Chapter2
1409 Words
Chapter 2
Betrayal In Silence.
Maurice's POV
“Father! Please……wake up!” I screamed, shaking him again and again, but his head only fell limply against my arm.
Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, warm and dark against my hands.
“No! Don’t you leave me!” My voice broke as tears streamed down my face.
Jasper rushed forward. “Move aside!” He shouted, dropping beside us.
He pressed his fingers against Father’s neck and his jaw tightened.
“His pulse….it’s fading! Somebody call the doctor!”
Selena gasped behind me, clutching her son close. “Oh goodness…” She whispered, her eyes darting to the blood pouring beneath Father’s chin.
“How did this happen?”
I could not answer and my throat was locked. All I could do was hold him, praying he would open his eyes.
“Father, it is me, please , you will be fine.” I called but he did not move.
The pack doctor came running in with two assistants. They knelt down quickly, tried to resuscitate him, but after a minute, one of them looked up at Jasper and shook his head.
“No heartbeat.” The doctor said quietly.
I froze. “What…..what do you mean no heartbeat?” I whispered.
“He was fine! He was talking just minutes ago!”
The doctor did not reply, he lowered his gaze in respect. A pain tore through my chest. “No! You are lying!”
I pushed the doctor away and pressed my ear to Father’s chest, desperate to hear anything but there was nothing, no warmth , no breath , only stillness.
I screamed until my voice cracked. “Please! Somebody help him!”
Jasper grabbed my arms, pulling me away gently. “Maurice, stop….please, you are hurting yourself!”
“Let go of me!” I cried, thrashing in his grip.
“He is my father! Don’t touch me!”
The hall was chaotic, the pack members whispered, some cried, some backed away in fear. I heard the words poison and curse murmured through the crowd, but they didn’t make sense.
By the time they carried Father’s body away, my face was soaked with tears. I could barely stand. Jasper led me to my room, but I hardly noticed where we were going. Everything around me felt hollow, unreal.
When Jasper finally left, I sat by the bed, shaking. The smell of the spilled wine still clung to my hands.
Hours passed, I did not sleep, my mind replayed the moment again and again Father smiling, lifting the cup, and then falling. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.
The following morning a knock sounded on the door.
“Lady Maurice.” A guard said.
“The Council of Elders requests your presence.”
My stomach dropped. “Why?”
He did not answer, he just looked at the ground.
******
The Council Chamber was filled with tension. Five elders sat at a long table. Jasper was standing near them, his arms were folded, his face was unreadable. .
I tried to breathe steadily as Elder Victor spoke first. “Maurice Xander, daughter of the late Alpha. We have questions regarding your father’s sudden death.”
I swallowed hard. “Of course.”
Victor’s gaze was sharp. “It has been reported that you poured your father’s drink moments before he collapsed.”
“Yes.” I said quietly.
“He asked me if the bottle came from the cellar. I opened it myself.”
“Who fetched the wine?”
“I did.”
He nodded slowly. “So, no one else handled it?”
“No one.”
Elder Rowan leaned forward. “Do you realize that makes you the last person to have touched what killed him?”
I froze. “What killed him?”
“The doctor believes it was poison.” Rowan said bluntly.
“And since you poured his drink-”
“That doesn’t mean it was me!” I cut in, anger and disbelief surging at once.
“I would never harm my father!”
Elder Victor tapped the table. “We have also spoken to several workers from the pack house who claimed that you and your father argued earlier this week.”
“What?” I asked, stunned.
“One of them said he overheard you shouting,”
Rowan added. “‘You will regret this, Father. Does that sound familiar?”
My hands clenched. “That is a lie! We were talking about the pack’s finances; it wasn't a fight.”
Victor’s eyes hardened. “Three people said the same thing, Maurice, are they all lying?”
“Yes!” My voice cracked. “Someone is twisting everything!”
The elders exchanged glances and my heart pounded in my chest. I could see the doubt spreading among them, their expressions tightening with judgment.
Victor’s voice broke the silence. “Bring in the evidence.”
Two guards stepped forward, carrying a small wooden box. Inside lay the bottle of wine I had opened the night before.
“The analysis shows traces of wolfsbane.” Rowan said.
“Highly concentrated.”
I felt cold all over. “That can’t be true.”
“It is.” He replied flatly.
“Do you have any explanation?”
I shook my head helplessly. “I don’t… I don’t know how that happened, the bottle was sealed!”
Jasper finally spoke. “Maurice.” He said softly,
“If you know something, please say it now. Don’t make this worse for yourself.”
I stared at him, stunned. “You think I did this too?”
He looked away. “I am trying to help you.”
“No.” I whispered, stepping closer. “You are trying to protect yourself.”
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Then, suddenly, the chamber doors opened and Selena’s voice came out.
“Wait! I have something.”
Everyone turned around, she walked to the table, her hands were trembling slightly, and she placed a small recorder in front of the elders.
Victor frowned. “What is this?”
“Something I found in my bag this morning,” She said quietly. “I did not want to believe it, but…”
She pressed play and the static filled the room, then a voice, my voice came through.
‘He has to pay, Selena I am tired of waiting.’
Then Selena’s recorded voice replied,
‘Maurice, please don’t kill your father.’
Gasps rippled across the room.
My knees nearly gave out. “That is not me,” I whispered.
“That is not real.”
Victor’s eyes darkened. “Are you denying that is not your voice?”
“Yes!” I shouted.
“Someone faked it! That is not me!”
Selena looked down, shaking her head sadly. “I
wish that were true, Maurice.”
“You are lying,” I hissed.
“You set me up!”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I loved your father too.” She said, her voice quivering just enough to sound believable.
Jasper stepped forward then, his voice was firm. “Elders, we can’t let emotions cloud our judgment. The pack is in chaos, Maurice may not have meant to harm the Alpha, but the damage is done and she is not fit to lead.”
I turned to him in shock. “Jasper, how can you say that? You know me better than anyone!”
He didn’t meet my eyes. “I know what I saw.”
“You saw nothing!” I cried.
Rowan slammed his hand on the table. “Enough!” He yelled and the room went silent.
Victor stood up, his expression was cold and final. “Maurice Xander, you stand accused of poisoning your father, Alpha Xander, and deceiving this pack.”
Tears blurred my vision. “I didn’t-”
He raised his hand to silence me. “The evidence is overwhelming and the Council finds you guilty.”
The world stopped.
“By our authority.” Rowan added. “You are stripped of your title as future Luna of this pack.”
The words barely reached me Victor’s next sentence did.
“You are hereby sentenced to death by stoning, to be carried out at dawn.”
My breath caught. I could not move, I could not speak. Guards stepped forward, seizing my arms.
- Writer
