“State your name for the court,” the judge on the left says. He’s a short man with a paunch belly. According to my grandpa, he’s a sorcerer.
“Brianna Bridget Keller, although in the community I’m known as Brianna Bridget Drummond.” I say both of my last names cause I don’t know which one the court wants. The magic glows green around my skin. Um, okay…
“State your race.”
My race? “Um, human?” The magic glows red. Confused, I look to the judge for clarification while Collin’s attention bores into me. I eye my mate for a moment. His eyebrows have drawn tightly together.
The queen justice shakes her head. “Do you care to try that question again?”
Oh, shit. Oops. “Sorry. This is new to me. I’m half-werewolf.” The magic turns green.
Collin’s breath sucks in, and a look of shock crosses his features. I flash him a wan smile, wishing he didn’t have to learn my true origins this way, but he just stares at me, his expression unreadable.
My smile falters.
“—Ms. Drummond?”
I snap my attention away from my mate to see the judge eyeing me shrewdly. “Did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry. No.”
The queen justice sits back. “I was saying that I advise you to keep your answers truthful, Ms. Drummond. We will know if you’re lying.”
So that’s what the flaring magic means. I barely have time to react before she says, “And why do you want to testify today?”
“To prove that my mate has changed.” The magic again flares green.
“Very well. Magistrate?” the queen justice states. “Do you have any questions for Ms. Drummond?”
The magistrate prosecuting the trial scowls at me before standing. I eye Collin again, hoping for his support, but his expression remains blank.
“Ms. Drummond,” the magistrate begins. “Are you denying that Collin Ward’s a murderer?”
“No. His wolf side was definitely a murderer, but he’s not anymore.”
When the magic shows that I’m being truthful, the magistrate’s scowl deepens. “And how can you prove that?”
“Because he and I were together twenty-four hours a day after we left my apartment in Quintin Valley. I can attest that Collin hasn’t killed or hurt anyone since then.” I’m careful to state that Collin hasn’t killed anyone, only his beast has and when the magic again states I’m being truthful, I let out a relieved sigh.
The magistrate frowns and changes tactics.
He comes at me from every angle, wanting to know how Collin treated me and came to meet me. When I tell them how Collin abducted me and almost killed me before his beast recognized me as his fated mate, the prosecutor puts his hands on his hips.
“He almost killed you, but you want us to believe he won’t murder again?”
“He won’t. That was the day his wolf started healing.”
“Am I understanding correctly that you’re claiming that Mr. Ward is no longer a rogue werewolf because you’re his fated mate, and you’ve healed him?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That’s quite an accomplishment to make considering no rogue has ever come back from insanity.”
My lips part, and I eye Collin again, but his head has dipped. My heart rips. Why won’t he look at me? Somehow I manage to say, “I know, but it’s the truth.”
When the magic glows green, a collective intake of breath is heard in the courtroom. The three judges all eye one another.
Leaning forward, the queen justice asks, “Can we confirm that Collin Ward has not committed any murders following the date of 8 September?”
I hold my breath, unsure if they’ve uncovered Declan’s and the rogue’s murders, but when the SF informant stands and states, “That is correct. To the best of the Supernatural Forces’ knowledge, he has not committed any murders since that date.”
Inwardly, I breathe a sigh of relief. As much as I feel guilty about Declan’s death, there’s no way in hell I’m letting that prick be the cause of my mate’s execution.
“And what about you, Ms. Drummond, can you also confirm that you have never witnessed Collin or his rogue wolf killing anyone in the time you were with him?”
Shit. The queen justice wasn’t fooled. My mouth goes dry. “Um, what?”
“Can you also confirm that you have never witnessed Collin or his rogue wolf killing anyone in the time you were with him?”
I glance around at my chair, my heart sinking when I realize I can’t lie. The magic will alert them to my betrayal. I seek Collin’s support, desperately needing it right now more than anything, but his gaze is down, his expression resolute.