Movements and faint voices pulled me back to life. My whole body hurts. I opened my eyes slowly and hissed when pain shot through my face.
I tried to move my hand to touch it, but it didn’t move. Both hands were tied behind my back with something cold and hard, like iron.
When my eyes adjusted, I saw them, Dad, Moon’s mum, Moon, Beta Roman, Damien, and Alpha Ace. Moon was wrapped in Ace’s arms, like he was shielding her from something. They stood there, all looking at me with anger written on their faces.
I tried to remember what happened last night and why I was tied up but everything was blank. Nothing came.
“You murderer!” Moon’s voice cut through my thoughts. Before I could even move, her hand landed across my face, the sound echoing in the room. My head snapped to the side, and pain spread through my cheek.
“You killed my baby,” she cried again, her voice shaking as tears rolled down her face. I stared at her, stunned. Baby? What baby?
My face turned pale. She was pregnant with Ace’s child? And how did I kill her baby?
“Your mother should have killed you when I told her to. You killed my grandchild because of your jealousy.” My father’s voice cut through me like a blade. His eyes were full of hate.
“What are you talking about?” My voice shook. “I didn’t kill her child. I didn’t even know she was pregnant.” I was confused, scared, and desperate for them to believe me.
“You poisoned her soup!” her mother shouted. “She asked the chef to make it, but you forced yourself to do it. You wanted her dead!”
I shook my head vigorously, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through my body. “That’s not true. Call the chef, she came to my room and asked me to make some soup for Moon.” My voice cracked as I spoke, but I kept my eyes on them, hoping someone would believe me.
Beta Roman closed his eyes for a moment, probably mind linking the chef, because she showed right away.
up almost
Relief washed over me when I saw her. I believed she would tell them the truth, that everything wasn’t my fault. But when she opened her mouth, my heart dropped.
“Charlotte forced her way into the kitchen last night,” she said calmly. “She insisted on making chicken soup to congratulate you on your engagement. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”
My chest tightened. “She’s lying! I swear I didn’t…”
Ace’s cold voice cut me off. “The CCTV camera caught you taking the food to her room. I had the guards search your room. They found the substance you used.” His eyes burned into me. “You killed my child, almost killed the love of my life and you deserve to be punished.”
He turned without another glance and walked out, the others following behind him like shadows. The room
12:31 Sun, Feb 8
Chapter 2
N
A
993
58 Vouchers
fell silent until the guards came in and dragged me away.
They threw me in the dungeon. Six days crawled by in the dark. My stomach twisted in hunger as I wasn’t fed. My body burned from the whips. I was beaten every few hours. The smell of blood and damp walls made me sick.
“You have to stay awake, please,” my wolf Astra said with panic in my head. She’s been the only thing keeping me sane and probably the reason I’m not dead yet.
“I’m tired,” I whispered back. Even my inner voice sounded weak and broken.
“I know, but we have to find a way to leave. I won’t let you die here.”
The sound of the rusty iron gate creaking open pulled me out of my thoughts. My heart leapt before I could stop it. I didn’t need to see who it was, I already knew it was Ace.
His scent hit me before his steps did, stirring something deep inside me. As he came closer, my body betrayed me, I wanted to run into his arms, to feel that strange warmth that always came when he was near. Maybe then the pain would fade.
“Stupid mate bond.”
“I hate him,” Astra growled in my head, pulling me back to reality. “He’s the reason we’re here. He’s the one doing this to you for her.”
Ace’s footsteps stopped right in front of me. His scent filled the cold dungeon. When he spoke, his voice was low but cold enough to pierce through me.
“I only slept with you once, and because I didn’t break up with my love to be with you, you decided to take your revenge by killing my child?” His eyes were empty, his tone calm, too calm. “I’ve always wanted Moon to carry my pup, and just when she finally did, you took that from me.”
“I didn’t poison her,” I whispered, but my voice broke halfway.
“I don’t like you. Never have and never will,” he said. The pain his words brought me was nothing compared to the whip. “Even if I wasn’t with Moon, I’d never stoop so low to be with you. The moon goddess must have been joking when she decided to pair us. I can never be with the child of a whore.”
His lips curved slightly, like he’d just figured out something amusing. “That explains it, doesn’t it? Why you were so easy to use. You and your mother are the same, always reaching where you don’t belong, trying to destroy what’s not yours.”
He let out a low chuckle and stood up, towering over me. “I, Alpha Ace Virel, reject you, Charlotte Creed, as my mate.”
The bond snapped like glass under fire. Pain shot through my body, tearing me apart from the inside. My chest felt like it was on fire, and I couldn’t breathe. I clawed at the cold floor, gasping, trying to hold on.
It took everything in me to speak. “I… Charlotte Creed, accept your rejection.”
A weak whimper escaped my wolf. I expected her to withdraw but she didn’t. I heard her strained voice. “We’ll
12:31 Sun, Feb 8 N
Chapter 2
get through this.”
1993
“On this day, I sentence you to exile. I don’t want to ever see your ugly face again, or anywhere near my pack. If I do, that will be your last day on earth.”
With that, he walked out of the dungeon. That same night the guards dragged me from the pack. My face was on every billboard in the pack, labeled a traitor and murderer.
They dumped me at the border. It was dark and cold. I was limping and my legs felt dead. I don’t know how long I walked before I saw a car coming toward me.
I stood by the corner of the road and waved at the car to stop. I needed a ride. But it didn’t slow down. It was coming too fast.
As it got closer, I squinted my eyes and my heart stopped. It was Moon.
I stepped back from the road to let her pass, wondering why she was out here so late. But instead of slowing down, she pressed harder on the gas.
It all happened so fast. The bright headlights, the sound of screeching tires, and then, nothing. My body hit the edge and I was falling down the cliff.
Mum, I thought as darkness swallowed me. I guess I’m coming to see you soon.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
