Forever Bound

CHAPTER TWO

Luna stared at Seraphina, unable to believe her ears. Her head was starting to spin, and she held onto Sara’s hand–who had dropped her gown and was now beside her–for dear life.

It was Alpha Rex that spoke first, his baritone loud and clear above the ruckus and chaos that had ensured.

“Silence!”

The order was swift and straight to the point, and anybody that failed to obey was going to suffer the wrath of the Alpha standing before them.

“Thief? What did she steal?”

Luna turned to Seraphina, too shocked for words. She was naturally a shy and soft-spoken person, and that was why she hadn't let her temper get the better of her in the first place. The only emotion that was evident on her face and from the way she held onto her friend's arm was shock.

“Great Alpha of the Blue moon pack.” Seraphina bowed, “Yesterday, I brought Luna into my room to discuss the goodness of her upcoming marriage and other trivial issues. As we discussed, I showed her the moonstones my great-grandmother owned.” Luna watched Seraphina pause as she tucked a strand of her hair that was blocking her vision.

“It had been a symbol of love from my great-grandfather, and I showed her because I expected the Alpha to give her something greater. Little did I know that all she planned to do was to steal it!”

The crowd gasped and murmuring ensued. The crowd grew silent a few minutes later when the Alpha raised his right hand in a bid to maintain decorum.

“Steal it? Did you see her take it? What evidence do you have, Seraphina? You don't just accuse someone of theft.”

Luna wanted to nod in agreement to Alpha’s words, but the muscles of her neck refused to budge. She could only stare, still shocked, as a wave of emotions ran through her system.

“Great Alpha,” Seraphina bowed for the umpteenth time. “I have evidence and even a witness to back up my claims. I saw her take the moonstones and slip them into her blouse. Later on, at mid-afternoon, she left the palace and went to the blacksmith's place. She had only one thing in mind, to sell my precious and expensive moonstones.”

The gasp that came was the greatest so far. Luna could see that the crowd was now incensed, excited by the accusations being leveled against her and her silence. She glanced at Sara, who glanced back, fear in her eyes.

It wasn't true, Luna told herself, trying to reassure herself that she wasn't dreaming. It wasn't true, she wasn't a thief.

“Who is your witness, Seraphina?”

Turning to the crowd, Seraphina clapped her hands in glee.

“Lucas? Lucas Blunt!”

When Luna saw the brown hair and tall, but lanky frame of her childhood friend appear from within the traffic of people, she almost fell in horror. He ignored her completely, averting his eyes and watching on, solidly maintaining eye contact with the Alpha and Seraphina.

“Are you Lucas Blunt?”

The Alpha asked, sending him a terrifying gaze that could break the resolve of most liars.

“Yes, I am.”

“Do you know anything about the moonstones Seraphina has just spoken about? And do you know the lady in a bridal gown standing to my right?”

Luna watched Lucas clear his throat, then stand in a way that made his voice audible to both the Alpha, and the people who had gathered even closer, their ears itching to catch each and every piece of the information and the details of the case unfolding before their eyes.

“Yes, the lady standing next to you is Luna Derek, my friend. Her parents and mine were close as kids, and the friendship has crossed boundaries and is now ours too.”

He paused for effect, and the crowd seemed to pause with him, Luna noting that there seemed not to be a sound in the circle. Nobody seemed to be breathing.

“Yesterday, Luna came to my workshop and after exchanging pleasantries, she showed me a set of beautiful moonstones, and asked me how much they would go for. I told her they were ancient and timeless pieces, and told her they would go for two thousand dollars and fifty cents. She agreed, told me to keep it a secret, went outside, then returned to give me the moonstones.”

Luna watched the unfolding drama with tear-laden eyes, staring as Alpha Rex raised his arm once again, sending a message across that he wanted to speak.

“And these moonstones, where are they?”

“In my possession, great Alpha.”

Retrieving a small bag from his pouch, he opened it, then poured its contents into Alpha’s hand. This time, Luna gasped along with the crowd, the tears cascading down her cheeks in full flow.

It was at that moment she knew that she had been set up, and that she had been set up so well. She glanced at Seraphina, who looked at her in disgust, then proceeded to raise her hands to the crowd who cheered in response, enjoying the seeds of discord that were being sown in front of them.

When she managed to wipe her tears, she found Alpha Rex holding his hand up once again, pleading for silence.

“Luna Derek,” he began, and the first thing Seraphina seemed to notice was the change in his voice. Gone was the sweet, clear and confident baritone that had captured her heart. The voice that addressed her was authoritative, angry and grim.

“Luna Derek, remember that anything you say here shall be used against you when this case is transferred to the council of the elders of the kingdom of the Blue moon pack. Do you know this man?”

Luna nodded, and before she realized her mistake it was too late.

“Speak up!”

The voice wasn't pleasing, it wasn't the same voice that had caressed her the previous day and assured her that their wedding was going to go smoothly and as planned. He wasn't the same person she had heard speak after seer Caramel had pronounced her as his mate.

This was a different Alpha Rex, this was-a leader of a pack, and not a soon-to-be married man.

“Yes, I know him. He is Lucas, my childhood friend.” Her voice came out as a croak, and Sara touched her lightly on the arm, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to cascade down her cheeks once again.

“Did you leave the palace and go to Lucas's workshop yesterday as he said?”

“Yes, great Alpha, I did. But I didn't go there.”

The interruption was swift and decisive.

“You only answer yes and no unless I give you the permission to go further!”

The crowd roared in response, the air was thick with tension. The sun had fully retired now, and the moon that peeked at its face beneath the clouds seemed to be laughing at her and the ordeal she was on, teasing its ascent and laughing at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Before this case is transferred to the council of elders, I have just two more questions to ask, Luna.”

“Did you follow Seraphina into the room she reportedly shares with my brother, Richard?”

Her stomach threatening to throw up the barbecue chicken ribs and fruit she had eaten a few hours ago, she adjusted, leaning closer to Sara for comfort and sympathy.

“Yes, great Alpha.”

“And did you in any way or by any mistake see these moonstones? Did Seraphina give you these moonstones yesterday? Did you touch them and examine them as she has just stated?”

Her heart was sinking as she heard the questions Alpha Rex had just asked her. He was deliberately making her look guilty with those questions, those questions and her answers were stating the obvious, it was giving the crowd what they wanted to hear, what they desired.

He was making her guilty, and for the first time in years after the death of her parents, Luna felt completely alone and abandoned.

“Yes.”

Her answer threw the crowd into a frenzy, and it took three guards stationed next to the middle of the circle to control the pulsating and punishment-hungry crowd.

Alpha Rex didn't need to raise his hands for the final pronouncement, Luna noted, her heart thumping in her chest.

“Seize her, guards. We're going to the palace to solve this case. For now, this marriage won't hold and is postponed indefinitely!”

The crowd cheered, and marched on, the whole population of the Blue moon pack ready to witness a trial of shame and maybe reckoning. Sara was in front of Luna in an instant, struggling with the guards with whatever wolf-like strength she had in her.

But the guards were stronger. She was tossed aside as the two of the guards grabbed her hands, oblivious to her crying and trembling. Without batting an eyelid, she was bundled into the same chariot as Alpha Rex, who ignored her completely as the chariot made its way to the palace. A guard was stationed next to her, his hand holding hers in a wolf-like grip.

Her head reeling from the events of the past few minutes, she wiped the tears that had already destroyed the beauty of her bridal gown.

“Alpha Rex, I didn't steal those moonstones, you have to believe me, please.”

When he turned to face her, Luna saw that his eyes were bloodshot, and his looks depicted one that was going through a lot of pain.

“Then how do you explain everything that they said? You said yes, didn't you? You agreed with what she said. The council of elders will settle this matter, Luna. It is not in my hands anymore.”

She watched him turn away from her, looking out of the window of the chariot and adjusting, making sure there was enough space between them.

Luna sighed in frustration, knowing that nothing she said or did at that stage could change the mind of the man sitting across from her. He was a leader, a man of his word, and he wasn't going to bend the law, even for her. That was the message he was trying to pass across to her.

The chariot came to an abrupt halt by the palace, which was well lit, despite the fact that it was already dark.

She watched Alpha Rex step out of the chariot, then bark in a terrifying voice that she had never heard him use before. If they weren't in the same chariot, she would never have agreed that it was his voice.

But his voice was alright. A voice intensified to a tenor by hate, the will to do justice and pain. The pain of having to choose between his mate and performing his duty.

“Take her to the prison and keep her there until the council of elders is set to take on the case!”

The guard next to her looked at her with steely eyes that instructed her to move because he didn't want to embarrass her. Stepping out of the chariot, Luna Derek stepped into the cheering of some members of the crowd that had witnessed what had happened in the pack circle and had come to have a glimpse of her before she entered the palace to be judged.

“Thief! Thief!”

“You'll pay for your crimes!”

“Need a moonstone, huh? Take that!”

The stone that struck the side of her head made her stumble for an instant, and the crowd cheered once again. The guard was beside her in an instant, barking warnings to the people and making sure she was safe until they crossed the gates and slipped into the palace.

At that same moment, Luna's nostrils seemed to pick on a strange, deadly odor. Glancing around and wondering where it came from, she looked upwards and found its origin.

It was Seraphina and Richard, staring at her as she was bundled towards the prison yard.