It's 6:03 pm and the King was sitted still on his throne in a black and gold robe that made him look powerful. With his crown and his face held in all the fire that burnt within him as he looked at this man with a god-damned cloak and grey hair.

Everywhere was silent except for the random murmurs of his five lawmakers and three council members in the courthouse.

"Silence!" Everyone straightened and with the look on their face, it was obvious they had never seen him react this harshly before.

He tried to balance feeling guilty for Samantha's death but all through, the only thing in his mind was Lyne and how she was faring. He couldn't bear to see her face because he knew he had hurt her and her feelings before he left for the human city and seeing her in pain would only worsen matters.

The only thing he knew he could do to settle the rage within him is to make sure Wikh is brought to book. But he has to do this after proving him guilty.

"I'll tell you why I think you are guilty..."

"Before you do that, your Highness, need I remind you that your new bride needs you at the moment."

He clenched his fist and try not to let his reaction be visible as he looked at Wikh who chuckled.

"Of course, you only married her for your gain. Not like you had any feelings for her."

"You know nothing about what I have for Lyne." He replied, his heart pounding with rage as he felt like punching the man in the face.

The pain on Lyne's face kept showing up and he wished he could see her now and embrace her tightly. Taking a deep breath, he decided to continue.

"You had a sickness that you kept from the royal house for so many years. Why?"

He proved and the whole courthouse members turned to look at him, all stunned.

Wikh straightened, hands tied behind his back as he looked down.

"Right. I knew Lyne couldn't be wrong."

"Lyne?" Wikh shot his head up.

"How did she..."

"For every cunning man, there is always a woman that can get a hold of them. But for every cunning woman, oh, I can't say." He rose from his throne, his face turning grave.

"You mean like the one you proposed to make a Queen?" Wikh asked, his face narrowing like he had held a grudge within him against the King. Maybe not to him but to someone related to him.

"You bought those drugs for how much?"

"What drugs? All I had was my bottle of pills..." He began to say but Zeidan dropped a pink bottle in front of him.

"You mean, bottles like this?"

"This isn't mine." Wikh resigned and gave a mocking sigh.

"So much for accusing me wrongly because I try to make you see the wrong in what you're doing."

"I have done no wrong, Wikh." He turned back to his throne and sat down majestically.

"I did what a King would normally do." He snorted and one of his canine teeth was visible.

"Wow. I watched you grow, Zeidan."

The whole courthouse was filled with surprised gasps while some murmured as he called the King by his name.

Zeidan leaned back on his throne.

"Interesting. Please tell me more. Like, you killed my father while you watch me grow and think of how best to kill me so you can take over the throne. How logical!" He laughed and the members laughed with him too.

"I would never kill your Father. You know very well he was killed by the Wolves. The ones whose daughter you have married." 

Zeidan kept his cool as he looked at Wikh's bloody face.

"How am I sure you didn't connive with them to kill my father as you did with the Werecats?"

"And how different are we? I mean, you also partnered with your Father's killers for your selfish interest."

Zeidan closed his eyes shut and when he opened them again, they were red. 

He was right. They were the same but on different terms.

"I did what I did for my people. It's plain different..."

Wikh scoffed. "You married one of their daughters. Outrageous."

"He's right, your highness." Hermes, an old member of the lawmakers with long white beards and stone grey eyes mentioned, his shaky voice filling the hall.

"I was beyond shocked when I heard about what you had done. Marrying their rejected daughter is just..."

"She is not a rejected child!" Zeidan roared, his heart pounding. 

"She's just...normal."

"Your highness," Kyle, one of the council members, rose. "I'll suggest we torture this man, so we can get the truth out of him."

"You're right, Kyle." Another man in a uniformed red robe seconded as the other council members spoke up. "We must get the truth out of him by force."

"That would involve inviting the cult priest."

Everyone froze in the hall and the King bit his index finger.

"We don't need the cult priest. I can make him confess." He rose and started walking towards Wikh, his eyes turning black as he remembered Samantha's cold face covered in blood and the pain in Lyne's eyes before he left.

The pain in her eyes. 

His claws were out and the courthouse members began to pave way for him so as not to stand in his way.

-------

Lyne ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the courthouse that was a few miles away from the royal infirmary. Her hair danced behind her to the tunes of the blowing wind.

After Dr. Steve had finished running a test on her and confirmed that miraculously, she was fine, she had asked him if Zeidan was back and that was when she was let in on what was going on.

"I heard he had gone to the human city for some reason and somehow his human friend got involved and was gruesomely murdered." Steve removed a syringe from his briefcase full of medical equipment.

"She?" She muttered but immediately regretted it. Why was she suddenly getting jealous over the thought of Zeidan having another woman?

"He then concluded that Wikh probably did that to cover up his tracks."

"Wikh wouldn't do that!" Her eyes had turned wide and she wondered if she sounded confident. Of course, he could have done that. 

The doctor rubbed a ball of wet cotton wool on her arm and she was given an injection and asked to wait till 7:00 pm before standing up. However, she just couldn't sit back and watch an innocent man being punished for what he didn't do. 

He might not be entirely innocent but she had asked Zeidan to be careful as dealing with issues like this could cost many people their lives. Whatever it is, the judgement must be held.

She ran to the door, ignoring Steve's call for her to come back. 

Lyne got to the big building, dodging and running past guards to get to the door. On getting to the entrance, what she saw was supposed to scare her but she was furious the more. She barged in.

"Zeidan! Stop!"