ACCUSED
1872 Words
CHAPTER FIVE.
RHIANNON’S POV.
“Are you cheating on me?”
The words reverberate throughout the atmosphere like gunshot sounds and I watch all the blood drain from Fabien’s face in an instant. He looks like he’s been struck by lightning.
“What?” He asks in a harsh whisper and I take a bold step closer to him, my hard-like-basalt eyes zeroed on his horror-stricken face. I know we should not be having this conversation in the hallway, because I’m not trying to keep my voice low and it is attracting the attention of other people, but I don’t care.
I am too angry for manners.
“I said, who are you cheating on me with?” I fire the question once again and the horrified look on his face intensifies.
“Me, cheating on you? What the f**k are you talking about?”
“Explain this!” I say, almost shoving the shirt into his eyes so he can see clearly the stain I’m trying to show him. He aggressively rips the shirt from my hold and I’m panting like a dog as I watch him inspect it for the stains I’m talking about and once he finally sees them, he stops and looks back at me.
“Are you kidding me right now? This should be yours!”
I nearly burst into laughter.
“No, it’s not! That is the shirt you wore to work yesterday and apart from the fact I don’t wear such bright red lip-stick, which you are very much aware of, you also as hell know I didn’t kiss any part of you before you left for work and after you returned home yesterday. You stopped me from doing so, claiming you were late for work, claiming you were tired and needed to rest. It isn’t mine, so tell me whose it is. Who are you cheating on me with?” My voice is shaky, uneven and loud.
And Fabien has suddenly gone dumb.
He’s not saying anything, his eyes are roaming all over my face like everything I just said was in some foreign language and he did not comprehend a word. But I as hell know he did.
I also know who he has been cheating on me with but I want to hear it from his mouth!
“Why are you quiet? Say something!” I angrily urge him. People are starting to gather in the hallway, but at a distance, probably wondering what the hell is going on between their Alpha and Luna.
“How bold and audacious of you to accuse the Alpha of a crime you’re the one who’s guilty of committing.” Layla says as she walks out of the office she slipped into a while ago when I showed up. Both Fabien and I turn our attention to her and my face has gone pale with shock.
“What?” I ask, aghast. Layla lets out a diabolical laughter that gathers even more audience in the hallway.
“Rhiannon, you might not know this, but I have been investigating you for a while now.” She says in a very loud and accusatory tone. “I know all the dirty little games you have been playing behind Alpha Fabien’s back.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask in utter shock and confusion. My heart is beating so fast, I’m scared it might stop working soon.
“You have succeeded in deceiving all the pack members and the Alpha into believing that you are some chaste and devoted Luna who is capable of doing no wrong, when you are in fact, the opposite!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know all about your nasty games, Rhiannon. I’ve been watching you. I know you’ve been cheating on Alpha Fabien for the longest time!” She firmly accuses and the hallway is filled with gasps and shrieks from the onlookers.
“Layla, you know that’s not true! How dare you accuse me of such a heinous crime?”
“Oh, so you know the act was heinous, yet you went ahead to do it.” She chuckles and looks at the subjects that now have had judging looks on. “Don’t be fooled by her innocent face and crying words of denial. She has been cheating on our Alpha and the proof of that is her son, Lucien.”
“Don’t you dare bring my son into this!” I scream at her and look at Fabien. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You know she’s lying. Tell her to stop!” I cry out to Fabien, but he doesn’t. Instead, he looks away to avoid my gaze and stays still.
“Everyone!” Layla calls out. “Lucien is not Alpha Fabien’s son and he is certainly not the Alpha heir of this pack and I have proof of that.” She quickly disappears into her office and reappears barely seconds later with a white sheet of paper which she holds out towards the audience. “These are the DNA test results between Alpha Fabien and Lucien. The results say that their DNAs do not match, therefore, Alpha Fabien is not Lucien’s father.”
More shrieks and gasps can be heard from the people. They even start murmuring to each other and I just stand there, completely stupefied by the vile accusation that has just been levied against me. I’m so shocked that I can feel my internal organs shutting down one by one. My heart has flown to the moon without me and my knees have won the right to tremble.
I am a bodiless soul.
However, I know better than to stay lifeless in this situation. I need to fight back.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I ask, seizing the paper from Layla’s hold. “I know you are desperate to ruin my life but did you have to do something as ridiculous as this? This is preposterous! We both know DNA test results can be manipulated. This is obviously fake.” I say and look back at the people who are looking very angry. Some have disappointed looks on and it breaks my heart completely, but I make a monumental effort to smile. “Please don’t listen to her. All that she said is nothing but a lie. You all know me. I would never betray my Alpha. I would never deceive my people. You have to believe me when I tell you that these test results are fake!” I cry out, but the looks on their faces tell me they don’t believe a word I just said.
They believe Layla because they love and trust her very much. Her father served Fabien’s father as Gamma and he was a very loyal servant.
“Please…” I cry, broken. “You have to believe me.” I turn to Fabien and the look on his face nearly sends me six feet. He looks very angry. He is frowning like an angry bear and I don’t need to be told that he has chosen to believe Layla’s accusatory words.
“Is this true?” He asks in a quiet, but deadly tone and I shake my head so hard, it nearly disconnects from my neck and drops to the floor.
“No!” I wail, tears streaming down my cheeks like a waterfall. “No! Of course not! I have never been with another man. Lucien is your son! If you doubt me, let’s do another test and be present in the lab while they work on the blood samples.”
“No.” Fabien denies and my world comes crashing down on me. “The human method won’t do. Let’s go the werewolf way. We are going to carry out the Patrilineal Ritual. Someone, get me Lucien and the pack seer.” He announces and a heavy sigh of relief escapes my chest.
That Ritual is only carried out in the worst-case scenarios, but it has me feeling relieved because it’s going to free me of all the allegations Layla has levied on me. The Patrilineal Ritual is done using magic and it never lies!
During the ritual, a few drops of blood will be taken from both Fabien and Lucien and dropped on the same spot on an ethereal gem called “Moonstone”, which is characterized by its opalescent sheen which creates a moon-like glow. The droplets of blood will mix and if Fabien and Lucien are blood related, their blood will resonate and release a golden glow, but if they aren’t, the mixed blood droplets will separate and turn black.
Neither of us shake from where we are standing until thirty minutes later when Lucien and the Pack Seer arrive.
“Mummy!” Lucien calls as he rushes over me. I stoop down and welcome him into my arms and he hugs me tight. “Mummy, what’s going on?” He breaks the hug and my heart shatters into a million pieces when I see the frightened look in his eyes. “Some strange men took me out of class a while ago and brought me here. What is happening?”
“Nothing sweetheart.” I say, gently stroking his cheeks and pulling him into my arms again. “It will all be over soon.”
“Enough!” Fabien commands in a harsh tone that makes Lucien tremble in fright as he looks up at him.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Lucien whimpers, but Fabien looks away from him. The disgusted expression he’s wearing is killing me.
I cannot believe that without concrete proof, he has chosen to believe Layla over me, his wife.
“You can begin the ritual.” He tells the seer he bows to him and stoops to the floor. We all take a few steps back on his command and watch in total silence as he prepares the things he will be needing for the ritual. Lucien’s guttural scream when the Seer pricks his thumb to take his blood makes my heart bleed.
My heart is in my throat as I watch him drop the blood on the same spot which he had dropped Lucien’s. He then takes a step back from it and we both wait for the reaction.
I am shaking all over as I try to comfort Lucien who has not stopped crying.
My eyes never leave the stone and I watch with anticipation as the blood mixes magically, one hundred percent expecting it to release a golden glow after doing so, but it doesn’t.
To my greatest horror, the mixed blood droplets rise about two inches from the Moonstone and droplets from the mixed liquid start separating and joining until two separate droplets have been formed. The two separate droplets drop back on the Moon stone on different spots and turn black.
Everyone gasps in utter shock and disbelief, including me.
Before I can understand what’s going on, Fabien turns and gives a dirty slap across my face that sends me flying a few meters in the air before I drop down on the floor.
My life is over.
- Writer
