To love a Damned Alpha:Bounded by fate, betrayed by blood.

Elara's Point of View

My grip tightened around the doorknob as I turned it, the hinges creaking open as I walked into the dimly lit room. The smile on my lips widened, the cold air sweeping through the window, carrying the scent of freshly plucked lilies, their petals carefully arranged into a heart shape.

Everything was perfect.

Tonight was a prayer answered by the Luna goddess. This was my wedding night. The night when I'd be lost in the world of pleasure with my mate: Jackson, the Alpha's son.

Was I supposed to be worried that my family, whom I fought to get their validation, didn't kick against the marriage?

They'd supported the marriage with their full chest. Maybe they were happy to finally get rid of their wolfless daughter, who was nothing but a disgrace to them.

Regardless, I still begged for their validation. I still wanted them to see that there were so many things I could do and that I was also important to the pack.

Well, this was the best way to get rid of someone. Who would ever imagine that I would be getting married to the Alpha's son?!!

Everyone dreamed about getting married to the handsome Alpha's son, the heir of our noble pack, Elder Eden, yet the Luna goddess gave him to me.

“You shouldn't be hiding in this dimly lit room, Jack. I'm tired of playing hide and seek,” I whispered with a giggle, my eyes darting around, scanning the room.

Aside from being a lover boy, Jack was just another kid wearing adult skin. He was loving, and best of all, he had this playful character which attracted me to him.

“Jax, if you don't come out, I'll find you, and when I do, you aren't going to like it!” I said, frustration laced in my tone.

I halted my feet in the middle of the spacious room, my ears perking up, acting like an antenna as they searched for the faintest noise.

I sucked at playing the game, because each time he vanished, I wouldn't find him until he appeared. But when it came to him, he'd sniff me out in a twinkle of an eye.

Maybe the reason I sucked was because I never played the game… till I met Jack. I was never given an opportunity to play with people. While the other kids played outside, my parents would shut me inside because I was wolfless. Well, now, everything has changed for good.

Freedom was now a luxury I could afford.

Suddenly, my ears caught the faint sound of water hitting the marble floor, and I smirked. The smirk deepened as I tiptoed toward the bathroom, my heart slamming hard against my ribs. The sound of water confirmed it—he was definitely hiding in there, trying to get one over on me again.

Not tonight.

Gripping the handle, I yanked the bathroom door open and burst in with a grin, the scent of Cedar filled the air, steam filling the bathtub.

“Got you…!”

The words froze on my lips. My eyes widened in shock, the smile on my lips vanishing as my jaw practically hit the cold marble floor.

Time slowed, and my mind went blank as my eyes locked on the tub, and everything else in the background faded.

This wasn't happening. This was just a dream. A nightmare or worse.

Before me was my mate: Jackson, lying in the bathtub. The water was a horrifying shade of crimson. The blood which dripped down his throat stained the edges.

My lips trembled, my pulse increasing as I struggled to catch up. To understand the scene which unfolded before me.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

I felt the edges of reality blurring, and I was struggling to get my grip. My trembling lips parted as I screamed, my body stumbling backwards, hands trembling as I pointed at the bathtub.

“Jack... no—!”

The door behind me slammed open, footsteps echoing in the background. I heard voices and gasps, but I was unsure if they were also as surreal as the scene before me or what was happening in real life.

My knees buckled beneath me, and I collapsed on the cold marble floor. The last thing I saw was the concerned faces of the workers before everything turned pitch black.

“She killed him. I hope she dies like Jackson.”

The words were muffled, but they were strong enough to drag me back to reality. A dull ache spread through my head, my throat running dry as my eyes fluttered open. My lips parted and only one word escaped

“Jack…”

My voice cracked in the thick silence, swallowed by the chill that wrapped around me. I tried to sit up, but a sharp clink followed by a tug at my wrists made my heart pound harder.

Chains.

The chains were heavy, wrapped tight around my wrists and ankles like I was some kind of monster.

My breath caught in my throat as I steadied my gaze, studying the confinement I was kept in. The stone walls and narrow slit of light overhead said it all,I was in a dungeon.

My hands trembled as I tried again to move, only for the chains to pull me back. My knees buckled beneath me, and I crashed to the floor with a whimper.

What was happening?

Why was I chained?

I called out, my voice echoing against the walls,

“Hello? Somebody! Please—”

I squinted my eyes, my gaze falling on a pair of guards in front of the metal. Their faces were cold, unreadable. I scrambled forward, the chains dragging loudly behind me.

“Why am I here?” I demanded,my heart hammering against my ribs. “I didn’t do anything! Where’s Jack?”

They didn’t flinch.

“You are here for judgment,” one of them replied, his voice deep.

“Judgment?” My voice pitched higher. “What fucking judgment?!”

They exchanged a glance but said nothing more.My chest rose and fell in panic.

“Tell me what’s happening! Tell me where Jack is—please!”

They owed me no explanation, their lips pressing into a thin line. Everything felt wrong.

I still couldn't understand how I changed from victim to a criminal. I sat on the floor in confusion, my thoughts running wild as sweat dripped down my temples.

The echoing of steps marching down the stone hallways sliced through the air, a soldier appearing behind the guards. His armor caught the faint light, his fingers pointing at me as he spoke.

“Drag the killer out.”

Killer?

My breath hitched. No. No, they didn’t mean me. They couldn’t.

But before the thought could settle, the guards stormed in, seizing me like a rag doll. I kicked, flailed, screamed—but my limbs were weak, my energy drained. They didn’t listen. They didn’t care.

I was weightless in their grip, like I didn’t even matter.

I begged them to stop. I begged them to tell me what was going on.

But they just kept dragging me till they got into the council chamber and threw me on the floor, my wounded body hitting the cold marble floor.

I lifted my head slowly, vision spinning, heart slamming against my chest as I tried to make sense of the room—the eyes staring down on me, the thick tension hanging heavy in the air.

The elders stared at my pathetic form for a while before one of them spoke, his voice cold…lethal.

“This isn’t an interrogation, Elara.”

His words echoed through the stone chamber.

“This gathering isn’t for debate… or truth. We’ve already decided what we’re going to do with you.”

I blinked, my dry lips parting,

“What?”

“You can’t just—” I stumbled to my knees, dragging the chains with me. “You can’t judge me without a trial. That’s not how things are done. It's against the pack's law—”

A sharp, mocking laugh cut through my plea.

“The pack’s law?” one of the elders scoffed, leaning forward with a smirk. “And who said you were ever part of the pack?”

“You’re wolfless, Elara,” another elder spat. “You were only ever tolerated out of pity. And now… now you’ve proven yourself exactly what we always suspected.”

“No!” I shook my head violently, tears clouding my vision. “I didn’t kill him! I would never—I loved Jack! You think I’d hurt him?! You think I could ever—?!”

“Enough!” one of them barked, his voice thundering across the room.

“You were the only one with him that night. The door was locked from the inside. No one entered after you. The evidence is clear enough.”

The air felt too thick to breathe in. I tried to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat and all I could do was stare, my body wrecking in sob.

There was no need to tell the truth. They weren't here for it.

Perhaps this was a perfect way to get rid of me from the pack.

“Your punishment,” he continued coldly, “is banishment.”

Banishment? The words echoed in my eyes, my eyes widening in shock as my lips trembled.

“No.No..no,” I stammered,my voice barely audible. “Please, you can't.I didn't do this. I didn't kill him!” I begged, my throat tightening with every word.

Tears trickled down my eyes as I fell to my knees. I wasn't surprised that my family didn't show up on the day of my trial, they never loved me anyway.

“You are sentencing me to death for a crime I didn't commit. You know what's out there beyond the borders. I'm wolfless…I won't be able to survive,” I pleaded, beckoning my voice to pierce their cold hearts.

A few of the elders exchanged glances, a sickening silence hanging heavy in the air. I turned towards the one who had once cradled me on their knees during pack festivals when I was ten.

“Please,” I whispered, my eyes locking with him. “You know I loved Jack. Tell them I didn't do this.”

He maintained a stoic expression, unfazed by my pleading.

Then, one of the elders spoke calmly, leaning closer

“I’ve heard tales,” he said with a mocking smile, “of the killers in the woods. Spirits. Shadows. Things that rip through flesh and howl beneath the blood moon.”

He paused dramatically, then sneered.

“Perhaps it's time we put that myth to the…test.”