Love Me, Hate Me: Alpha Knight's Revenge

Three: Rejected and Awaiting Charges

******

As Athea slowly regained consciousness, she was met with a wave of disorientation and a throbbing headache. Groggily, she opened her eyes trying to discern where she was.

With a sense of trepidation, she carefully came out from the car, her movements slow and labored, her gaze sweeping over the damaged vehicles.

Athea's eyes widened in horror as she took in the extent of the damage. Selena's Porsche was badly damaged, its front end crumpled beyond recognition. But it was the Honda Civic that made her heart sink. The car was completely crushed, its metal exterior twisted and mangled.

As she approached the driver's seat, a sense of trepidation washed over her. And then she saw it. A gasp escaped her lips as she took in the gruesome sight. A pregnant woman, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle, slumped over the steering wheel. Blood splattered across the windshield.

Athea's scream pierced the air as her heart racing frantically in her chest. The pregnant woman was lifeless, her body twisted in an unnatural angle. Athea's mind recoiled in horror, she had killed someone.

"Oh, my goodness!" she whispered, her voice trembling with shock and terror.

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she fumbled for her phone to call the police. Maybe, just maybe, she was mistaken. The woman couldn't be dead. But the blood, so much of it, and the woman's blank, unseeing stare, suggested otherwise.

The 911 operator's calm voice cut through the chaos in Athea's mind. "911, what's your emergency?"

Athea's lips trembled as she struggled to form the words. Her voice was barely audible. "Someone's...dead..." she stammered.

The operator's tone remained steady. "Ma'am, please speak. What's your emergency?"

Athea took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "There's...an accident," she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of those horrific words.

The operator's instructions were clear and firm. "Ma'am, state the location of the accident. Please stay put until the police arrive."

She nodded, despite knowing the operator couldn't see her. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she clutched her phone, her mind racing with the gruesome scene before her.

A sense of unease settled in the pit of her stomach, making it hard to breathe. She felt helpless and alone, unable to shake off the feeling of dread that had settled over her as she waited for the police to arrive.

The brake failure was no accident. Someone had deliberately tampered with the brakes, and only one person came to her mind was Princess Selena.

That fleeting, sinister glint she had seen in Selena's eyes earlier now seemed more ominous than ever. It was as if Selena had been plotting to eliminate her all along.

Athea's body shivered involuntarily as the thought sent a chill down her spine, she could have been dead. The crash had been a mere whisper away from claiming her life.

But fate had other plans, and she had narrowly escaped death. Yet, as she stood there, a sense of ominous foreboding settled over her. What awaited her was far worse than death itself.

****

"You killed someone, Athea." Jake's words cut through the air like a knife, his voice dripping with disgust and hate. "How could you be so reckless and irresponsible behind the wheel?"

His accusations echoed off the cold, sterile walls of the small police detention room, making Athea feel trapped and suffocated.

Athea's bruised lips throbbed in pain, the cut from the accident still fresh and tender. But the officers showed her no compassion, no concern for her well-being.

Instead, they treated her like a common criminal, slapping handcuffs on her wrists and dragging her away to a cold, sterile room.

There, she was left to await her fate, her future hanging precariously in the balance as the dead woman's family deliberated on what charges to bring against her.

Athea's body shook with uncontrollable tremors, her lips quivering as she sobbed uncontrollably. The weight of her actions crushed her.

Someone was dead, and she was to blame. The officers' pitiful glances only made her feel worse. She knew the family of the pregnant woman would make her pay dearly for her mistake.

But she could have borne it if Jake had stood by her. Instead, he had turned against her, his words cutting deeper than any blade. He blamed her for the accident, refusing to see that it wasn't her fault, that it was just a terrible, tragic mistake.

"Jake, the brake was tampered with," Athea sobbed, desperate to make him understand. "I think it was intentional."

But Jake's expression twisted in rage. His hand shot out, striking her across the face with a resounding slap. Athea's head snapped back, her eyes widening in shock and pain.

"Don't even suggest that Selena had anything to do with this," he snarled. "You were driving recklessly, and now you're trying to shift the blame? After you destroyed her car and killed an innocent person?" His voice dripped with venom. "Selena was right about you all along. You're nothing but a menace, a nuisance. And I hate you for it."

Jake's eyes blazed with a fierce hatred, his gaze piercing through Athea like a dagger. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, the pain of his anger was too much to bear. She burst into uncontrollable sobs, her body wracked with grief. But Jake remained unmoved, his expression icy cold.

"I reject you," Jake whispered, his voice firm with resolve. Athea's eyes widened in shock as she gasped, her gaze flying up to meet his. The words cut through her like a knife, impossible to believe. Jake loves her, he can't do this now that she needed his help and support.

Athea's heart clenched in agony as Jake's gaze seared into her, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination. He meant every word.

"I reject you, Athea Madrid, as my mate," he declared, his voice firm and unyielding. "You are no longer welcome in the Starlight Pack. By the Alpha King's decree, you are hereby stripped of your membership status."

Jake turned to leave, but paused, his back still to her.

"I hope you rot in prison," he spat, his voice venomous.

Then, without another glance, he walked out, slamming the door shut behind him. The sound echoed through the room, a harsh finality that left Athea shattered.

Athea shivered, her heart heavy with anguish. Jake had abandoned her and rejected her, leaving a deep cut to her heart, and the Alpha King's banishing her from the pack, her world couldn't get more darker.

Her gaze dropped to the cold metal handcuffs encircling her wrists, a harsh reminder of her new reality. The weight of her sorrow became too much to bear, and she burst into uncontrollable, heart-wrenching sobs.