Shock spread across the living room like wildfire. Beta Gilbert and everyone else stared at Maria, stunned by the fire behind her final words.
"So… what's the plan, sir?" she asked, directing her intense gaze straight at Beta Gilbert, her voice still laced with anger.
Beta Gilbert cleared his throat and adjusted his posture, as if preparing her for a truth she wouldn't expect.
"Firstly, you need to understand something, Maria," he said calmly. "Elijah Simons cannot be sentenced to death—not just like that. He has royal werewolf blood. I don't know if you've ever heard that before?"
Maria's eyes widened, a mix of confusion and disbelief washing over her. "What do you mean, sir?"
"There's a rulebook for the Blue Moon Pack," he explained. "And in that book, it clearly states that no royal-blooded werewolf can face execution—unless they've committed an atrocity against another royal-bloodline werewolf."
