Grace POV:

Eleanor's voice filled the hall, a symphony of calculated sorrow. She painted a vivid picture for Elder Alistair, describing how she had gone looking for me, full of motherly concern, only to find the guest room door locked. She spoke of hearing my "frightened cries" and forcing the door open to discover a horrific scene.

She cast Constantine as a predator. A bitter, twisted cripple, ostracized by the family, who had taken his revenge on an innocent, unsuspecting girl.

"He used drugs, I'm sure of it!" she declared, dabbing at her dry eyes with a lace handkerchief. "Our sweet Grace would never... And she, being an Omega... well, their natures can be so susceptible."

The old wolf slammed his staff on the floor again. "Enough, Eleanor."

Her performance stuttered to a halt. Alistair's gaze shifted, pinning Constantine in place. "Constantine. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Constantine's eyes met the Elder's. They were calm, unreadable pools of grey. He glanced at Eleanor, then at the pale, silent Julian, before his focus returned to Alistair.

"A defense?" he said, his voice clear and steady, without a trace of fear. "No, Elder. I have nothing to defend."

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers. His words were a confession. A blatant admission of guilt.

Julian's head snapped up, his eyes wide with disbelief. He stared at his uncle, utterly bewildered.

A flicker of pure, triumphant joy lit Eleanor's eyes before she masked it with a fresh wave of sorrow. This was too easy. Far too easy.

Alistair's expression darkened. I knew the stories. He and Constantine's father, the former Alpha, had been rivals. The Elder held no love for this branch of the family.

"So you admit it?" Alistair's voice boomed, laced with fury. "You admit to drugging a young Omega and forcing yourself upon her?"

Constantine didn't answer directly. Instead, he posed a question of his own. "Elder, according to the ancient laws of the Pack, what is the prescribed solution when two unmated wolves are found in a compromising position?"

Alistair was taken aback by the question. He answered automatically, the law ingrained in him. "They are to be bonded immediately. To preserve the honor of both individuals and their families."

"Precisely," Constantine said with a slight nod. "And that is my intention. I am formally requesting that you, as the highest authority of this Pack, bear witness to my bonding with Grace Green."

Eleanor let out a strangled cry. "No! This is a trick! He is trying to escape his punishment! He defiled Julian's intended! He should be exiled! Executed!"

The word "executed" was a whip-crack in the silent hall. It was the jolt I needed. My eyes fluttered open.

It was a trap. All of it. Eleanor had never wanted me as a daughter-in-law. She wanted me gone. Ruined.

I saw her for what she was: a monster.

Alistair's gaze fell upon me. "The girl is awake," he announced. He addressed me directly, his voice a little softer. "Child, tell us what happened. Did he force you?"

Every eye in the room turned to me. My answer would seal Constantine's fate. I saw Eleanor's eyes narrow, a silent, vicious threat passing between us.

I opened my mouth to speak, to scream the truth. But my throat was raw, my body still weak and trembling. Only a faint rasp emerged.

I felt the vibration in Constantine's chest as he spoke again, his voice a low rumble beneath my ear. "Don't speak," he murmured. "Let me handle this."

He then looked up at Alistair. "Elder, there is no point in questioning her. She is clearly not in her right mind. Anything she says now could be dismissed as the ravings of a drugged and traumatized woman. Her testimony would be worthless."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in the room.

"I will take full responsibility," Constantine said, his voice ringing with a strange, solemn finality. "I was the aggressor. It was my doing. And now, I wish to rectify my 'transgression' in the only honorable way our law allows."

I stared at him, my mind reeling. Why? Why was he doing this? Why was he confirming their lies? He was a victim in this too, a pawn in Eleanor's sick game. I didn't understand. I didn't understand at all.