Mark of Sin: Bound to the Cruel Alpha

"Proceed, Miss Nyland," the judge instructed with a curt nod.

"As I was saying," Karina continued, her voice trembling with fragile emotion, "they were constantly harvesting my blood. So much of it. I never understood why—until now."

"Why were they drawing your blood? Did your captors give any reason?" The judge leaned forward, her sharp gaze fixed on the witness.

The prosecutor stepped up immediately. "Your Honor, our investigation has uncovered the link. At the research institute that authenticated the fated mate marks of Alpha Magnus and Miss Jane Lang, a lab assistant is employed who happens to be the nephew of one of the rogue scavengers holding Miss Karina. During the screening process, this technician tampered with the samples—substituting Miss Lang’s blood with that of the true fated mate... Karina Nyland."

The crowd erupted into a wall of shocked whispers.

"Who specifically is this uncle?" the judge cut in coldly. "How was this connection established? State names for the court."

"His name is Adam Pitt," the prosecutor declared clearly.

Inside me, the floor gave way. My heart plummeted into a cold, bottomless void.

No.

No, that’s impossible. Adam would never...

"Adam Pitt was once a surgeon at a prestigious medical facility before being stripped of his license for severe unethical misconduct," the prosecutor continued without a drop of pity. "He manipulated the system to secure his nephew’s placement at the institute as a lab technician. There is no telling how many other genetic tests this man has altered, how many innocent lives he has ruined, or how many packs he has corrupted for profit."

"Miss Nyland," the judge turned back to Karina. "Why did you not attempt to escape? You are young and physically capable."

"I tried!" Karina sobbed, wiping away a cascade of tears. "I tried so many times! But they kept injecting me with powerful wolf-suppressants and sedatives—paralyzing my inner beast, stealing my strength, leaving me unable to even think. And as I later overheard from my captors, those black-market drugs were funded... funded by Jane Lang herself!"

Her shaking finger whipped around, pointing directly at me.

"She paid them to keep me buried in the dark so I could never claim my place! They bled me dry on drugs she bought!"

"That’s a lie!" I surged to my feet, unable to contain the white-hot fury exploding in my chest. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped animal. "It’s a complete lie! I never... I would never do such a thing! I didn’t even know you existed!"

GAVEL STRIKE.

"Defendant, sit down immediately!" the judge barked, her gavel slamming down like a thunderclap. "You will have your turn to speak. One more outburst and I will have you removed from this courtroom. That is your final warning."

She turned her stern gaze back to the witness. "As for you, Karina... how did you finally manage to escape?"

"Over time, my wolf built up a tolerance to the suppressants," Karina whimpered, clutching her chest. "I realized my guards left every week at the same time... and one day, the male watching my cell carelessly dropped his keys within reach. That was how I broke free."

I forced myself back into my seat, my hands shaking so violently I had to clench them into fists. Everything inside me burned with powerless rage.

The prosecutor took a step toward the bench, a triumphant smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. "Your Honor, we have located the dealer who illegally supplied these restricted pharmaceuticals directly to Jane Lang. We possess undeniable financial records proving the defendant purchased these illicit substances from her."

The heavy courtroom doors swung open.

My breath hitched. I froze in utter horror, staring in disbelief as two armed guards led a woman down the aisle in handcuffs.

It was the clinic nurse—the one who had quietly sold me the off-the-books antibiotics to treat Adam’s pneumonia.

The judge looked down at me from the bench, her expression carved from ice. "Miss Lang... do you have anything you wish to explain to this court? Why were you buying illegal black-market drugs?"

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stop trembling as I tried to speak through the lump in my throat.

"Yes... I bought pharmaceuticals from her. But they were standard medical supplies! My friend Adam was critically ill with pneumonia, and he had no money for doctors or hospital care. I was just... I was only trying to save his life! It was antibiotics, fever reducers—that’s all!"

"Miss..." The prosecutor glanced down at his papers. "Miss Greta Holm. Please verify the defendant’s claims for the court. Is this true? Did she purchase antibiotics to treat pneumonia?"

The nurse slowly raised her head. When her gaze met mine, I saw it—raw, paralyzing terror in her eyes. Someone had gotten to her.

"No," she whispered, looking away.

"What exactly did she buy from you?" the prosecutor pressed.

"I have the records right here." The nurse pulled a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to the bailiff to pass to the judge. "Receipts proving she purchased high-potency sedatives and mind-altering tranquilizers—suppressants capable of dulling a shifter’s senses. Not the medication she’s claiming. The older receipts faded... only this final invoice remains legible."

I sat frozen, stunned into total silence.

Is this really happening? Is this how it all ends?

"That is not all, Your Honor," the prosecutor announced, picking up another sleek black folder. "After Alpha Magnus Rainn was admitted to the medical facility for a comprehensive evaluation, toxicology reports revealed chemical foreign agents in his bloodstream. Traces of specialized compounds developed and distributed exclusively by the Lang family’s pharmaceutical wing. Among their primary side effects: severe cognitive confusion, heightened suggestibility, altered emotional response, and the disruption of a shifter’s instinctual mate-bond perception."

The crowd went so dead silent that you could hear a hair fall.

The judge turned her cold gaze toward Magnus. "Alpha Rainn... did you consume any substances or medications provided by Jane Lang?"

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