PROLOGUE

“No, no!” I screamed, fighting the iron grip on my biceps. “No, you have to believe me. I never – Cass, please, you have to believe me!” I screamed, looking at my mate.

I heard a whoosh. My heart went into free fall before my world went still. He didn’t believe me. I looked around at all the eyes fixated on me. No one did. No one believed me. The silence in the room rang in my ears. It was loud. Deafening.

“Cass, I – I would never –“ The silence still rang in my ears. My voice sounded like it belonged to another woman. It couldn’t have been mine. “I would never poison April.” The silence shattered with the glass in my mate’s palm.

“You dare – How dare you speak her name?” My mate hissed at me. His red eyes glowed in the dimly lit hall. They brimmed with hatred.

“Cass –“ I looked around a second time. I did not want to believe it. How could I? How could I believe that everyone turned their backs on me when I needed them the most?

“You will address me as Alpha Cassius Raven.” He stepped forward. I moved back but I was met with a wall of warriors blocking me. He took a breath, his chest heaving. Distress, pain, anger, and murderous intent brimmed in his eyes as he gazed down at me.

“For the attempted assassination of my true mate, I, Alpha Cassius Raven, sentence you to death by poison. The same poison you fed my beloved.” He spat the words with venom.

The spell of silence in the room broke with an uproar. People spoke all at once, someone laughed, and another clapped. I went weak in the knees but the warriors held me upright.

“Take her away.” The words from my mate’s lips were directed at the men holding me hostage.

“Cassius Raven, what is the meaning of this?” A voice boomed from the doorway. We all turned to look at the white-haired man walking into the hall.

“F – Father.”  I sighed in relief. I had never been happier to see my father. He turned to me with a sharp look that made me falter. “Father, I swear, I swear I didn’t do it! I am being framed! I would never – I would never –“

“Silence!” Cassius commanded. The sound of a pin dropping would be too loud in the ensuing silence that followed the Alpha’s command. “Rufus –“ Cassius turned to address my father but he was cut off mid-speech.

“What is this nonsense?” My father’s voice boomed, his back and shoulders stiff as he addressed the Alpha. “How dare you accuse my daughter of trying to kill your true mate? What motive does she have to do that?” He demanded.

“Jealousy,” someone in the audience shouted.

“Isn’t it well known that the Luna is a wicked and jealous woman?”

“Hasn’t she been playing all sorts of tricks to chase out April, Alpha Cassius’s true mate, from the pack?”

All sorts of questions broke out in the ballroom. It seemed quite obvious but it fully dawned on me then. I was the villain; the wicked woman who could not stand that her mate had found his destiny.

“Why would she be jealous of a mere omega when she is already the Luna?” My father’s voice bellowed in the room. “Cassius, you promised before the goddess and this pack to cherish my daughter as long as she is alive to rule by your side. Why would she be jealous of another woman when she has your vow?”

“What importance is a vow between two people when the true mate comes into the picture?”

“How can Alpha Rufus side with his daughter when she has been caught red-handed?”

More murmurs broke out in the hall. They condemned me. They condemned my father for siding with me.

“Father –“ I called out for him. I could not bear to see his pride shattered like this because of me. I hated to hear the way people spoke of him as if he were a mere man and not the Alpha of Legends.

“Rufus –“ Cassius’ voice had a cold edge to it.

“Cassius.” My father squared his shoulders and looked the Alpha in the eye. “Tell your warriors to unhand my daughter. She is innocent of this allegation.”

“Is this, perhaps, a plot by your family?” The Alpha’s voice went low, exuding a weird calmness despite the charged atmosphere. “Did you and your wretched daughter plan to kill my mate to secure her spot as my Luna!?” The crowd gasped at the force behind the allegation. They stepped back as he stepped down from the podium, his eyes fixated on my father.

“Father –“ My stomach twisted at the look in my mate’s eyes.

“You dare to besmirch my daughter and my family?” My father growled. “Even a fool knows better than to serve a poisoned glass of wine herself in this teeming crowd.” The air around my father and my mate charged.

My father was the last person I expected to defend me at such a time. We never had a good relationship and he often scolded me for being a ‘silly little girl’ yet, he was the only person in this crowd vouching for my innocence.

“Father –“ My guts twisted. I did not like the feeling washing over me

“My daughter is innocent of this allegation. Someone here is framing her.” My heart shook, stopped for a second, and pounded faster. “Did you plan this with your true mate to humiliate my child?”

“Father!” It happened in the blink of an eye. The sword that was part of Cassius’s official accessory whipped at my father and slashed his throat. “Father!” I screamed, starting forward. The warriors holding me did not let me go.

“No, let me go! Father –“ I fought against my captors as my father fell to the ground, blood spurting out of his throat.  “My father! I – Father !” I screamed. My eyes blurred, my heart pounded, my world tilted on its axis.

“Take her away. Her execution will be in seven days.” Cassius wiped his sword of my father’s blood and turned. The hall, hitherto silent in the face of death, went into an uproar. People cleared out of Cassius’s way, others ran from the hall as I was dragged away, screaming and kicking.

“Let me go!”

The sound of iron doors slamming resounded in the dungeons as the warriors threw me into a dirty cell, stripped of dignity.

“Let me go! I am still your Luna! I command you to let me go!” I raised my head to glare at the warriors manhandling me. “I – Liam? Lucas? Even you two?” I looked at the twin warriors who had served as my guards since I was sixteen. Their shifting gazes fell on everything but me as they walked away.

My laughter escorted them out of the dark dungeons; loud, cold and mirthless.

Loud laughter tore from the depths of my stomach. I leaned forward, bracing myself with my hands on my knees as I shook with laughter. I cannot recall the hour the sound of laughter metamorphosed into violent sobs and cries for help.

~ ~ ~

On the seventh day after the incident; the day of my execution, my head maid came into my cell with her head bowed, a bucket of water in one hand and a lavish dress in another.

“Luna Persephone.” She curtsied, her head remaining bowed.

“Raise your head,” I called out with what was left of my voice. “The time has come, hasn’t it?”

“Luna –“ Sylvia trembled as she stepped forward. “I – I –“

“It’s okay, Sylvia. You don’t have to say anything. I will go peacefully and quietly. I won’t be a nuisance to anyone anymore.”

“Luna –“ Her eyes quivered, tears gathering in them. “I – I am sorry.” She bowed again.

“What for, Sylvia? You didn’t poison Cassius’ princess, did you?” My weak voice maintained a bit of wryness.

“N – No. I am sorry I couldn’t protect you.” She raised her head as the tears gathered in her eyes spilt. “I promised your mother – I promised to take care of you. I failed.”

“You did your best.” I forced the muscles on my face to conjure a smile. “It is my fault that I turned out to be a silly little girl, chasing after something that was never mine.”

“I – I-“ Sylvia lost her voice as she choked on a sob.

“Thank you, Sylvia. I should have thanked you every day for dedicating yourself to me as you did.”

“Luna –“ She wailed, sinking to her knees. If I had more tears to cry, I would have cried but I was dried up.

I had seven days to reflect on my life and my imminent death. There were a lot of things I could have done better and I never thought of them until death caressed my cheeks.

“Save your tears.” I beckoned at the woman who acted as my mother throughout my lifetime. “Come, tell me how the other girls are doing. I hope Hannah didn’t cry too much?” I asked, swallowing to moisten my dry throat. Who would give me water when I had poison waiting for me?

“The girls – They – They have turned to April. They serve her now and they – they condemn you with everyone else.” My stomach twisted.

Everyone already abandoned me. Why did I think I would be missed? Why did I think they would cry because they served me?

“I see. There is no point in following a dead master.” My lips pulled up at the left corner.

“Luna, don’t say that! As the closest people to you, they joined in slandering your name! They betrayed you!”

“I would have done the same.” My words were cool. The only person to defend me met an early death. I would curse my name if I was in my maid’s shoes.

“No, you wouldn’t have.” Sylvia clutched a fist against her chest. “I – I believe you, Luna! You could never –“

“I am ready to join my parents. Please get me ready.” There was no use believing me. I accepted my fate already.

Sylvia silently cleaned my body with the rag in her bucket. I watched the water turn a murky brown with each dip of the rag. The silence stretched as she helped me into my white dress; the one I wore on the day Cassius claimed me as his mate. Sylvia diligently detangled my hair with her fingers, apologizing for the guard’s refusal to let her in with a comb. She piled my hair into a ponytail with soft and familiar hands.

“Sylvia, what are you still doing there!” A guard approached with a menacing glower. “Luna April is here.” He dragged out Sylvia, slamming the cell shut as April entered.

A petite lady with brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin stared at me as the others left. Her usually friendly face was expressionless as she stared at me. Her rich olive skin had lost colour but other than that, she looked the same as always.

“I have something I must say to you before you leave this world,” her soft voice wrapped around me. Her bright and innocent smile had a strange darkness then.

“I am sorry.” I bowed my head at her. “I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I know you don’t believe me but I never tried to poison you.”

“I believe you.” My heart froze at those words. Coming from her – coming from her, they meant everything.

A glimmer of hope that I had squashed rose its head. If she believed I wasn’t the one who poisoned her wine that day, she could vouch for me and I wouldn’t have to die! If she put in one word with Cassius, he would listen because he loved her. He trusted her.

“You had no hand in poisoning me.” She took the other stool in the dungeon and sat in front of me, grasping my cuffed hands. The cuffs were made with silver and had marked my wrist with deep burning cuts.

“R – Really? You –“ My heart leapt. “Have you come to save me? Did you speak to Cassius before coming?” Of course – Of course, she told Cassius before coming here. They were lovers who hid nothing from each other.

“You silly little girl.” She smiled brighter as confusion contorted my facial features. “How dumb can you be?” She laughed in my face.

“What? April –“ April was twenty, which made me two years older than her. Why would she call me a little girl?

“Everything has been leading up to this moment. Everything.” My eyes widened. Could it be – “From the moment I met my true mate and found out he was already shackled to you, I had to take you out.”

“April –“

“Shut up! Just shut up! Goddess, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to say that!” She laughed again, the sound too free, too jovial, to have come from a person I was starting to see in a different light.

“How could I let you continue as Luna while I stayed in the shadows? How dare you mate with Cassius?” She couldn’t scream because the guards were near but I knew she wanted to.

“He needed a mate and I – I was his friend –“ I said, sounding like a silly little girl.

“You were his friend, indeed. He told me everything. You forced his hand,” she hissed. “All this time, I had to pretend to be pitiful.  How could I, an unknown omega, compete with you, the daughter of Alpha Rufus, a paragon of beauty and a noble lady? Why did I have to compete with you for my true mate!” She hissed again.

“I knew I could not compete so I had to kill you.” My mouth fell open. “Goddess, I am happy you are in pain. I am happy you are miserable. Now you will feel a fraction of what I felt every time someone addressed you as Cassius’s Luna while I stood to the side.” She glared at me. “I poisoned that wine. I framed you. I wondered how I would deal with Alpha Rufus but he took care of himself, didn’t he?” She giggled.

“You – You monster.” My eyes widened.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic. I merely did what had to be done.” She flipped her hair. “I was behind everything. Your wardrobe fails, the rumours, everything that made you lose your temper and throw a tantrum, I orchestrated all of them. Messing with you was boring, considering how little I had to try to get you riled up but watching you lose Cassius’s favour satisfied me.” She beamed.

“You bitch!” I screamed.

“Guards!” She shouted, jumping away as tears filled her eyes.

“I – Why are you crying!” I yelled, surprised at how fast her countenance changed.

“How could you attack me!” She pretended to stumble as guards rushed to open the cell.

“I didn’t! You pretender! You –“ Cassius came into the cell behind the guards. “I won’t take it! I won’t die without a fight after you confessed to framing me!” I screamed when I saw the cup one of the guards held.

“I knew you would not accept retribution nobly,” Cassius said in a cold voice. He pulled out a blade and I flinched. “Get out, all of you,” he commanded the guards. “You don’t have to witness this, April,” he spoke softly to his mate while I trembled.

“No – No, I can’t leave you here with her. What if she attacks you? She’s dangerous.” She clutched at Cassius’s bicep, her face flushed and wet with tears. “I will stay to protect you.” She flashed me a secret smile.

“Cassius –“ He sprung over to me and plunged his blade into my chest, his eyes cold. “Cassius –“ The blade was laced with poison and silver. The minute it hit my bloodstream, I felt myself slipping away.

“Die, you silly little girl. Die!” Cassius snarled in my face.

No, no! Goddess, no! We were all deceived! I can’t die! I don’t want to die! I am innocent! Goddess!!