The next three weeks passed in a blur, with the Kyltons’, Aphaels’,


    Tanner''s and Greg''swyers trying their best to save their clients. Some


    of the arguments and rebuttals got so ridiculous that the judges held


    their heads like they were getting a migraine.


    One day before the verdict was scheduled to be delivered, every pack


    leader and Gamma boarded flights to the Kingdom and stayed over in


    hotels before making their way to court the next day. When the wolves


    saw each other in court, they embraced and chatted. The noise died


    down when the used persons were brought into the courtroom.


    Almost everyone scowled at the Kyltons, Aphaels and Tanners, emitting


    low growls as they walked past with police escorts to be seated in the


    area designated for them. When Greg was brought in, however, no


    werewolf or Lycan made a sound.


    They had been following the news, and were well aware of the


    magnitude of his contribution to the present case. Most of them were


    conflicted in what they thought of him. They hated him for helping the


    rogue corporation at its inception but they respected him for turning


    against the crooks and giving himself up to the authorities.


    Those who still med him for the lives lost from rogue attacks chose


    to keep theirments to themselves since Lucianne emphasized that


    the losses would have continued, or even exacerbated, had the Duke


    not done what he did in recent weeks.


    Dalloway''s task force managed to track down and arrest two of the


    rogues’ suppliers. Any silver, Oleander, serums and poisons found were


    seized and sent to thebs to be neutralized. Thest supplier managed


    to clean out the hideout and flee before the task force arrived, so


    trackers were brought into the task force to help continue the search. 1


    In the course of four weeks, the wolves caught and handed over about


    fifty runaway rogues, and killed another forty who tried to escape


    custody. These were caught not because they tried to attack packs but


    because they had to run through certain packs in the course of their


    escape, resulting in their capture. When questioned about where the


    rest were, every rogue said that they didn''t know because aftering


    out from the submarine, they dispersed, running in all directions since


    they weren''t sure which was the safest route to survival anymore.


    Without the shelter, supplies and support from the corporation, the


    rogues were more vulnerable than ever. Since there was no longer any


    aid for the ruthless creatures, no pack reported any attacks in the past


    few weeks for the first time in so long. Tate and Toby were leading an


    expedition to hunt down the rest of the rogues in wolf territory, while


    Phelton and Langford were doing the same in Lycan territory. No wolf


    could deny that their packs were only safe now because of what Greg


    did in recent weeks, yet they still couldn''t let go of the fact that he was


    one who made all those years of attacks possible.


    Conflicted. That was the only way to describe how most of them felt.


    Two minutes after the used persons were brought in, five judges


    entered the courtroom and everyone stood to exchange bows with


    them. After everyone was seated, Judge Cook began, “Good morning to


    everyone present. This case, as everyone knows, has


    taken weeks toe to its end. And after much deliberation, we have


    come to the verdicts of the used persons.”


    The courtroom was so full that many had to stand. Many more were


    outside the courtroom, relying on their hearing to keep up with what


    was going on inside. Fortunately, Judge Cook was considerate enough


    to read out the judgment louder than he normally would. “The facts of


    this case are unheard of, and what the used persons have done is


    uneptable not just in the eyes of thew but also in the eyes of any


    decent creature.”


    “The evidence mounted against the used persons have been


    authenticated, thus are irrefutable. Such evidence not only included


    voice recordings but also hard drives seized by the police force, which


    shows the grand scheme of Wu Bi Corporation, apany founded


    and established by the distinguished Kylton family, aimed to siphon


    funds from the government AND the monarchy before seeking to...


    demand that the King take their daughter''s hand in marriage.”


    Low growls filled the room, from werewolves to Lycans. Xandar''s eyes


    turned onyx in an instant when he growled as subtly as he could with


    the rest. For once, the judges didn’t shush the attendees. Lucianne’s


    thumb stroked Xandar''s hand, and she looked at him with a soft gaze in


    hopes of calming him down. He pecked a kiss on her temple as the lc


    shades returned. 1


    Judge Cook''s voice continued to ring loud and strong in the courtroom,


    “Building a corruption scheme is one thing. Building it to challenge the


    monarchy amounts to treason at its highest degree, and treason


    justifies a punishment of death or eternal torture.”


    Judge Cook cleared his throat and continued, “On with the sentencing


    we shall start with the perpetrators, the Kyltons. It is the unanimous


    decision of this court that the assets owned by the Lord, Lady and the


    heiress of the Kylton family be seized and sold to recover double of the


    amount stolen from the government over the years. The family shall


    each be subjected to solitary confinement for life, and only brought out


    for the daily whipping of ten strokes, and an electrocution for thirty


    minutes three times a week. The judiciary concurs with the monarchy’s


    request to install speakers in their confinement units, ying


    audiotapes of radio stations which reported on wolf pack massacres in


    the past. We thank our cousin species for digging up their archives and


    making copies for us.”


    Xandar was the first to suggest installing the speakers and ying


    those tapes, crediting his mate for the idea she gave him after Sasha


    hurt them both on the training ground. Lucianne immediately rified


    that she never intended to execute such an


    inhumane thing but it didn''t stop everyone at the meeting from getting


    onboard with her brutal idea. Christian, Juan, Tate, Toby and Zelena


    were the most enthusiastic when it came to pushing for this to be in the


    rmendation.


    Lucianne didn''t fully agree with putting that in at first, and was only


    swayed because everyone else supported this form of punishment,


    from her mate to the second-inmand to her brother and friends.


    Even Phelton, who normally didn''t advise her on what to do, urged her


    to support the motion, reminding her that many of her kind were lost


    because of the Kylton family. When Lucianne recalled the friends she


    lost, along with the children who were killed in the process, it wasn''t


    very difficult to get on their side.


    “For the first aplice, Livia Aphael, solitary confinement for life,


    brought out only for the daily whipping of five strokes. Her parents, Dax


    and Cornelia Aphael, for being wilfully blind to the crimes being


    committed under the same roof and for speaking against the Queen,


    imprisonment for forty years and a fine of two hundred thousand


    dors each.”


    “The second aplice, Helena Tanner, solitary confinement for life,


    brought out only for the daily whipping of seven strokes and an


    electrocution of thirty minutes three times a week for obstruction of


    justice when she disobeyed the Duke''s order to surrender herself to the


    police; for attempting to murder a child with Oleander which ended up


    hurting Her Royal Highness instead; for ckmailing her employees to


    commit treason and assist in her crimes, and for participating in the


    corruption scheme. Her assets shall also be seized and sold for the


    government to recover twice the amount that was stolen.”


    “As for her husband, Vincent Tanner, who remained wilfully blind to his


    wife''s crimes despite having felt the anguish when his wife was battered


    by the Duke when he demanded she turned herself over to the


    authorities, one whip a day for an imprisonment period of fifty years


    and a fine of three hundred thousand dors. As requested by his


    counsel, Vincent Tanner shall be anesthetized when Helena Tanner is


    being whipped and electrocuted so as to ensure that he bears only his


    own punishment. Helena Tanner shall NOT be given anesthesia when


    Vincent Tanner is being whipped.”N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    “Rico and Ridalpho Tanner, for being wilfully blind to the crimes being


    committed under the same roof in the period of time they were in the


    Kyltons'' residence, imprisonment for forty years and a fine of one


    hundred thousand dors each.” “Finally, the Duke, Greg w.”