Rejecting, Your Broken Promises -
Chapter 126
King Sebastian’s POV
Royal Knight pack
I don’t know how Bain was able to take control of Jasper, but I am glad that he did. I am ready to get this trial over with and get people out of here. I need to have some time with my family. Just hearing what Bain had said about Jasper’s plans, I wanted to just walk over there and rip his head off. I was so glad that Heath let him know that it was WAY too late for him to try to make anyone believe that anything that his wolf said was a lie. We could all hear the honesty and truth coming from what he said, unlike anything that Jasper said. The courtroom is still looking stunned at all the revelations that Bain had given them. I don’t think any of us, the Council, or myself, have had something like this happen during a hearing. This was like a three-ring circus, and I am still waiting on some clowns in a little car to show up.
The only thing that I felt bad about was the fact that Bain would have to die along with Jasper because I am positive that is what his judgment is going to be. I see Anthony looking around at the rest of the Council and then said, “We will be taking a 15-minute break before we advise the sentences.”
We head into the back room and sit around the large table back there. There is a secretary there, and she notes the votes and documents some of the reasons that we came to the result that we did with our votes. I was surprised that the most difficult one was for Stephanie. There was some division in the council on her, and I was staggered by the reasoning for it. They wanted to make it right, and I would rather them come to a decision that would be safest for Peyton. But in the end, they made fair judgments for all three, and I was proud of the way they came to the decisions. I saw that there were notes left in there by Teresa, that the secretary read out when the discussion had come to a standstill. Teresa had made excellent points and reminded them of the law. She also made a good point about punishment, and things rolled smoothly from then on. I think that she is right about getting an additional two members on the Council, with one of them being a woman. Teresa looked at things a little differently than we did, and it showed in the level of thought that she put into her verdicts. I especially appreciated how much thought she had put thought into Jasper’s sentence, it was something that I was glad to see be thought of as I had been feeling the same way she had on this.
We came back into the courtroom, and I stayed in Teresa’s seat, in the center of the table, while Leader Miller called out in a loud voice, “Ms. Turner, if you would please come to hear your verdict.” Stephanie and her lawyer approached the area right in front of where we are seated and stood there looking up at us. I will only have to vote if it is a tie, so I am not worried about this. They have already made their decisions on all three of them, and my vote had not been needed at all. These men are all logical, and fair, they had come up with the best outcome, and they didn’t play favorites. They have been doing this for quite a while, and I trust them, and their judgment. I am honored that they are confident in my thoughts and opinions as well as to have included me in case a tiebreaker was needed. But right now, we need to focus on getting the judgments handed down.
“Ms. Turner, you are accused of embezzlement, collusion, and accessory to commit murder of an Alpha-ranked wolf. We also have you noted as threatening to kill your incoming Luna on more than one occasion, this is also noted as being threats against the daughter of the Alpha King. Originally, we were going to sentence you to death immediately, but the amount of money that you had taken from Ever Green was too high for us to not try to make this right. Therefore, we decided that you will be going to prison until you are able to pay back the funds in question. It should take you about 5 years working in the work programs to be able to pay it back to Peyton Hunt, and then your sentence will be carried out after your debt is paid” Leader Miller told her.
“That is not fair, I didn’t even know that she was the daughter of the Alph King the first time, it shouldn’t count. Plus, I shouldn’t have to pay the money back if they were dumb enough to give it to me. I left to avoid paying it back, it is going to take forever to do that. I never told her to pay them back anyway, if they were willing to do the work for me, that is on them. They shouldn’t whine about not getting paid when it was the easier jobs that I was pawning off anyway. Percy got my workload decreased because I was too tired to stay up with him at night” Stephanie called out, and then turned around to look at Percy with a suggestive smile, and a wink. Stephanie then glanced at Peyton sitting beside him, to give her a knowing smirk.
Peyton stood up and addressed the Council, “I do not need to be paid back. As much as I appreciate the thought that the Council gave to me for trying to get the money back, I do not need it. I saw where things needed to be put right because a selfish pack member took advantage of others who were defenseless against her. They could not cross her as she had been lining herself up to try to become the next Luna, never realizing that would not be happening for her. The other Omegas were just trying to keep from getting in trouble and did the work, without complaint. They did not demand to get paid for it, and none of them asked any of us for the money, they just accepted it as their lot in life to be trampled on. I saw how the problem had occurred, and I fixed it, I remember my days of doing all the work, and not being appreciated for it. I made them whole again because I wanted to do it, so I did. I would prefer that you go ahead and just carry out the sentence now if it is all the same to you. I have enough money, but the peace of mind that will come with knowing that this particular she-wolf won’t be popping back up or causing any more problems for me, or our children in the future, would be priceless”. Peyton sat back down, and I am glad she asked to speak. I had the same thought, I didn’t want to speak for her, but as far as I am concerned, making sure that Stephanie can’t make good on her death threat is what needed to happen here.
“You are not in charge of me, b***h. You are not in charge of anything here. How dare you tell them to kill me now. I swear you think you are so good because you are the Alpha King’s daughter, but you are nothing. I only wish that Alpha James had killed your sorry a*s while you were at B***d Claw. Then you wouldn’t have ruined everything. I had been working for over 2 years on Percy trying to get him that attached to me. Having to go slow and take my time, so Heath and Von didn’t notice us together and then try to stop me. Getting Percy to accept and love me, took a lot of time. I had him eating out of the palm of my hand before you showed up. I have never wanted to kill anyone, more than how I want to kill you” Stephanie growled out to me in anger. Growls rang out around the courtroom, but before I could move Percy stood up quickly to speak.
“You are wrong, you were leading me around, that is true, but I never ever loved you. Were we having fun, yes, because I was young and thought I was doing what I wanted to, but I was wrong. I wish to the Goddess that I had never touched you. Knowing that I did touch you makes my stomach turn at knowing now how many you were also with at the same time. Apparently, everyone but me knew about it and knew exactly who you were as a person. Knew that you were untrustworthy and dishonest. A liar and manipulator and I am glad that after today, I will never have to see you again. I will not miss you for one second, I did have lustful thoughts for you, and we fooled around some, but we were never in love. I didn’t even know what that was until I met my mate” Percy called out into the courtroom. He then closed his eyes like he was praying before he spoke again in a much lower and gentler voice as he gazed down in love at Peyton.
“Peyton is my everything, she is my other half. The calm to my storm, and I have never in my life felt so much for another person. Even my own family, who I love with my whole heart cannot compare to what I feel for this beautiful woman beside me. I would protect her until my last breath leaves my body. Peyton is loving and kind, gives grace to everyone, and finds the good in people. I only wish I could go back to the day I met you Stephanie, and walk the other way to avoid you. I only want Peyton to have all my firsts, but since my heart was only involved after I met her, she has. All the firsts that count to me, are all involving Peyton. I count nothing that we ever did as something that I want to remember, Stephanie. So, as far as I am concerned, Peyton has received all of my firsts, because my heart didn’t truly work, didn’t truly beat with unconditional love in it until I met her. She is right about the judgment too, I do not want you trying to come back and hurt one hair on Peyton’s head, or our pups. I agree with Stephanie’s sentence being carried out today, so Peyton never has to fear anyone hurting her again. As the incoming Alpha, fiancé, and mate to Peyton Hunt. I ask that you reconsider your vote for what Peyton asked. I would rather have peace of mind for the safety and wellbeing of my mate and pups, than have the money returned”
We all heard it, what he said, and his love for Peyton. Dawson is usually the smooth talker, the more thoughtful of the twins, and able to communicate better because of it. Percy is not as good at expressing his feelings, but he just did great. He even brought me to tears with his impassioned plea for Peyton to be completely safe from all her tormentors. I happen to completely agree, but I didn’t bring it up, as since I have involvement in this case, and Jasper’s. I didn’t want anything coming back with a problem or issue that would have caused a future problem in the years to come because I had a vote in with it. Teresa’s vote carried in this, and the only thing she didn’t “officially” vote on was involving Cassidy, but that hadn’t required my vote either.
“You can’t mean that Percy, you told me that you loved me. That you wanted to be with me. You even told me that I could be your chosen mate” Stephanie cried out with tears running down her face at hearing that the man she tried to manipulate and force, had just announced to everyone here that he had never loved her.
“I told you that I loved you because you made me say it, by crying, just like when you forced me to tell you that I would make you a chosen mate. But I never meant it. I gave myself three years to find a mate. I was NEVER going to take a chosen mate. We want our mates, our true mates, in my family. You are never stronger than by having your mate by your side. I told you before I left to go to B***d Claw that you needed to look for your mate because I was going to be looking for mine” Percy told Stephanie.
“I rejected my mate for you Percy. I wanted you, not him. Look at all I did for you. For you to drop me because I am an Omega” Stephanie tried again, we are long past her tears working on me anymore, but she still kept trying.
“First, you lied and told me that you hadn’t met your mate when we met. I never asked you to reject your mate. You rejected him because you didn’t want to “just” be mated to a warrior. Wasn’t that why you ended up giving me up? After my family said I was going to be demoted down to a warrior to work myself back up the ranks again. It was never about rank for me. I believed that Peyton was an Omega too when I found her. That was what I was told, and what I believed. It didn’t matter to me who she was because she was my mate, and that was all I needed to know. You are the one hung up on being a higher rank, and having a lot of things. Peyton is hung up on helping others, and truly caring about them. The pack can feel that too, she will be an excellent Luna, just like my mother, and grandmother, Von. You would have been a terrible Luna, and the pack would have suffered so much if you were ever given any kind of authority there. I shudder to think of what I would have done to Ever Green with you by my side, it would have been an absolute nightmare.” Percy told Stephanie.
“I hate you, Peyton, I hope that you die, and I hope that the pain of it kills Percy too” Stephanie screams out and jumped over the half-wall to lunge at Peyton. Percy threw his arm out and knocked Stephanie to the ground, as he held Peyton behind his body. I just wish he had hit her harder, but it was enough. Enough to show everyone in the courtroom who she actually was if they hadn’t already gotten the message from her interview. Stephanie was picked up and the silver handcuffs were put on her quickly so she couldn’t phase and try to attack Peyton again. We were all amazed at the speed that Stephanie had, if she wasn’t so lazy, she could have been a warrior with moves that fast. She was taken from the courtroom screaming her head off about “getting Peyton back” not realizing that there was not going to be a second chance. There was not going to be an appeal, this was done, she was being taken right now for her sentence to be carried out. She was just so focused on what had just happened with Percy that she wasn’t aware of it, she will find out quickly enough.
“Cassidy Bridges, please come to the front to accept your sentence” Leader Miller called out. We watched as Cassidy and Teresa both head up to stand in front of the Council. I am sure most thought of Teresa being there as her lawyer, but this was showing the whole Council, and myself, that she was in defense of this woman, and all that she had gone through. She wanted to give them the opportunity to know that she believed in Cassidy and wanted her to be allowed to live.
“Ms. Bridges, your case has been a special one. One that I am glad for all of the witnesses who came forward in your defense, both in person and through their videos. It is hard for someone who has not gone through, or experienced, what you have, to make a good and just judgment. Because we honestly have nothing to be able to compare it to. It makes it almost impossible actually. In fact, we deliberated on your case the longest. We have to look at the laws, even if we want to go with our feelings. We know that you are very loved by several of your former pack members and the Omegas at Dark Savage, clearly by Bain, and also by your second chance mate Trevor. The fact alone that the Goddess has given you a second chance mate, speaks volume’s to the Council, especially to me. It shows us that the Goddess herself wanted you to have another shot at your life and that she still has a purpose for you or your future pups. I also took into account the wishes of the families of the former Lunas, thoughts, and wishes into account as well” Leader Miller said to Cassidy.
“We would be remiss if we didn’t point out the fact that your actions at Dark Savage were indeed evil Ms. Bridges. You have cost the lives of two she-wolves who didn’t deserve the death that they received. They were just caught up in Jasper’s web of lies, and deception, the same as you had been. They both had feelings for him, even if they were both aware that he was not their mate. He lied to convince them to come to Dark Savage to become his Luna. He tricked them too, so they were hurt by his lies, and then found out that he did have a mate. I am sure that was upsetting to them as they had both been assured that he had not found his mate. I understand you not wanting to do harm to your mate. The level of anger and pain that you need to get to, to be willing to do that has to be almost unbearable. I struggled with this, as you killed your Lunas. It should have been cut and dried, but it wasn’t, and it still isn’t to me in this case. I was also glad for the women who have survived the uncaring acts of their mates, with their true mates deliberately hurting them by trying to force break the bond. Them coming here to try to tell us the incredible level of pain associated with what happened to you. So, we can try to understand, and comprehend for ourselves, what it felt like firsthand. These women clearly knew what that kind of staggering amount of pain felt like, as we are finding out that numerous women have not been as fortunate as you have in this. It is not the level of pain that you experienced that I am struggling with in this, it is the fact that you killed, not just one, but two Lunas. I don’t know if the ends justified the means in this” the second member of the Council stated.
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