Page 104 of Stray Omega

CHAPTER 38: JORA

Jora sat shivering on a bench at the side of the Chamber of the High Council.

This was her first time inside this hallowed room. With its high walls and windows of multi-colored glass, it was even more impressive and frightening than she imagined.

The Council stood in a semi-circle at the front of the room, a dozen stern-looking alphas. In the center was the High Chief, Addom, his dark mane touched with iron gray at the temples.

In a few minutes, Jora knew, that stern Chief would pass judgement on her for her crimes. She had no doubt what her punishment would be.

She would be banished from the Central Ruins. Cast out in exile to live the rest of her days eking out an existence in the Farlands.

Her life was over.

Tears sprang into her eyes. Hot tears of rage and disgust. This whole situation was so unfair.

If everything had gone according to plan, she wouldn’t even be in this position. That crazy untamed omega Embla would be back where she belonged, living alone in the forest, and handsome Leros would be hers.

But oh no, things couldn’t be that easy, could they?

Jora still did not know all the details, but apparently the omega had gotten herself captured by Outsiders. Her alpha mates had gone after her, and some of them had been captured too, including Leros.

While they had been in captivity in the Outsider’s city hive, that stupid Embla had spilled the beans about everything. Now they knew that Jora had lied about Embla attacking her. And they knew that she was the one who had urged Embla to escape in the first place.

Jora cursed under her breath.

She knew she would never be able to get out of this one. She had deliberately tried to come between an omega and her alpha mates, and in the process she had endangered many lives.

She would be punished. She would be exiled. There was no doubt in her mind.

The massive doors at the far end of the Council Chamber opened with a deep groaning sound. Embla and her mates had arrived for the trial. As they moved across the moss-carpeted floor, Jora looked up, hoping to catch Leros’s eye, but the young alpha did not even glance in her direction.

Cold.

In that moment, Jora had a sudden terrible realization. Even if she had successfully managed to remove Embla from the picture, she never would have succeeded in seducing Leros. He simply had no interest in her whatsoever.

She had thrown her life away for nothing.

That realization stung.

But Jora was even less prepared for the emotion that she saw on Embla’s face. The wild omega was the only one of the group who was even looking at her. Jora would not have been surprised to find her glaring with contempt and hatred. But that is not what Embla did.

Instead, the blonde omega was looking at her with a wounded expression.

Jora now saw that Embla had been hurt by her betrayal. Jora had tricked the innocent omega and made her believe that they were really friends. She gained her trust and used it to push her away.

As Jora looked at Embla’s hurt expression, her remorse increased until it totally overwhelmed her. Her vision blurred as tears flooded her eyes and poured down her cheeks. Her body shook with emotion, and it was all she could do to keep from tumbling off her bench.

She barely even heard the Chief Councillor reciting the charges that were brought against her. It was too painful to even listen.

At last, when the Chief asked if she had anything to say for herself, Jora flung herself onto the floor, bawling and begging for forgiveness.

“Embla, I’m sorry,” Jora sobbed. “I’m so sorry…”

She was not putting on an act, and she did not have any hope that her emotional display would save her from her punishment. She just needed Embla to know that she was truly sorry for what she had done.

Finally, at the Chief’s command, Jora got herself under control and crawled back onto her bench. She sniffled as she listened to the Chief as he revealed her punishment. Just as Jora had expected, she was to be cast out in exile.

The Chief, Addom, now turned to Embla and her mates.

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