chapter one

LYLA'S POV 

"That smell—what is that?" I said slowly getting up from the floor. I tried to look around, but everywhere was dark. "Where the hell am I?" I asked again. 

My head hurts. I winced as I tried to remember what happened. "I was drinking with..." My brain went into a frenzy mode as I tried to recall what I was doing before all of this. 

The more I tried to remember, the more my head hurt. 

I finally decided to switch the light on, and then what I saw made me puke. I threw up all over the floor as I looked at the horror right before my eyes. I remembered a young girl killing a lot of people on the first day she wolfed out. 

I wasn't ready yet; I still have a few months before I finally wolf out, but here I was, in the pool of blood with my kills as I believed it to be. "I can't...it is not possible." I fidget with the words. 

I looked at my white clothes, and I saw they were soaked with blood. With trembling feet, I walked towards the corpses, trying to see who they were

I froze. "What? I am dead!" I shouted seeing their faces. "Oh god!" I winced again in pain. 

The throbbing in my head was getting more painful, and my eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets. I tried to clean the blood off my hands and body, but the more I tried, the more I stained my clothes. 

"Open the door!" I heard a loud noise at the door behind me. 

The loud bang at the door made my heart race. 

I stood as I looked at Thorn. "Listen to me, babe. I didn't...I...I.." I stammered with the word, trying to leave my mouth, but I couldn't find the right words to justify what I had done. At least that was what I believed since I was standing in the middle of the crime scene.

Thorn rushed to his father's side and looked at my face. "What did you do?" he shouted at me.

My face pales as the blood all over my body convicts me of murder. I know there was nothing I could say that would make Thorn trust me. His father was the one that had arranged the marriage contrary to what he wanted. Alpha Derrick believed in the old ways of marriage, and he believed an Alpha should marry a lady CHOSSEN by the moon goddess. 

I had no reason to kill a man who wanted me to be his daughter-in-law, but I might need to convince the soon-to-be Alpha of that. 

With tears and a croaky voice, "I didn't,Thorn. I would never harm your father. He is... is like a father to me." I said with tears. 

"Believe you? Take a look at yourself!" He shouted at me. 

I looked at my hands, my feet, and back at his face. My prints were all over the crime scene, and there was nothing I could say that would prove me innocent. 

I looked back, and the door flunged open. Georgina ran towards me and grabbed my hands. "What did you do, Lyla?" She screamed 

" Georgina, It is not me. Please believe me." I said breaking down in front of everyone.

I looked around, and I could see their gaze fixed on me. Convicting me of a crime I didn't commit. 

"Get her out of here!" Thorn barked in anger. "Thorn! Thorn!! Please, I can explain all of this. I don't remember; please give me the chance to tell you what happened. I can find who did this." I pleaded 

"Didn't you hear me?!" Thor shouted at Brian, who was standing looking at him. Brian looked at me and knew there was no way I could have killed the Alpha, who was stronger and more ferocious than any beast in the kingdom. 

Alpha Derrick was known for his ferocity and brutality. He was the most feared Alpha in the four kingdoms, but funny enough, he was nice to me. 

Brian came back to his senses and immediately ordered his men to drag me to the dungeon. 

The pain I was feeling now was greater than anything I have ever felt. I knew what happened to anyone convicted of murder. The penalty was death. 

My wail was heard throughout the kingdom as I was dragged by my hair. I could feel the scalp of my head like it was going to be removed as I was dragged. My skin tore as I tried to resist having an audience with Thorn. 

I looked around, and I saw the servants whispering among themselves. "I didn't do it!" I kept murmuring the words as I felt the strength slowly leaving my mortal body. 

I was thrust into the damp cell. I rushed towards the gate as it was about to be closed, but then one of the guards clawed at my stomach. I landed with a great thud as blood oozed out of the wound. 

I cried with bitterness in my voice. For the very first time in my life, I cursed my fate, the moon goddess. "Why does this have to happen to me when I was having it so good? I was having the perfect life I had always dreamed of." I lamented hitting the floor with my bare hands. 

I wailed like a deranged woman, but suddenly I stopped. All I needed was to remember what happened the night before. I closed my eyes. "You can do this, Lyla. Think." I said slowly, trying to concentrate. 

I could not remember anything the more I tried. It was like the day had been wiped out of my memory. Like a computer missing a memory chip. "Oh god!" I said with a sigh, falling to the cold floor. 

I knew what this meant for me, but the fact that my mate didn't believe me was killing me. Thorn never liked me before, and this was the only way to get me out of his life completely. As I lay on the floor, I heard footsteps approaching. I quickly got up and grabbed the gates. 

I heard the sound of footsteps walking toward me as the sound of her sharp claws against the wall. I looked up and saw a smirk on her face. She looked at me. "Do you honestly think I was going to let you have him?" She said with a disdain look on her face. 

My face went pale. "Did you do this?" I asked almost out of breath.