chapter 6
912 Words
The truth came out.
Below the stage, pandemonium erupted.
The werewolves no longer looked at me with contempt; instead, their eyes darted frantically towards Alpha Marcus and Selena, their faces as white as paper.
The tribal elders' expressions twisted with shock, fury, and profound embarrassment.
What had been intended as a gathering to honour heroes and judge the guilty had become a complete farce and a disgrace to the tribe.
Alpha Marcus utterly collapsed. He pointed at Healer Kael, then at me, snarling like a trapped beast upon the stage: "No! It wasn't like that! I did it for Selena! What was wrong with waiting for her?!"
Selena proved wiser. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell straight backwards.
"Selena!" Alpha Marcus cried, rushing to cradle her as chaos erupted.
Meanwhile, those werewolves from our tribe who had so vehemently accused me now wished the ground would swallow them whole.
I saw their panicked faces, their evasive glances. They began to retreat quietly, trying to slip away, blending into the pack.
I watched it all unfold with a cold gaze, feeling not the slightest bit of satisfaction. Only a barren calm settled within me.
The wolf within me, once the truth was revealed, finally ceased its agonised howling.
I bowed deeply to Healer Kael.
"Thank you, Healer Kael."
Healer Kael patted my shoulder and sighed. "It is we who should thank you, Luna Elena. You have suffered wrongfully."
I shook my head and turned to descend the stone platform.
Wherever I passed, the wolves instinctively parted to either side, clearing a path for me. Those gazes, once filled with contempt and fury, now held guilt and reverence.
I looked at no one, walking straight back to my small tent.
The moonlight outside felt rather chilly. I drew a deep breath, feeling as though the boulder that had weighed upon my chest for two lifetimes had finally been lifted.
Soon, a new rumour spread like wildfire throughout the camp, completely supplanting the old one.
"A reversal! The shamed LunaElena is the true hero who saved the tribe!"
"Selena's lies! She nearly doomed the entire clan!"
"Our Alpha Marcus abandoned the tribe for a woman!"
This time, the targets of contempt were Alpha Marcus, Selena, and every werewolf who had testified on their behalf.
Their authority plummeted, and their former followers began to waver.
The tribe swiftly took action. Alpha Marcus, for his misjudgement, malicious framing of fellow tribesfolk, and severe damage to the Alpha's reputation, had his command temporarily stripped by the Council of Elders, who assumed oversight.
Selena was detained pending further investigation. It was said that upon waking, her mental state had become somewhat unhinged.
As for Alpha Marcus, he was confined to his own tent, vanishing entirely from public view.
Half a month later, I was packing my belongings, preparing to leave this place of sorrow.
Alpha Marcus approached me.
"Elena, I know I was wrong. Could you... forgive me?"
I looked at Alpha Marcus, packing my belongings expressionlessly.
"Elena, we are destined mates by the Moon Goddess. You know me—I didn't mean to. I was simply so worried about Selena that my reason was clouded. Please, give me another chance?"
I instructed the messenger werewolf directly to relay a message: he was not to trouble me again.
The world fell silent.
Yet the very next day, he broke through the guards and stormed straight to my tent.
"I know you won't forgive me. But I truly miss you. Without you, the wolf within me howls daily. The emptiness of our broken bond is driving me mad... Elena, I cannot live without you."
Reading his plea in that letter, his desperate expression, I found it laughable.
So Alpha Marcus only wanted a tool to appease his wolfish nature.
Not a truly loving mate.
I turned and went back into the tent.
He remained outside. For a whole week, I could sense his aura of regret and possessiveness every single day.
When he couldn't see me, he would run amok in the camp. At his most frenzied, he injured a Beta warrior who had dared to ask what he was eating.
Finally, one morning, he seized the moment when I stepped out for breakfast and rushed to my side.
"Elena, I know you go to the stream deep in the forest every night! I'll wait for you there! If you don't come, I'll wait forever!"
With that, he dashed off without another word.
I frowned.
That night, I didn't go to the stream. I went to the Healer's tent to help him sort herbs.
The next day, I heard that Alpha Marcus had waited by the stream all night. In the end, his inner wolf grew too restless, plunging him into unconsciousness until he was carried back.
A female werewolf who had once accused me of wrongdoing relayed this news, her tone tinged with cautious probing.
"Elena, perhaps... you should go see him? He seems rather pitiful."
I lifted my eyes to meet hers.
"Pitiful?" I retorted. "And what of me? When I was falsely accused by all of you, when the entire tribe turned their backs on me—who felt pity for me then?"
The female werewolf's face flushed crimson instantly, stammering speechless.
I averted my gaze, my voice utterly devoid of warmth.
"From now on, don't mention him to me again."
"We're not acquainted."
Alpha Marcus's ploy of feigned suffering had no effect on me whatsoever.
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