Magic of Moonlight

Chapter 13 - Questions and Answers

After Sebastian was discharged from the hospital, he made it his mission explore Ember all over again. The two had been locked away in his bedroom like as if they were in their heat/rut period. Sebastian felt a strong need to reclaim her as his mate and, after hearing from Griffin what happened while he had been unconscious, he could understand why.

Sebastian had the same sentiments as Griffin. She was his mate. No one was more important to him than her and he made sure she knew it as well. It wasn't until his father pounded on the door that Sebastian let them surface.

"You need to be present for Trance's trial," Alpha Alexius explained when Sebastian opened the door with nothing but his boxers on. "Both of you. Since you two were the main targets of his crimes, you both need to be there as a visual for the Elders." Sebastian sighed heavily. He wanted answers on why. But he also wanted to remain buried between Ember's thighs. Both sounded very appealing.

"Sebastian..." Ember's gently voice floated to him from inside. "The longer we hold off on the trial, the longer Trance is still around, and the possibility that whoever was working with him would come to get him out." Sebastian let of a low growl in response. "He needs to die Sebastian."

"Of course, my love," he purred nodding his head. "Let's get ready then." He turned to nod at his father before closing the door. Alpha Alexius let out a sigh of relief before leaving to go get ready as well.

***

"May the trial of Trance from the Deep Water pack commence," Antonio, one of the Elders for the council called. His voice quietening down the chatter that filled the room. "We have a complicated case before us. One we hope the Moon Goddess will help us see through clearly."

"We shall hear from the accused first before the charges and proof are laid before him," Another Elder named Lionel continued. "The accused will then have another chance to respond before we deliberate on our final verdict." He huffed in disdain before sitting once again. He was Alpha Alexius' father and was trying to keep his anger contained. His only grandson was dragged into this mess because of his mate. He had never met the she-wolf but if she had another wolf poisoning people to try and get her attention then she must of been a whore and stringing him along from the beginning. She should burn with her criminal lover instead of being with my grandson.

Trance stood calmly. "Elders of the Council. Please accept my apologies for my behaviour. I was only doing it to get my mate back. I knew Ember was my mate from the moment I set eyes on her. I was drawn to her and could feel the mate bond form. However, when Sebastian laid claim to her and marked her publicly, I had to go about not only freeing her but also laying claim to her myself. That is why I did what I did."

Lionel leaned forward with a raised eyebrow. "That does not justify you poisoning countless werewolves. You not only risked a pack lineage with your actions but also could have kill many more." He glanced over to Ember. "Explain why you denied your mate."

Ember stood and turned her back to them. She dropped her sleeve to reveal Sebastian's mark. "Explain to me how I denied my true mate?" She asked back. All of the Elders took in the tattoo of a true mate and nodded. Lionel leaned back mildly confused. She pulled her sleeve back up and turned back to face them. "As you are all well aware, I am underage still. Sebastian was able to mark me with the blessing of His Majesty. As my friends and others of my class can tell you, I have never been with or even wanted to be near Trance. He would frequently come up to me and tell me he was my mate. He would try to kiss me and touch me. I have never indulged him in those feelings. My heart has always been with Sebastian..." She glanced down at him. "Even well before he came of age."

Lionel stared at his grandson and Ember. He could tell just by looking at them that their connection was much deeper than a mate bond. Perhaps I was too quick to judge. "I can see Sebastian and you are true mates. You bear a true mate mark signifying this also. Thus the claim that Trance is your mate is deemed false." Trance let out a cry in protest. "Silence! Your crimes will now be judged based on your delusional mindset. You will have your turn to try and justify your claims at the end." He gestured over to Mattias. "Proceed." He felt comfortable knowing his family lineage had no fault in this crime. He also felt comfortable knowing that his grandson and his mate were free and clear of any wrongdoing.

Mattias' eyes narrowed at Trance. He too was trying to keep his anger in check. He was angry that his granddaughter had to endure harassment and assault from the vile creature before him. In his mind, Trance was not worthy of being called a wolf. "The charges are as follows: one count of kidnapping a mark and mated she-wolf, one count of poisoning a ranked wolf, twenty-four counts of poisoning wolves of packs other than the accused, eight counts of poisoning wolves from the same pack, and two counts of possession of illegal substances." The entire court felt tense as the charges were laid against Trance.

"We have already received proof that Ember is indeed a marked and mated she-wolf," Mattias continued on. His tone holding steady despite him wanting to strangle the creature before him. "I call Alpha Marcus and Future Alpha Raven to give evidence."

Trance sat angrily about the situation. No one believes me. His mark is an imposter's mark! She's not his true mate! He ground his teeth as he listened to Alpha Marcus giving an account from that day. He couldn't believe he would have to endure listening to all of these wolves provide evidence against him. He growled lightly through Raven's account of searching Trance's family home and the account of Griffin taking over Sebastian to find Ember. Murmurs arose in the room causing him to prick his ears up interested.

"Interesting," Mattias leaned forward towards Raven. "How did you find Griffin taking over Sebastian?"

"I found it strange," Raven replied with a slight sigh. He knew he couldn't tell anyone who Sebastian truly was. "As my Father knows well, I have accumulated a lot of historical texts. It is rare but there have been accounts of wolves taking over their human hosts. Typically it happens when the human host is incapacitated, as was the case here, and their mate is in danger."

"If I may speak?" Sebastian stood up and looked at the Elders. His golden eyes told them it was Griffin, not Sebastian, who was in control. "We were dying... Sebastian and Ember were dying... We needed our mate near us. Sebastian was unable to go get her and so I took over. I used the last of our strength to bring her back to our side."

"Dying?" Several of the Elders including Matthias and Lionel said at the same time. Mattias took over the questioning. "Wolfsbane wouldn't have killed you. How were you dying?"

Griffin took a deep breath. "Something that is not well known to our human hosts is the life bond between mates. Often you see mates dying within days of each other. Our human hosts tend to attribute this to grief from the loss but that is not the case." He nodded to Raven. "Raven would have historical texts on this. Wolves are always reborn together. The pairs are always the same. So the pairs need to be alive together to find each other. The only one who is different to this rebirth cycle is the Werewolf King."

"So..." Mattias asked curiously. "Without Ember near you, you could feel you were dying?"

"Not exactly," Griffin sighed and added. "Because Glacier is not yet fully present we could, in theory, survive. But factoring in the fact that Ember herself had not taken in any sustenance for the length of time we were in hospital..."

"Almost a month," Ember whispered at him. He smiled and lowered his head to kiss her gently. Before straightening to address the Elders once more.

"As my mate says. Almost a month without food or water," Griffin could feel Sebastian stirring angrily under the surface. He knew Sebastian still had not fully processed that Ember had been Trance's captive for that long. "She was weakening. We needed to make the situation right. We needed her near to strengthen our life bond to each other. To survive."

Silence filled the courtroom. Raven took a deep breath and softly added. "I can verify that this is the case. Mate bonds between wolves are life bonds. Wolves are reborn over and over in cycles and as pairs. History... Repeats itself." He lowered his head. "I found this out while researching mating marks. I was young and wanted to know why true mates had tattoos and chosen mates only had fang scars."

Matthias glanced over to Korelan. The Elder was busily writing down notes about things to research. Each Elder had their specialty and while one would preside over that specialty, the others would be an impartial jury. Korelan was the Elder who presided over the ancient library and was charged with recording historical events.

"Future Alphas and Alpha Marcus, you may take a seat," Matthias said nodding. "I call Alpha Arazel and Phoebe to give evidence to this case."

Trance spun in his seat. His eyes wide and angry. Phoebe stood, avoiding his gaze. On either side of her sat his parents. The rat! The one who sold me out! I'll kill her! He went to stand only to hear a chink of metal. Frowning he looked down. The chains that bound his wrists held him tightly. They had been shortened after his initial statement to prevent him from getting up. Biting his cheek, he turned back to glare at Phoebe. She was mid way through her account of her brother's erratic behaviour and how she had reached Alpha Arazel to report it to him. He wanted to drill holes into her head with his eyes. He felt betrayed by his only sister.

Alpha Arazel then gave his account. His version of when he received the information from Phoebe as well as his account of the day that Trance's home was searched. He then recounted how they had tried to search for Ember. Their connections with water creatures came up empty handed. He recounted later searching the cabin that Ember was found in and found traces of dark magic that had hidden the cabin from all sight.

"I had to use magic because Ember has magic too!" Trance burst out angrily. Everyone went silent at his words. The Werewolf King stood and scowled. Raising his hand, he froze everyone but the Elders, Sebastian, and Ember in place.

"What is the meaning of this your Majesty?" Matthias asked curiously. "You normally let us manage the proceedings without interference."

"I cannot let this creature spew out something he is not allowed to speak about..." The King extended a hand to Ember. "My dear, I need your help to erase the knowledge of your shield from his mind."

Ember stood slowly. As she did, her crescent tattoo on her chest gave a flash of silver. It attracted the attention of the Elders, surprising them. They had not noticed it when she spoke earlier.

Korelan nodded to himself before recording the event in his book. Perhaps we were not meant to know until this moment. He wrote down carefully what had happened since the trial began. It is rare that we get to see the lives of the future King and Avatar before the future King names himself. He took a deep breath and waited. My position bears the burden of recording the significant events that play throughout the King's lifetime. I won't fail either of their Majesties.

"The Avatar of the Moon," Donald, the Elder of Traditions, whispered in awe. "Then that means..." He glanced at Sebastian, who nodded his head ever so slightly. He looked back to the King. "Proceed."

Ember took his hand and let her magic flow through her. He guided it towards Trance, sealing the memory of her golden shield. He nodded and then released her hand. "Back to your seat, my dear, before I unfreeze the room. We don't want to raise suspicions." She took her seat again and snuggled up against Sebastian.

Time resumed and the Werewolf King remained standing. He used his aura forcing Trance to bow down. "I cannot stand idle. I will provide my account of the marking after Alpha Arazel is finished," He growled at Trance angrily. "Never in my entire life have I seen a wolf act with such audacity to excuse their behaviour by making up delusional lies."

"I'm not lying," Trance whimpered. He struggled against the kings aura. "I didn't know she had magic when I cloaked the cabin but I saw it!"

"What did you see?" Matthias asked. He kept the farce up of Trance lying about Ember's magic. He knew Trance was unlikely to win the trial so this small alteration to the evidence wasn't going to change a thing. What mattered was that the Elders all knew the truth of the situation.

Lionel was watching his grandson with pride. The next Werewolf King is a part of my family line. He glanced at Ember sitting nestled at his side, their fingers entwined with each other. They are showing a united front, just like how the King and Avatar should be. He returned his attention back to Trance. I can't believe I read this situation so wrongly. This wolf would have taken away the rightful title that belongs to my grandson. He sighed heavily before smiling. He was looking forward to the day his grandson officially took over the title.

Trance was unable to respond to Mattias. Every time he tried to recall the memory of how he was unable to touch Ember, he felt it slip away like sand. The answer was right there, tantalizingly close yet not close enough for him to grasp and remember. "I..." He growled in frustration causing wolves in the room to chatter amongst themselves about his mental state. "I can't remember. I couldn't touch her. If I could, I would have marked her and my mark as her true mate would have overridden that imposter's mark."

"We have already heard and seen evidence that Ember is Sebastian's true mate," Lionel growled causing Trance to shrink back. "Is this an admission by you that your goal was to violate a marked and mated she-wolf?" He growled even louder causing Wellas, Elder of Health and Wellbeing, to rest a hand on his arm. "Are you admitting that you will go to any means to claim what is not rightfully yours?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sebastian's eyes flash gold before he pulled Ember closer to hold on to her.

"No!" Trance cried out. He struggled to express his words against the Kings aura. "She is my mate! He must of used dark magic himself to make her his!"

Korelan's eyes narrowed at Trance. "Aside from the ten ancient packs and their passive magical abilities, no wolf has ever been able to wield dark magic. That is the realm of dark creatures. Do you claim to have proof that Sebastian had access to dark magic?"

"He's part of a pack that mated with vampires!" Trance cried. He was losing his composure. He couldn't see how he could get his mate with all these wolves bearing down on him.

"The Shadow Runners pack," Lionel growled at Trance. "Mated with vampires centuries ago. The blood and magic is so watered down that only the passive abilities of speed and shadow-walking remain." His eyes bore holes into Trance. "Answer Korelan's question. Do you claim to have proof that Sebastian had access to dark magic?"

"I have no proof," Trance replied defiantly. "But I know what I feel. Ember is my mate! He stole her from me."

"Then perhaps a test of their mark is needed," Ryan, Elder of Treaties, asked. "Since he won't believe until it is proven before him." He glanced at Ember and Sebastian, who both nodded back at him. They stood and came forward towards the Elders. Trance tried to reach out to grab Ember's hand only for her to give him a sharp slap in reply before walking on.

Ember turned her back, this time to those who were present to witness the trial. She dropped her sleeve again displaying her marking tattoo. Donald and Ryan stepped down from their table. "This vial," Donald said softly to everyone. "Contains the tears of the Moon Goddess. It is a sacred water that the Avatar of the Moon provides to us before her passing. If this she-wolf was marked by anyone other than her true mate, it would cause intense pain to the marker. If not, their mark will glow with soft moonlight. The Moon Goddess blesses her true mates."

Opening the bottle, he drew out the dropper and placed a few drops over Ember's mark. The liquid hurriedly made its way to every inch of the mark, giving it a shiny coating. Gradually, the mark began to glow gently. Everyone clapped loudly acknowledging the Moon Goddess had spoken. There was to be no more discussion about their bond.

"Lies!" Trance struggled to stand to get to Ember. "She's not his mate. The Moon Goddess is lying!" Ember put her sleeve back into place and glared at Trance. "No!"

"It would be better if you stop," Ember said quietly. Her voice causing everyone to stop talking. "Saying the Moon Goddess lied? Even you must see how delusional that belief is. Under..." Ember jolted suddenly clutching her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain.

Sebastian's eyes widened. "Ember!" He came close to hold her to him. She's the Avatar of the Moon! Are the tears hurting her? What's going on? She leaned forward, the back of her neck becoming exposed. He could see light coming from under the neckline of her top. He brushed down her sleeve again to take a closer look.

Ember's mark was now blindingly bright. Ember cried out loud before a soft moonlight glow covered her body. "Aloisus..." Ember's voice was soft and almost ethereal. "Do you really believe what your human claims?" She straightened up and placed a hand on Sebastian's chest comfortingly. Opening her eyes, she revealed softly glowing silver eyes. Only one wolf in the entire world had silver eyes and was highly revered. Everyone fell to their knees. The Moon Goddess had taken possession of a future Luna.

Korelan was scribbling down what he was witnessing. Luna's were so named as they were a pack's link to the Moon Goddess. Rarely, throughout their history, had the Moon Goddess taken possession to deliver a powerful message. He scribbled events down furiously, ink splattering across his nose as he did so. Only in the early history of the Werewolf King had the Moon Goddess possess the Avatar. And it's only been at least three centuries since the last Luna possession.

"No..." Aloisus replied taking over Trance. "My human is obsessed with that she-wolf. We met our mate... Trance rejected her. My mate died from heartache. And since then, I have been unable to gain strength to talk prior to this. Please let me die too. I beg you."

The Moon Goddess nodded and called the wolf spirit to her hand. Trance screamed. He felt like razors were trying to cut their way out of him. "I will take you with me," She glanced around at the wolves who witnessed her presence. "I will leave you to handle the human host." She smiled and looked at Sebastian. "Be sure to catch me." She closed her eyes and withdrew of Ember's body.

The moment the moonglow faded away completely, Ember's body dropped. Her legs no longer able to hold herself up. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her before adjusting to carry her in a bridal hold. Her head rested against his chest. He nodded to the Elders and the King before taking her back to their seats. This time, he held her on his lap.

"It looks like out Goddess has spoken Trance," Matthias said breaking the silence. "She has taken your wolf as punishment for your actions." He felt disgusted talking to this creature. "You allowed your true mate to die because of your obsession. The Goddess doesn't look to kindly on those who forsake their true mate." He glanced at the other Elders before continuing. "You are sentenced to exile into the human world. A seal will be placed on you by his Majesty to ensure you are unable to talk about any supernatural being. You will be forced to live as any human within their world has to live. If you return to the any of our pack territories or to the holy city then you will be promptly executed. If you present yourself before Ember again, Sebastian can execute you without repercussions. Do you understand?"

"But..." Trance felt weak. With his wolf strength gone, he could barely muster a whisper in reply.

"Answer me," Matthias growled. "Do you understand?"

"Yes... I do."