Chapter 004

Eira’s POV

I stared at Nina, Lilith’s minion who had dashed out from nowhere and claimed the food I cooked was poisoned.

“ What do you mean the food's poisoned?” Axel took the words right from my mouth.

“ I watched when Eira was cooking and I noticed how she suspiciously added something, so I decided to check it out once she had gone out. I found out that she added poisonous mushrooms instead of the usual non-harmful mushrooms,” she heaved, her expression that of fear and panic. Someone was trying to sabotage me because I knew I would never poison Lilith not even if I don't like her.

She opened a small cloth and showed them some button mushrooms with was the mushroom I used in the soup. Wait… those weren't the mushrooms I bought. These were destroying angels, just then, my heart began to beat faster and faster. Someone was framing me.

“ These are the mushrooms I found in the kitchen. They are destroying angels and you can ask any top chef here, they'll be able to tell the difference,” she spoke confidently. Could she possibly be the one who had set me up?

“ No way,” Lilith gasped. I had a feeling she was the one behind this, after all, she was the only person that hated me actively enough to go this far.

“ Send for the top chefs in the palace!” Alpha Axel commanded and some soldiers went to get the chefs while I stood stiffly trying to process what was going on. I held my tears that desperately wanted to escape my eyes, just when I thought everything was going smoothly for me, this had to happen.

In a few minutes, the chefs had lined up and as per the instruction of Alpha Axel, they inspected the mushrooms and quickly gave the same judgement. It was the destroying angel mushroom which could easily be confused for the button mushroom.

“ How dare you try to poison members of the royal family?! After everything this family has done for you! I always knew you hated me but letting your hatred blind you to bite the hand that has been feeding you is just madness!” Lilith yelled. What did I expect living around Lilith? There was no way she wouldn't have found ways to ruin me and given how perfectly this plan was executed and her acting skills, there was no escaping this.

“ I can't believe you stooped so low Eira,” Axel looked at me in disappointment. Why did he act like we were close and why the hell did he feel the need to act like he cared that any of this was even happening to me?!

“ Why do you care? Isn't this what you've always wanted? A perfect way to erase my existence,” I spat.

“ Guards! Seize her and throw her into the dungeons!” Lilith gladly instructed.

I was quickly secured by the guards and taken away, the horrifying look in Lara’s eyes haunted me. She was a good friend and I knew that she would be hurt by my arrest.

“ I promise, I'll find a way to prove your innocence!” She cried as the guards took me away.

“ No matter what you do, you can't win so no need to search for evidence. I'm happy I met someone like you,” I looked back and said, watching Lara cry. I was just as scared as she was, I didn't want to die but I also couldn't drag her or anyone else into this mess.

Going down a long line of spiral stairs, we finally got to the dungeons and there, I was locked up. They used silver shackles to chain me to the wall of one of the cells, I could feel myself growing weak. I wasn't even a strong werewolf so a regular chain would have been able to hold me.

I lay down on the cold floor and coiled up. I let the tears I had been holding back fall steadily down my cheeks. What did I do to deserve all this? Was this how I was going to end? I pondered as I drifted into sleep as minutes turned to hours.

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“ So you've already made a home out of this wretched dungeon?” I woke up to Lilith scorning.

“ What are you doing here?” I questioned, not bothering to hide my anger. After all, she had already thrown me into prison.

“ Shhh, no need to get all aggressive. I mean, I simply came here to visit. Who knows, this might be the last time I get to see your bizarre looking face,” she laughed hysterically.

“ Just be well aware that if His Majesty could dump me for you, he can dump you for another person. Once a cheat, always a cheat,” I returned the favor.

“ How dare you?!” She fumed.

“ If this indeed is the last few hours of my life, then, I definitely don't want to spend it looking at you,” I said with dead eyes. I had hit a point where I had cried to the stage that I couldn't bring myself to cry anymore.

In annoyance, Lilith left with her minions. I wondered how mom and dad would feel if they were seeing me like this- helpless.

“ I really did try my best to live up to your expectations but once again, I was different. I'm sorry,” I mumbled an apology to my parents as I began crying helplessly on the floor.

Some days later

It has been about three days since the incident and three days since I've been on trial. I had been starved, beaten and neglected by the guards.

The silver shackles coupled with my malnourished body made it hard for me to move so I lay down nearly throughout the whole day and of course, I would occasionally fall asleep.

“ Hey! Eira! Wake up,” I heard a familiar voice call my name in a hushed tone.

“ Huh?” I mumbled as I tried to decipher if this was real or not.

“ Eira, we don't have time to waste. You need to get up,” I heard the cell gate open followed by the rocking movements of my body.

“ Lara?” I called out softly as I opened my eyes.

“ Finally, you're awake,” she sighed in relief.

“ What's going on?” I asked sitting up.

“ There's no time to explain but we have to get you moving, now,” she sounded urgent.

“ We?”

“ I tagged along to help,” Marcus smiled in the dim light of the night. Lara quickly uncuffed me and pulled me up by the hand, she dragged me out of the cell.

Getting to the main palace itself, Lara handed me a map.

“ As much as I want to ensure you're safe, if I go any further than this and anything happens, I'd be killed by the Alpha. Besides, it would be too suspicious if we both went missing suddenly,” she sighed.

“ W-what do you mean?” I stuttered.

“ Run away, Eira. You don't deserve to be treated this way. Take this door, it's a secret passage leading outside the palace. Once you leave the palace, run and don't look back,” she grabbed my hands and squeezed them tight.

“ I'll make sure to escape so your efforts won't be in vain,” I dried my eyes and with a bright smile and a proper farewell, I ran through the door which she had pointed, the map in my hands as I ran.

Lara had told me that the council had already determined to execute me and so my best chance of escaping was now.

After running for a while through the secret passage, I stepped on a twine like object and the next thing I knew, the palace security system went off. The passage must have been booby trapped, meaning that I would be caught if I don't do something quickly. Knowing fully well I couldn't go back to the dungeons and wait to be executed, I ran as fast as I could and the moment I stepped out of the palace, I ran into the forest. I could hear the persistent feet of the soldiers.

“ The prisoner has escaped! Find her!”