Souls Entwined

Prologue II

Prologue II
Third Person

Stage Three: Witness Testimonies and Cross-Examination

Susanna had been too kind to her. That much was evident as Lennard took the floor. She had asked Elle about the events leading up to the kidnapping, what had happened during, and how it had affected her in the following months since. But she had been too kind. Lennard was happy to take a different approach.

'Is it true that you had a relationship with Lachlan Thomms?'

'We... I... Lachlan and I didn...'

Susanna could see the angle Lennard was taking, and she didn't need to look around the room to know Elliot's soulmate was angry.

Kaden had his fingers moulded to the wooden bench. His gaze split between two things. One was Elliot, alone and flustered, her heart racing, and the words refused to form on her lips. All he wanted to do was comfort her, but she hadn't let him touch her in public yet, and the courtroom was hardly an appropriate place to push her boundaries.

He could have done it. He'd have been in trouble, and the pack representatives around him would have gone home to share whispers of the trial, spreading the news like wildfire that the soon-to-be alpha of the Vermiculo pack had a heart of putty when it came to his soulmate. But they weren't the reason he held back. He couldn't push her too far, or she would run.

The second thing he kept in his sight was the defendant's lawyer. Lennard. The man had become the story's villain in the last few weeks. Who could defend such monsters? He was doing the job that had been assigned to him, but no one gave him pity.

Lennard was bringing up memories that caused Elle pain, and Kaden wanted to reach out, grab him by the scruff of the neck, and thump his head against the judges' podium. If only to take the attention away from Elle for just a moment.

Kaden had to hold back when Lennard turned his icy gaze towards Elle, he looked at her as though she were a cockroach, and his questions were the shoe about to drop on her. 'Yes or no, Ms Clarke. Did you and Lachlan Thomms have a relationship before the incident?'

Elle blinked, rolling her hands together as she swallowed the lump in her throat.'Yes, but...'

Lennard had habitually cut her off, and it was boiling Elle's blood. But rather than her anger giving her the fight she needed to explain herself, it stole away her words and held them captive as her anger manifested into schoolgirl naivety. 'And did this relationship end on good terms?'

'Well, no, but...'

'I have witness statements, 12. a and 12. b for the jury, which states that Lachlan was trying to contact you legally and appropriately. Source A says you "never really got over the broken heart thing. I think she was just ignoring him for attention", while source B says, "I'm pretty sure she likes that he's still chasing after her. He broke up with her, you see".'

'I didn't.'

'That's all I have to say for now, your honour.'

The judge nodded, exhaustion amassed on his expression. 'Does the State have anything to add before we call for a recess?'

'I just have two questions for the witness.' Susanna jumped to her feet. She knew the jury was tired. She knew that pushing their break further away would frustrate them. But she needed Elle to answer the questions before they were dismissed for lunch. She needed the jury to remember her narrative in the hour that was to come. 'Why did the relationship end?'

Elle looked across the room and was relieved when she caught Kaden's eyes on her. He'd been there for her every day of the trial, in the same spot, right up the front. She was too scared to admit it, but he had been her rock during the last couple of weeks.

Elle took a calming breath. 'I discovered he lied to me about being my soulmate.'

'And how did you find out that this was the case?'

'Selene, the Goddess of the Moon and Werewolves visited me.' As soon as she said it, she knew it wouldn't be enough. It couldn't be proved. 'When I confronted Lachlan during school, he admitted the truth.'

'And were there any witnesses?'

Elle gulped, twisting her hands. 'Yes. A student filmed the incident.'

'And is it true that you got a restraining order against Lachlan Thomms?'

'Yes. I was granted a restraining order a week before the kidnapping.'

Susanna caught Lennard's eye across the room as she pulled a copy of the file from her binder. 'The jury has a copy of this document, article 9. a. I want to call forward the officer from that case who provides a testimony explaining the serious nature of the restraining order taken out against Lachlan Thomms.'

Stage Four: Closing Arguments

First, the State summarised the case.

'The Umbra pack clearly kidnapped and held Ms Clarke against her will in the confines of the slaughterhouse in the Clake Mansion, during which the murder of nine hunters took place in retaliation to the alpha family's deaths. Ms Clarke was only a catalyst for the events that took place, not a participator. The Umbra pack continued to hold Ms Clarke after the deaths of the alpha family and put both Ms Clarke and Ms Mcgarth on trial for their supposed involvement in the deaths. Further investigations, which we have outlined here today, clearly prove that this was not the case and that Ms Clarke and Ms Mcgarth were held unjustly against their will. It is in the opinion of the State that the jury uses the evidence provided today to make a just decision and bring those who did wrong to justice.'

Next was the defence's turn.

'The State has provided insufficient evidence to prove that the Umbra pack continued to hold Ms Clarke and Ms Mcgarth beyond when the Thomms family had passed. The pack cannot be held accountable for the actions of a dead man. The pack has the right to govern laws within its own council. Exercising this right to hold a trial over individuals of suspect is not a crime. Putting Ms Clarke and Ms Mcgarth to trial by the council is a legal right held by the pack to determine the innocence of these individuals.'

Stage Five: Jury Verdict

The juror who stood before the court held her piece of paper so high that the room could only see snippets of her face. A cold exterior flashed with tiny flares of emotions as her fingers pinched the sheet too hard, crinkling the edges. 'The jury finds the defendant guilty on all charges.'

The judge took a moment of deliberation before outlining the sentence. 'The punishment for those immediately involved in the murder of nine humans and the kidnapping of Elliot Clarke and Kendra Mcgarth is life in prison, with the option for parole if there is sufficient evidence to prove the defendants can integrate with society with a changed perspective to the situation. The State calls for the disbandment of the Umbra pack and places the members of the pack into the care of the State until those members can be placed in adjoining packs with undue strain placed upon them.'

A collective breath filled the room, and all at once, Elle felt like her lungs could expand. He was the first she found, and they were tangled together as the world spun around them. Months of trials and wondering what would happen boiled down to the decision of fifteen individuals from around the globe.