I stop behind Denver as she pauses before vast wooden doors, climbing almost to the ceiling. Engraved in them are words.
In veritate speramus.
“In truth we trust,” says Denver, following my gaze. Behind me, Luc scoffs.
My lips tighten. I can only hope the Supreme Justices agree with those sentiments.
The guards standing on either side turn and pull the massive iron handles, opening up the doors for us to enter.
“Courage, love.”
Max’s words are quiet behind me, and I nod.
I will not fail.
I focus on putting one foot in front of the other, keeping my head held high as I stride after Senator Denver into the cavernous chamber. Voices rise in shocked murmurs around me.
“That’s the omega who—,”
“The impertinence of it—,”
“… should be on her knees.”
At the last words, Luc snaps out a growl, and a shocked noise comes from the benches. But the whispering stops.
Denver comes to a stop, and I lift my head, taking in my surroundings.
Five large wooden chairs are evenly spaced across the marble, a Supreme Justice in each. My eyes scan over them briefly before taking in the benches lined against the walls, each filled with various alpha and beta watchers. No omegas, of course.
The watchers stare at us, faces varying from fascinated to angry. Some are carefully blank, but only a few give me a smile when I catch their eyes.
A chair sits empty in front of the Justices, and Denver beckons me to take a seat. I take a final glance at Max, Luc and Nik, drinking them in for courage as they look around, before settling on a bench directly in my line of sight. A small smile tugs at my lips, especially when Nikolai snaps at an alpha who’s clearly reluctant to move. They settle in, their eyes focused firmly on me as I take a seat in the uncomfortable wooden chair, my back upright. Denver takes up a position next to me, her posture alert.
“State your name and purpose for the court,” a nasally voice calls out. My eyes flicker to the beta sitting at a small desk to the right of the Justices, her hands busy typing.
“Senator Erica Denver, presenting Ava Grey, mated omega of the Grey pack, to provide evidence to support the repealing of the Omega Creed.”
A stir runs through the people watching. One of the Justices, handsome and impeccably dressed in a black suit and matching shirt, raises an eyebrow.
“Ava Grey,” he murmurs, his voice dry. “How… interesting.”
Denver inclines her head, her voice measured. “Justice Imler.”
Imler.This is one of the undecided ones. I take in the set of his mouth, the way he purses his lips. He doesn’t look undecided to me.
Another Justice waves her hand. “Let’s get started, shall we? We don’t have all day.”
She turns to me, her smile a little too cutting. I dislike her immediately.
Denver nods her head, a little lower this time. “Justice Miller.”
So this is the woman involved in shaping the creed. I stare at her a little too long, my lip curling, and she narrows her eyes at me.
Game on, bitch.
“Your name is 864, correct?”
Her voice rings through the courtroom, and I fight back the flinch at her opening remark.
