003: Betrayal

HANNAH’S POV

*Back to Present*

The verdict had been delivered, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. I didn’t want to cry—not here, not now—but the sight of Cecilia, my stepmother, weeping so bitterly for me shattered any resolve I had left.

Her sobs echoed through the cold courtroom, each one a painful reminder of the agony I had caused her. I could see it in her eyes, in the way her face crumpled with grief. She looked so fragile, so broken.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, her voice quivering as though it might break altogether. “Where did I go wrong? I promised your father I’d take care of you.” Her words, filled with a desperate kind of sorrow, were more than I could bear.

My throat tightened as I struggled to speak. “I’m so sorry, Cecilia,” I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t your fault. One day, I’ll be able to tell you the truth.” I reached out, wanting to hold her hand a little longer, to somehow convey the apology I couldn’t fully express.

But the guards were already moving in, their hands rough and impersonal as they grabbed my arms. The cold metal of the shackles bit into my wrists, a harsh contrast to the warmth I’d tried to offer Cecilia.

As they dragged me away, I caught a glimpse of Coby at the far end of the room. His face was a mask, his expression unreadable. I searched his eyes, desperate to find some sign of what he was thinking, but before I could make sense of it, I was dragged out and thrust into the cell.

The heavy door slammed shut behind me with a deafening clang. The guards removed my shackles with practiced efficiency, their disdain palpable. One of them sneered at me, his voice dripping with scorn. “It’s a pity a pretty girl like you has such a rotten mind to take a life. But don’t worry—you’ll pay for your crimes now.”

I clenched my fists, swallowing the scream that rose in my throat. I wasn’t filthy. I wasn’t a murderer. But now wasn’t the time to defend myself. Not yet. I needed to wait—wait until Coby was crowned. I backed into the corner of the cell, the cold stone floor pressing into my skin as I curled up, trying to find some small comfort in the darkness.

The hours dragged on, each one feeling like an eternity. I kept waiting, hoping against hope that Coby would come to see me. I knew his coronation as Alpha was imminent—only a few hours away—but still, I prayed he would find a moment for me.

His presence would have calmed the storm inside me, reassured me that everything might somehow be okay. Every time I heard footsteps echoing down the prison hallway, my heart leapt with anticipation, only to crash back down when they faded into silence. Each disappointment felt like a fresh wound, leaving me more broken than before.

As daylight slipped away, replaced by the inky blackness of night, I heard the faint strains of music drifting in from outside. It was coming from Coby’s ceremony, the celebration of his rise to power. Tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision as I thought about what I was missing.

I had always imagined standing beside him as he was crowned, sharing in his triumph. Instead, I was here—locked away in a dark, dank cell, staring out at the world through a small, barred window.

I lay down on the cold floor, my body aching from the unyielding stone beneath me. Thoughts of my father flooded my mind. What would he think if he were alive? Would he be disappointed in me? And what about Cecilia? Was she still crying, still blaming herself for my fate?

In the midst of my turmoil, I longed for Vivian, wishing she could be here, if only for a moment. But she had disappeared from me. Was she that ashamed of me, now that I have become a murderer?

The distant music continued to play, a cruel reminder of all I had lost, until finally, exhaustion pulled me into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, the sound of my cell door unlocking jolted me awake. My heart pounded as I sat up, fear and hope warring within me. When I saw Coby step inside, a wave of relief washed over me. I scrambled to my feet. "Coby!" I cried, rushing over to him, wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug, just like I always had. But something was wrong. He didn’t hug me back. His body was stiff, unyielding.

I pulled away, my eyes searching his face for an explanation. But what I saw there made my heart lurch with fear. His expression was cold, indifferent—so unlike the Coby I knew. “What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice trembling. A terrible thought crossed my mind, and I gasped. “Did they not name you Alpha?”

His eyes met mine, his gaze cold and unwavering. “I am now Alpha of the Crimson pack,” he said, his tone flat and filled with pride.

A wave of relief swept through me, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. But as I looked at him again, I knew something was still very wrong. “Then why didn’t you come to see me yesterday after your coronation?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

Coby’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. “I couldn’t come,” he said, his voice as cold as his gaze.

I nodded slowly, trying to understand. “I assumed you were busy...”

But his next words shattered that assumption—and my heart. “I couldn’t come to see you not because I was busy, but because I want nothing to do with someone like you.”

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. My breath caught in my throat, my mind struggling to process what he had just said. “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice shaking. “What do you mean by ‘someone like me’?”

Coby’s eyes locked onto mine, his gaze icy and unforgiving. “Someone who is a murderer,” he spat.