Her brown eyes are locked on mine, and I’m sure she hasn’t even caught sight of the diamond yet.
“Noah…” she gasps, her eyebrows pitching together as she melts.
“I know you don’t need us to buy you jewellery, but it would make us very honoured if you would wear this today, and always.”
And then our little omega scents, smiles, and lets her happiness bubble over. Pulling us all in for a pack hug as she whispers all her love into the space we share.
* * *
She keeps fiddlingwith the chain and somehow flicks it from under her shirt. The diamond catches in the harsh lighting of the courtroom, sending a prism of sparkling light through the room. But as soon as it does, she hides it, unwilling to give anyone here any more of herself. That gift is very personal.
“Can you repeat your question, please?” Her voice is crystal clear, so is her obvious irritation at the lead defence barrister who keeps on and on in their pointed, and very intentional, line of questioning. Trying to get her to trip up.
“Again, Ms. Vale, can you please confirm the Regalo documents are in fact original and they’re in your possession.”
Kris King rises slowly to his feet, again. It’s almost offensive how slow he is, but it’s all part of the act, and we’re all tired of the endless games being played. “Objection, Your Honor, relevance?”
“Counsel, you are pushing my patience. We’ve already verified the documents are in fact original documentation of Dr. Dagmar Regalo’s recount of his work. Whether Ms. Vale is the custodian or not is something you should have asked at our last hearing.”
“Your Honor, Ms. Vale was not present at our last hearing.”
“Again, Counsel, she was present, just not in person. As you will recall, until we had adequate security installed, I myself advised that I did not want any omega, including Ms. Vale, to attend my court in person. Which is another reason, I gave prior permission, if she so felt the need, that Ms. Vale could carry a firearm into my courtroom too. Make sure you heard me say it wasmycourtroom, Counsel. The next time you waste my time, I will hold you in contempt.”
“Sorry, Your Honor. No further questions.” The tip of the idiot’s smile though is a clear sign he thinks he’s derailed our woman. He hasn’t.
The three judges that sit next to Judge Moran, whose courtroom we’re occupying, nod to the bailiffs to open the doors. “As we have stated previously, our next session will be done in a closed courtroom. Representatives of the media, and any other person not on the approved list are now asked to leave.”
“Madam,” the defence attorney rises again, stopping mid-way when they see the disdain on the judge’s face.
“I do hope you are not interrupting me again. We have already discussed, heard arguments, and made our decision. Ms. Vale’s personal statement will be heard in a closed courtroom. The next time any of the defence raises so much as a squeak, I will move you to my chambers and you can watch the proceedings from there. Do we understand each other?”
There’s a murmuring that starts at one end of the gallery that sweeps across as every omega in the room whispers their support. The noise increases as the front row of reporters stand, gather their equipment, and go to leave. Lennon raises her chin, smiling as the photographers rally to get their last photo of her. And then a silence descends.
“When you’re ready, Ms. Vale. Take your time.”
Of course, Lennon, being our beautiful, courageous omega, stands as soon as she’s invited to.
“Thank you, Your Honor.” She smiles and nods in the direction of the judges presiding over the hearing.
She looks at us and that smile on her face morphs into something very different. Lennon doesn’t rush, she takes her time going slowly over each of us, and I swear to god I nearly break Lincoln’s leg to stop him leaping over the bench and going to her. Risking a quick glance at Gabe and Valak, they’re both leaning forward, resting their arms on their knees, mirror images of each other, nothing but blazing pride and adoration on their matching faces.
Gabe feels me looking and turns to wink. And of course, Lennon doesn’t miss that either.
“In any court case, the victim’s impact statement is one of the last things heard. The theory is that the victim’s impassioned speech stays with the ones responsible for deciding as to whether the person on trial is a victim or not, or if, in fact, the accused is guilty or not. But there’s no need for that here, because we all know that Regalo and all the people involved who were found and tried were guilty, so it makes me wonder why there’s a need for me to stand here.”
Lennon takes a small sip of water, her eyes jumping over to Bailey and her pack.
“But I will stand here and tell you my version of events again because for some reason you still need a victim in this case. Without a doubt, the only reason I’m standing here today is because I am one, but also, I want to ensure you don’t forget my suffering. In some ways I’m thankful that the bench decided to close this off to the media because, well,” she shakes her head in disbelief, “they like to throw drama into any situation. And honestly, what happened to me doesn’t need any embellishments. Sadly, not just what happened to me, but what happened to every one of the omegas who have joined me today.”
And by some unseen prompt all the omegas she just spoke of stand. We had no idea if any other omega would want to be here, but the gallery is full of them, and it’s an amazing sight to see. Lennon waits until the omegas in the public gallery stand, and then she rubs her chest, murmuring a softly spoken ‘thank you’ that brings a fucking river of tears to my eyes.
“I promise you, before I start, what I have to say will not take long.” She looks straight at me, because I might have promised our omega something only our pack can provide her.
“I do remember every dark moment in the laboratory. I’ve written what I am prepared to share with you and provided that as an affidavit that accompanied my court application. And my legal team has already argued with the defence every claim I made. There were calls for a team of medical specialists to have the opportunity to view the scars on my body to see if my claims were all true. Another team of experts wanted to meet with me to establish if I was of sound mind because of the injuries and circumstances I endured.
“And even though this course of action was a conscious decision I made, there still is an insatiable appetite for the world to know how we suffered. My journey is my own and not like the other omegas. I know for a fact, some of the omegas standing here today don’t remember what was done to them. And then there are those that don’t want to, but you want to take that decision from them, because for some reason, my level of suffering has to include theirs. So, for the last time in my life, I will give you what you desperately want, I’ll keep it simple. And particularly choose to use this opportunity to share those details with you because a victim’s impact statement is not arguable in any court of law.”
Lennon looks at all the omegas standing. “You don’t need to listen to this. You’re already so incredibly strong by showing up and supporting me. Never let any person question your courage, because every person besides you and me, doesn’t know what courage is. Please, trust yourself, because sometimes there’s a reason you don’t remember things. Freedom comes differently for all of us, don’t let anybody steal yours again. Including me.”
