Chapter Two
1246 Words
Elara’s POV
"What does it say?"
I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper, fragile and unsteady, like the sound might break if I pushed it any louder. Adrian stood a few steps away, the parchment clenched tightly in his hand. His grip was rigid, knuckles pale as if the paper itself offended him.
For a moment, a small smile curved his lips. It was brief. Controlled. Almost reassuring.
That single expression sent a wave of relief crashing through me. My shoulders sagged slightly, the tight knot that had been strangling my chest loosening just enough for me to breathe. I took a step toward him, hope blooming despite everything that had already gone wrong.
"You see?" I said softly, my voice trembling with fragile optimism. "I told you. I would never—"
The smile disappeared. What replaced it was dark. Cold. Cruel.
My breath caught painfully in my throat as dread crept up my spine. My instincts screamed at me to run, but my legs felt rooted to the ground.
"Adrian?" I whispered.
"You really think I’m that foolish," he said quietly. There was no anger in his tone. No raised voice. That terrified me more than any shout ever could.
The air between us thickened, heavy and suffocating, as though the room itself was closing in.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I would never betray you."
He stepped forward. My body reacted before my mind could. I stepped back. He stepped again. So did I. Until my back hit the cold stone wall and there was nowhere left to go.
Panic exploded in my chest, sharp and breath-stealing. His hand shot out. Fingers wrapped around my throat as he slammed me against the wall. The impact rattled through my bones, knocking the air from my lungs. My feet lifted off the floor as his grip tightened, cutting off my breath.
I clawed weakly at his wrist, nails, scraping uselessly against skin and fabric as terror surged through me.
"A-Adrian… please…" I gasped, barely able to force the words past his grip.
He leaned closer, his face inches from mine, his eyes burning with something vicious and unrecognizable.
"You slept with another man," he said, his voice low and venomous. "You carried his child. And you still stand before me and lie."
"I didn’t," I choked out desperately. "I swear."
His fingers tightened. Pain flared. My vision blurred. Dark spots danced at the edges as my chest burned and my lungs screamed for air.
The world tilted, sounds fading into a dull roar as weakness crept through my limbs. Then suddenly—
He released me.
I crashed to the floor in a heap, coughing violently as air tore painfully back into my lungs. Each breath burned like fire. Saliva spilled from my mouth as I clashed my throat, gasping and shaking uncontrollably.
The parchment fluttered down in front of me, landing just inches from my trembling hands.
"Read it," he said.
My fingers shook violently as I reached for it. The parchment felt heavier than before, like it carried my fate in its ink. My eyes scanned the page. Once. Twice. Then stopped.
NO MATCH.
The words burned into my vision, searing themselves into my mind.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head violently. "This is wrong. There must be a mistake. We can repeat it. Another healer. Another test."
My heart raced wildly as desperation clawed its way out of my chest. This couldn’t be happening. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t possible.
Adrian laughed. The sound was hollow. Cruel.
"You’re even more pathetic than I imagined," he said. "Still clinging to lies."
I looked up at him, tears streaming freely down my face, blurring everything. "That child was yours."
For a moment, there was silence. Then his expression hardened completely.
"Guards."
The doors opened immediately. The sound echoed like a death sentence.
"Seize her," he commanded. "The entire pack will witness her shame."
Rough hands grabbed me before I could react. I cried out as I was dragged from the chamber, my feet scraping helplessly against the stone floor. My pleas echoed uselessly through the halls as I struggled, my voice breaking.
No one listened.
The grand hall was already full. Elders lined the walls, their expressions carved from stone. Warriors stood rigid in neat rows. Pack members whispered behind their hands, eyes sharp with curiosity, judgment, and disgust.
Silver chains wrapped tightly around my wrists, biting into my skin as I was forced to my knees in the center of the hall. The metal burned against me, cutting deep into flesh that had already endured too much. The pain was sharp, constant—but it was nothing compared to the ache crushing my chest.
Adrian sat on the throne above me, unmoved. Seraphina stood beside him, her posture elegant, her lips curved in quiet triumph.
"Elara Ashford has committed treason against her Alpha and this pack," Adrian announced. His voice carried easily through the hall. "She carried another man’s child and attempted to deceive us all."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers followed. He raised the parchment high. "The blood test confirms it."
Shame crushed down on me, heavy and suffocating. I lowered my head, tears splashing against the cold stone floor beneath me.
Then my parents stepped forward. Hope flared painfully in my chest, fragile and desperate. Surely… surely they would defend me.
They bowed. "We apologize, Alpha," my father said, his voice steady and distant. "We failed in raising her."
My heart shattered into pieces so sharp I could feel them tearing me apart from the inside.
"I didn’t do this," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Please. I’m your daughter."
My mother stepped closer. Then slapped me hard across the face. The sound echoed.
"You disgust us," she hissed. "You were never our daughter."
I stared at her, numb, the sting on my cheek barely registering.
"What?" I whispered.
"You were abandoned in the forest," she said coldly. "We only took you in."
The truth settled like poison in my veins. Everything suddenly made sense.
A guard rushed into the hall, panic etched across his face.
"Alpha," he stammered. "The Beta—"
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "What about him?"
"He’s dead," the guard said. "He took his own life."
Shock rippled through the hall. My knees gave out beneath me as my body sagged against the chains.
"No," I whispered. "He wouldn’t."
The guard handed Adrian a letter. Adrian read it slowly, deliberately. Then he looked down at me, his eyes blazing with fury.
"He confessed," Adrian said. "He died from guilt."
Something inside me broke completely. The bond between us ignited violently, pain ripping through my chest as though my heart were being torn apart piece by piece.
"Accept my rejection," Adrian commanded.
Pain exploded through me as the bond shattered.
"I accept," I cried, my scream tearing from my throat.
Silence followed.
Seraphina crouched beside me, her voice soft and poisonous. "I won."
I met her gaze through the pain. "Enjoy it," I whispered. "You’ll regret this."
Her smile faltered.
Adrian stood. "Flog her. Then throw her beyond the borders."
Fear surged as I clatched my stomach instinctively. "Please… my child—"
He sneered. "Who cares about a bastard?"
The guards dragged me away as my screams echoed through the hall. No one intervened. No one looked away.
And as the doors slammed shut behind me, I knew—
This was not the end.
- Writer
