THE BLOODMOON QUEEN’S CONTRACT MATE

Chapter 2

Aria’s pov

Mira must have seen that comment too, she hopped on a livestream and I joined, curiosity overriding my pain.

"Guys...thanks for joining my live, I know this might just sound like a flimsy excuse but I had to know idea that's my brother-in-law's mate union anniversary was today!"

She knew.

Like a twisted little game she'd confirm from me every year when the date was, promising she wouldn't schedule anything with Cassian on that day and every single time she did.

"... Please don't blame Cassian...I mean Alpha Cassian , apologies everyone... we're so close that sometimes I forget etiquette and just call him by his name...but if anyone's at fault it's-(coughs)-me...I should have-(cough)-excuse me..."

I watched her reach for her favorite tool in the box–exaggerating her symptoms. Mira is one manipulative person and each time she always succeeds in making me look stupid in front of Cassian. She always has a way of making people Favour her while I look like the villain whenever she puts on her little show.

As expected the wavering comments all change and were now fully in her favor again while raining curses at me for being insensitive, then Cassian came across the table, she dropped the phone while I was looking up at a golden lightbulb I could still hear them.

"Mira, stop blaming yourself...let's just enjoy our dinner,"

I ran my eyes over all the food I made, the last bit of appetite I had dying in that instant, I was about to turn off my phone and cry myself to sleep when Mira’s coughs came through my phone again. I left Mira’s livestream and I didn’t even recall when I slept off.

I woke up with a headache to the scent of unfamiliar cologne and I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. Instead of the familiar soft linen of my bed I am greeted with a warm skin. Did Cassian come home last night? I tried to recall but I could think of anything. The last thing I remember was going to bed and everything else was blank.

My eyes snapped open and sleeping next to me is a man I have never seen before. He had the crest of a Moonshadow warrior but I have never seen him before.

Before I could even scream or understand what was going on, the doors of the bedchamber swung open forcefully, and Cassian, my mate came rushing in. The man I was supposed to be his Luna this afternoon stood by the doorway with fury, behind him was Mira with a looked of tinged curiosity and my parents who seemed appalled.

A wave of the relief crash over me, I was sav–

“Aria! Cassian echoed. After all the fuss you made about misconstructing my relationship with your sister…you!”

His words were like a dagger straight to my chest, the implication of his words driving deep. How could he think that after all the loyalty and love I had shown him I would ever cheat on him?

"Aren't you even going to try and defend yourself, Aria?" he snarled, his voice calling and piercing me all the more.

It was like he couldn't even see the real perpetrator in the room, or rather he had already stamped that title on me.

“Cassian! No it’s not what you think…i….i don’t even know how he got here ... .i don’t even know who he is …I don’t recall anything…”

“Enough!” Cassian roared in anger.

“You dare defile the day of your coronation? You defile me? You unfaithful w***e, now you spread your open for a man you haven't even known? Do you take me for a fool?,”

The misunderstandings were getting worse, I looked behind my mate towards my family even if I wasn't expecting anything before I thought the least Mira could do was try to defend me…what I saw on her face was a look of smug satisfaction, And my dad and stepmom? All they held for me was unrivaled disgust.

All I could think of is how I got he got to be in the same bed with me and why can’t I remember anything. Everything is just blank

“Me and you know I would never betray you I-”

"Please forgive her..we…we're in love," The man confessed, his voice now trembling with false emotion.

“Neither of us planned for this to happen but sometimes that's what love is, unplanned , scary, perhaps forbidden but pure nevertheless, please let us be together”.

Nobody in the room was ready to listen to me. Not even Cassian or my dad. Nobody was willing to hear my own side of the story. There was only one conclusion.

I was to be brought to the elders council for judgment

My parents came to tell me this when I was still too shocked to even think, it was my father that spoke while my stepmom sat with her hands-folded and her head shaking from side to side.

“There is no other way to show if you are innocent or not, you will have to face the Elder council otherwise nobody will be able to believe you,”

Tears welled up in my eyes at the injustice that was being slapped in my face. Even the man I called family that raised me from birth doesn’t believe me.

How? How could they believe the words of a stranger over me? They knew how beautifully I had loved Cassian.

I spent 5years doing everything I could to please Cassian even when he didn't notice me and yet he thought I would have an affair with another man?

“... Mom…please tell Cassian to come and see me.. I can explain everything to him if he just gives me a chance I promise to clear my name and make him under–”

“Shut up!” My mom snapped at me venomously, “.. aren't you even embarrassed about how you have humiliated this family? Can’t you be more like Mira? Now once this gets to the Elder council it will spread to the rest of the park all of them will be talking about us saying that we had a child who could not keep herself for her mate, an omega who threw herself at the first man that gave her some attention. I wasn’t expecting more from you anyways,”

More tears bubbled in my eyes and choked my words.

“I swear I don’t even know him…I”

My words were breaking into cracks and my father sighed impatiently.

“Whatever could have happened before we walked in here I'm sure you would have been able to prevent it if you were more conscientious…how else do you explain being on the same bed with a man that isn’t your mate? as the future Luna you should have been able to conduct yourself in a better manner in other not to attract such disgusting attention from another man,”

I thought my ears had to be wired wrong because how on earth was this still my fault even if my parents somehow reluctantly believed me?

I kept wondering how things went so wrong

By afternoon I stood before the Elder council.

It was a group of old conservative , I was often butting heads with them when it came to the affairs of the pack, and now I had been laid before them like a meat on a silver platter.

As I looked around the large room where the proceedings of the case would be held I saw my mate Cassian sitting next to my sister, for someone who had arranged all of this because he claimed I was being unfaithful. He had no problems publicly stroking Mira’s hair right there and then in public view.

Everything continued at all flow rigidly until I was told to say my own part of the story.

I repeated my story.

“I don’t know this man…I have never met him before…I don’t even know how I ended up with him…”

“Don't try drifting away from the main issue!” One of the elders snapped at me, there were about five of them.

Another one came at me.

“There are no sympathy points to be worn here, if you think because you are Alpha Cassian’s mate and future Luna it's means that you were justified for the evil you did then you are wrong,”

I clenched my teeth together, I already knew that in their minds they had confirmed me as guilty no matter how eloquently I expressed myself but I hope that Casdian will hear all of this and see how wrong he was. I hope he will stand up and say all of this was a misunderstanding.

I told them about how the last thing I remember was entering my room to sleep.

“How did you end up with this man on bed?”