The One He Claimed by Cooper

Chapter 187: Verdict

Sophie

Jake makes a note on the tablet in front of him then turns to our table. “Luna Jocelyn, have you been forcefully kept from your mate? The court recognizes that you have Alpha Hunter and Luna Sophie at your table. If you would prefer to have them removed, we can do so.”

“No, I want them here. I asked them to be here with me. And to answer your question, no, I have not been forcibly kept from my mate. I’ve finally been given the space from him that I’ve been requesting since he forced his mark on me against my will,” she says.

“Which is the whole reason we came to Hunter’s pack to begin with,” Zahn yells. “So we could work through that.”

“You had no intention of working through that Zahn. You and I both know that. You just wanted reinforcement that you’d tried and I’m the one who was unwilling to move forward. But that backfired on you, didn’t it? Luna Sophie was very upfront with you about allowing me to decide when and how I spent time with you. You just thought that Hunter would step in and override her. Now that you know that he actually respects his mate and listens to what she has to say, you want to say he’s keeping me from you. It’s ME keeping me from you, Zahn. Accept my rejection and be done with this,” Jocelyn says forcefully.

“Look at you, all high and mighty while you hide behind another Alpha,” he sneers.

Faster than I was expecting, Jocelyn stands, her chair flying backwards and slamming against the other chairs and tables against the wall.

“I don’t need to hide behind anyone. Now that I’m finally getting the medical treatment that I need, now that my wolf is finally getting strong enough that I can feel her presence again, I don’t need to hide. What I need is for you to get out of my life. I never wanted you as a mate. You were never intended to be my mate. I would never have willingly accepted you as my mate and neither would my wolf.”

“What will it take, Jocelyn? What will it take for you to return to our home with me?” he says, looking at her. “No matter how it happened, you are our mate. Kortan and I want you at our side. You are our Luna.”

Jocelyn smiles sadly. “Do you know, I’ve learned a lot lately about what it means to be a true Luna, the way they interact with their pack, the way they care about their pack, how their mates treat them and respect them. Being around this group of women has taught me a lot about the life that I want for myself. I don’t ever see myself having that life with you.”

“You are my mate!” he snarls, standing up before the warriors close in on him, putting their hands on his shoulders and holding him back. I can feel Hunter, ready to attack if Zahn makes a move toward Jocelyn.

“Have a seat, Alpha Zahn,” Jake says forcefully.

When everyone is seated, I look up at Alpha Jake.

“May I make a suggestion?”

“Of course, Luna,” he says. I stand and look at Alpha Zahn as Hunter gets Jocelyn’s seat for her.

“Alpha, if you want to make an impact on your mate, I think you should get on your knees and beg her forgiveness,” I say.

“Excuse me?” he scoffs at me.

“Get on your knees, strip yourself bare in front of your peers, the other ranked members in this room, then publicly shame yourself for others to see by apologizing to your mate,” I say.

“You see what I’m dealing with?” he asks the council as Jocelyn looks up at me frowning and I feel Hunter going through my mind, trying to understand the purpose behind my words. When he finds it, he nods at me.

“And why would I do that, Luna?” Zahn asks, as if my title means less than the dirt on his shoes.

“Because it’s what you did to her, Alpha,” I say with as much condescension in my tone as he used.

“I was there. I saw you in the woods. I saw how you shoved Jocelyn to her knees, stripped her bare in front of your pack members and shamed her by mating her and forcefully marking her as she sobbed and begged you to stop. If it’s good enough for your Luna,” I snarl, getting angry all over again, “it should be good enough for you.”

I watch as my words sink in. Only Hunter knew that I was there. Even Jocelyn didn’t know. I may have just lost a friend, but I needed to let the council know what he did.

“Public mating’s were not against the law,” he says quietly, but looks away from Jocelyn.

“That’s what you’re going to stand behind?” Nikki asks. “The law?”

“The law is what we live by,” he insists.

“And what law says it’s okay for you to force your mark on someone who doesn’t want it?” Margot asks. I was glad to see her here. She’s not technically Ezra’s mate, but she was a Luna, so everyone agreed that she should have a place on the trial.

“The ranked members were on the run. None of us could find our mates,” he snarls.

“But you did find your mate, didn’t you Alpha Zahn? You found her and she chose to end her life rather than be with you. Isn’t that correct?” Robin asks him.

“Caralyn was ill,” he says.

“Was she?” Dutton asks. “Because I remember meeting her and I don’t remember thinking that she was ill at all.”

Zahn stays quiet, gritting his teeth so loudly that everyone in the room can hear it. Everyone knows that he’s lying.

“Alpha Hunter, your pack is the one that was attacked,” Jake says.

“That’s correct,” Hunter says. “Alpha Zahn knowingly attacked my pack when he knew that I would be away. However, I anticipated the attack and me, and my former Beta prepared for an attack. While Alpha Zahn’s warriors were decimated, mine had minimal injuries that were healed by the time I returned home.

“The law,” Jake stresses, “states that if an Alpha attacks another Alpha, wages war against their pack, or in any other way tries to overthrow them and that Alpha loses, it is up to the winner to decide the fate of the offending Alpha,” he says, turning to Hunter. “What punishment are you requesting for Alpha Zahn, Alpha Hunter?”

“Alpha Zahn put my pack at risk, he has threatened my Luna on more than one occasion, and he has argued and fought every step of the process that Sophie and I have attempted to take to help heal Luna Jocelyn so that she can decide for herself what she wants to do with her life. For those reasons, I am requesting execution.”

I feel Jocelyn reach over and take my hand as Jake nods and looks down at the end of the table of Alphas and Lunas. This is it.

“Alpha Lucas, I understand that you have excused yourself and your Luna from this process, being Alpha Hunter’s previous Beta.”

“That is correct.”

“Very well, let’s start with Alpha Kayce,” he says.

They go down the line, all of the Alphas and Lunas agreeing with Zahn’s execution. It isn’t until the last person, Calvin, agrees that he finally snaps.

“Just you wait, Calvin! It’ll be you in this seat before you know it. Isn’t your mate already an Alpha of her own pack? I don’t see you getting her back anytime soon. Don’t wage war against any of these Alphas or it will be your head next!” he yells.

The warriors grab him, beginning to lead him from the room. However, he pulls himself to a stop, turning to face Jocelyn. This time, it’s obvious that his wolf is forward.

“I am truly sorry for the pain that we caused you, Jocelyn. Please, when Cassidy returns to you, let her know that as well. I don’t want to hurt you any more than l’already have, so I accept your rejection,” Kortan says sadly

I can feel Jocelyn’s shock at the wolf’s words, but we stand, watching as he is removed from the packhouse. As soon as he’ s out of the room, Jocelyn collapses with the pain of the severed bond.

Hunter turns to Jocelyn. “It’s your right to execute him, if you want to.”

Jocelyn shakes her head. “I just want it done.”

Hunter and the other Alphas go outside to execute Zahn while the Lunas surround Jocelyn, holding her. When it’s done, the Alphas return, and we stand back, helping Jocelyn to stand.

“I’m so sorry, Jocelyn. What you must think of me,” I say, feeling tears in my eyes.

“I think you did what any smart woman would do, what any of us would have done. You ran when you knew you couldn’t help me. If you had tried, you’d have failed and none of us would be here right now,” she says, pulling me into a hug. “I’m thankful you didn’t, because now, I’m free.”

Her forgiveness finally gives me what I need to let go of the guilt that I’ve been holding on to for months.