Chapter 5 A Shocking Revelation

“She was murdered by a member of Lord Damon’s family,” she added. Marock stormed towards the woman, his face reddening “How dare you tell such a blatant lie?” He thundered. But Lord Damon didn't move an inch, he didn't want to act suspicious, and so he maintained his composure. Derek's jaw dropped, his heart sank at the possibility that the woman might be saying the truth, his eyes widened in astonishment, as he felt his heart pounding. “What… what had just happened?” he stuttered. Nora heaved a sigh of relief, because finally, the truth had been revealed. But on a second thought she wondered who the woman was, and where she had come from. Although she was telling the truth, how did she know about it? Could it be that the moon goddess has come in the form of a human to reveal the secret these people were hiding? The thought baffled her, but she knew she had to intervene to save the woman from Marock’s wrath. She walked to the stage, and spoke into the microphone. “We all need to stay calm,” Nora said with a soothing voice that silenced the murmur amidst the crowd, and she retrieved the woman calmly from Marock's grasp. “Ma'am, are you sure of what you're saying?” She asked the woman politely. “I'm positive” she nodded affirmatively, with tears in her eyes. “Do you have any proof to show that you are telling the truth?” Nora's gaze locked on the woman. The woman hesitated, her eyes darting around the crowd before meeting Nora's gaze. “I have no proof,” she responded slowly. Nora's expression faltered. Her eyes clouded with disappointment. Her gaze lingered on the woman, searching for any sign of reassurance. She wasn't willing to give up so easily, and so she pressed the woman for more information. “I'm sure you didn't just come here to accuse anyone falsely. You must have known something for you to risk coming here,” Nora's voice softened. But the woman's eyes filled with remorse and replied, “I… I saw it in a dream,” she stammered. Again, murmurs of skepticism filled the crowd with loud hisses. They had wanted to trust that the woman's words would bring justice. Instead, they were filled with disappointment, with the absence of proof, and more disappointed with saying she saw it in a dream. Immediately she said that Lord Damon seized the opportunity to discredit the woman. “Without proof, your words are meaningless, and I will make sure you pay dearly for slander,” Lord Damon sneered. But in the midst of the commotion, King Derek took charge and stepped forward to address the issue. “We require concrete evidence, and not just using a dream as proof for something as serious as this.” He fumed with anger. Nora's hopes of uncovering the truth now seemed to hang precariously in the balance. Her heart sank. The pang of frustration stirred within her as the hopes she had dashed right in front of her. She didn't know how she could help the woman anymore, so she just stood there, looking at how it would all play out. “I know that nobody would believe me, but I'm telling the truth,” the woman spoke defensively. “You should be severely dealt with for slander,” King Derek concluded, with his brows furrowing, and his fist clenched to suppress the surge of anger he felt within him. He watched as Lord Damon's guards dragged her out to goddess knows where, but the satisfaction that she would be punished for unnecessarily raising his hopes filled him greatly. “We apologize to everyone for this sudden disruption, and hope everyone has a great evening.” With that remark, Lord Damon closed the ceremony. The royal family, who had no plan to return to their home that day, retired to the room that had been specially prepared for them. After a while, unable to get any sleep, King Derek mind-linked Beta Ryan, his best friend who had also followed them from the castle to Wolfsburg pack, so they could have a conversation outside of the compound. At the same time, Daphne received a message that her father wanted her to meet him on the balcony. Nora knew deep within her that Lord Damon was going to question her actions— defending the woman, and so she had prepared for what she was going to say in her own defense. As she prepared, her wolf assured her, “Don't worry you've got this,” and she smiled contentedly. As she got to the balcony, she met Marock and her father standing there, as if ready to tear her into pieces. Lord Damon’s eyes blazed with fury, his jaw clenched. “Father, you called for me,” she said, ignoring Marock's piercing gaze. “Daphne, have you gone mad?” Lord Damon tightened his grip on her arm, “Whose side are you on? Mine or my enemies? His voice was low, yet daring. Her heart skipped a beat, but she had to mask her inner turmoil. “Father, all I did was to avert suspicion, I'll never go against you,” she replied, ignoring Marock's menacing glare once more. “Avert suspicion my foot! Daphne, there seems to be something different about you, but I haven't placed my hands on it,” He said, with his face purpled, “But you should know this, if you ever try to stab me in the back, I will kill you with my bare hands,” he concluded and left in anger. “Daphne, is everything okay with you?” Marock asked curiously, placing a reassuring hand on Nora's shoulder, “You know you can confide in me, right?” he added. “Yes, I know, and there's nothing wrong with me, so don't bother yourself,” she responded with a fake smile. “If you say so,” he shrugged dismissively, and left the balcony. As his footsteps receded, a sense of unease coursed through Nora's veins, and settled in her guts, sending cold shivers down her spine. A mixture of pain and restlessness radiating within them, tears welled up in her eyes, but she decided to run, and see if it would help calm her nerves. If they had waited a bit more, King Derek and Beta Ryan would have walked in on them. Although they heard the noises, they didn't know what their discussion was about. “I never thought Luna Daphne would do something like that. It was as if she wanted to defend the woman at all costs, that was something amazing, don't you think?” Beta Ryan said. Alpha Derek’s expression turned grave. “Let's forget about that. You know, I don't trust that family. And I think... I have to…” Bemused, Ryan asked, “You don't think they killed her, do you? His voice lowered. “I don't know but, I find the woman suspicious? Alpha Derek's eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Well, I think the only way to find out is to carry out an investigation.” “What if it turns out to be a complete waste of time? Because as far as I’m concerned, it could be Lord Damon’s enemies that are trying to slander him, and they used the woman so that she could make false accusations.” He paused, trying to get the King's reaction, “I don’t think you should concern yourself with that, Alpha.” “On second thought, I think you’re right. Besides, we don’t even know the punishment Lord Damon would dish out to her. So I think It’s better to take my hands off the case.” Derek reconsidered. After a while, they both went to their respective rooms. As Nora ran outside the compound, deep into the woods, she shifted, allowing her wolf to take complete control of her. She howled loudly as if her problems would go away with the howl. After running continuously for a few minutes, she decided to catch her breath. It was then that a thought struck her. Who was the woman? What was the woman's connection to Nora that would make her risk her life over a mere dream? She needed answers to these questions that flooded her mind.