10
NAOMI
While Alpha Lockwood waited for some of the elders in his panel to come to the palace for my judgement, I was thrown into the dungeon alongside Agnes.
According to Alpha Lockwood, Agnes wasn't going to go free until I proved her innocence that she had known nothing about the theft of the ring.
Just next to the dungeon was a room where the hounds were kept. From where I sat against the cold and dirty wall, I could hear their incessant barking and howls.
The thought of their teeth sinking into my flesh and the saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths made me dizzy with terror. I closed my eyes, trying to get my breath, trying to be composed even though it was practically impossible to do so.
When I opened my eyes, Agnes was looking at me from the opposite wall, her eyes boring into mine.
"Did you do it?" Her voice was the voice of a woman who had accepted her fate,who was probably now ready to face whatever life threw her way head-on.
"Do what?"
I knew what she was talking about already, but the fact she could think that about me disgusted me to the depths of my soul.
"Do what? Why pretend as if you don't know what I'm talking about? Did you steal the ring?"
I shook my head, a smile of disbelief on my lips.
"Is that what you really think of me, Agnes? That I am a thief?"
Agnes shook her head, and when she replied, her voice had risen up a notch. I understood her perfectly. She was a calculative person. And when her calculations didn't go according to plan, she would likely spiral out of control.
I would've been the same way, but my mother, right from when I was a child, had hammered on emotional intelligence and self control.
And that was why, even in the chaos, I tried to think logically.
"Oh, come on, Naomi, don't make it look as if I am calling you a thief. I only asked a question. And can you blame me? I mean, you're a young woman away from her parents for the first time in her life, in a strange land. Wouldn't you do anything to go back home? You don't have the money for such travels. Wouldn't you find something worthwhile to sell in order to make your way back home?"
I smiled again, knowing I was being accused falsely, and she was just making irrational assumptions.
"Trust me, Naomi, I would've done the same. There's no harm in admitting that you did something you didn't want to do…"
"Oh, for crying out loud, Agnes, stop your whining. I didn't take the ring. It was planted on me. I'm sure of it."
Agnes raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"And who would do that? What would anybody in this palace gain from destroying your life?"
I laughed before replying.
"Do you remember what I told you yesterday, the queen's words? Now,think about those words and ask yourself the same question again, slowly this time around."
Agnes bowed her head instead of replying immediately. When she raised it, there were tears in her eyes.
"My goodness, I'm so sorry, Naomi. I should've known. You would never do such a thing. I told myself repeatedly. I should've known! You're the victim here, you're the one being set up."
I smiled at her, tired of everything at that moment.
Wasn't death better than spending the rest of my days in a strange land, unable to see and meet my own family?
"It's alright, Agnes. I promise you, I'll prove that you're innocent…."
The gates of the dungeon creaked open before I could complete my statement.
It was Boaz and two other guards, their stoic faces a stark reminder of what I was about to face in a matter of minutes.
"It's judgement day, you thieves!"
As we were led out of the dungeon, I swallowed hard, deciding that anything that happened would be the will of the moon goddess.
*
Apart from Alpha Lockwood and Queen Cecilia, there were three elders in the throne room.
They had jotters and pens in front of them, and as I was led to the center of the room,I felt their eyes scrutinizing me, judging me.
"I'll try to make this as quick as possible. Thieves don't deserve to be defended. They need to be dealt with immediately."
Alpha Lockwood's voice dripped with raw hate. His wife, on the other hand, was silent, observing proceedings with a lazy smile.
At that moment, I knew I had been wrong to take her lightly. She was silent, but her actions were always going to speak louder than her words.
"Lady Naomi Moonbane, was the king's ring found in your possession, the same gown you wore to see him the previous night,the same gown he purchased for you?"
They weren't even giving me a chance to defend myself. The sentence was already given by that first question.
"Yes, it was."
The elders nodded, and whispered amongst themselves before continuing.
"And did Lady Agnes, the woman standing next to you, have any knowledge that this ring was inside the room you shared with her?"
"No, she didn't."
The elder that seemed well spoken stood up,his face grim.
"Your Grace, this case is self explanatory and doesn't need fierce judgement. Naomi Moonbane is found guilty of the charges filed against her, while Lady Agnes, the head of affairs of this household is exonerated and cleared. We await your final judgment, your grace."
I turned to Alpha Lockwood, expecting the heavy weight of his sentence to land anytime soon.
"From the judgement of the elders, there is only one thing to add to this. That you, Naomi Moonbane of the Moonbane pack is sentenced to…"
At that moment, time seemed to come to a standstill. Alan, Alpha Lockwood's first son entered the room, and once again, our eyes met.
This time around, it was different.
The air was instantly filled with his scent which I had never noticed before, and my wolf, which throughout my growing up had never responded or spoken to me, reared its head towards Alan and spoke. And just at the same time, Alan's wolf responded.
The result was a joint cry that sent the throne room into extraordinary silence.
"Mate!"
The throne room went into a stunned silence that could be broken by the sound of a pin falling.
I looked around the room in disbelief, then turned to look at a shocked Alan as well.
Had our wolves just declared each other as mates?