Bound by the Blood Moon

Chapter 3 The Framed Theft

Three days passed trapped inside the damp stone dungeon. I survived on cold rough bread and bitter spring water, my skin pale and cold from endless dampness. Every night, the mate bond in my chest ached sharply, pulling my wolf soul toward Ronan’s chambers far above the castle. I fought the craving every second, clinging to my hatred for the Alpha who had stolen my freedom.

On the third sunset, heavy footsteps echoed down the dungeon stairs. It was Mia, Ronan’s childhood promised she-wolf, her silver fur cloak sweeping the muddy stone steps. Two burly Stormfang guards followed close behind her, gripping a carved silver wolf relic in their palms—the sacred treasure of the pack’s lunar shrine.

Mia’s red lips curled into a cold, mocking sneer as she leaned against the iron cell bars. “The whole pack knows you’ve hidden the lunar relic, half-blood trash. You snuck out of your cell last night to steal it, hoping to weaken our pack’s moon power.”

I slammed my palm hard against the metal bars, rage burning through my bones. “I never left this dungeon once. You’re framing me for a crime I didn’t commit.”

Her laugh was shrill and cruel. She tossed a torn scrap of my gray cloak onto the ground before the cell door, the fabric stained with the same silver relic dust. “This cloth was found beside the shrine. The evidence speaks for itself. The Alpha will sentence you to harsh punishment for your theft.”

Before I could shout out my defense, Ronan’s tall shadow fell across the stairwell. His golden eyes landed on the silver relic, then the scrap of my cloak, and finally locked onto my furious face. Mia stepped forward instantly, pressing herself to his arm, her voice soft and tearful. “Ronan, I caught her sneaking near the shrine last midnight. She means to destroy our pack’s moon blessing.”

Ronan’s jaw tightened until the muscle in his cheek twitched. The mate bond screamed for him to trust me, but the planted evidence and Mia’s fake tears clouded his judgment. He raised his voice, loud enough to bounce off every dungeon wall. “I thought you might learn to accept your place here, Layla. Instead you sneak out to steal our sacred treasure to hurt Stormfang.”

Tears of betrayal blurred my vision. “You don’t believe a single word I say? You trust her lies over the truth right in front of you?”

“Until you prove your innocence, you will remain locked in the dungeon with no meals for three days.” He spun on his heel, leaving me alone with Mia’s triumphant smirk lingering behind the bars. The bond between us throbbed painfully, a sharp reminder that our love had already been broken by vicious misunderstanding.