cloud

Onyx's trial was about to start.

Gaius sat beside me. His leg bounced repeatedly and his arms were crossed over his chest, his finger lightly tapping against it. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that he was nervous.

This had been something long awaited and now it was finally here. If everything worked out then Onyx would be walking out here basically a free wolf, but we still had to get through just enough of the trial before Councilman Steele made his announcement about Alpha Demos.

"Try and calm down," I tell Gaius quietly, causing him to look at me. "Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing that they make you nervous. We're going to win this — you and Onyx are going to win this and move on with your lives, so just hold on a little longer."

Gaius takes a deep breath and slightly smiles at my words. "Thanks. Onyx and I knew that this day would eventually come, but we always hoped that maybe they'd cancel it. I mean, there is no reason for him to even be up there, but leave it to the council to make shitty choices," he scoffs. "We're both just so ready to not have them looming over us. We've already put off so many plans because of it."

I felt bad for them. It must've been hell not knowing when the trial was. At any minute you could receive a notice about your trial. A trial that could ultimately result in your death.

Gaius took a deep breath and shook his head. "I should go find Onyx before this starts. He'll need some words of encouragement."

I nod and watch as he goes. Once he's gone, I stand up and move and walk around until I find Quinn and Gray. They're on Quinn's phone and when I get closer, I realize they're talking to Layne.

"Are you having fun at Grandpa Marshall's?" Layne asks her daughter.

I could hear Foster and Taylor's son babbling in the background as they spoke to her. It made me wonder where the two of them were. I knew that they were coming with the rest of us, but I hadn't seen them since we arrived.

As I walk closer, Gray glances over at me and I decided to ask him.

"Where are Taylor and Foster?"

"They stayed back a day to drive Onyx's parents up. They should be here soon."

"Is that Uncle Cloud?!" I hear Layne call out.

A small smile forms on my lips at the tiny voice. When this was over, I needed to go and see her again. I step into the camera, allowing Layne to see me. Her face breaks out into a big grin.

"Hi, Uncle!" She calls out. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too," I tell her. "Are you having fun?"

Layne glances back. "Yeah, but Ocean's really loud!"

"That just means he wants to be your friend," Quinn tells her. "Be nice to him, alright?"

Layne nods quickly. "I will. I like seeing Ocean. He's always laughing."

The baby's giggles erupt in the background as if on cue, causing Gray to smile. He quickly glances down at his watch before sighing.

"Layne, baby, we're going to have to hang up right now, but Mom and I will call you before it's time for you to go to bed, alright?"

"And Uncle Cloud too?"

Gray glances over at me before saying, "Yeah, Uncle Cloud too."

"Bye!" Layne yells into the phone. We all quickly tell her goodbye and then end the call. Quinn places her phone back into her pocket and Gray stands up.

"Come on," he says to the two of us. "The trial is about to start."

...

Sitting down, I watch as Onyx comes out into the room. His face is blank as he makes his way toward the front and to his seat. The councilors are all present, looking down at him. Some don't bother trying to hide the disgust on their face, some look at him with expressions of pity, and others don't show any signs of emotion at all.

The room is quiet. All eyes focus on the scene ahead. The councilors continue to stare him down until finally, the trial starts. One man stands up. His hair is practically nonexistent. A big bald spot sits directly in the middle of his head and expands outward making him look more like a joke and less like a councilor.

"Today we are here to discuss the case of Onyx Harper. A wolf that was previously feral and accused of crimes in the past. The decision made today will ultimately decide if he is a danger who needs to be put down or an innocent wolf. Mr. Hoffman, the floor is yours."

The man who I didn't realize was previously sitting beside Onyx stands.

"Thank you, Councilor. As you have stated, today we are here to decide the fate of Onyx Harper. He has previously been accused of committing crimes such as harming others, being extremely violent and aggressive, and being uncooperative among other things. But let me ask you this, Councilors. Does the man you see standing here today show any signs of this?" Mr. Hoffman gestures to Onyx. "No, he comes here willingly, without any resistance. Why would a man who's done all the alleged crimes listed before do that? What would he gain?"

"Mr. Winn?" The councilor calls to the man sitting on the opposite side of the room. "The floor is yours."

Mr. Winn stands up, he clears his throat before he begins to speak. "What would a man accused of multiple crimes gain by coming here of his 'own free will'?" Mr. Winn starts, his tone is almost mocking. "Well, to start, it makes him look good. Let's say he did resist, that would ultimately add to the presumed belief that he's violent and uncooperative. The only option is to 'play the role', if you will, to make himself look innocent. Let's look at the facts of this case. Onyx Harper was randomly found outside of the Dark Woods Pack months ago. He was a red-eyed, growling, mess who scared everyone around him. Not long after, more ferals begin to show up. They begin to get more violent until the day comes when the Dark Woods beta — Mr. Harper's mate — goes missing. Not only that, but conveniently when the beta is found, another missing wolf is as well. Does that not seem strange to you? This wolf from seemingly nowhere shows up and a wolf from the same pack as the one he was found near is relocated?" Mr. Winn scoffs.

I watch as some of the councilors nod along and my stomach begins to drop. As I stare at them, Alpha Demos catches my eye and I can see a twinkle in his.

"Well, why don't we get the answers to that right now?" Mr. Hoffman says to Mr. Winn. "I'd like to call Gaius Cade up to the stand."

There are a few brief minutes of silence as Gaius walks up and takes his seat. Mr. Hoffman walks up to him.

"Now, Gaius, as you know, this is a trial meaning you must tell the truth no matter what it is. Do you understand that?"

"I do," Gaius nods.

"Then please start by telling me about Onyx's behavior when he first arrived at the pack. What was he like? Was he violent in any way?"

Gaius shakes his head. "Violent? No. He was curious if anything. Always trying to get into things that he didn't know about. He wasn't like the stereotypical feral that we're taught about. He never really got mad, he was hungry but never for other werewolves — he wasn't a cannibal like the stories said. He was sweet overall."

"How would you describe him around people other than yourself?"

"Before he shifted, he was a little more reluctant around others. He mainly based his reaction on my body language. If I got worried then he would assume something was wrong. If I was happy then he was relaxed. He never went out of his way to harm someone. If anything, he wanted to help. Now that he's shifted? Onyx has grown much more as a person. He has friends within the pack and is well-liked amongst them. Nobody even bothers to mention what he was like beforehand because it isn't important."

Mr. Hoffman nods and smiles at Gaius. "Thank you, that will be all."

"Mr. Winn, the floor is yours."

Mr. Winn walks up to Gaius. "You say Onyx never went out of his way to harm anyone, is that correct?" Mr. Winn asks.

"Yes, that's what I said."

Mr. Winn hums. "Then you wouldn't mind telling us about the circumstances by which you found Onyx, correct?"

Gaius' brows furrow. "I'm not sure what you mean—"

"—Is it true that when you first found Onyx near pack lands, he was attacked by another normal rogue who was much smaller than him?"

Gaius pauses before saying, "Yes, but—"

"—And isn't it true that you had to intervene as well?"

"Yes."

"So from what I'm hearing, Mr. Harper has committed acts of violence. He was also accused by your father of doing such, correct?"

"Those were—"

"—It's a yes or no question, Mr. Cade."

Through gritted teeth, Gaius says, "Yes."

"So it wouldn't be too far out there to say that Onyx Harper was violent when he first arrived at the pack," Mr. Winn says. "Thank you, that will be all."

"You may step down, Mr. Cade."

Gaius looks as if he's about to snap. His hands are balled into fists as he walks off and disappears. I see him take a seat by Onyx's parents and Onyx's mom grabs his hand and whispers to him.

My eyes travel from Gaius to Onyx who has a big frown on his face. His eyes almost look glossy and his hands are tightly gripping the table in front of him. Glancing up, I look at Alpha Demos who seems to be eating this up. On the other side of the room is Councilman Steele. His face remains stoic as he stares down at Onyx.

Hopefully, we can end this soon.

"The person I would like to call up is Alpha Gray," Mr. Winn says.

My eyes follow Gray as he walks up and takes a seat. He stares at Mr. Winn coldly and waits for him to begin.

"Alpha Gray, do you promise to tell the truth while you are up on stand today?"

"I do," Gray replies.

"Then let's begin by first talking about the day Onyx was found. You were the one who ultimately decided to allow him to stay despite the warnings against ferals. Why is that?"

Gray's eyes briefly drift to Gaius. "He was my beta's mate. I wanted to give him a chance for Gaius."

"But you kept him locked away inside Mr. Cade's house? Was it because he was violent?"

"I thought he would be—"

"You thought?"

"Yes, initially, but he—"

"You've been known to make a lot of comments against him, was there any truth to those allegations?"

"No, there—"

"No?" Mr. Winn raises an eyebrow. "So they were lies."

"I thought—"

"If the allegations you've previously told were a lie then how do we know you're not lying right now?"

"Objection!" Mr. Hoffman calls.

Mr. Winn smiles. "Withdrawn. The floor is yours, Mr. Hoffman."

There's a brief silence before Mr. Hoffman gets up and goes to Gray.

"Alpha, from what you just told us. You let Onyx stay in your pack despite the circumstances because he was mated to your beta." Mr. Hoffman smiles. "That's a nice gesture," he tells Gray. "From what I've heard, however, you weren't quite as trustworthy of Onyx at first. Why is that?"

Gray stared at him. "Prejudice," he says simply. "We've been conditioned to have this predetermined bias against ferals or rather, just people different from us. I didn't trust Onyx and didn't give him a fair chance because I couldn't let go of my own biases and beliefs to see the real him."

"And who is the real Onyx Harper?"

Gray's blue eyes meet Onyx's hazel. "Onyx is the type of guy to always gets back up. He encourages others to become their best without even meaning to. He's a protector — always willing to help out. He's not only helped rescue my daughter at one point before he shifted mind you but he's also helped me find my brother. A lot of people like to judge him off on the stories that they've heard, but Onyx is more than those. If you spent a day with him, you'd realize that he truly is part of the light that shines down on the Dark Woods Pack."

Mr. Hoffman smiles. "Thank you for that, Alpha. Now, I would like to ask you about—"

Mr. Hoffman is cut off by Councilman Steele standing up. In his hands is a thick folder and he looks over at the other councilors.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this trial, but we have more important issues coming in."

"Councilor Steele, surely this can wait—" Alpha Demos starts to say, annoyance clear in his tone.

"I'm sorry to tell you that it can't, Councilor," Councilman Steele's tone is ice cold. "What I have to say plays a direct role in the fairness of this trial. It directly influences what will happen to Mr. Harper and I'm afraid we cannot wait another minute."