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1347 Words
My fingers curled around the iron bars before me until the metal burned cold against my skin. The accusation was being investigated, so they locked me here. I drew my knees to my chest, replaying every warning my parents had ever given me.
The Cage of Judgment was meant for hardened criminals, and I had somehow become one of them.
The door creaked open.
Ryan stepped inside with his empty, dark gaze fixed on me. The moment my eyes met his, my chest tightened and my breath seized.
He closed the distance. “Are you going to tell me the truth?” he asked, “Tell me what happened,” he said, voice even. It had been over an hour of the same question. No matter what I said, they refused to believe me.
I held his gaze for a heartbeat too long, then forced my eyes down.
He squatted in front of me until our faces was level. “This is a serious crime. Even as my mate, I can't save you,” he said, exhaling slowly.
I pressed my palms to my knees, willing them to stop shaking.
"If you say the truth, I will find a way to get you out of this," he said. "I will help you out."
My eyes glittered as I stared at him. He believed I was a spy. My heart shattered into a million pieces.
"I don't know that guy," I said, repeating the same reply. "I have nothing to do with the dark moon pack."
He locked his gaze with mine and for a second, I thought he was going to say he believed me, but he said nothing. He stood and left.
The moment he stepped away, the pain left with him.
I curled up again, hugging my knees tightly. The cell was freezing, and being locked in a cage with nothing but thin fabric on my body only made it worse.
The door opened again, and two familiar scents reached me.
The guards stepped aside to allow them through.
One of sand and the other, spice. My shoulders relaxed.
“Mother. Father,” I whispered.
They were here, finally. They knew I would never betray the pack. I had done nothing but obey them, follow their rules, and live quietly.
“I didn’t do it,” I said quickly. “I don’t know what’s happening-”
My mother raised her hand, silencing me.
“From what I heard, all evidences pointed at you?” she asked coldly.
I shook my head frantically. “I don't know what evidence you are talking about, I swear,” I pleaded.
“So what?” she interrupted sharply, stepping closer. “You want someone else in our family to take the blame?”
She crouched in front of me. “The accusation is already on you. Even if you aren't a spy, punishment must be served.”
My father joined her. “It’s too late,” he said quietly. “There’s nothing we can do now.” He sighed. “I spoke to a few elders, and they promised to vote for leniency. You only have to endure it.”
I stared at them in disbelief, and numbness immediately overwhelmed me.
“You want me,” I whispered, “You want me… you want me to… to… take the fall for some… something I didn't do?”
“What choice do we have?” Mother snapped. “The ball has already fallen into our court. If you refuse, we all die.”
My lips trembled as I stared at them, my breath refusing to steady. They turned to leave.
I lifted my head. “The Alpha is my mate,” I said desperately. “He might pardon me.”
Mother rushed back and clamped a hand over my mouth. “Never say that again,” she hissed. “Do you know what that would cost us if anyone heard? Our lives.”
Father nodded grimly. “Our family would be ruined completely if people finds out the mate of the Alpha is a spy.”
“Think about your family, Jenna,” Mother said.
The guards returned and dragged me into the silent courtyard, where my fate awaited. Everyone watched as I knelt, waiting for my judgement to be announced.
Then he entered. Everyone stood, except me.
I pressed a hand on my chest again, as I watched him take his seat.
His gaze lingered on me longer than necessary, but his expression gave nothing away.
“Jenna Miller,” Alpha Ryan said, pulling me from my thoughts. “Answer me honestly.” I met his gaze. “Who were your accomplices?”
“There was no one. I didn't work for anyone,” I said. For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
He rose to his feet. “Bring out the evidence,” he ordered, and my bag was brought forward.
It was fling to the floor and all it content spilled. My eyes widened seeing the number of letters, and even the dark moon pack crest, which doesn't belong to me.
"These are not mine!" I said out, shaking my head. "I don't know how it got there, but someone is trying to pin this on me."
"Show the video," he ordered again, and the dark screen behind him turned on. A video of me meeting the young man who had pointed fingers at me, in the dark, was in display.
My mouth fell opened, as I watched a clearly edited video. "It wasn't me!" I cried. "I swear."
"Are you saying we all don't have eyes?" One of the elders asked. "This is you."
I shook my head and looked at Ryan, whose gaze was fixed on me. "It was edited. I never met him."
"Alpha, this girl deserves to die!" One of the elders said.
"Yes my lord," another supported. "She is a traitor. She betrayed this pack. The dark moon successfully killed over fifty members of this pack, all thanks to this spy. Many of us lost our loved ones."
"She must be killed!" Everyone began to chant.
The world spun, as I watched everything collapsed before me. This is the end for me.
“Silence!” Ryan ordered. Silence reigned in the hall.
He closed his eyes briefly, as though steadying himself beneath an invisible weight.
“This decision will not be made lightly,” he said at last, his voice low but carrying through the chamber. “The evidence is grave, and the losses our pack has suffered cannot be ignored.”
His gaze lifted to me, colder than the winter wind.
“Until the truth is fully uncovered, she will be punished accordingly,” he declared, and looked at me.
For a split second, something flickered in his eyes— doubt, pain, or something dangerously close to regret, but it vanished before I could be sure.
“I hereby declare the seal of exile to be placed on you. You are banished from this pack.”
The world went dark.
That was it. In a single sentence, I was stripped of my pack, my name, and my future. I was a rogue.
The guards came again and dragged me out. I couldn't speak as I was trying to process everything, when suddenly I heard.
“Court dismissed,” Ryan said coldly. “The sentence stands.”
The guards seized my arms and dragged me away.
I couldn’t speak as I was trying to process everything, when suddenly I heard him say behind me—
“Remove all records of her status from the pack registry.”
My heart stopped.
“From this moment forward,” he continued, his voice devoid of emotion, “Jenna Miller no longer exists as a member of this pack.”
The doors shut as he said her name. Jessie Miller?
I couldn't take it anymore. My heart gave out, and my body shut down. I collapsed onto the cold stone floor as darkness swallowed me whole.
- Writer
