I followed the pack warrior, making sure to tell my mum
Not to come out and that
>no matter what happens, don't speak up for me.
Don't defend me. Don't interrupt. Don't even breathe wrong in that room.
We finally got to Alpha Cassian's room. I stepped in, heart pounding, and the pack warrior slammed the door shut behind me.
The second I crossed the threshold, I heard the booming voice of Alpha Cassian.
"Kneel!"
Zoe—my wolf—grumbled inside me, pacing with resistance. She didn't want to kneel, didn't want to submit to a man who saw us as nothing but dirt. But I silenced her growl. I knew if I let her have her way, we'd only dig a deeper grave for ourselves.
So I gritted my teeth and dropped to my knees. The impact echoed through the room.
Cassian's voice thundered again, this time laced with rage.
"How dare you!!!"
I flinched as he turned fully toward me. His eyes were blazing, his jaw clenched. The fury in his expression could've killed me ten times over.
I forced myself to look up slightly. "Alpha Cassian, may I ask… in what way I've offended the Alpha?"
Even though I already knew what he would say.
"You dare ask me, you worthless fool?! How dare you poison my daughter?" he spat.
I bit my tongue so hard it hurt. "I didn't do it. I didn't poison Lyra," I said through clenched teeth.
But right then, before I could explain anything, the door burst open again.
Luna Selena stormed in like a storm on legs.
SLAP.
SLAP.
Two stinging blows landed across my face. So hard, I saw white. My head jerked sideways from the force. My cheeks burned instantly. My ears rang. My vision blurred for a second.
Pain exploded through my jaw, and for a second, I thought she'd dislocated it. I clenched my fists hard, nails digging into my palms.
I wanted to slap her back.
No—I wanted to claw her face off.
But that would only happen in my fantasies. For now, I could only endure.
"You low-class, traitorous little rat!" Selena hissed. "You still have the audacity to stand here and deny it?! You tried to murder my daughter!"
"I didn't!" I snapped, breathing hard. "I swear—I didn't poison Lyra!"
Alpha Cassian growled. "You still dare deny it… when there is evidence?"
My heart stopped.
Evidence?
My lips parted. "What fucking evidence?" I demanded. "I didn't do anything! I want to see it!"
"Bring it," Cassian barked.
A pack warrior left the room and returned seconds later with a pouch. He held it up to the Alpha, who opened it and poured its contents onto a tray.
It was a fine silver powder—glittering softly under the candlelight.
"This," Cassian said darkly, "was found inside your bag."
My head spun. "What? That's not mine!" I protested. "Anyone could've put it there! Half the people in this pack have access to my room!"
"Lies," Selena snarled. "You're just trying to cover your filthy tracks. You're disgusting. I always knew you'd snap one day."
"You expect us to believe someone framed you?" Alpha Cassian said coldly. "You've hated Lyra for years. You were humiliated. Your mate bond was broken. Your boyfriend—"
"Don't call him that," I muttered bitterly. "He's nothing."
But they weren't done.
"If the poison isn't proof enough," Cassian said with a cruel smirk, "then maybe this will be."
The door opened once more.
And in walked Daniel.
My ex.
The traitor.
The lying bastard who cheated on me with the Alpha's daughter and rejected me without blinking.
I stared at him, jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
But he looked so smug. So calm. So damn fake.
"If needed," he said in a casual voice, "I'm ready to testify that Brielle told me she had plans to poison Lyra. She said she wanted to teach her a lesson. I didn't think she'd actually do it... but now... I'm not surprised."
My entire world shattered.
I blinked at him, stunned.
Tears stung the backs of my eyes—but I refused to let them fall.
I should've expected this from him. He'd already broken me once. But this?
This was cruelty on a whole new level.
He knew what this meant. He knew his words could get me killed.
And still—he stood there. Lying.
"You bastard," I whispered, voice shaking. "You fucking scumbag."
"Enough," Luna Selena snapped. "You're heartless, Brielle. You don't deserve mercy."
Cassian folded his arms. "Do you have anything else to say?"
I clenched my fists again, shaking.
No one believed me. Not even the people I once loved.
I was completely alone.
I looked up at the Alpha, eyes narrowed with barely-contained rage.
"So what's my punishment?" I asked quietly, resentfully.
His eyes glowed crimson.
"You dare ask? Daring to harm any Alpha blood… is punishable by death."