Chapter Three

Wolfsbane was the most deadly thing to wolf. Within minutes, it could shut down the organs and kill a wolf. Thankfully, Brie must have taken only the sip of the wine, that was why she was developing boils.

“Wolfsbane?!” someone in the crowd was saying, bringing me back to earth. “Wolfsbane?! How did she get access to wolfsbane?”

“It wasn't me!” I was finally able to scream. “It wasn't me!” I repeated.

“Then who?” came the voice again. It was Josh, Gabriel's beta, and I could see the hatred in his eyes even from afar. He had once tried to force me to have sex with me. I had been able to fight him and break away, but he had kept 

coming until I pried out a small nail from a wood on the wall. He had bled from his cock that day.

And it was clear that he never forgot that day.

“The wine was a gift from Gabriel to her.”

“You mean Gabriel tried to poison his mate?” 

I didn't know when Josh came towards me until I felt the pain of his arm on my cheeks.

“You lying witch!”

He raised his hand and slapped me again.

“What's going on here?” came a thunderous voice and the crowd parted way for the Alpha, with Gabriel behind him.

Josh gestured towards me. “This witch here tried to poison Brie and blame it on Gabriel.”

“It wasn't me! I swear it wasn't me!” I spoke again, knowing it wouldn't end well for me if I was found guilty.

Loreta. Where was Loreta? 

I quickly looked around for the one person who could save me in this situation. I spotted her beside Brie, consoling her.

“Loreta!” I called her, willing her to speak up. “The drink was from Gabriel, right?” I asked her. “That was what you said.”

“Why are you involving me in this matter, Aurelia. You tried to poison Brie on your own. Why are you calling my name? You and I don't even talk.”

“She must have gone mad!” said Josh.

My eyes widen and reality dawned on me as to what Loreta wanted to do. She must have been the one that poisoned the drink and was now using me to take the fall. “Loreta, please. Please, don't do this. You gave me the drink saying that you wanted to pee and that it was Gabriel who sent you with it.”

“I didn't send anyone with a drink.” Gabriel spoke from beside his mate.

“You should tell that to Aurelia,” said Loreta, eyeing me with a scornful look.

“Please, Loreta! Just admit it!” I pleaded with her, almost going down on my knees. 

“You've always hated me!” Brie spoke up for the first time. “I knew you were a threat from the very beginning. You've always been a threat. Now you try to kill me?” She asked with tears in her eyes.

“No, Brie! I swear it wasn't me!” I tried reaching her.

She jerked her hand away from me. “Don't touch me.”

“Stay away!” said Gabriel, stretching out an arm to protect his mate, his normally gentle eyes now hardened with steel.

No one would believe, it began to dawn on me. It was the outcasts words against that of the trusted friend of the victim.

I tried one more time, “Ple—”

This time around, the slap that Josh gave me had me falling to the floor and rolling.

When I looked up, I met with Nicolas' eyes. He was slowly shaking his head.

“Nicolas, I swear I didn't do it. I swear.”

He continued shaking his head. “No. I don't want a killer as a mate.”

“I didn't try to kill her!” I yelled, despite the throbbing pain I was feeling on my face. “I didn't try to kill her. I swear it was Loreta that sent me to Brie with the bottle of wine!”

“And where would I get the money to buy such an expensive bottle of wine?” Loreta asked.

I shook my head. “No, please. I'm not a killer.”

“I reject you as my mate,” Nicolas said and my heart shattered at his words.

The one good thing in a long time. Taken away from me. “No, please.” I pleaded, my voice a hoarse whisper.

“I, Nicolas Petrov, reject you, Aurelia Jasmines as my mate. As from this moment forth, I sever the connection between us. No longer mates shall we be and no longer shall our wolves yearn and reach for each other. I reject you.”

My heart must have made an audible shattering noise at his last words. I was once again alone.

“Get up,” This time, it was the Alpha's voice. “We will serve your judgment. Gabriel, go assemble the elders.”

The next few minutes were the most painful minutes of my life, despite the fact that I was numb and unmoving through it all. But when I was pushed towards the elder council, I became aware of every minute, every second and as I stared at the elders who had ruled over the council for decades, I knew just then that my life as I knew it was over.

Almost no one had won over the elder council.

I was done.

“Tell us why you tried to kill your fellow pack member.”

“I did not try to kill her. It wasn't me.”

“Wolfsbane is the most dangerous thing to us. Where did you 

get it?”

“It was not me.” I said again, adamant.

One of the elders shook his head at me. “Unrepentant. A killer with an unrepentant heart.”

At that moment, I stopped. I stopped defending myself. They had already judged me. Way before this moment. This wasn't just about me. It was about my mother as well.

The sins of the father shall be visited on the sons, it is said. In my case, it was the sins of the mother.

“What should her punishment be?” They asked the pack members standing as one behind me.

“What should the punishment of this killer be?”

“Death!” came the responsive cries. 

“Let death be her punishment!”

One of the elders shook his white head. “Banishment. Let her be banished and exiled from the pack.”

“A rogue?” People began to whisper. “She's to become a rogue?”

Death would have been more preferable. I wouldn't survive out there on my own. I couldn't. Life as a rogue was not pleasant. And it would be more harder for a female.

“Please,” I croaked.

“Silence! You are now to accept your punishment without any delay. It is more than what you deserve. Would you prefer to have be killed like the pack wanted? So you should be thankful about this punishment handed to you. If it were other packs, you would be killed in an instant without much deliberation!”

“Leave,” said another elder, “Now.”