From Princess To Queen
Chapter 41

When Will the Trials be done?

Early morning came way too fast for Clara and Xavior. He declared they would not have training today since the trials went a little longer than anticipated the night before. But to his dismay, Clara woke up and went off to training anyway since she had to perfect her skills and keep herself sharp and on point when it came time to the dual for Alpha and the crown of their pack. She was not looking forward to it because this could have been prevented, but on the other hand, it would prove to her father that she could fight better than her warriors and show how lethal she was.

Xavior groaned when he felt her get up and as she kissed him goodbye for now. He tried pulling her down against his chest, mumbling into her head she needed to sleep. She told him she would come later. When everything was finished, they could return and nap later that day. He groggily agreed and turned over, going back into a dream sleep.

Clara grabbed a couple of apples to eat along the way to her mother’s pack. She needed some nourishment. While walking on her typical path, she could sense someone following her. She was cloaked, and her scent masked as usual so that this would not happen, but of all days, it would have to be today. She zig-zagged into different patterns, but the person kept up with her. She could not shake the feeling that something was off.

She arrived at the pack and entered differently, as she had alerted her brothers and sister that she was being followed. They sent their warriors out to see who it could be and caught the person, and threw them in their prison cells. They did not know who it was; Addison questioned the one arrested to see why he was following his sister, their future queen.

“Who are you, and why were you following the princess?” he questioned the guilty party.

“None of your damn business, pup!” he retorted back.

“Oh, it is my business; she is the future queen, so why were you following her?”

“I do not have to tell you a damn thing.”

“Fine, you want to do it the hard way? You can feel my wrath or hers. What will it be?”

“Neither of you can fight me, as neither of you has the skills that I have.”

“Hmm, what skills are those?”

“None of your business kind of skills, that is what.”

“Okay, her wrath it is then. You should have talked, man, as you won’t last but two seconds with her.”

Addison left the prison cells heading back to where AJ was training. He mind-linked him on the way, and all he could do was laugh at the thug who followed his sister. He knew she would kill him as she would not ask for answers from him. He advised her how it went with interrogations and that he wanted to fight her. She just grinned, knowing she would get to harm someone out to get her. She thought that threat had been dealt with a while back. She was wrong. She called Xavior to let him know what was about to happen, and he bolted out of bed and out the door to her in a matter of minutes.

When he arrived, Addison, AJ, and Clara were on their way to the prison. They entered, and Xavior was just a short distance behind them in hot pursuit. He did not want her near the prison cells, but he could do nothing as she was already there and ready to question the perp.

“Why were you following me? What the fucking hell do you want with me?”

“Oh, princess, you have such a pretty little mouth. You see, we want your powers and the crown...”

“Bull shit, you will get neither, but what you will get is one hell of a beat down. Probably death by my hands. Is that what you are hoping for?”

“I have no problems killing you, princess.”

With that, she pulled her powers out of her, sending a fireball towards him, hitting him square in the chest and disabling him so he could not get back up.

“Have a change of heart now?”

“Nope, I am just getting started, princess.”

With that, he stood back up, running towards her, but she threw a couple of her silver stars at him hitting him in the chest and his right eye and making him blind. He toppled over, pushing the lead further into his chest and eye. He tried to take the one out of his eye, and his eyeball was attached as he did. He looked at it and grinned, throwing it back at her, but she swiped it away with the wave of her hand as it landed in a bar, setting sparks into the air.

He ran back towards her, and she shifted mid-air, slicing at his chest and throat, blood spilling out. She then attached herself to his shoulders and took his head entirely off, leaving his body to fall to the ground while she held his head in her hand. She looked at the person and shrugged her shoulders, and walked out. Her brothers’ and mate stood there with mouths agape, not knowing what to say as they witnessed the most lethal person they knew of and had a hand in training.

“Shit, princess, you are damn lethal, aren’t you?”

“You trained me, but nobody knows how lethal I am, not even Father, but he will soon know. Now I am done and going home to shower and change to get to court on time. Baby, I am starving; how about you?”

“Sure, I can eat; let us go and eat.”

“Both of you can come to the house and eat. We have more than enough food to go around.”

They walked to the house, sat down, and ate breakfast. Nobody wanted to address the elephant in the room as to what had just happened. Xavior’s heart swelled with pride at his mate and how she took her assailant down in the cell. He knew without a doubt that she would beat her dad if not kill him.

Once they finished their breakfast, they ran their beasts back to the castle; racing to their suite, their beasts let them take back control. They got their showers, and Xavior washed Clara’s hair and body while getting a little sex on before leaving the battery. They dressed and headed to the courts, where they went their separate ways. Today was the day the closing arguments would be done, and the sentencing would be handed down to Libby. He was not on trial, but they threw questions at him to see how he was affected by her in the room and when she was out of the room. There was a mass difference in his demeanor in both cases.

“All Rise, the court is now in session.”

“Before we start, an incident happened with my mate, your future queen. On her way to train with her brothers, she encountered someone following her in the woods. She called ahead and advised her brother of what was happening, and they sent some of their top warriors out to replace the culprit. They arrested him and put him in prison for questioning. When he refused to answer the questions, Princess Clara interrogated him herself. He tried to attack her, but she got to him first. She ended up beheading him, so he is now eliminated, and so is the threat of her being kidnapped and killed.”

They watched Libby’s reaction, and she was fuming at Xavior’s words. She was balling her hands into fists and hit the table afterward. She muttered the mutt’s name (Gerald Waymann). Kelly mind-linked Xavior telling him that he is one of the rogues from their camp, and he nodded slightly in understanding.

“It has come to light with the murmur of Libby Forest that knowing who the attacker is sheds light onto her sentencing. Ms. Forest, we saw your reactions to this and know Gerald Waymann attacked my mate. Do you care to add to any of your statements before the closing statements begin?”

“I want her dead. She does not deserve the crown. Only I am. I will stop at nothing to ensure she is killed as I will reign the queen!” Libby bellows out.

They will not need to make closing statements but must make them per the law. But this changes everything now as she will be found guilty, and her sentence will be death.

“Mrs. Le Foll, you may begin your closing statement,” Brighton states.

“Thank you, Sir Brighton. As we know, Ms. Forest is guilty of her crimes in the nth degree from using magic and poisons on the king himself for her selfish needs of wanting power and the crown. She is also guilty of doing the same things to Louka Floch and her children, especially Felix. However, I do not wish to pursue him in his crimes as he was always under the influences of magic and potions, plagued by his mother for her gains. While you, the jury, are out deliberating, please keep in mind everything that she has done in her past up to the present day of today. She openly admitted that she wanted the powers of the future queen and the crown. I highly recommend death to end her life like she has ended so many others.”

“Mr. Ahab, you may proceed with your closing statements,” Pine stated.

“Thank you, Duke Pine, for allowing me to provide the court with closing statements. As you know, I was appointed to defend Libby Forest against will. I do not know how to proceed with a closing statement against someone. I am supposed to prove her innocence when she is guilty. With your outburst and actions just a few moments ago, you should have the severest punishment by death. I cannot condone what you have done by killing all the packs you did through your son, Felix.”

He turns to Felix and says, “I am sorry for everything; you had to grow up with a mother like her. I, too, cannot prosecute you but defend you in a trial. I hated you, but clearly know and understand now that you never acted alone and that it was all your mothers doing and not yours. I truly apologize for what you endured over the years.”

Everyone was silent at his statement, knowing that he was a victim of Libby’s crimes while she had others like Felix do her bidding. Brighton cleared his throat to gain the trance that everyone was in before voicing his opinion.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury and court, you are dismissed to the other room for deliberations. Let the guard know when you are ready to return, and we will resume.”

They got out of their chairs and followed the guard to their room, where they looked at each other and nodded. The lead juror let the guard know they were ready. They were escorted back to their chairs and sat down, waiting for the council members to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, your deliberations did not last long. What do you say for the verdict?”

“Your majesty, we replace that Libby Forest is guilty. We recommend she has seventy-five lashings from a pure silver-tipped whip laced in wolf’s bane. She then will be skinned alive followed by beheading, which will be done in the center of town, stripped naked.”

“Thank you for your services these past three days. Please put her in the center as recommended, not seventy-five but one hundred whippings with silver beads coated in wolf’s bane. Those affected by her miss doings will have a chance to whip her. Princess Clara will be doing the beheading two hours from now. The beatings and skinning will start in five minutes; please prepare her now.” Pine stated with malice.

Libby was escorted to the town center, stripped off her clothing, and everyone whipped and skinned her. After two hours, she could barely talk or stand, then Clara came over and took her sword, swiping across her shoulders, beheading Libby. This took care of all the crimes she had done, and those who suffered the most did not feel any remorse from her. They felt sorrow for her children, including Felix, who stood by with tears streaming down his face.

He just watched his mother have the shit beat out of her, skinned alive and beheaded. He did love his mother, but he also hated her for what she had done to him and wished she had never raised him. He felt the need to speak to the people who were there.

“Excuse me, may I have your attention, please? I know deep down I should not go unpunished for my crimes. I was under her control the entire time, never knowing what was happening. I felt like a robot but in a human form. I am genuinely sorry for all I put you and your packs through. Princess Clara, I am most sorry for trying to get to you for the crown, as my father always taught me to believe in the mate bond, and I believe in that.

“I always have known that Shelby was my mate, but please take this to heart. I renounce my title as Alpha and will live as a warrior. I am not worthy of my title.”

Everyone was shocked at what Felix announced, but his fathers were very proud of his actions. Clara even went up to him with tears in her eyes, hugging him. He hugged her back, thanking her for the understanding, but he would never feel like he should have gotten a break. He asked her to give him at least fifty whippings like his mother for the misconduct he had done.

They agreed to only fifty, and he took his shirt and pants off to feel the effects. Fifty people took turns giving their turns at whipping him, all with tears in their eyes; they felt horrible. When he was done, medics took care of the broken skin so they would not become infected, and he dressed, heading over to Shelby.

“When I heal, we are going to mate and become one, you do not deserve me for how I have behaved all these years, but for some reason, you always stood beside me before leaving my pack. You are still here even now. How will I ever be the man you need me to be?”

“Love will conquer all my love as I have always loved and will love you forever. Princess Clara, where should we reside so that he can become the best warrior?”

“Felix, talk to both of your fathers; they will guide you, but you are not and never will be a rogue.”

He thanked her and walked over to where both of his fathers were, and they all walked to their vehicle heading out of town in silence. It was a comfortable silence, but he was at peace for the first time in a very long time.