Scarlett's pov

The tears kept falling even as I ran to the little bunker I called my home. I couldn’t believe Elora could betray me like this. I wouldn’t even have thought of her ever betraying me. Just yesterday she was the sweetest, nicest person I knew; and today she acted almost as if I was somebody she had never known.

Discarding the lunchbox I had on with me earlier, on my tabletop, I slumped on my bed, my heart lurching in my chest. Even my wolf was too hurt, she couldn’t even speak.

“Why?!” I screamed to no one in particular. I couldn’t bear this pain. It felt like a thousand shards of silver were jutting out of several angles in my heart; reveling on and on in the pain of rejection, I cried myself to sleep, I had no one else to turn to…

***

I begrudgingly peeled my swollen eyes open a few hours later when a muffled noise at my doorstep woke me up. Splashing cold water against my sore eyes, I got up and walked to the door.

“Hi wh—” but my words sucked up in my throat when I noticed an army of palace soldiers standing at my doorstep brandishing weapons as if I was an hardened criminal. “What do you want?” I asked the one up front who looked like he was their leader. He eyed me up and down, like a piece of garbage before he said;

“We were asked to escort you to the palace.” Escort? How come an escort looks like a group of army with enough weapons to go to war with?

“Why Is that?” I asked skeptically. It didn’t feel right with me. Something felt off. Instead of answering my harmless question, he commanded two of his subordinates to pick me up like an old rag doll.

“Wait! Let me down! You do not have any rights to pick me up like this!” I screeched in annoyance, but my complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears as they kept walking as if I never said a thing. 

Feeling a strange dizziness envelop me, I kept my mouth shut and allowed them drag me like an old rag doll… they’ll hear it hot from me whenever we arrive at the palace!

***

I still can not remember if I slept off on the arms of the palace bodyguards, or if I had been injected with something because the next time I pried my eyes open, it was because a large bucket of water had been thrown over my head.

I squinted my eyes at the bright light to discover that I had been tied to a steel chair and I was made to sit in front of an enraged crowd while Michael, the Alpha addressed the crowd from the podium;

“…she sold us out!” He spoke into the microphone. I couldn’t fully decipher what he was saying but could only make out a few incomplete sentences. “…She connived with our enemy pack to take me out…” he paused, then continued after a few seconds, “…one of the attackers we caught yesterday testified to that! She’s responsible for the killing of our innocent pack members!” His speech seemed to enrage the crowd even more as they all tried to get past the security to get to… Me?

What’s happening?

I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn’t make out words. What did they do to me? I also tried shaking out of the thick rope clasped around me but somehow I couldn’t move my body. It seemed like I had suddenly become paralyzed. No! This can not be happening to me.

“Yesterday during the attack, she was the only person above age of 17 who did not come out to fight!” No no no no! I didn’t fight because I am phobo phobic! “She stayed back because she couldn’t fight against the people who had hired her!” What actual nonsense was he talking about? “She sold out her pack, and for that she must be duly punished!” At the mention of the word ‘punish’ the crowd cheered wildly.

“By the power vested on me as the Alpha of this clan, I hereby charge Scarlett Paige, daughter of the late humble Logan Paige for treason! And from today henceforth, she would no longer be a member of this pack or be allowed to participate in any activities of this pack…” a wild pause, “…she’s hereby declared a rogue and an enemy of this kingdom!” He yelled making the crowd erupt in wild cheering.

Fat tear drops fell hopelessly from my eyes as I opened my mouth again to speak but couldn’t seem to.

“Let the accused say something to justify herself!” A male voice yelled from the crowd. I almost leapt with joy at his sane remark, but when I remembered that I couldn’t speak, my heart fell.

“Oh well then fine!” Michael drawled, he stalked off the podium and walked up to me with a kind of predatory grace that befit his treacherous aura; “Scarlett Paige, You’re given this opportunity to speak for yourself.” He drawled with an evil glint in his eyes; “Tell the council of elders and the people of Blue moon pack your take on the allegations filed against you!” He almost roared, bringing the microphone close to my lips as if urging me to speak.

A deafening silence followed as couldn’t speak for myself. I couldn’t even move my body.

“You see!” He yelled turning to face the now quiet crowd. “She can not even say a word to justify herself!” I couldn’t control the torrent of tears that fell from my eyes at the injustice of it all.

I wanted to scream out my innocence. Tell them I do not have a clue about what I was being charged of, but I couldn’t. From the corner of my eye, I saw a huge bodyguard walk up to me with a metallic helmet in his hands; and before I could even make out what he was trying to do, he raised the helmet high in the air, and with a swoosh, it landed hard against the side of my head, knocking me out.

Before I slipped into unconscious, the last thing I noticed was Elora’s smiling face, looking down at me from the podium; where she stood side by side with my mate…