~Chapter Two~
Elara’s POV
Blindfolded, all I could hear were footsteps.
Who were these people?
Heat flowed through my stomach. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking no matter how hard I tried.
“And keep her in the room next to mine.”Those were his last words to his guards after my plea of being innocent.
He showed no mercy.
As he commanded, I felt a strong forward push; afterward, I heard the door click from the outside.
I removed the blindfold, and tears rolled down my face.
But when I looked around, I gasped, stunned by the beautiful, well-lit room with a large bed, clean curtains, and a chandelier.
Nothing like the tiny space I had slept in at my aunt’s, where I had a leaking roof, a broken mat, and a cold floor.
Why would a prisoner be thrown into a room this luxurious? Now I could only imagine how his room would be.
I rushed to the door and banged on it consistently. I lost count.
"Please let me out!" I cried out loud as I fell to the ground. "What are you going to do to me now?"
There was no answer. Outside, everything seemed still. I could barely hear movements.
What the hell was going on? Did Sarai mean all those things she said? What was the man at the table changing into? Everything I saw out there wasn't real, right?
Panic kicked in. The walls started to feel like they were closing in.
I needed to escape from here; otherwise, who knew what they were up to.
I searched the room desperately, under the bed, behind the curtains, everywhere. Looking for another exit, a key, anything to escape from. Yet, nothing.
I paced around, my mind numb with ideas of escape.
I nearly tripped over my own feet.
After hours, I got tired.
“Why me?”
How had I gotten into this situation in one night? I guess it was stupid of me to trust Sarai. I hit my fist on the wall.
My eyes burned from crying all night until I dozed off.
The next morning…
I heard footsteps coming from outside. I bolted up, moving backwards.
The door clicked open, and two heavy men moved close to me, grabbed my arms, and dragged me through a hallway.
I twisted my arms. "Let me go!"
At that moment, I got too weak to talk. I had been restless all through the night, unable to sleep.
They brought me to a halt in a large hall with the same moon and wolf animal markings.
What was going on here?
At the center was a long table. The Man they called Alpha was seated in the middle, his face stone cold.
I had seen him revive from poison and almost transform into something else. I was terrified of what he was.
My body fidgeted even though I tried to look strong.
The lady who slapped me sat beside him with a satisfying smile, followed by another fierce-looking man. And the audience was tall, intimidating.
“Alpha Kai,” the man called out.
“Yes, Elder,” he replied, bowing slightly.
“I hear the human girl tried to poison you,” he said” Do you know her?
“No trace, ” Kai answered coldly.
The Elder sighed. “She will be judged today by you before the Knight pack and Great Council elders. We do not ignore threats that involve our Alpha.” He said, bowing slightly.
So this is a courtroom. I’m definitely dead.
My knees almost gave out hearing that.
The Alpha looked at me.
“What’s your name? And where do you reside?” His dark eyes locked onto mine, sending a rush of cold through me.
“I am Elara Thompson. I reside with my aunt at Sidehill,” I replied in a low voice.
“What brought you here?”
I opened my mouth, and the words hooked in my throat as I looked away from him.
Was I really about to tell them I came to serve, seduce, and sleep with him?
“That’s the first offence. You invaded werewolves' territory and served at a party you weren’t invited to?”
Huh? Werewolf? I was lost in a daze for a second, trying to understand what the fuck he meant by werewolves? It couldn’t be real, right?
I shivered, tapping my fingers nervously.
I didn’t believe in werewolves from stories, but everything I had seen in this place was anything but funny.
“I was-“
He cut me off. “You only talk when I ask. Is that clear?”
I nodded. Trying so much to hold back my tears.
“You served me a poisoned drink. Who sent you? What's your plea?”
“I plead not guilty,” I stammered. “No one sent me.”
“But you served the drink?” He yelled, hitting his fist on the table.
The sound was so loud that I shook unexpectedly. “Sarai asked me to serve you.” I stuttered; tears welled up in my eyes.
“Who is Sarai?” He asked.
Before I could answer, the woman who slapped me stood up. “Lying bitch,” she spat. “You tried to kill my nephew.”
“I don’t even know how to kill,” I whispered, trying not to cry.
“Shut up!” She yelled before sitting down.
I had never felt more scared and humiliated.
The thought of no one coming to save me from them made my legs shake even more. It made me want to piss on myself.
“Do you have evidence that you didn’t?” the elder asked.
My mind went blank as I squeezed my fist.
Sarai was my only proof.
“Speak up,” the Elder growled. His voice brought me back to reality.
“No, but Sarai—”
“Is Sarai present?” the elder asked before I could finish.
“No, my lord.” One of the guards replied. “From the onset, there was no one by the name at the party.”
My heart stopped.
How? Is this a dream? I cried out; I couldn’t hold it anymore.
The hall filled with whispers.
“What’s going on?” My head started to spin. “We were together, please believe me.”
Everything played out like a dream.
I wish I had stayed back. Maybe being thrown to the street would have made much more sense.
“Enough,” the Alpha commanded before the men at the table whispered among themselves like they were deciding my fate.
The Elder spoke up. “Based on lack of evidence in the defendant’s favor, the council finds the accused guilty of attempted murder. This crime is punishable by death, and your death will send a hint to your masters not to cross our paths again.”
Everything went silent in my head. Did he just say death?
“Kill the human!”
“Kill her!”
“Kill her!”
The crowd growled. Reciting it like a rhyme.
Some scratched the floor with their claws.
“No…no, please I’m innocent.” I knelt, pleading.
My hands shook. “I didn’t do it,” I said with a cracked voice.
I looked at the Alpha, but he didn’t look back.
He turned his face slightly, as if he were not concerned.
Who was going to save me now? Obviously not my aunty.
The elder turned to him. “Alpha Kai. Before we dismember her in front of everyone, what are your last words to your attempted killer?”
Last words? A cold shiver ran down my spine. Uncontrollable tears rushed down my face.
God, was this my poor end? Die for what I didn’t do in the hands of strangers?
The guards held me up with their sharp claws stretched towards me while everyone in the hall silently turned to Kai.
He walked up to me, just a few steps away, His eyes fixed on mine.
“Please have mercy,” I pleaded like my life depended on him.
“You should never have come here,” he whispered with a calm voice. “Now you will never get to see daylight again.”
My feet turned cold as chills ran through my spine.
I shut my eyes and squeezed my hands.
It was really happening.
Memories of my horrible life crashed into my mind. Yet it was worth living for my Mom.
He turned to the audience. “With the power vested in me as both the Alpha and the victim of this attack,” he paused, letting the words weigh heavily deep in my heart. “I command her to be set free and completely free of charges,” he continued.
What? My jaw dropped at that instant. Was this another chance?
Whispers filled the air.
“What do you mean, Kai?” His aunt, who slapped me, asked. “Why spare a human girl who tried to murder you?”
Another voice came from the audience.
He turned to me, and for a minute he said nothing before he turned back to them.“Because she's your future Luna.”
