Chapter 1: The Murder
Zenobia’s POV.
My heart shattered as I gazed at the photos. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched my pack members curse at me.
“Luna Zenobia Moon, you are a traitor for committing this grave offense, and you will be punished as such!” The pack officials said, with their eyes flashing in anger.
“No, no, wait! Please wait! I am sure this is a mistake or something.” I screamed, running towards my mother with the hope that she would defend me.
“You committed murder! You killed the beta! He was last seen with you. ” The pack official said.
“Murder?! I… I did not kill anyone”. I fell to the ground, my knee hitting the ground as the pack members kept cussing at me. The pain I felt in my knees was nothing compared to the pain in my heart right now.
“Who would do this to me?!’’ I asked, staring at my mother hoping all these would just go away.
“Oh, I forgot to mention that she is my adopted mother, well known as ‘Mother Ruby’. She and my father adopted me from the pack orphanage home when I was seven. Since then, I have learned to see them as my parents and I was willing to do anything to make them happy.
“The evidence was found in your room!.” The pack officials showed the piece of evidence to everyone.
“What!” I gasped in shock.
“I… I have no idea how that got into my room, Mother, say something, Mother!” I screamed, hoping all this was just a nightmare or something. The guards advanced on me, while I was instantly assaulted with screams and jests from the pack members. I saw a wicked smile on the lips of my mother and I knew all this was done by her.
I just could not fathom what I had done wrong to deserve this from her. All I have ever done was be the dutiful daughter to her. I have done everything just to make her happy, even to the detriment of my happiness.
“Where is Lucian?” That was the next thought that came to my mind. I am sure he would defend me. He is the Alpha and my husband. He knows that I can't kill a fly, let alone his beta who has been nothing but good to me.
“Get her!” Mother Ruby ordered, and I know I have to run, I have to find Lucian. All these lies will be erased once he gets here. I ran without thinking twice, wrapping my hand around my stomach and looking for Lucian. Where could he be? I planned to give him the good news about our baby today after the auction ceremony.
My feet came to a halt when I heard a very familiar voice moaning Lucian’s name, as I moved closer to the room at the end of the hallway.
I held my breath as my feet took me in the direction of the moans as they became louder, and I stopped at the door of the room. My fingers trembled as I pushed the door slightly, thinking of who his mysterious mistress might be.
I encountered many issues during my marriage with Lucian, but I did not think of a mistress being a problem.
My eyes widened to the point of coming out of their sockets when I found my husband kissing and f*****g my step-sister and caressing every part of her body as she giggled and moaned.
“Wha… What… Lucian…Tiffany? What’s going on?” I managed to ask as the lump formed in my throat.
“Oh, the murderer is here,” Lucian said, which made my heart drop to my stomach. Now, I feel the hot knife in my stomach. A Murderer? So he knew about the vile accusation being hurled at me downstairs.
“Is he lying?” Tiffany asked with cold and stony eyes.
“I… I did not kill Glenn. How could you do this to me Lucian… and you Tiffany?” I asked, trying to process the whole situation. I wanted to believe that I was imagining things, that it was my mind playing games with me, but the look on their faces crushed the truth of the situation over me.
“Lucian?” I called again, hoping I would get some explanation even after what I had just seen.
“I, Lucian Black, Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Zenobia Moon, as my fated mate.”
The pain that came from hearing those words felt like a hot knife going straight through my throat following the betrayal I had just witnessed. The pain of rejection shot through my body, making me wince, and hot tears rushed to my eyes.
“Lucian…” I whispered while holding my stomach, trying to bear the pain of the broken bond I was going through. The man whom I made the Alpha of my pack has just rejected me.
“You are weak! Zenny! You have no idea how long we have been waiting for this day to get rid of you finally!.” Lucian said, wrapping his hands around Tiffany, my step-sister’s waist.
“I hate you Zenny! I have always hated you since the very first day you came into our lives! I wonder why the moon goddess chose you to be our Alpha.” Tiffany said, glaring at me with no remorse for her betrayal.
“You killed him, you are a murderer! You do not deserve to be the Luna and you deserve to die!” Lucian said.
I spat in his face. “You bastard,” I screamed at him. “How could you do this to me?! After everything I did for you? And because of…”
He drew his hand back and backhanded me in the face. “You damned b***h!” He hissed.
The force of his slap nearly knocked me off my feet. I grabbed my throbbing cheek and turned toward him, glaring at him. He wiped his face, his eyes shooting daggers at me.
“What is wrong with you?!” Tiffany glared at me as she inspected Lucian’s face.
I felt like I wanted to hurl. Seeing my step-sister and my husband being chummy was the most disgusting thing I’d ever seen.
“You two are disgusting and shameless!” I shouted. “Tiffany, how could you?! You’re my sister!”
“I cannot be the sister of a weakling and a traitor! You are so weak you are not even qualified to be an omega. I wonder why you were chosen. You were just a TOOL Zenny! We had planned everything right from the moment you were chosen by the moon goddess”. She replied as she spat at me.
“Planned everything?” I repeated, trying to understand what they were talking about.
“We killed Glenn! Tiffany and I murdered him!” Lucian said unapologetically.
“WHAT!” I gasped in shock while still trying to bear the pain from the broken bond.