The wounded luna

CHAPTER 2

I awoke with a start, the cold sweat clinging to my skin as the echoes of Iris's agonizing howls

filled my ears. It was the same recurring nightmare, an unrelenting torment that haunted my

every moment of sleep.

The grief, guilt, and helplessness clawed at my chest, leaving me breathless in the darkness of

my room.

Blinking back the remnants of the dream, I noticed the soft rays of morning sunlight filtering

through the curtains.

Another day, another round of accusations. My body ached from the weight of the nightmares,

but there was no time for weakness. Today was the day of my trial, a day that could seal my fate

within the pack.

I pushed myself out of bed, the worn wooden floor feeling cool against my bare feet. The room,

once a sanctuary shared with Iris, now held only the echoes of our laughter and the unbearable

void left by her absence. A lump formed in my throat as I tried to shake off the memories that

threatened to consume me.

The scent of stale anxiety hung in the air of my room as I moved to the small mirror on the

dresser. My reflection stared back at me, eyes haunted and shoulders burdened with the weight

of false accusations. I took a deep breath, attempting to compose myself before facing whatever

lay ahead.

As I freshened up, the sound of a discreet knock echoed through the room. The guard assigned

to watch over me was prompt, a stark reminder of my restricted freedom within the packhouse. I

opened the door to find a tall, stoic figure clad in the pack's uniform, his gaze a mixture of pity

and suspicion.

"It's time, Freya," he muttered, the words heavy with the unspoken judgment that lingered within

the pack's ranks.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. The hallway stretched before me, one I regarded as

a corridor of judgment and hostility.

With every step I took forward, it felt like a march toward an uncertain fate. The packhouse,

once a haven, had transformed into a labyrinth of accusation and mistrust.

The air outside carried the crisp scent of pine, a stark contrast to the tension that gripped the

packhouse. We walked in silence, the guard's eyes constantly on me as if expecting an escape

attempt. But where would I escape to? I was trapped within the confines of my own pack,

surrounded by those who believed me capable of the unthinkable.

As we reached the meeting hall, the low hum of conversations ceased, and curious eyes turned

toward me. Whispers flitted through the air like restless spirits, each word a sharp needle that

pricked at my skin.

The Alpha's judgment seat awaited at the front, a symbol of authority that had once offered

protection but now cast a shadow over my fate. I stood in the center of the room, acutely aware

of every pair of eyes fixed upon me.

Alpha Xavier rose, his eyes betraying a mix of grief and accusation. The pack elders flanked

him, their expressions stern and unforgiving. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a

countdown to the moment when my fate would be decided.

"Freya," Alpha Xavier's voice echoed through the hall, carrying the weight of both sorrow and

judgment. "You stand accused of the gravest crime within our pack. How do you plead?"

The question hung in the air, a loaded inquiry that reverberated through my very being. I locked

eyes with the Alpha, attempting to convey the truth that words failed to capture. "Not guilty," I

whispered, the words barely audible but laced with a desperate plea.

As the trial unfolded, emotions swirled within me like a tempest. The piercing gazes, the pointed

questions, and the unspoken condemnation fueled a storm of frustration and despair. I fought to

maintain my composure, to prove my innocence against the current of doubt that threatened to

drown me.

The evidence presented against me felt like a distorted reflection of reality, each accusation

distorting the truth. Faces blurred into a sea of disapproval, and my attempts to defend myself

were met with skepticism. Every plea fell on deaf ears, and I became an outsider in the very

pack I had once considered family.

As the trial wore on, I caught glimpses of Tobias in the crowd. His eyes, once filled with warmth

and camaraderie, now held a cold detachment. The mate bond that had sparked between us

only intensified the pain, a constant reminder of the connection we shared despite the chasm

that had grown between us.

The trial reached its c****x with the testimonies of pack members who claimed to have

witnessed my alleged crime.

How could they lie about this?

If really they witnessed this, couldn’t they have come to stop me from killing iris?

I couldn’t even say this out loud. Let them do whatever they wanted. No one believed me

anyways.

Their words stung, each false accusation a betrayal that deepened the chasm between me and

the pack.

The accusing glares and murmurs of disbelief surrounded me, creating an impenetrable wall of

mistrust.

The trial had been a charade—a formality that held no weight, no intention of uncovering the

truth. They had asked me to tell my side of the story, but my words had fallen into the void of

preconceived notions and prejudices.

The pack wasn't interested in the truth; they sought someone to blame, and I became the

scapegoat for Iris's tragic end.

I had explained, tears streaming down my face, how that night had unfolded. The ominous

feeling in the woods, the sudden attack by a rogue wolf, the futile fight to save Iris—I recounted

every agonizing detail.

But no one listened. Instead, their accusing eyes bore into me, as if my words were nothing

more than a cleverly crafted deception.

"I loved Iris like a sister," I had pleaded, my voice breaking. "I would never harm her."

But the pack chose to believe the convenient narrative—the notion that I, as Beta's daughter,

must be responsible for Iris's death.

"I didn't kill Iris," I whispered, "I would have given my life to save hers."

Finally, Alpha Xavier spoke,

"Freya, for the sake of the pack and the memory of my daughter, Iris, your family and you will be

stripped off any title in this pack. Your family would be lower than even an Omega. That is final."