CHAPTER FOUR
1138 Words
“Change your clothes.”
The guard pushed me into small cramped space that was quite dark. I didn’t understand what he meant because I had no clothes to change. Just then, he threw something at me and when I caught it, it was a piece of clothing.
“I should change into this?”
My voice was barely above a whisper. I was still crying. I hoped my mother was alright.
“Change into that at once.”
I slowly and depressingly pulled the gown from last night over my head and took the other one that had been thrown at me and wore.
“Are you done?”
“Y-yes.”
“Come out.”
I did and saw that there was a another new person in the open room, and it was a female. I couldn’t recognize her.
“Thaleia”
My head shot up to attention at the icy call of the Alpha.
“A-alpha.”
No matter how I tried to make my voice stable, it wasn’t cooperating. It wobbled badly.
“Did you or did you not kill my sister, Zephne?”
Tears were streaming endless and I fought to open my mouth to answer. It was a struggle to form words at this point.
“Did you or did you not?!”
He yelled and I flinched.
“N-no, I-I did not kill Zephne.”
“If you’ll keep denying it, so be it. Punish her.”
The woman whose face I could not really make out due to the dimness of the room pulled me towards a stake and proceeded to tie me to it.
“Alpha please.”
I was going to be flogged. I had never been hit in my entire life. Even my father who didn’t really like me had never laid a hand to me before. But I’ve heard of people who’d been accused or found guilty of one crime or the other being whipped. They say some of these people are whipped so bad that they don’t survive it. The Alpha was extra ruthless and unforgiving to any criminal.
“Alpha I did not kill your Zephne. I don’t even know how she died or when she died. Why am I suffering for a crime I know nothing about? Alpha please. Don’t let them do this to me.”
I sobbed louder and tried to fight the woman from tying my hands. She was strong and she won. She was the one who handled the whip.
“Alpha?”
I saw the woman look at the Alpha for permission to commence the punishment. The Alpha turned to my direction.
“Alpha please. I am your mate. It was not supposed to end like this. I know nothing of Zephne’s death.”
“Did you like Zephne when she was alive?”
I kept mute. I couldn’t say a word because I didn’t not want to lie.
“Tell me!”
I jolted in fear even as I was tied to the stake.
“No.”
I said in an extremely low voice.
“I didn’t get that.”
“No.”
I raised my tone a little.
“Why did you kill her? Even if you didn’t like her, why did you kill her?”
“I didn’t kill her. I tried to get along with her but she was more like Paleia. She was always with my twin sister, they both bullied me and always got into trouble. I tried to get close to Zephne but she told me I wasn’t her type and that she didn’t like me.”
I swallowed the thick mucus that formed in my throat and tried to control my tears but I couldn’t. The more I tried to keep it in, the more it overwhelmed me.
“She didn’t like. She said she wished that the Moon Goddess had made my twin sister your mate instead of me.”
“You liar! You’re such a little deceptive snake!”
He growled. I saw his eyes flashed, or maybe it was just me thinking his wolf wanted to be unleashed on me.
“I’m not lying. Zephne didn’t really like me.”
“Have you ever hit Zephne?”
How did he know that? That day it had been just the two of us.
“Yes.”
I swallowed. Lying might was definitely not the best approach right now.
“Was that how much you hated my sister?”
“It was a mistake! I was passing and was about to turn when my arm hit her face. I apologized a countless times and she told she had forgiven but she got back at me for that one mistake.”
“You’re just trying to lie your way out of your crime.”
“It’s true Zephne and I have had some really bad encounters, they weren’t my fault but that didn’t mean I killed her. I swear it.”
“Stop lying to my face!”
“I’m not lying. I swear it Alpha. I’m not. I am your mate, please don’t do this.”
“I have rejected you, Thaleia. You are no longer my mate.”
My heart shattered. My stomach tightened and dread filled it.
“What did I do? I didn’t kill Zephne. Please don’t do this.”
He was my mate. The man I’d had a crush on for years; ever since we were little. And now, all was gone. He had rejected the mate-bond, accusing me of killing his sister and there was probably a worse punishment waiting for me. I was never going to be free. A prisoner forever, discarded and forgotten until I was dead or probably beaten to death.
“The matter is going to be tried and your verdict will be read. Though I doubt that is going to change the fact that you’re a murderer.”
His tone was hard and venomous. I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything.
“You will pay dearly for what you’ve done. I will make sure you pay. I will snuff life out of you, Thaleia. I will end you the way you ended my sister.”
I stared at him as he threatened me in anger and deep hatred.
“Your anger is righteous but if only you could just take your time to investigate this matter, you’ll find that I am innocent.”
“You are far from innocent, Thaleia. You are the snake I let into my home and now you’ve bitten me. I will bite you back, and I will make sure you don’t survive it.”
He held his fists by his side, he was controlling himself from hitting me. His eyes still stationed on mine, he gave the order.
“You may begin.”
- Writer
