Chapter Two: The Dungeon

Ivy’s pov

The guards dragged me away while holding me tightly. They didn't care whether their hands injured me, therefore they were hard on my arms. I was no longer able to see my parents, but I could still hear them yelling somewhere behind me.

It hurt how quickly my heart was racing. Where had they taken me? How would my parents fare? My mind was racing with these questions, but I had no answers.

"Let me go!" The guards were too powerful for me to get away from. My efforts did nothing to weaken their hold. Never before had I felt so weak and powerless.

Behind us, the furious voices of the crowd grew louder. They were the same individuals who once bowed to me and referred to me as their savior. They wanted me punished now. My head turned and my ears rang from their yells.

My heart stopped racing when I realized where we were as the guards pushed me forward. The Law Ground. They brought the most terrible offenders here. Most visitors who commit a crime didn't make it out alive.

I looked around desperately for Derek. There was a tiny part of me that hoped he would stop this despite everything. But his face was harsh and chilly when I found him. He regarded me as if I were a complete stranger when he sat in the front of the trial area. I didn't think I knew Derek like this. This wasn't the man I had loved.

The guards pushed me down onto the rough dirt. The dirt stung my flesh, and my magnificent ceremonial attire was now tattered and soiled. I struggled to recover my breath as I looked around at all the angry faces around me.

"Ivy," Derek's voice cut through the noise. He stood up, his face displaying no emotion. "You and your parents will face our laws for your lies. Your tricks won't work anymore!"

"No!" My voice broke as I shouted back. "There was nothing wrong with us! Just listen to me, please.

Derek's eye briefly locked with me. Maybe doubt? I thought I saw something there. But it was gone in an instant. He called for the witnesses and turned away.

An elderly physician was the first witness. His voice trembled as he talked, and his face was deeply scarred. "They asked me to kill Angel when she was born," he added, pointing to my parents. In order for their daughter to replace her, they sought to conceal her.

I was deeply affected by his statements. I looked at my parents, pleading with them. "Mom? Dad? Inform me that this is untrue. "Please, say something!"

However, my mom refused to give me a look. She sobbed quietly while keeping her head down. My father refused to look at me, and his face was as hard as stone.

"Just tell me it's not true!" I yelled at them. "Say something, anything!"

They could have responded, but their silence was worse.

Additional witnesses came forward. They all related tales of my parents' attempts to harm Angel and conceal her. I felt like my world was falling apart with every narrative.

Then, at last, my mom broke. She cried, "Ivy," in a voice that was almost audible. "We had no choice but to do it. We couldn't allow her to replace you. It was supposed to be you, according to the prophecy.

I was having trouble breathing. I felt like I was spinning on the ground. I had lived a lie my entire life. Everything I thought I knew about my family and myself was untrue.

My mother yelled, "We did it for you!" and reached out to me. "We wished you a happy existence. "The life we never had!"

Derek's voice broke through the commotion. "Remove them. Their life will be the price they pay for their sins.

"No!" I leaped forward and grabbed Derek's leg. I pleaded as tears wet his clothes. "Please, Derek! Avoid doing this! They are my parents! All they wanted to do was keep me safe.

For a moment, I thought he may reconsider once he glanced down at me. However, he took a step back and moved away from me. "They made their choice," he announced icily. "And so did I."

My parents were hauled away by the guards. My mother repeatedly yelled my name. My father struggled with the guards, but to no avail. I attempted to chase after them, but was stopped by additional soldiers.

I pleaded, "Stop!" "Please, stop!"

However, nobody paid attention. As my parents vanished, the audience applauded. I was suddenly viewed as a monster by those who had formerly loved me.

My entire body trembled with tears as I collapsed to my knees in the ground. My parents, my position in the pack, and my future were all gone. It was all gone in one day.

I was shadowed by Derek. He continued, "And you," in a hateful tone, "you'll pay for your part in this too."

Through my tears, I glanced up at him. Whispering, "I didn't do anything," "You know I didn't."

He simply grinned, his eyes icy. "Take her to the dungeons."

Once more, the guards seized me. I screamed as they pulled me away, but it made no difference. No one was interested anymore. They no longer cared about me.

It was cold and dark in the dungeon. Like I was nothing, the guards pushed me inside. Pain rushed through me as my body struck the hard floor.

"Get me out of here!" The guards had already left when I sobbed.

I shivered and huddled up in the corner of my cell. How had it all gone so badly? At this point, was there any way out?

I could still hear the mob rejoicing in the darkness as my family's collapse was celebrated. Their applause pierced my heart like sharp blades. I was clueless as to why I had lost everything.