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Winter

Winter stared at her feet. She couldn't handle looking her friends in the eye, not after what happened with Cress. Jacin had told her it was alright, Cress hadn't died, Winter wasn't responsible, she had nothing to be guilty for. But she did. She had been too weak and scared to defy Levana, and she'd gone ahead with the assassination. Planned murder, whether the attempt was successful or not, was inexcusable. Cress had told her as much, with blood pouring down her front from an ugly gash in her neck and a blank look in her eyes.

"How long is this going to take?" said the man standing in the centre of the Council Chamber in a bored voice, "These handcuffs are really chafing."

"That all depends on your cooperation." Crown Jewels cool voice replied.

"In that case, this is going to take forever." Cinder whispered in Winter's ear.

Winter tried to muster up a smile, though she doubted it was very convincing.

Kai shrugged. "Maybe not. I'm not detecting and rebellious thoughts right now."

"Wait until the first question." Cinder suggested, "Something will pop up by then."

the Emperor leaned forward on his chair. "Your name is Ze'ev Kesley, correct? Alias, Wolf?"

The man shrugged. "That's who I am."

"And you know why you're here?"

"I killed a bunch of people."

Crime Minister narrowed her eyes at him. "You have an oddly nonchalant view of murder."

Wolf barked with laughter. "You do know what I am right?"

President Star frowned in confusion. "A Lunar?"

"Yes, but that's not the answer I was going for." He grinned, exposing his fangs. Winter hugged herself when she saw that they were covered in gore.

General Thunder, seemingly unaffected by the state of Wolf's teeth, asked impatiently, "Well, what was the answer you were going for?"

"A soldier. The Lunar soldiers are genetically modified to become prodigies. Specifically, their DNA is combined with that of an Arctic wolf's, providing them with heightened strength, speed, stamina and an unstoppable urge to hunt and kill people." Wolf explained, with the cheery tone of a dad telling his kids about a camping trip.

"So that's your reason for murdering seven innocent civilians?" Primal asked with disgusted horror, "You just like killing?"

"I'm instinctively driven to kill." Wolf corrected, "There's a difference."

The blood on his teeth and lips started to drip to the floor, staining the beautiful mosaic tiles. Winter pressed her hand to her mouth to hide her gasp.

"What are the Lunars long term goals?" The Emperor asked.

"Do you honestly expect a soldier to know that?" Wolf chuckled. "Honestly Emperor, I thought you were cleverer than that!"

Winter cringed as a ripple seemed to pass over Wolf's voice, changing its pitch and smoothing out the rumbling growl underlying the words.

"Do the Lunars actually have a strengthening chemical agent?" Crime Minister asked.

Wolf nodded. "Yes, and everything my queen told you about it was true."

"Have you been given this agent?"

"No. I am strong enough already."

"And this agent is perfect in every single way?" The Emperor inquired suspiciously, "There are no downsides?"

"Oh, the process itself is uncomfortable and some weaklings ended up dying." Wolf conceded indifferently, "But other than that yes."

His bulky form shrank and thinned, and his wild brown hair grew longer and darker.

President Star glowered at him. "Do the Lunars really have 2 000 people under their recruitment?"

Wolf nodded smugly. "Plus a couple hundred. But before you get too cocky, I'd just like to point out that we can increase their powers anytime we want."

His skin tone lightened, and the scars faded to nothing.

Abruptly, the Emperor stood up from his seat. "This interrogation is over." He announced, "Ze'ev Kesley will be kept in solitary confinement here at headquarters until a suitable punishment is agreed upon."

Wolf bowed his head. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Crime Minister addressed the guards stationed at the door. "Take him away."

They nodded and smartly marched Wolf out of the room. Wolf grinned at Winter as he passed her. The blood was gone from his teeth, and his frame had regained its muscular bulk. That is, assuming he ever lost it.

The chamber doors slammed behind them, and the Emperor sat down heavily in his seat, groaning quietly.

"Well?" Crown Jewel sharply asked the three Rampions, "Did he lie at all?"

"My programming didn't detect any lies." Cinder said.

"And his thoughts matched what he was saying." Kai added.

The Council turned to Winter, who swallowed back the sudden rush of bile in her mouth. She thought of when she first met Wolf, thought of the nervousness radiating off him in waves at the waiting room and in the stadium. Thought of his annoyance as President Star questioned his abilities. She thought of the flood of ferocity and instinct that rushed through him during the fight with Hunter. And she thought of the shame, the self-loathing and horror that trailed behind him as he fled the stadium. None of that was there today. In its place was arrogance, disdain and condescending amusement. The underlying current of wild viciousness that underlay the entire mix was there, just as it had been at the trials. But at the trials the flow was forcibly restrained, like a dam built in a river. Today, the current was allowed to flow however it pleased.

The Wolf the Council had just questioned wasn't the Wolf that had been at trials. His emotions and personality were all wrong, and it was Winter's duty as a Rampion to tell the Council that.

But it was her duty as a Lunar to lie.

"His emotions completely supported his words and were of a similar composition to the last time I could read him. Ze'ev Kesley fully and wholeheartedly believed what he was saying to you."

Winter forced the words out of her throat, choking out each syllable and tasting their poison as they passed through her lips. Great skies, why did she have to be a Lunar?

A/N: It's the aftermath of the attack on the square, and Winter isn't taking things well at all. Will she be able to keep up the act for much longer? What will the Council rule as punishment? Why did Winter hallucinate Wolf's appearance changing?

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