Chapter 2

Present Day

Amalthea's POV

"We're gathered here today to bear witness to the trial of Amalthea Crawford,” Elder Charles's voice rang through the general Pack hall, pulling me out of my thoughts.  “Luna..," He paused and glared at me with open contempt. "...ex Luna of Blackfangs Pack, on the grounds of Adultery," he continued and looked over at the Pack members who were all seated in the general Pack hall. 

Slowly, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.

“Order in the court,” Allen commanded and the murmurs gradually died down.

"How do you plead, Amalthea ?" Elder Charles asked, in a cold and unforgiving voice.

"Not guilty," I replied in a steady voice

Elder Charles scoffed. "Alright then. We'll start by hearing the witnesses' testimonies, and all supporting documents,”  he announced. “After that, the Pack's council would decide your verdict,” he looked over at me, and I could tell all this was just for formality's sake and my fate had already been sealed. “May the first witness please step forward.”

Lilian was the first to step forward. After the official oath-taking, she narrated how she walked into the scene of Fredrick  strangling the stranger I found on my bed.

Lilian didn't have much to say so she left, and Allen was called on next.

In addition to what Lilian already narrated, Allen presented my Phone as evidence, which supposedly contained secret messages between myself and the stranger.

“What text? I don't even know who that man is?” I protested. “Yesterday was the first time I saw him.”

I looked over at Fredrick  who had been silent since the trial started, and his eyes were fixed anywhere but on me.

“This Is your phone, correct?” Elder Charles asked, passing the phone over to me.

“Yes it is,” I answered with a slight nod. “But–”

“The text messages on your phone date to over two months ago, how do you explain that?”

“That's not possible,” I said, and quickly unlocked my phone and went to my text message.

My blood ran cold as I saw the last text message from a number saved as ‘Mi Amor’.

‘I’ll be coming over tonight to celebrate your husband's win as head of Alpha's council. Leave your window open’ the last text received read.

“H-how could this be?” I stuttered in disbelief, scrolling up the rest of the text message and saw several other text messages from months back— texts I had never sent, plans I had never made. They were filled with intimate, damning words.

“This is how you pay Alpha Fredrick  for loving you selflessly?” Elder Charles accused.

“No,” I choked out. “I swear to the goddess, I didn't send those texts! I've never met that man before. This is a setup!”

Elder Charles scoffed. “This was the reason why the council members did not support your marriage with the Alpha in the first place,” he said scornfully. “But Alpha Fredrick  defied all our warnings, and still chose a wolfless and worthless person as his Luna.”

I bowed my head as tears welled up in my eyes as I couldn't find the words to defend myself. There was nothing I could do at this point.

“You not only brought shame to the Pack but also the Alpha,” he continued. “Your so-called lover is dead now– how convenient. He committed suicide like the coward he was.”

I looked over at Elder Charles sharply, not believing my ears. I wasn't sad that he committed suicide, but everything was looking too fishy, like a well-thought-out scheme. There was something else at play here, I could feel it!

“He left a letter for you though, care to see?” Elder Charles added, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I think that's enough already,” Fredrick stood up from his thorn like chair.  “Given the evidence presented, I believe the result is quite obvious,” he continued, and stood up from his seat, then looked over at me, his eyes void of any form of emotion. “Do you have anything to say, Amalthea ?” His voice sounded cold and distant.

“I– I love you,” I whispered, fresh tears streaming down my cheeks. “I would never betray you, please believe me.”

“Amalthea  Crawford, you have been found guilty of committing Adultery,” he said calmly, his voice so calm that it sent shivers down my spine.  “According to the Pack's laws, you're to be stripped of your position as Luna, effective immediately,” he continued. “And you're to be exiled from the Pack.”

Murmurs of approval filled the hall.

“However, I won't exile you” he continued, his voice back to being cold and distant, like he was talking to someone he no longer knew. “You wouldn't survive a day as a rogue. So, you'll be locked up in the Pack's dungeons, until I can come up with a befitting punishment for you,” Fredrick  declared and made his way out of the hall.

Murmurs erupted from the crowd and I could tell the Pack members weren't satisfied with this verdict, but there was nothing they could do about it, Fredrick ’s words were law.

Allen walked over to me and clamped my hands behind my back in silver chains. Being wolfless, the chains didn't have the stinging effect they had on other wolf's, but it served just right because I wouldn't be able to break out of it, not like I was intending to anyway. 

“Let's go,” Allen said softly.

My limbs felt heavy as though I was walking through water as Allen led me away. My entire body was numb, my mind barely registering what was happening, but I couldn't entirely shut out the Pack's members' words– ungrateful bitch! Whore!

A black well-tinted SUV was out front waiting, its engine already running as if I was some criminal being carted off.

Allen opened the back door and I climbed in, my legs barely able to carry me anymore. As I collapsed onto the seat the leather was cold against my bare skin, making me shiver, not from the temperature but from the chill of my reality sinking in.

Allen glanced at me, his face tight with something that might have been sympathy, but he said nothing before slamming the door shut. A dull thud on the roof of the car followed suit, signaling for me to be taken away.

I pressed my head against the cool glass, staring out the window as the car started to move. My mind plays and replays every memory of Fredrick  and me– the laughter, the late-night talks, the promises made, the way he held me like I was the most delicate thing in the world.

I tried blinking back the fresh tears that threatened to fall, but it wasn't working so I just let them flow freely.

I hit my head on the window as the car suddenly took a sharp turn, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked around and realized we were heading in the wrong direction.

I leaned forward, my hands still bound behind me. “You took a wrong turn,” I managed to say to the driver who had been silent the entire drive. “The dungeons are back that way.”

The driver didn't respond and kept on driving.

“Where are you taking me?!” I demanded as the car's speed increased. “Answer me!”

“Shut the fuck up!” The driver growled.

“Stop the car!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Panic surged through me as I tried to make sense of what was happening. This wasn't right. Something doesn't feel right!

I struggled against the silver chains clamped on my wrist. My efforts were nothing but it was better than just sitting still and doing nothing.

Relief washed through me for a moment as I realized we were heading towards the Pack's borders, and that meant I would be safe. There was no way he'd drive through the guards stationed at the border without the car being searched.

Just like I thought the car slowed down, as we got close to the border. The driver pulled over to the side, and got down, leaving me locked inside.

“Help! Help me!” I screamed at the top of my lungs,  but the guards at the border just glanced at me and turned to the driver.

“She's waiting,” one of the guards told the driver, his eyes looking in the direction where two other cars were parked.

My heart raced twice as hard as I couldn't understand what was happening. Who was waiting? And what does that mean for me? Different scenarios of how all this would play out were running on my end, and unfortunately, none of them sounded good.

I watched intently as the driver approached one of the cars and someone stepped out.

“Lilian?” I mumbled under my breath in disbelief. Seeing Lilian only made me confused. I should be relieved upon seeing her, but why did this sudden dread wash over me at the sight of her?

An unidentified man stepped out of the second car and closely followed Lilian behind as they made their way towards the car that brought me here.

The driver that brought me here rolled down the window beside me.

“Lilian?” I rasped. “What's going on?” I asked, totally confused. 

“Nothing unusual,”  she crossed her arms across her chest, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “Just doing my brother a favor.”

“What does Fredrick  have to do with this?” I couldn't help but ask because her response to my first question only left me more confused. “What are you talking about?”

Lilian’s eyes narrowed. “Don't play dumb, Amalthea ,” she sneered. “You honestly thought you could be by Fredrick ’s side forever? As what? His weak, wolfless little Luna?” there was a certain darkness in her eyes as she spoke. For a split second, it felt like I was talking to a stranger, my brain could hardly process anything. “Do you know how embarrassing it is for the head of Alpha council to have you as his Luna?” She continued. 

“Embarrassing?” I whispered, my eyes stinging with unshed tears, as her words sank in.

“It's embarrassing for us as a Pack. Someone had to do something,” she paused, and a malicious smirk spread across her lips. “So, I'm doing everyone a favor. Don't worry, you won't be missed.”

I stared at Lilian in disbelief, my heart breaking at her every word. 

“Lilian, we're family,” I whispered. “What did I ever do to you? You're like the sister I never had.”

“Sister?” Lilian chuckled darkly. “I could never have a pathetic excuse of a werewolf as my sister. You were always an inconvenience I had to put up with, Amalthea .”

I shook my head in disbelief. Not believing my eyes or my ears at this point. There was no way Lilian could do this to me.  We were cool, we've always been cool. I tried making sense of when and how everything went wrong.

This deep-seated hatred for me didn't just happen overnight, it has always been there. But how could I not see it?

Slowly, every horrifying detail of how my life suddenly went up in flames in a span of three days started falling into place like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. 

“The man–” I mumbled in a trembling voice.

Lilian’s smirk deepened. “Finally catching on, are we?” her eyes twinkled with satisfaction. “Clever girl. It was all part of my plan,” she paused. “Just a few casualties along the line.”

“Casualties?” I mumbled. “You killed him!” I gasped, finally understanding why it sounded fishy that the man suddenly killed himself. 

“Suicide was convenient, don't you think?” Lilian shrugged nonchalantly. “Tied up everything neatly.”

“You're evil,” I rasped.

“Enough of all this,” Lilian snapped impatiently. “You know what to do,”  she turned to the other man, who gave her a curt nod.

Without a single word, the car door was wrenched open and the man pulled me out forcefully.

“Let go of me!” I screamed, struggling to free myself.

His fingers dug into my arms, bruising my skin, as he held me in place.

“Lilian-!”

The man clamped his hand over my mouth and pressed a cloth over my nose. A strong,  sickly sweet scent flooded my senses.

“Take her as far away from Blackfangs territory as possible,” Lilian's voice became distant, as darkness slowly crept in, and my world faded into nothingness.