Chapter 2

VALERIA

I could see the anger in Reese’s eyes. It was a kind of cold, calculated anger that chilled me to the bone. And I knew he meant it. The rejection of a mate was a fate worse than death for a werewolf. The pain would be unbearable, just like your soul had been ripped, leaving you hollow and broken.

I nodded as best as I could and Reese's grip loosened slightly. I gasped for air as my chest heaved.

"Get out of my sight," he said in a very harsh voice. He let go of my neck, and I collapsed to the floor, coughing and trembling.

***

The air crackled with tension as I finally left the room, slamming the door behind me. Right now, my vision was blurred by the heat of my fury. I could still hear the echoes of their voices, the condescension and dismissal, playing through my mind like a cruel taunt. I walked down the hallway in silent rage. How could they? After everything I had done for this pack, how could Reese do this to me?

By the time I reached my room, the anger had turned into something more raw and more painful too. I threw myself onto my bed, buried my face into the pillow, and finally let the tears flow. The walls of my room, which usually felt like a sanctuary to me, now felt like they were closing in on me, and suffocating me with the weight of unspoken words.

I didn't hear them coming. My room was always my safe space, and I never thought I needed to be on guard. So when the door burst open, I barely had time to look up before they were upon me. Two burly guards, with their faces set in grim determination, suddenly grabbed me roughly by the arms.

“What… what are you doing? Let me go!” I yelled as I struggled against their iron grip, but it was like fighting a brute force. Panic surged through me as I tried to understand what was happening.

“You’re under arrest, Valeria,” one of the guards growled, his voice devoid of sympathy.

“Arrest? For what?” I demanded, my voice breaking. The tears I had been shedding out of hurt now flowed from fear. Then I quickly added, “And I’m Luna Valeria to you.”

“For the crime you’ve committed against the pack,” the other guard said. His eyes were cold as he spoke to me. “A crime that warrants death.”

My heart lurched in my chest. “Crime? I haven’t committed any crime! This is insane!” I cried, but they didn’t loosen their grip on me. Instead, they hauled me to my feet and started dragging me out of my room.

The hallway blurred past us, and at the same time, my mind raced to keep up with the horror of the moment. What crime? What could they possibly think I had done that would warrant a death sentence?

As we passed other pack members, I could see that their eyes were filled with a mixture of curiosity and pity. It felt like a walk of shame, and every glance I got cut into me like a blade. “Please, there has been a mistake!” I pleaded, but my words fell on deaf ears.

As we approached the pack’s meeting hall, my stomach twisted into knots. The large doors loomed ahead, and with each step ahead, the weight of my impending doom grew heavier. The guards pushed the doors open, and the murmur of voices hit me like a physical force.

Inside, the hall was packed. Every high-ranking member of the pack was there, along with the Alpha, and when I glanced at him, I noticed that his expression was unreadable. The room fell silent as I was dragged to the center, while the accusing stares of the members of the pack bored into me.

“Valeria,” Reese’s voice rang out in a very commanding and harsh tone, “you stand accused of a heinous crime. Do you know what you’ve done?”

The pack meeting hall buzzed with uneasy murmurs, and the tension was so thick that it was nearly visible. I stood at the center, and as it was, every pair of eyes in the room was trained on me, as they no doubt, judged me.

The weight of their stares felt like a physical force pressing down on me, but I held my head high. I knew that I had to be strong, even if right now, my heart was pounding with fear and betrayal.

Cynthia stepped forward, and as I looked at her, I could see her icy blue eyes glinting with malice. "I have proof," she announced. Her voice rang out confidently. "Valeria killed our former Alpha, Marion Carter."

Gasps echoed around the room, and I saw heads turn toward me as shock and disbelief filled their expressions. My breath caught in my throat. This couldn’t be happening. Cynthia reached into her bag and pulled out a small, blood-stained dagger. As she held it up for everyone to see, a triumphant smile was on her lips.

“This dagger was found in Valeria’s quarters,” Cynthia said. “It’s covered in Marion’s blood. And there's more.” She pulled out a piece of paper, waving it in the air. “This letter,” she continued, “contains details of how she planned the murder.”

“No!” I cried as I stepped forward. My voice trembled as I said, “This is a lie! I didn’t kill him! I loved Alpha Marion like a father!”

The crowd’s murmuring grew louder, but the loudest voice of all was silent. I turned to Reese, my mate, hoping that he would at least believe me. But his eyes were hard and cold.

“How can you believe this?” I pleaded, my voice breaking. “Reese, please, listen to me.”

Reese’s jaw clenched. “Enough, Valeria!” he growled in a very icy tone. “The evidence speaks for itself.”

“Reese, you can’t believe her!” I shouted as desperation pulled at my chest. “This dagger and this letter are not mine! Cynthia is trying to frame me!”

But Reese didn’t even bother meeting my gaze. “You’ve always had a way with words, Valeria,” he said quietly. “But words mean nothing against solid evidence.”

I took a step towards him as tears poured down my face. “Reese, please, just let me explain.”

“No!” His voice was a roar, and it silenced the hall immediately. “You betrayed us all, Valeria. You betrayed me.”

I fell to my knees and just then, my heart shattered. The pack, who I took to be my family, was turning against me. “Reese, please, don’t do this,” I whispered. My voice was barely audible but I knew that he could hear me clearly. “You know me. You know I could never do something like this.”

“No!” Reese shook his head.

The world spun around me as I became dizzy, and all I could see and hear were faces and harsh whispers. Reese's words echoed in my mind, making my heart shatter more and more.

"Valeria is a criminal!" Reese's voice boomed across the hall. The finality of his words left no room for doubt in the hearts of the pack members. They murmured in shock, but Reese silenced them with a raised hand. "Effective immediately, she is demoted to the position of a slave."

A collective gasp swept through the crowd instantly. My vision swam as the guards gripped my arms. Their hands were like iron shackles and I gasped in pain. They dragged me towards the door, and as I stumbled, the reality of my new fate sank in. A slave. I had been stripped of my dignity, my status, everything. From Luna to slave.

"Reese, no!" I screamed as I thrashed against the guards. "You can't do this to me! I'm innocent!"

But Reese's eyes were cold and expressionless as he opened his mouth to speak. "Take her away," he ordered, turning his back on me once more.

The guards pulled me through the hall, in their iron grip. My legs felt heavy, and each step I took was a struggle as the despair I felt kept rising. As we reached the doorway, pain suddenly shot through my abdomen. I doubled over and gasped loudly.

"Get up!" one of the guards barked, and he immediately pulled me upward forcefully.

But the pain grew worse. It was sharp and relentless. I cried out as I felt something warm trickle down my legs. Blood.

Horror gripped me as I saw the dark red stains spreading, and the metallic scent immediately filled the air.

"Something is wrong," I breathed out. The guards exchanged uncertain glances among each other but they still kept dragging me forward.

Then suddenly, the pain intensified, and the sheer agony of it twisted my bones. My legs gave way, and I collapsed, wriggling on the cold floor. The guards tried to pull me up, but I was beyond their control.

"Reese!" I screamed, pleading. It was a desperate plea. "Help me!"

The room fell silent as everyone turned to watch. My bones cracked and twisted beneath my skin, producing a sickening sound that made the crowd recoil in horror.

Then, as if by some unseen force, I was suddenly slammed down onto the floor. The impact drove the breath from my lungs, and the room began to spin around wildly. Gasps and cries filled the air, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart.