The Alpha King's Witch Bride
Chapter 192: _Final Verdict

Chapter 192: _Final Verdict

There was a deafening silence after my last declaration. The coven elders glanced among themselves, but this time they didn’t seem to speak with words.

They were clearly having a conversation mentally.

I got agitated and was about to call them out on it when Odessa’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

’Kaelos, as much as I appreciate you for speaking up for me, I don’t want to escalate things. You’re trying to make peace beyond this truce, remember?’

Oh, yes. I remember all too well.

But back then, I never imagined that the "witch" I would pick as a symbol of the truce through marriage would turn out to be my mate and a Hybrid.

Things are different now. Much different.

’The continent loves pointing fingers at easier targets and you’re the easy target in this case.’ I said with a plain tone. ’You were pregnant during that fight with Lucinda, Odessa. What if something had happened to our unborn child?’

The fact that we were expecting a child after all these things were happening simultaneously was crazy to me. For starters, I never imagined that I would have a child with a witch.

Talk less of a Hybrid.

Just thinking about how important and powerful the child could become made me increasingly nervous.

’Well, nothing happened to the child and that’s all there is to it, Kaelos.’ Odessa responded to my last mental words at the same moment that the elders had stopped communicating mentally.

But before any of them could speak, the throne room doors burst open, and this time, Lucinda was the one who stepped inside.

Her high heels echoed on the marble floor as the coven elders glanced back to see her.

"Forgive my lateness, Elders." She said casually before fixing her gaze on me.

A small smile played on her lips as she bowed in front of me. "Good day, Alpha King. I heard rumors that your Luna Queen, Celine, tried orchestrating a coup against you that night. I do hope you’re okay."

Just when I was about to say something cold, Coven Head Arachne cleared her throat with a solemn expression.

"Lucinda, did you or did you not attack Odessa first during the night of the Charity Ball?"

Lucinda froze as she stood beside Odessa who remained silent and didn’t even bother glancing at her.

The young witch only glanced at me briefly before she scoffed silently and turned to face the coven elders.

"High priestesses of the Luminari Coven. O–Odessa had released a devastating attack on the entire party before I attacked her. A sonic wolf howl—"

"Oh, so you admit to your attack on her being racially motivated and not because she posed any real threat?" Althea mused, placing her hands in front of her jaw as she stared coldly at Lucinda.

The latter parted her lips repeatedly, her robe shaking to show the tension she felt.

But she soon got rid of it and spoke with a sneer. "Odessa released a sonic howl that sent a few werewolf guards flying before I did anything to her. I held her down with telekinesis but she wanted to prove how stubborn she was so I had to—"

"Put me in my place?" Odessa interrupted, finally turning to face Lucinda. "What about when you tried breaching my mind right before the event kicked off?"

Lucinda seemed like a cornered bird and balled her hands into fists as she pointed a finger at Odessa.

"How dare you? I–I only did that because... Because I—". Her stuttering proved that she indeed had started the attack due to race.

The elders glanced at themselves briefly, their faces solemn but decisive.

"Lucinda Silverwing of the Luminari Coven. Your actions not only stained the name of this prestigious coven, but they also caused the lives of many." Arachne began, getting on her feet without wasting any more time.

Lucinda gasped, shaking her head as she pointed at Odessa once again. "Are you going to punish me and use me as a scapegoat when I was trying to protect the continent from this... From this abomination?!"

My eyes twitched when I heard the word "abomination". My fingers itched for me to bring out my claws and slash through her throat once and for all.

But I didn’t want to spill blood. Not today, at least.

"Everyone on the continent knows that hybrids have been nothing but harbingers of chaos and destruction for millennia before the war." Lucinda continued defiantly. "Odessa Pierce will only continue to be problematic and a wild card if we don’t—"

"Silence!" Arachne couldn’t take it anymore and barked a command brimming with magic power that instantly caused Lucinda to fall to her knees with a gasp.

"Insolent child!" She continued with a cold voice. "You should know more than any witch the prophecy tied to a hybrid in this world. Odessa can be and will be tutored on how to control her Hybrid nature."

She paused, turning her head slowly to Odessa who stiffened subconsciously.

"And that brings me to our final verdict on Odessa Pierce." She said solemnly, her long grey hair whipping behind her slightly.

"As a precaution, high priestess Althea will stay behind to guide her more on her magic. She’s expected to also get tutors who’ll guide her on her werewolf nature. Odessa is banned from using abilities from either side publicly for six months while this is happening."

My eyes widened slightly and I could feel the shock from Odessa as well.

"Six months?" I repeated, thinking about what that would mean.

Coven Head Arachne nodded. "Yes, Alpha King. If this truce is to go on strongly, this verdict will reassure the safety of your werewolves, our witches, and humans. We’ve discussed this with the United States president before coming here."

Well, it was a far better verdict than having her spend another second in the dungeons, or worse.

Anyway, after I nodded at the coven’s Head, she fixed her gaze on Lucinda, who trembled on the floor.

"And Lucinda. For attacking your fellow sister in the craft simply to further your bigotry and vendetta about her different bloodline, and also endangering the lives of hundreds in the process, I place this magic seal upon you."

Arachne raised her right hand and waved it forward, sending a powerful magic seal that branded itself on Lucinda’s head, causing her to gasp with pain before she fell weakly to the ground.

"Your magic has been sealed away until further notice and you will be stripped of your position as our coven’s delegate. If you try breaking the seal, your case will be sent to the desk of the general coalition of North American covens, where you could face a worse fate. Death."

Lucinda grumbled and grunted on the floor, sobbing as high priestess Nimue stepped forward and yanked her off the floor.

"You should be ashamed of yourself young woman." She remarked as she dragged Lucinda away.

Coven Head Arachne lingered for a while longer, staring at me and Odessa silently for several seconds before she bowed slightly.

"Odessa might prove to be the bridge between werewolves, witches, and humans and the key to finally ending the war on a global scale." She said with a somber expression. "I hope to see what exploits she does next."

With that, she glanced briefly at high priestess Althea before stepping away from the table and walking away, leaving the throne room in silence.

Well... That just happened.