Accidentally Mated To Four Alphas-Chapter 267: _ Schoolyard Rumors

Sharper and uncertain whispers surge again.

Mrs. Castell shakes her head violently. "He’s twisting things..."

Really? Heidi finds herself visibly shaking her head. This woman knows just how horrible what her daughter did to her was, and yet, would support her lying little shit!

The Alpha lifts a finger and silence follows it as it goes down.

Darien doesn’t let the moment breathe. "You knew there was a video. Meaning you saw it before that night."

Sierra’s lips tremble. "I—no—I..."

"Answer the question."

Her eyes dart to her lawyer.

Darien tilts his head. "This isn’t a suggestion."

There’s a pause.

"Yes," Sierra whispers. "I knew."

There it is. Heidi’s pulse roars in her ears.

Darien nods, as if confirming a theory he solved hours ago. "Excellent. Then let’s clarify something else."

He gestures lightly, and one of the pack officials steps forward with a tablet.

Darien takes it.

"On your phone," he says, tapping the screen, "there exists a video. Metadata intact. Time-stamped. Location-tagged."

The tablet’s screen goes dark in Darien’s hand, but the damage is already done. The word metadata still hangs in the air like a loaded weapon no one has fired yet.

Darien turns back to Sierra with a mild expression in a way that makes the room uneasy. Calmness doesn’t belong in moments like this. Calmness is dangerous.

"Then we’ll need your phone," he says simply. "So we can confirm the timestamp and verify the original file."

The reaction the sentence evokes is like that of a person who dropped a plate.

Sierra’s eyes widen. Her fingers curl hard into the blanket draped over her legs. "M-my phone?"

"Yes," Darien replies. "The device on which the alleged video was created and stored."

Mrs. Castell jerks upright. "Absolutely not!"

Someone near the front scoffs loudly. "If she’s telling the truth, what’s there to hide?"

Sierra’s lawyer is already on his feet. "Objection. My client’s phone contains private material unrelated to this case. We cannot allow its contents to be rifled through."

A ripple moves through the courtroom and it’s not outrage, but interest. Wolves lean forward in their seats. Elders exchange looks. Darien doesn’t argue immediately. He lets the silence stretch just long enough to make the lawyer uncomfortable.

"We are not rifling," He says calmly. "We are verifying. A timestamp. Location data. File origin. Nothing more."

"That’s still invasive," the lawyer snaps. "And for the sake of the accused..." he gestures toward Heidi, voice turning performative, "...exposing such a sensitive video would further traumatize her."

Heidi almost laughs. This man has got to be kidding me, she scoffs internally.

Her wolf bares her teeth. "Oh, now you care about her dignity."

A few pack members murmur from the lower tiers.

"We deserve to see the truth."

"If she’s lying, it’ll show."

"This is a court, not a gossip hall."

"Order!" Elder Rowen warns, lifting his hand.

Darien inclines his head slightly toward the crowd. "Everyone present is already aware Heidi is my mate. I will personally review the file with the elders present. No one else needs to see anything."

Sierra’s breath comes sharp and fast. "No!" she screams suddenly, voice cracking through the room. "Absolutely not! I won’t let him go through my phone!"

She clutches the armrests of her wheelchair like they might anchor her to the floor.

"There are things on it that are private," she continues, eyes wild. "Things that have nothing to do with him. I won’t let a man I have no interest in..." her voice spikes, "...touch my phone!"

The courtroom erupts.

Heidi almost shoots up from her chair, but Grayson holds her wrist, anchoring her back to her seat.

"Don’t do anything rash no matter what." He whispers, though his own face is going completely red with anger ravaging his insides.

"Order," the Alpha commands, slamming his staff once. The sound vibrates through the stone.

Elder Rowen rises again, slower this time.

"There is merit to both sides," he says. "However, without prior authorization or indisputable cause, we cannot compel the surrender of a personal device."

Darien’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly.

The man continues, "Unless you have tangible evidence to contradict her testimony, it may be time to hear from the accused."

Heidi’s stomach drops.

Her heart begins to pound so hard she’s sure someone can hear it. Her palms go slick against her thighs. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. She can feel it... feel the tilt of the room, the subtle shift of power slipping sideways.

Her wolf presses close, tense. "They’re cornering us."

Darien exhales slowly through his nose. He nods, retreating. It’s a controlled retreat, but a retreat nonetheless.

"Very well," he says.

Heidi hates the way relief flickers across Sierra’s face. Hates the way the room leans back toward her like gravity has shifted again. Her pulse roars in her ears. This is bad. This is slipping. She can feel it.

Darien turns smoothly, unruffled on the surface, though she knows better. "Then I would like to address another inconsistency in Sierra Castell’s testimony."

The elders gesture for him to continue.

"She claims," Darien turns to Sierra, "that she lent Heidi her phone on Heidi’s first day in the Castell household."

A faint wave of disbelief moves through the room.

Darien’s eyes sweep the gallery. "Anyone familiar with the academy knows Sierra Castell’s... reputation."

Sierra stiffens.

"She has made no secret of her contempt for lower-class wolves," he continues. "Particularly Heidi. The idea that she would lend something as personal as her phone to someone she openly despised is, frankly, absurd."

A few heads nod.

Darien clasps his hands behind his back. "I propose we test the plausibility of this claim."

Sierra shakes her head frantically. "That’s not true!"

He ignores her and turns toward the elders. "I call students from the academy to testify to Sierra Castell’s behavior toward Heidi, and the likelihood—or lack thereof—of such generosity."

Sierra’s lawyer scoffs. "Schoolyard rumors..."

"...are patterns," Darien cuts in calmly. "And patterns reveal truth."

Elder Rowen considers this, then nods once. "Proceed."