One

Ember’s POV

Today was my wedding day.

A soft smile tore across my face as I stirred and could hear the chatters across the hallway; memories of my bachelorette party filled my mind, and I frowned as it suddenly became hazy.

“GET THAT SHAMELESS MURDERER OUT OF THAT BED!”.

Murderer?

I groaned in discomfort; the noise was making me increasingly uneasy. I shifted in bed, trying to ease the discomfort, but a smile crept onto my lips as I cleared away those thoughts.  

“Murderer! She’s a murderer! Get her out of the bed!” The words pierced through my thoughts once more, leaving me in a state of confusion. 

Was I hearing things? My eyes slowly fluttered open, and through my blurry vision, I saw a figure standing in front of me.

What is going on? I wondered, sitting up straight. Everyone had gathered around me, their expressions filled with shock as they stared at something beside me. 

Confusion and dread swirled inside me as I turned to see what they were staring at. When my eyes landed on it, I screamed in horror and bolted out of bed. My hands were clutching a dagger, its blade stained with blood. I cried again, flinging the weapon away in terror.

On the bed, soaked in blood, was my soon-to-be father-in-law. My hands trembled violently as I stared at them, realizing they were covered in his blood. I screamed once more, collapsing to the ground, my entire body shaking uncontrollably as my heart pounded in my chest. This was a nightmare—what the hell was happening?

“You murdered my father?” Brandon’s voice cut through the chaos, seething with anger. His face was filled with rage and betrayal. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I tried to speak, but fear paralyzed me, making it impossible to form any words.

This couldn’t be real—it had to be some twisted nightmare. All I could remember from the previous night was my bachelorette party. I danced, laughed, and drank until I blacked out. But now… how did I wake up next to my father-in-law’s corpse?

“Brandon,” I called his name desperately as I ran toward him, grabbing his hands. But he wouldn’t look at me. His eyes were locked on his father’s corpse with shock etched deeply into his features.

“I didn’t do it, I swear. I don’t know what’s happening!” I pleaded, my voice shaking as I begged him to believe me.

He finally turned his gaze down at me, and my heart pounded as he barked, “Get away from me, you filthy murderer!” With that, he yanked his hands free, shoving me so hard that I fell to the floor.

Pain shot through my body as I clutched my stomach, instinctively trying to protect my baby.

“How dare you touch me with those filthy hands stained with my father’s blood?” he growled, his face twisted in anger. My hands shook violently, my heart racing with fear.

My eyes caught sight of Emily, huddled in the corner, crying. “Emily…” I whispered, crawling frantically toward her. “Emily, please tell them I didn’t do it! I was with you all night. You believe me. Please, help me.”

“Leave me alone!” Emily screamed, her voice trembling as she stood up, looking at me like I was some monster.

“Why would you do this? Father cared about you. Why would you do something so evil?” I froze, her words cutting through me like a knife. Was Emily doubting me? Did she believe I could commit such a heinous crime?

Emily was my friend, Brandon’s adopted sister. She had shown me nothing but kindness since we had known each other, and now hearing her accuse me felt like the ultimate betrayal. Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to comprehend the situation.

“Drag her out of the room! Punish her until the council arrives and passes judgment,” Brandon ordered coldly. My heart sank as I realized there was nothing I could say in my defense. I had woken up next to the dead Alpha, his lifeless body beside me, my hands stained with his blood. Nothing made sense anymore.

“She’s practically naked, Alpha,” a guard pointed out. I had been so overwhelmed by the shock that I hadn’t even noticed I was wearing a transparent nightgown that did almost nothing to cover me.

“What use is keeping her shame when she has committed such a heinous crime? Drag her out anyway!” Brandon barked at the guards, who immediately followed his orders, grabbing me roughly by the arms. As they prepared to drag me out of the room, I yelled,

“I promise I didn’t do anything!” I struggled against the guards as they hauled me into the hallway. The moment we stepped out, I saw everyone gathered outside. They all stared at me with surprise and disgust, whispering to one another, some loud enough for me to hear.

“Did she murder the great Alpha? How could a lowlife like her do that? She should be killed.”

“What a bitch, I never knew she was this stupid!”

“Death is what she deserves, and to think she was about to be out Luna,” another spat at me before trying to lunge at me.

“A slut, too; she must have slept with the Alpha’s dead body before falling asleep in his hands!”

“I’m pretty sure the Alpha prince isn’t responsible for her bastard child,” I heard one scoff and a gasp escaped my lips; I was already tired of crying as it wasn’t doing me any good.

With my eyes shut, all I prayed for was to wake up from this and continue my life. The chaos around me couldn’t let me be. This was happening then.

Panic rushed through me as I broke free from the guards’ grip, rushing toward Brandon and pleading desperately.

“Look at that cursed bump; she probably had it all thought through”

“I know what this seems like, but please, let me explain— there has to be some kind of explanation,” I begged, rubbing my hands together as tears poured uncontrollably down my face.

“Just give me a chance to prove myself. I swear on our unborn baby that I didn’t do anything.” I looked up at Brandon, hoping for a sign of understanding, but his expression remained cold.

Suddenly, Emily stormed toward me, shoved me away, and slapped me hard across the face, making me fall to the ground. “Why do you keep lying, Ember? Why do you keep lying?” she barked, her voice filled with fury.

She turned to Brandon and said, “I was waiting for the right time to tell you this, but I think it’s best to reveal it now. You’re not the real father of the child she’s carrying.” Emily pointed at me, her eyes burning with accusation.

“This witch here told me that you’re not the real father, and I was waiting for her to tell you herself. But now, after she’s gone and killed father…” Her voice broke with emotion as she added, “You deserve to know that she’s been lying and deceiving you all this time.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Gasps echoed around, and murmurs quickly filled the air.

“What kind of shameless woman is she?” someone whispered, loud enough for me to hear. 

What was Emily talking about? Never once had I said anything like that. Brandon was the father of my unborn child. Where were all these lies coming from? Why was she doing this?

“Take her outside and punish her,” Brandon ordered, and the guards nodded obediently. They rushed toward me, lifting me off the ground as they dragged me, nearly naked, across the floor.

I watched in disbelief as Emily moved closer to Brandon, sobbing into his chest while he hugged her warmly, comforting her. I wanted to scream, to plead for someone to listen, but it was painfully clear that I was utterly alone.

Without giving me a chance to speak in my defense, Brandon commanded, “For her first punishment, give her two hundred lashes. I want it so painful that she bleeds.” The guards pushed me to the ground, forcing me to fall with my belly pressed against the cold floor. I groaned in pain, looking up at Brandon with tear-filled eyes.

“We are mates,” I whispered desperately. “I would never lie to my fated mate…”

“You have been nothing but a disgrace to me, and to think you would do this on my wedding day? To a man who loves you so much?” He took a deep breath as if trying to control his emotions, then declared, “You and I can no longer be mates, Ember. You have proven you do not deserve to be my mate, just a stranger wearing my enemy’s face…”

“No,” I muttered with more tears streaming down my cheeks.

“I made a big mistake by accepting you as my mate in the first place, and now I will rectify that mistake…” He took another deep breath before saying, “You have proven to be an abomination to our kind, and for that, I, Brandon Ryder, now made Alpha by you reject you, November Adams as my mate, now accept my rejection”.

When those words left his mouth, my heart stopped beating. Tears flowed uncontrollably as I felt a sharp, unbearable pain in my chest. 

Whether or not I accept this, I was going to die.

“Accept it, you murderer!”

“I, November Adams, accept your rejection” I whispered as my wolf howled in pain.

I felt Ivy Rose, my wolf began to fade away until this unbearable void entirely replaced her. 

My eyes met his and I saw nothing in it, all the love I once saw in them was gone.

One minute, I had been looking forward to my wedding, and the next, I was waking up beside my future father-in-law’s lifeless body.

The guards ripped my flimsy nightdress off, leaving me completely naked, but I didn’t care. The pain of the broken bond took over me, overshadowing everything else. Then, the first lash hit my back, and I crumbled to the floor, gasping for breath. But they weren’t done with me yet. 

The guards picked me up and hit me again, the pain increasing with each blow. Through my pain and agony, I saw a mischievous smile on Emily’s face and I couldn’t understand why she was doing this.

My eyes shifted to Brandon, who remained cold and indifferent, indifferent to the fact that I was suffering and carrying his child. The beating continued, each lash more brutal than the last until I couldn’t take it anymore. I collapsed to the floor, taking one last breath before slipping into unconsciousness.

Later in the night, I lay on the cold dungeon floor, unconscious and waiting for my sentence. Suddenly, I felt a hand shaking me vigorously as if trying to wake me from a deep sleep. “Ma’am… Ma’am…” the voice called repeatedly, growing clearer as I slowly regained consciousness.

I opened my blurry eyes, and there, right in front of me, was a maid I recognized all too well. Her name was Ella, and I had always been kind to her. “Ella…” I mumbled weakly, the pain from the broken bond and the whips on my back too much to bear. “What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice a whisper as the floor beneath me was stained with my blood.

She quickly draped a small blanket over me, covering my nakedness, and whispered urgently, “We need to run away from here. Your life is at risk. The council is not going to spare you.”

I winced as pain shot through every part of my body, and I managed to ask, “Why are you helping me, Ella? If you are caught, they won’t spare you either.” She didn’t seem to care as she tried to help me stand, but I was too weak.

“You have been so kind to me, and the last thing I will allow is for you to die an unfair death,” she said, struggling to support me. “You have to leave now.”

“I can’t,” I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. “I really can’t right now. I have to talk to Brandon. If I run away, it will prove I did what they accuse me of, and I don’t want that.”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” she yelled, confusing me. I stared into her eyes, desperate for answers.

“Get what?” I asked, my voice trembling.

She sighed deeply, hesitating, unsure whether to reveal what she knew. I searched her eyes, pleading for any clue.

“This is all a plan to get rid of you. And the Alpha’s son, Brandon, is in on it,” she exclaimed.

I gasped, shock flooding my face as I struggled to process the information. A plan to get rid of me? And he’s part of it? 

Does Brandon want to get rid of me?

Why?

“We are working on borrowed time, ma; we need to go NOW!”

We hadn’t run a yard when I suddenly heard Brandon’s angered voice, “DON’T LET THAT MURDERER ESCAPE!”