Chapter 1 A misunderstanding?

My name is Natalie.

I am 23 years old and I am the Luna of the Red Blood Pack. I’ve been Luna since I married Adam three years ago and even if we were not fated mates I’ve done my job in the interest of this pack outstandingly. I am the best on what I am doing. In the Alpha’s community I’ve never seen a Luna more involved and more altruistic.

So being in this position now is making me wonder what the hell is happening. I must be dreaming. I must be under some kind of a nightmare effect because this can’t be real.

“Why did you do it, bitch?” my gamma asks me and hits me again, making me fall to the ground. And another whip comes out of nowhere. Oh my goddess… Please, I need an answer. I need to know. What the hell is happening with me?

I lift my face and I look directly into my abuser eyes. I know him and he knows me. He knows that I am his Luna. We grew up together and he swore his oath to me three years ago and now he is whipping me like I am some kind of criminal?

“Why are you beating me?” I say trying to look at his with dignity.

“I asked you something, Bill?” I say again trying to support myself in my arms as I am kneeled on the ground of my cell.

“What harm have I ever done to be treated like this?”

But Bill throws me a furious gaze:

“You know what you have done!” and out of nowhere another whip comes on my back ripping my flesh.

“Kelly…”I whisper to my wolf and my head falls between my arms hitting the ground.

“Kelly it hurts too much…” and my tears started to flow on my cheeks even if I tried, I really tried to resist and be brave but I can’t do it anymore so I lean on the floor.

“Can you help me, Kelly? Can you heal me?” I ask my wolf.

“I want to, Natalie” she groans in pain. “but I can’t do it anymore. I am too weak. He is beating us for hours” and I can hear her howls. She is begging the gods for help. Where is my Goddess right now? I don’t deserve this.

“Please” I whisper and try again to lift my head.

“What is going on, Bill? Whatever is happening here you must know that it is just a misunderstanding. ” and I placed my head on the ground so I could watch him as I spoke to him.

“You fooled us, bitch!” Bill growls at me. “You made us think that you are a good woman but you are just a malicious woman with no heart” and he lifts his arm in the air to hit me again.

I know I can’t escape from this. He even gave me wolfsbane so I could become weak and submit to him. I have no chance. I have no power in this.

“I swear to you, Bill” I say in a whisper “I have no idea what are you talking about…”

“Then how is it that her pup is dead, huh?” Bill asks and slaps me hard over my face “How is that our little Alpha is dead?”

WHAT? What little Alpha? Who is dead?

“Don’t look at me as if you have no idea what is going on, bitch!” he says and slaps me. “You killed Lexie’s baby! Our pack’s heir!”

Lexie's unborn pup is dead?

“I didn’t do it!” I scream with all the strength that was left in me. I would never do that!

“I didn’t touch her! It is not my fault if she aborted her pup!” I tell him and now my heart started to beat faster and faster.

You might think that there is a problem, talking about another woman’s pup as the pack’s heir as I am Luna and the legal wife of Adam Hawkins, the Alpha of Red Blood Pack but there is more than that.

I may be his Luna, but I am infertile and for three years all he wanted was to have an heir. And his fated mate gave it to him what I couldn't.

I have no idea why the Moon Goddess made me infertile, but this is the way I am.

But why are they accusing me of killing her pup? I have nothing to do with that.

“Stop looking at me like that!” Bill suddenly growls, making me come back from my thoughts. “Stop looking at me as if you are innocent!”

And I close my eyes in horror as I see the whip coming in my direction again but before he could touch me , the door opens and a hard growl comes from the frame door.

“For the goddess’s name, what the fuck have you done, Bill?”

“What it was told to me. I made her pay for her crimes!” Bill says but in the next second he is pushed away from me by Philip McNeil, our beta. I can barely see Bill because of the blood that flows down my face, but he falls to the ground close to me.

But what is making my soul jump is the scent of Adam. He is here, he will trust me. He knows me and he loves me. He knows that I would never do what Bill is accusing me. I try to look at him but before I could do it, Philip growls at Bill.

“Who the hell do you think you are to punish her? She deserves a trial. Until then no one can say if she is guilty or not!” Phillip tells him in a harsh voice, and kneels next to and looks at my wounds.

“Get the hell out of here, Bill, and don’t show up again or I am strangling you for abusing your Luna!” he commands Bill.

“She is not my Luna anymore!” Bill growls but he listens to Phillip and leaves my cell, leaving me alone with Adam and Philip. But why is Adam silent?

“What have you done, Natalie?” Phillip whispers, looking at me with sadness.

“I…did…nothing” I whisper and try to look into his eyes but I am way too weak, so I turn my face to Adam, and try to reach his gaze, but he looks at me with hatred.

“Adam…”I whisper.

“Lexie says that you did it” Phillip tells me and now my heart stops, but Philip’s voice is not harsh anymore. He is talking to me calmly. “Everything is against you, Natalie.”

I look at Adam. He can’t believe this. No, no, no. He must trust me, I just found out about Lexie’s pup. How can I prove to them that I didn’t do it?

Who is gone say for me in front of Adam?

Rosie!

My omega must know that I wasn’t in Lexie’s room. She was with me all the time. She must help me. She is my only chance.

“Adam” I say and this time I opened my eyes and looked directly into my mate’s eyes “Please, talk with Rosie Walker. She knows that I didn’t do it. She is my servant. She will stay by my side and tell you the truth. I would never touch an innocent pup, Adam. I am not that kind of person” and I burst into tears again. “I didn’t do it!” I almost screamed, freaking out for the first time since this madness started.

But before I could add something else the voice that I loved the most in this world mocks me hard as if he never loved me, as if I am his biggest enemy.

“There is no need to tell me anything “ Adam, my Alpha, my chosen mate and my husband says. “I already know what you did.”

What? No, this can’t happen.

“Love, I would never…” but the moment I said that his face became dark and coming in my direction he made me almost jump in fear.

“Don’t hurt me!” I screamed in horror, trying to hug my knees, and come in a fetal position as an attempt to defend myself from his hit, but my action shocked him.

“What are you doing, Adam?” Phillip asks him and looks at me with strange eyes.

“You are asking me that?” Adam asks furious and he is using his alpha command on him. “How do you dare to question me for this bitch?” and the moment his words came out, Kelly’s howls started to become louder and louder in my head. He hates us. He doesn’t believe us.

“Is not about betrayal, Adam” Phillip tells him “Is about giving her a chance to explain herself, to defend herself if there is something that was not spoken until now.”

Adam looks at me and I grab my wounded arms and wrap them around my body. I feel so cold, as the blood is flowing out of my system.

“She will die soon, if you don’t stop this madness” Phillip says , looking at me and that made Adam flinch. Maybe there are still a few emotions , a gram of love in his heart that it is destined for me.

“I didn’t do it” I whisper, trying my luck. “I would never hurt you this way, Adam” I say.

I would never do that. He must know that.

“But yet you did it!” Adam says in the end with some remorse in his gaze and turns his head in another direction as if he can’t look at my wounded body anymore.

“You were jealous of Lexie. I told you that she would never take your Luna position, but I need her to procreate. And you? What have you done? You worked on my back out of jealousy!”

“I trusted you, Adam. There was no need to hurt her. I trusted you” I say and using all my strength I kneel and try to get on my feet.

“You are lying!” He says turning around and pointing his index finger in my direction, looking at me with bloody eyes but I can’t be weak. I need to beg him to listen to me.

“You hurt my mate!” he growls at me “The mother of my pup!”

His mate? HIS FUCKING MATE? I can’t do this anymore.

“If she is your mate, what am I, Adam?” I asked him without even flinching because everything started to become clear. He loves her too even if he said he doesn’t. But my question took him by surprise, because he just stares at me as if he has no idea how to answer that.

“If you ever loved me even for a second” I tell him and look directly into his eyes. “I beg you, bring my servant here. Rosie knows my actions. She was with me almost all the time. She will be my witness.”

He is staring at me and he is doubting me.

“Man she may…”Phillip starts but he is interrupted by a soft woman’s voice.

“She is right” and Adam turns around and almost runs to the door.

“What are you doing here, Lexie?” he asks with a scared voice. “You should rest after everything you’ve suffered.”

“I wanted to see, Natalie,” she whispers with the same soft voice. “I wanted to ask her why she did it”.

“Because she was jealous!” Adam explains to her and pulls her into his arms, making me and Kelly surfer. He marked me, he must know that he makes me suffer.

“She said that she has a witness,” Lexie tells him. “Maybe she is right, maybe it is all a misunderstanding” and my heart stopped.

“Something is not right, Nat” Kelly whispers. “Is she defending us? Why would she do that?”

“Bring her servant here” Lexie tells Adam .”I want to know if she wasn’t the one who put poison in my food to abort our sweet and innocent pup.” and my heart is not beating anymore.

Is he going to give me a chance to defend myself? Is he going to save me from this madness? But why is Lexie helping me?

“Are you sure?” he asks Lexie, without looking at me and she just nods , looking at him with puppy eyes.

“I will give only one more chance, Natalie” Adam says and leaves Lexie’s embrace. “For the sake of our past together” and looking at Phillip commands him.

“Bring Rosie Walkers here”

He did it. He gave us another chance…Even if it was not for us but for Lexie’s sake, at least I have a chance to explain myself.

“Did you ask for me, Alpha?” Rosie says and looking at me she lost her colors. “Luna!” she screams in horror, as she tries to reach me, but Adam stops her.

“Leave her!” and using his Alpha command asks her.

“Tell me the truth, Rosie. Is Natalie guilty or not for my unborn pup’s death?” and that question made Rosie stop in her tracks. She is all shivering and bursts into tears.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask myself. What is with her reaction?

“I command you to talk!” Adam growls at her and she looks at me and gives me devilish grin.

“I am so sorry Alpha!” she busted in tears.

Sorry for what? What is going on?

“She forced me to do it, Alpha!” Rosie says and now I am really dead.

“I didn’t want to but she forced me.” And Rosie kneels in front of Adam. “She used her Luna command on me and I was forced to submit to her! She commanded me to poison your fated mate!”

“I never used my Luna command on anyone!” I tell him but Adam turns around and slaps me. “Please, love, please believe me!” I beg him, crying my heart out. “You know me since I was two, I would never do that!” and I grab his leg but Adam just kicks me to the ground.

“Don’t touch me!” he growls at me.

“I love you, Adam. I would never…” but he turns his back to me and grabbing Lexie’s hand he commands Phillip.

“Prepare everything. Tomorrow I will execute her!”