-IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END!!!-
The next morning, Rhett and I woke up rather early so we could properly prepare for the day ahead. The trial would be held in one of the larger meeting rooms later in the morning, and anyone in the pack was allowed to attend. The trial would be conducted by Rhett and myself with the addition of the pack elders, which mostly consisted of older members of the pack who were formerly betas, gammas, and deltas.
Rhett was dressed and out of the room before me due to the Alpha's presence being needed prior to the beginning of the trials. I took my time showering and applying my makeup, knowing I wasn't required to be there until the actual trial began. Today, I did light, classy makeup with my hair down in loose curls. My outfit was professional, of course, featuring a chiffon tank-blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt.
With another hour left to spare, I decided to head to the kitchen so Mary Ann could cook me breakfast. It seemed like it had been forever since I'd had breakfast with the sweet woman, and I genuinely missed our morning conversations.
When I rounded the corner from the hallway to the kitchen, I found Mary Ann already hard at work flipping pancakes on the stove. I smiled as I approached the bar stools and sat down, admiring Mary Ann's work.
"Good morning, Luna. It's nice to see you," Mary Ann said, never taking her eyes off the food in front of her.
"Good morning, Mary Ann. It's lovely to see you too. I've come to miss our morning chats," I said with a small giggle.
Mary Ann smiled as she dished the pancakes and eggs onto a plate before sliding the plate over to me, "You seem much happier, Luna. It makes my heart happy as well to see everything's as it should be."
Mary Ann had such a way with her words. She was always kind and proper, yet provided wisdom and honesty at the same time. I returned her smile and agreed with a gentle nod before digging into my breakfast. I felt rather hungry this morning, and it made sense, seeing as we hadn't had a lot of time for proper meals recently. The pack dinner had been the first proper "sit-down" meal that we'd had since Rhett took over as Alpha.
Mary Ann and I continued to talk, catching up with one another as I ate my breakfast. As usual, Mary Ann only kept me company and didn't make a plate for herself. I made a mental note to invite Joshua for breakfast one morning as well. Perhaps they'd allow me to cook them a nice meal to show my appreciation.
After I finished my food, I bid Mary Ann goodbye for the day and made my way out of the Alpha's quarters and downstairs to the main level of the pack house where the meeting rooms were located.
Upon entering, I saw Rhett seated at a table at the front of the room with an open chair next to him, likely saved for me, and to his left was a larger table that seated the pack elders. The empty chairs at the back of the room nearest to the entrance were full of other pack members who wanted to attend, but the seating was first come, first serve, of course. Wyatt and Hazel were seated closer to the front with Veronica, Olivia, and Michael. Henry was seated by himself at the center of the room, awaiting his fate.
I quickly made my way across the room to join Rhett at our table, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself but knowing it was inevitable. Rhett nodded to me as I took my seat next to him, determined to keep up his serious, Alpha face during the trial.
"Now that all essential members are in attendance, we will begin the trial of Henry Windsor. Henry has been convicted of treason, and we will now hear all sides of the story," Rhett announced.
Everyone was silent as their Alpha spoke. Henry would have the opportunity to explain himself, and the elders would give opinions, but ultimately the final decision was up to Rhett alone. We hadn't had the chance to discuss the trial much, so I honestly didn't know what Rhett had decided to do. He could banish his father, making him a rogue, or he could even make him an Omega. Both of those scenarios seemed highly unlikely though. Henry was a former Alpha, and although he would be punished, they could only take the punishment so far.
"Henry Windsor's charge of treason came from an event over ten years ago when he kidnapped and abandoned his eldest son, the future Alpha of this pack, myself – Rhett Windsor. I was forced to live life as a rogue and without my mate because my father wanted his youngest son, Wyatt Windsor, to become the Alpha of Blue Mountain pack instead."
Everyone listened intently to Rhett's words. I, of course, already knew the whole story, but many people in the room hadn't ever heard all the details. There were hushed whispers from the back of the room and light gasps after Rhett made his claims. The pack was appalled that their previous Alpha was the cause of such crimes.
"Henry Windsor, state your claim," Rhett demanded.
Henry looked up from his hands for the first time since the trial began. He looked nervous, but also remorseful. Perhaps he regretted his actions from so many years ago, or perhaps he just believed he would never get caught.
"The information your Alpha has given you is all true. I made a terrible choice many years ago, but it was a choice that I believed was right for this pack. Rhett didn't take his Alpha training as serious as he should have when he was a teenager. He was more interested in parties and she-wolves. I knew I couldn't revoke his claim to the title based on those reasons alone, so I staged his disappearance. I now see that these actions were wrong, as were my opinions about my son," Henry explained his side, sounding worn-down and stressed. He admitted that his actions were wrong, but he didn't even bother to apologize to his own son.
This whole situation truly hurt my heart. Not only did my mate suffer for years because of his father's actions, but before I knew Rhett, I truly liked Henry. He was a kind, jolly man, not someone you'd expect to commit such a crime against his own family.
One of the pack elders who I believed was a former Beta stood from his chair, "We've heard both sides to the story, and we have decided to stand with our Alpha. We would recommend the following punishment for Henry Windsor: loss of all Alpha-family and former-Alpha privileges, loss of his seat on the committee of elders, labor and service to the pack for the next ten years in any way that our Alpha sees fit, and no contact with the Alpha or Luna unless the contact is initiated by them."
"I accept the punishment recommended by the committee of elders," Rhett spoke loudly without question. Although Rhett held the ultimate power, it was customary and respectful for the Alpha to accept the elders' recommendations.
More whispering came from the pack members watching in on the trial as they expressed their opinions to each other in hushed tones.
"Father, you will be moved out of the Alpha family quarters, effective immediately. If mother wishes to join you then she may, but that is completely up to her. We will discuss your service assignment once I have decided on it. For now, everyone is dismissed," Rhett informed the crowd.
With their Alpha's final words given, pack members began exiting the room. The elders stood from their table as well and approached Rhett and I to shake hands and exchange formalities, but they soon exited the room as well. The guards were the last to leave, as they would be escorting Henry until Rhett decided otherwise.
This left Rhett and I alone with our family.
Veronica slowly made her way over to us with tears in her eyes. I had no doubt that this was the hardest on her – her own mate had essentially betrayed her. She reached out to Rhett and pulled him into a tight hug, reaching one of her hands around to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"I'm so sorry for what your father has done honey. He's my mate and I love him, but his actions may be unforgivable," I heard Veronica whisper to Rhett.
Rhett pulled away from his mother only slightly so he could look down into her eyes, "I don't expect you to stop loving him mom, or even to stop spending time with him. He's your mate. I know I couldn't live without mine, not anymore."
A small smile formed on my lips as Rhett looked in my direction. I was so fortunate to have a mate who was not only an exceptional Alpha, but was also kind and loving. Rhett always treated me like a queen, but seeing how he was with his mother, Hailey, Ingrid...I knew he would make an amazing father.
Veronica finally bid us goodbye, but not before pulling me into a warm embrace. I was lucky to have a lovely mother-in-law as well. Not all families would've been as accepting of the situation I faced, having to choose between Rhett and Wyatt. I hugged her back and shot her an encouraging smile before she finally let go and walked out of the room.
Rhett and I now stood in the middle of an empty meeting room, taking everything in. Now that Henry's trial was over, our lives could go on normally. The problem was, Rhett and I hadn't experienced a "normal" life with each other yet, so the lack of drama left us with a foreign feeling.
"What now?" I asked quietly. Even my hushed tone seemed too loud for the large, empty room.
"We can finally relax," Rhett said with a sideways grin. I could tell he had been having similar thoughts.
I chuckled at him and shook my head, "Although I'm relieved we can truly begin our lives together, I feel a bit clueless about how to do that now. It seems like a new obstacle should be thrown in front of us any minute now."
"It does, doesn't it?" Rhett said as he pulled me into his arms. I rested my head against his solid chest and breathed in his scent as my anxieties gradually slipped away.
"Your father will be leaving soon. We should go see him off," Rhett spoke up, bringing me back to my senses.
I nodded and moved away from his chest, taking his large hand in mine instead and walking towards the doors. We walked down the hallway to the main entrance of the pack house and found my father and Hailey already carrying bags out the door. The two of them stopped and smiled when they saw us approaching. They sat down their bags for a moment, anticipating a conversation.
"Leaving so soon?" I said once we were within speaking distance.
"Hailey's decided to come back with me. I figured we should get back in time for her to go to school on Monday," my father replied.
I nodded in acceptance. Although I'd miss my little sister being around, I knew our father needed her. Dad was doing good, and he needed someone to help keep him on track. He needed a reason, besides his farm, to keep going. Hailey and I were that reason, but I couldn't be there for him like she could. I had a pack and a mate who needed me.
"Have a safe drive you two. Be sure to call and visit more," I said as I struggled to hold back tears. The two of them pulled me into a warm, secure hug, and we just stood there in front of the doors, savoring the moment. Rhett continued to stand nearby, but didn't speak.
My father finally broke the hug and took a few steps towards Rhett, extending his hand to him. Rhett immediately grabbed it, accepting the handshake, "Take good care of my daughter. She deserves the best."
Rhett nodded with a grin on his face, "Of course, sir. She's in good hands. I intend to give her the world."
My father patted Rhett on the back several times before walking back towards the doors and grabbing his suitcase. I quickly kissed him on the cheek before leaning down to kiss Hailey, "Do good in school and keep dad in line."
Hailey giggled and nodded enthusiastically before picking her bags back up and following our father out the front door. I watched from the doorway as the two of them tossed their suitcases and backpacks into the bed of the truck before climbing inside and shutting the doors. My father put the truck in reverse and backed up before taking off down the gravel road, honking a couple of times as a goodbye.
Behind us, pack life was going on as usual. Guards continued to patrol the hallways, some families enjoyed lunch in the dining hall, and children giggled as they ran out the back doors to play outside. It seemed like Rhett and I were the only ones who felt that things were different.
"Well, I supposed you have some Alpha duties to get started with today," I finally spoke, fully expecting to curl up on the balcony with a book or wander around the gardens while he worked.
Rhett grinned, "I suppose I do. Why don't you come give me a hand? Surely we can find something for you to do."
I beamed at him, both shocked and excited as I practically jumped into his arms and pulled him into a deep kiss. Breaking the kiss, I stared into his crystal-blue eyes and took a moment to fully appreciate the love we shared, "Well we better get upstairs to the office, Alpha."
SEVERAL THINGS:
1. This is the end of Hana's story, ya'll! Kind of emotional, I know. I'm sad that it's ending, but so excited to be starting Luna Audrey. AN EPILOGUE WILL FOLLOW!! I hope to have Hana's epilogue posted VERY soon. Also, I'm planning to post a Prologue at some point (to the beginning of the story of course) because I feel like it'd be weird to post an Epilogue, when the story doesn't have a prologue.
2. LUNA AUDREY'S PROLOGUE IS POSTED!!!! Please go to my profile and check out Luna Audrey's story! Her Prologue is already up, and I plan to have Chapter 1 posted sometime this week before I go out of state for vacation. Her story is very different from Hana's but still has romance (of course) and is very exciting. I think ya'll will like it a lot. I also have planned for Hana and Rhett to make an appearance in her story ;) (Luna Audrey takes place approximately 6 months AFTER Hana's story).
3. GO READ LUNA LENA if you haven't already! She currently has 13 chapters to her story, and it will continue to be updated. Lena's story is very different as well but still romance-oriented and very exciting (if I do say so myself). (HINT: Lena's story is 3 years BEFORE Hana's, and Rhett and Sofia make several appearances!)
4. WATTY'S 2017 - I've entered Luna Hana and Luna Lena into the 2017 Watty's! Your support would be greatly appreciated during this time! Both stories could use a lot of love (reads, votes, and comments) so that they could (hopefully) become one of the winners!
5. Thank you SO MUCH for all of your votes, comments, messages, follows, etc etc. Please continue to vote and comment on this chapter, as well as the Prologue and Epilogue. Tell your friends if they'd be interested! I'm also going to post some acknowledgements! I really want to show some love to my readers who have made their presence known through votes, comments, or messages during this journey!
xoxo -V