and chair in the middle of the room.

Caine turns to me. "This is where you'll stay until it's time to give your statement."

"I can't watch the meeting?" My voice is high with nerves and I struggle to remain calm.

He shakes his head and rubs my shoulder in reassurance. "The conversations had during a council meeting must remain confidential, especially from witnesses. We don't want anything to influence what you say to them." He must notice my increasingly worried mood, because he hugs me tightly. "It's okay, Dahlia. Your statement is the third item on the agenda, so you'll only have to wait about 30 minutes. After you speak, someone will escort you back to the pack house. An hour, tops, and you're done. Okay?"

"Okay," I mumble into his chest. He pulls away and gives me one last smile before leaving the room, shutting the door tightly behind him.

I sigh heavily and sit in the chair, taking the cup of coffee that has been left on the table for me. I can't believe I'm here. Ten years of torment and anguish and I'm finally going to talk about it.

You've already told Phoenix, so it won't be that hard to talk about it again. My wolf attempts to reassure me. I grip the warm mug tightly and shake my head. No, I haven't told him. Not everything. Not about Viktor. My wolf goes quiet again and moves into her corner. She knows I'm right.

Time passes slowly in this room. I finish my coffee quickly and get up, pacing the room. I can't hear much of anything through the thick walls and door. These rooms are sound-resistant, I assume for this very reason. Every few minutes or so, I hear the soft mumbling of voices in the council room grow louder and then a loud tapping noise before it quiets down again. I have seen human TV shows about courtrooms before and I picture an old judge slamming a gavel. The thought makes me smile, significantly lightening my mood.