I couldn't move or speak. My whole body ached, but it wasn't the physical pain that overwhelmed me—it was the looks in their eyes. The warriors who had arrived there had their eyes fixed on Scott's lifeless body, then on me, their expressions filled with shock and fury.
Blood was dropping from my wounds, mixing with the dirt beneath me. My heart was beating fast as time seemed to slow down. I opened my mouth to speak, to explain, but before I could utter a word, one of them yelled, "Grab her!"
Within a split second, strong hands seized me, yanking me to the ground. My knees stumbled on the dirt, and a sharp pain shot up my legs. I struggled to break free, but they held me down with unrelenting force; I was overpowered.
Eric, Scott's closest friend, stepped forward, his face twisted with rage. He pointed at me, his voice loud and accusing with anger. "She's a traitor! She killed him; she killed our leader!"
"No!" I cried out, my voice hoarse and desperate. "Scott was a traitor! If we don't act fast now, the village will be destroyed!"
But they weren't listening. Eric's glare didn't soften, and the others didn't loosen their grip. Before I could say anything else, someone struck me hard across the head. Pain exploded in my skull, and I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes, they had already chained me, my arms aching from the tight restraints. Soon I realized that I was at the village courtroom, surrounded by my pack members. Their faces blurred as my vision adjusted bit by bit, and then I recognized many of them: Alpha Victor, leader of my clan, standing tall with his piercing gaze on me; my grandfather, though his face containing a mixture of sorrow and determination; and Chloe, my best friend, sobbing quietly, her hands trembling out of fear.
"What has she done?" someone whispered.
"There's no way she could have killed Scott alone," another voice said. "She must've had help."
"I heard the warriors found other bodies in the woods," someone else chimed in. "Maybe they were her accomplices, and Scott became weak after fighting them. She took the advantage and finished him off."
The words hit me like daggers, each accusation twisting in my chest. My head throbbed as I listened to the whispers of my pack members.
My grandfather stepped forward, his voice shaking but firm. "Enough!" he said, silencing some of the noise. "Elyse is innocent; I only sent her to the woods to get me herbs, and you all know it, but you're too scared to admit it. Her whole life has been here, in this village. She has never left, never had friends outside this pack.
Do you truly believe she would conspire with rogues?"
The crowd quieted for a moment as he continued, his voice heavy with sadness.
"You all grew up with her. She's kind, loyal, and brave. Look at her—her long, beautiful, black hair, her sharp yet gentle eyes. She's her mother's daughter, and you all knew her mother. You know how much her parents sacrificed for this pack!"
Someone from the crowd interrupted, their tone biting. "We could say the same for Scott. He was our protector, our leader. He fought for us, trained our warriors—trained her. There's no way he could have betrayed us."
Another voice joined in. "Maybe she conspired with the rogues for her grandfather's sake. He's all she has left, and in return, she lets them plan an attack on us while they save him."
The accusations kept coming, buzzing like angry bees in my head. My chest felt tight as their words crushed me, but I struggled to hold back the tears threatening to fall off.
"Silence!" Alpha Victor's voice cut through the noise, sharp and commanding; he is the Alpha of my pack, the Crescent Clan. The room fell quiet as everyone turned to him.
Alpha Victor's face was hard, his jaw clenched as he spoke. " He was my cousin, my blood. We fought side by side in countless battles. None of you here feels his loss more deeply than I."
His eyes shifted to me, his tone softening slightly.
"I also know Elyse. I saw her strength during the elite selection ceremony. I know her parents and the sacrifices they made for this pack. But right now, none of us know the truth of what happened in those woods. We don't know why there were dead rogues or how Scott—who was ten times stronger than her—was killed."
He paused, letting his words sink in. "It's not impossible, but it doesn't add up. I'll give her a chance to explain. We'll listen to her side of the story. If her words hold no truth, we will follow the laws of the pack and do what must be done.
The crowd murmured again, but it felt quieter this time, their eyes fixed on me, filled with doubt and anger..I stared at the chains binding me, knowing that the next words I spoke would decide my fate.
I poured my heart out in the courtroom, recounting everything I'd seen and heard in the woods. Every detail, every word, every moment of Scott's betrayal and the rogues' plans spilled from my lips, but all they gave me in return were cold stares and skeptical whispers. No one believed me.
My words fell on deaf ears. The urgency of the danger looming over the pack was dismissed, and doubt clouded everyone's face in the room. Some even began to shout for my immediate execution, their anger threatening to boil over into violence.
That's when it hit me—there was no way out. I am doomed. Scott was loved by the pack, admired as a leader and protector. No one would believe I, a young beta, could kill him unless I had help. Without evidence, I was as good as dead.
Alpha Victor raised his voice over the chaos, silencing the room. He turned to the elders, his tone firm. "The council will decide her fate. We'll vote if she is guilty or not."
The five elders stepped forward. My grandfather, being one of them, had tears in his eyes. But the other four cast their votes without hesitation—guilty.
"She fell in love with a rogue," someone from the crowd shouted. "She betrayed us for her lover!"
My grandfather's heart was crushed by their accusations. "How could you turn on her like this?" he demanded, his voice trembling. " Y'all know her. She has lived her whole life in this pack! She's innocent!"
But his words meant nothing. Alpha Victor's voice cut through the air like a blade, cold and final. "Elyse Salvatore, you are hereby sentenced to death. Tomorrow morning, you will be executed in the square."
His declaration hit me like a physical blow. The word death rang in my ears, echoing over and over.
Pain filled my chest, and my knees felt very weak. I cried, pleading with them to let me see my grandfather, who had just collapsed at the news. But no one listened. Chloe caught him before he hit the ground, tears streaming down her face as she begged the others to help.
They didn't care. I was dragged away, kicking and screaming, to the pack's dungeon. The cold, damp air wrapped around me like a suffocating shroud. I was helpless.
Sitting alone in the cell, my thoughts spiraled. My body trembled from the cold and the weight of betrayal. How could they believe I'd done this? How could they turn on me so easily? My chest heaved as I fought back the sobs. My grandfather's pained face haunted me. He was all I had left, and now he might lose me too.
My world was turning upside down, and everything I had ever loved, who I was, was all gone; it all disappeared in one night.
Hours later, Chloe came to see me. Her face was pale but determined. "We need to get you out of here," she whispered, fumbling with the lock.
I stared at her in disbelief. "What about my grandfather? Is he okay?"
"He's fine," she said quickly. "But there's no time. You need to leave before morning. If they kill you, it's over. No one will ever know the truth."
I hesitated, shaking my head. "Maybe this is how it's supposed to be. If this is my fate, then so be it."
Her eyes flared with anger as she grabbed my shoulders. "Are you mad, Elyse? Do you even hear yourself? You're just twenty! You have your whole life ahead of you. What about your grandfather? What will happen to him if you die? Who will clear your name?"
Her words hit me hard, and I felt a small flicker of hope. She was right. I couldn't let it end like this.
Chloe helped me up. "Let's go," she said firmly.
As we made our way out, I noticed the guards lying unconscious on the ground. "What did you do?" I whispered.
"I knocked them out," she replied. "Now move before someone notices us."
We bolted through the woods, running as fast as we could. My mind raced with worry about my grandfather, but Chloe grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. "You can't go back," she said. "They'll kill you. And me too. We have to keep going."
We were almost out of the forest when shadows emerged around us.
Rogues.
Seven of them, each marked with the same tattoo as the ones I had fought earlier.
"Run!" I yelled to Chloe. "Go back to the village and warn them; also, please save my grandfather. I'll hold them off!"
But before I could react, pain exploded in my head. Chloe had struck me from behind with a heavy branch.
I collapsed to the ground, dazed and confused, as she stood over me. Her face was twisted with fury.
"I wanted to kill you so badly," she spat, her voice trembling with anger. "But I held back because of them. He was waiting for me, and you took him away!"
I tried to speak, but she kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me flying into a tree.
Pain shot through my body as I gasped for air. "You took the love of my life!" she yelled. "Scott was waiting for me, and you killed him. I'll make you pay."
That was when I realized she was the one they had been waiting for back then.
Before she could attack again, one of the rogues stepped forward, his voice sharp and commanding. "Enough," he said. "We'll handle her. The others are moving in on the village. Scott's death was unfortunate, but the plan continues."
I could barely hear their words as darkness took over, and I lost consciousness.