The Silent Luna's Trial (Maple and Finn) novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I looked up at Finn and smiled.

The faint curl of my lips only made his anger flare, and even the members in the crowd began shouting with rage.

“She’s too arrogant! How is garbage like her even allowed to live?”

“Go to hell, you filthy bitch!”

The arena roared with fury as the screen shifted again.

The new image looked like it was from our high school days. I had my backpack slung over one shoulder and my books in my arms.

Finn and I walked out of the classroom together, heading toward the middle school wing.

After waiting for a few seconds at the building’s entrance, we heard a cheerful voice calling out.

“Finn! Maple! I’m coming!”

Hazel shut her locker, shouldered her bag, and ran up to us, looping her arm through mine.

I reached into my pocket and tossed her a bottle of soda.

“Thanks, Maple,” she said, catching it. “Cherry flavor, my favorite.”

Hazel opened it happily and took a big sip.

The crowd began to stir. Luna Ruby was crying uncontrollably.

“Hazel, my baby! Why couldn’t you tell us who hurt you?”

“Why couldn’t you let us find peace for you, my poor child?”

“You’ll never rest in peace, you monster!”

Her sobs grew hoarse, and the sight of her grief moved even the hardest hearts in the stands.

Alpha Rex, who had always been calm even in chaos, couldn’t hold it together this time.

Watching his mate cry so desperately, he pulled her into his arms, comforting her softly while glaring at me with venom in his eyes.

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The screen showed Hazel walking with us after school, heading toward our secret base.

It was actually just a small forest not far behind the school, with a clear little stream running through it.

We had built a tent there, a place almost no one knew about. We often went there with snacks and supplies to barbecue and hang out.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

That was the place where Hazel had died.

When the case had been investigated years ago, the packs had organized a massive search and

found that same forest, but no solid evidence had ever turned up.

The area had long been abandoned.

Seeing it again, Finn broke down crying.

“It was all my fault. If I hadn’t taken Hazel there that day, none of this would’ve happened.”

But then he turned to me, his tone hardening.

“Hazel adored you. How could you be so heartless? Is your heart made of stone?”

He slammed his fist against the bed rail beside me, as if hitting something could dull the pain clawing inside him.

Tears fell from his face onto my hand. The heat of them burned my skin.

Through our mate bond, I could feel his pain.

“I… I did my best, Finn,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“Your best? You’re protecting a criminal! You’re breaking the law! You’re helping him escape

justice!”

Finn’s roar echoed through the arena, his emotions slipping out of control.

I closed my eyes and remembered the girl with long brown hair who always smiled. Her laughter had been so bright it could melt ice.

“Alpha-” the witch beside him started to speak but stopped herself halfway.

Chapter 3

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Finn shot her a look so sharp it made her shiver.

“Speak.”

“She’s resisting on purpose,” the witch said quietly. “She’s avoiding that memory.”

Finn actually laughed, a dark, dangerous sound. “Good. Very good.”

“Then push her harder. I don’t care if you have to use dark magic. I want to see how stubborn she

really is.”

The witch hesitated, but in the end she obeyed.

Electricity shot through my skull and limbs.

Numbness spread fast, and I felt my consciousness slipping away. I knew I didn’t have much time

left.

I clenched my teeth and refused to make a sound.

“Who the hell are you protecting?” Finn shouted, his voice breaking into a growl. For a split second, the wolf inside him flickered in his eyes.

My tears blurred

my vision.

Through the haze, I thought I saw the boy he used to be, full of sunlight and laughter.

“I… I can’t tell you,” I said weakly. “You’ll regret it.”

Finn’s expression darkened even more. He stood and loomed over me.

“Regret? Hazel went through worse than this. What you’re feeling now is nothing.”

I closed my eyes, too tired to look at him, silently praying for it all to end soon.