CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

AVA

I couldn't help the countless tears that dripped down from my eyes as I sat on the cold hard ground, tears of unbelieve, betrayal and anger, anger that the people I love and cared about could not even stand up for me, people who were supposed to have my back at all cost.

Now I found myself locked up alone with no one to stand by me.

 I was cold, hungry and shattered, I had even gotten multiple bites from insects I couldn't even see.

  I had no idea for how long I had been here, since the dungeon was always dark and I could not even discern between day and night.

  But all of these physical pains I felt right now were no match to what I felt in my heart the hurt I felt I'm my heart was nothing I had ever felt before. My heart churned over and over again whenever I remember the disgusted look on Theodore's face when I tried to explain to him that I was not guilty of what I was being accused of.

Just few days ago we were just okay, everything was going well for me, we were even planning a possible relationship between us, I had confessed to him how I really felt about him, and he had also confessed that he felt the same way for me too. Until that night.

I and Theodore were in the woods, just outside the pack house. Everyone in the pack knew about our romance and were rooting for us to become a thing.

 "Looks like even the stars are rooting for us" Theodore said as he held my hands under the moonlight.

 "And the moon too" I pointed to the moon. "It's super bright today" I said blushing.

  Theodore lifted his hands and tucked some strands of hair behind my ear.

  "You are so beautiful" he said, causing the butterflies in my stomach to dance around in ectasy. I looked into his face, he was handsome, I don't think I had ever met any man more handsome than Theodore. I knew I would be the subject of envy of the other girls in the pack because Theodore had chosen me.

  I instantly felt like kissing him as I looked at his beautiful face glittering under the moon, and I made to do just that. I leaned gently towards him, I did not mind giving him my first kiss, after all he was my first love.

  Holding me by the shoulders, Theodore pulled me even closer to himself till our breathes collided forming a blanket of warm air right in front of us. Intoxicated by his scent, I closed my eyes in anticipation of what could have been the most blissful experience I would ever have. Our lips slightly brushed against each other before I suddenly heard someone call my name from behind. Quickly disengaging from him, feeling a bit disappointed, I turned around to see who it was that had called me. It was Lina, my best friend.

  "Hey Lina" I said walking up to her, a bit disappointed that my blissful experience was cut short.

  "What are you up to?" She asked with her arms folded, giving me a knowing look.

  "Well...." I gave Theodore a look and then turned back to Lina, a blush was obvious on my face.

  "Well we do not have time for all of this romance, alpha Lucas wants you".

  "Alpha Lucas?" I asked with open eyes.

  Why would alpha Lucas send for me? The last time he had sent for me like that was the night I and some other girls in the pack had wandered into the nearby forest to pick rotten fruits, I was severely punished for it because it was all of my idea. Even till this day the experience still felt funny to me. I wondered what I might have done now to warrant this.

  I was surprised to see everyone including alpha Lucas standing in my room when I got there, the room I shared with Lina and two other girls. I immediately walked into the middle of everyone

.

  "Is that how desperate you are?" Those were alpha Lucas first words the moment he sighted me.

  I looked on in surprise, wondering what could be the problem. Clueless, I looked form one person to the other, I particularly looked at Lina, my best friend but she looked away immediately.

  "I don't understand" my lips shook as I spoke.

  I was about asking another question before I saw what alpha Lucas had in his hand, it was the packs sacred wolf's claws that had been used in training the young ones of the pack into their full potentials. It had always been reserved in a special room and was only used on special occasions, although I had never believed in the powers of that claws, "after all they were just claws right?" I told my friend Lina once while we talked about it.

  I was still wondering why alpha Lucas was holding the claws and standing here with most of the pack members, or was it an emergency midnight training? I remembered that he had called for such training sometime in the past. I had always hated training time, I found them boring.

  "You don't understand this?" Alpha Lucas asked angrily, waving the claws in front of my face.

  I shook my head, having no idea what he wanted me to understand.

  "You have become so desperate for power that you have decided to acquire it through dubious means?" He barked. "That you had the audacity to go into the sacred room to steal the claws.

  "Steal?" I asked surprised, "I didn't steal the claws". I stammered.

  "But it was found under your bed" one of the girls said rudely with her arms folded.

  "What?" I heard Theodore's voice from behind.

 I turned around to look at him, the look on his face was not the normal looks of admiration he used to look at me earlier, it was a kind of look that broke my heart.

  "Do you have any explanation as to why this was found under your bed? Why did you steal it?"

  I shook my head, unable to say anything as tears gushed from my eyes.

  Despite all of my pleas and explanation, no one believed me, not even Theodore.

  "There is no way it would have been found under your bed of you did not steal it, just admit to what you did maybe you can be pardoned" Lina said with her arms folded.

  I could not believe what I was hearing from my best friend.

  After much begging and pleading, alpha Lucas decided that the best was to find out if I did it or not was to call a witch from the neighboring town.

 I agreed whole heartedly to it because I knew I was innocent.

 I can't forget the disgust on alpha Luca's voice when he ordered for me to be locked up in the dungeon until the witch arrived.

  I wiped the tears from my eyes, at least the witch would arrive soon and my innocence would be proven.

  I soon heard the door of the dungeon open from outside, I squinted my eyes as the rays of morning sunlight hit my eyes. The witch had arrived and alpha Lucas had called for me.

  The witch was sitting on a mat that was spread on the ground in the open space, she had long black hair with a sprinkle of grey that covered her face.

  After mumbling some words to herself, she finally looked up.

  I stared at her with utmost anticipation, I could not wait to hear her utter the words that would prove my innocence and restore my honour.