Marked By My Cheating Ex's Uncle

MIA POV

“Do you plead guilty or not guilty?!”

The cruel, gut-wrenching voice of the Gamma, Gamma Xavier cut through the throne room and sliced straight into my heart.

My whole body shook. The world spun before my blurry sight as I fought to keep the tears in.

Please let this be a dream. Please let this be a dream.

But no matter how hard I blinked, I still opened my eyes to see the harsh reality of my father facing an impromptu trial in front of thousands of watching eyes.

I could feel my heart rip into pieces as I watched him on his knees beside me. The aged man had one hand on the ground as he bowed in shame, while the other one clutched the corner of his torn shirt, dabbing at his wet face.

“Be quick with your response!” I heard the savage voice of Xavier again, causing me to flinch. “Don’t you realize this is a serious charge?!”

It was happening too fast. This was too much to take in. All of a sudden, my father was arrested for treason and about to be sentenced before he could even speak?!

I gazed up hopefully towards where Alpha Lucas, my mate, sat among the elders. But when our gazes met, his eyes slid away. He was avoiding me. My heart dropped.

Was that disappointment I saw? Or… helplessness?

Did he truly believe the lies? My father had given his whole life to this pack. He had no reason to betray us and he knew that!

“If you refuse to answer,” Xavier’s tone went flat, “then the court will take your silence as confession. You are guilty of treason… and of being a traitor.”

My head shook violently.

“No!” The word ripped out of me before I could think. I spun toward my father, grabbing his arm.

I knew he wasn’t guilty, but I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t defending himself. He would never do such a thing!

“Dad! Look at me,” I begged, trying to turn his face towards mine but he wouldn’t move. “Say something! Please! Tell them the truth!”

But he didn’t lift his head, neither did he speak.

He only took my hands in his and pushed them gently away, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.

Was that…resignation I saw in his eyes?

I could feel the harsh stares of everyone on our back as they awaited the sentencing of the court.

My heartbeat roared in my ears when Xavier cleared his throat and slammed a stack of papers on the table.

“YOU, ELDER DECLAN BALKOVA ARE HEREBY SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HANGING!”

The words exploded through the hall like a thunderclap.

Gasps spilled from the crowd packed inside the throne room and echoed from those gathered outside. A few voices cried out in disbelief, but the rest just… fell silent.

What?

No. No, no, no…

Oh, Moon Goddess, no!

My eyes flew wide. My jaw hung open as I was frozen in place. This can't be happening. I must be hearing it wrong. They were going to kill my father? He was the only family I had left in this world after cancer snatched my mother from us eleven years ago. I couldn’t afford to lose him too.

After dishing out this horrible sentence, Gamma Xavier began to leave. I couldn’t accept this.

“Please,” I begged, crawling toward him, my palms pressed together. “Please, don’t do this! He’s innocent. I swear he’s not guilty. Give him a chance to explain—”

Xavier halted. When he looked down at me, there was no pity in his eyes. It was only cold disdain. How could he be so cruel?

“You should be ashamed to call yourself a Luna,” he cut me off, “Didn’t you see the proof laid out before the entire palace?”

He hurled a stack of papers and photographs at my feet. The sound of the pages slapping the ground made me flinch.

They slid across the ground and one stopped right in front of my knees. In it, I could see my father… handing over secret pack files to a man wearing the crest of our rival pack.

The sight punched the air from my lungs. In Darkfall Pack, betrayal of that scale was unforgivable.

Treason meant one sentence. Death.

Xavier’s voice boomed again.

“As Luna, you are forbidden from visiting your father in prison or attending his execution. Break this rule, and your title will be stripped… and you will be cast out to the rogues.”

“WHAT!” The words hit me harder than any punch could. I staggered back as the edges of my vision darkened. I could not see my father? Not even once?

Tears spilled hot and fast down my face as I tried to stand, but my knees buckled beneath me. The pain in my chest made it hard to breathe.

This… this was worse than death.

The worst part about all this, the part that twisted my stomach, was that Alpha Lucas still sat there silently.

He didn’t call for an adjournment.

He didn’t ask for an investigation.

He just… watched.

He watched as his Luna’s father was sentenced to death over false accusations.

Why wasn’t he saying anything? Surely, he could have done something as the Alpha, so why?

The guards moved in. I watched as they took my father by his arms and dragged him across the floor like a broken doll. His body was bruised and bloodied from the lashings he received earlier that day. The stench of iron filled the air from the open wounds crisscrossing his skin.

He looked so worn… and tired. My heart splintered at the sight.

But I couldn’t do anything. I just stood there, useless and frozen like a statue. Shame burned in my chest. I was his daughter, yet I couldn’t lift a finger to save him.

Among the onlookers, I spotted my uncle Robert, Vivian his wife, and their children, Lilith and Andrew. They looked shocked and horrified to witness what was going on.

But I knew better. Deep down, I could see the truth behind their masks.

They had despised my father for years and even accused him of causing my mother’s death. They hated our guts and treated us like outsiders until the day fate bound me to the Alpha of their pack.

And now, here they were… pretending to be horrified.

When the trial ended, I caught up with Lucas, following him through the palace halls. “Lucas, please, just listen to me! My dad is innocent. He would never commit treason. You know that… you know that, don’t you!?”

Tears blurred my vision as I quickened my steps, lifting the heavy folds of my long royal skirt so I could keep up with him. My heart pounded in my ears, but he didn’t slow down. He didn’t even look back.

“Lucas!” I called again, but he just kept walking with stiff shoulders.

We reached our chambers, and before I could speak again, he stepped inside and slammed the door on my face.

The sound made me flinch; thank the Moon Goddess my face wasn’t close enough to be caught.

What was going on in his head?!

I twisted the knob and stepped inside. “Lucas—”

“Mia, please!” He raised a hand, silencing me. His tone was weary and he dragged in a slow breath. “The evidence was shown to everyone. There’s nothing I can do.”

“There was no investigation!” I shot back. “This was all fabricated. You know it!”

Lucas finally began to step toward me, tucking his hands casually into his pockets.

“Mia,” he began, “you know the elders wouldn’t think twice about crushing the head of any traitor they came across. The photos were proof enough.” His hands landed on my shoulders and his voice softened. “Don’t worry. I’ll try to raise this topic at the elders’ council meeting. Maybe we can… hope for a miracle from the Moon Goddess.”

He gave me a small nod as tears streamed down my face. “And… I’ll see if I can arrange for you to see your father.”

Then, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a white napkin. Carefully, he brushed away the wet tracks on my cheeks.

I looked up into his eyes which were deep and striking blue. They were the same eyes that had stolen my breath the first day we met. There was this burning fire in them that made me want to believe every word he said.

I trusted him. I truly did. He must have been just as shocked as I was when the news of my father’s treachery surfaced and that was why he’d stayed so calm and didn’t react in public.

A faint smile tugged at my lips despite the ache in my chest.

I was lucky. Out of all the maidens in the pack, I was mated to Alpha Lucas.

A year ago, when he first learned he was mated to a wolfless woman, he was livid. He hated the idea and was cold to me. But eventually… he’d accepted me. More than that, he’d treated me well like I was more than my shortcomings.

“I’ll get back to you,” were the last words I heard him say before he turned around and left my room.

***

It’s been a day and a half since he uttered those words, yet he still hasn’t gotten back to me. No message, no visit, nothing at all.

I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. What was going on?

This was so not like him.

I raked my fingers through my hair, pacing back and forth across the length of our chamber.

Did something come up at the palace? Maybe something urgent was keeping him there.

But that still didn’t make sense because he would never just leave without me. As Luna, I was meant to be at his side, seated beside him in the Luna’s chair during all matters of court unless the meeting was one he hosted privately.

I sank into a chair, my mind swirling with restless thoughts. My maid, Rita, walked in and set a glass of chilled lemon juice before me. I took a slow sip.

The tangy-sweet flavor spread across my tongue, refreshing me like it always did ever since she began making it her special way.

I couldn’t just sit here, waiting. If I did, things could go out of control and I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

As I stepped into the hallway, the first person I spotted was Rita.

“Tell Guard Zumer to prepare the car. We’re going to the palace.”

Her lips parted as if she wanted to protest. “I’m sorry, but… he isn’t here. He left in a hurry this morning.”

I stopped in my tracks. “What?”

Zumer was my personal bodyguard. He was assigned to me the day I was crowned Luna. He was never supposed to leave my side unless I sent him away myself.

So why did he leave without a word?

Well, if Zumer was gone, then I’d just drive myself.

I drew in a deep breath and made my way down the stairs but halfway down, something felt… wrong.

The mansion felt so…empty. The guards weren’t at their posts. Even when I stepped into the kitchen, the maids weren’t there.

If something urgent had come up, Lucas would have told me. At least… he should have. But every call I made to him went unanswered and the silence was starting to gnaw at me.

By the time I reached the palace, my chest was pounding loudly in my ears. I parked, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the car.

As I approached the palace gates, the security guards’ eyes widened. They stared at me like they were seeing a ghost.

I frowned and moved to pass between them, only for the metallic clash of their swords crossing in front of me to stop me.

“Sorry, my lady,” one of them said stiffly, “but we were instructed not to let you in!”

I blinked at them in disbelief, then irritation. Were they out of their minds?

It was barely evening, and they were already acting like drunk fools.

“Move or you two will lose your jobs!” I commanded as I tried to step forward but one of them shoved me back with the flat of his hand.

The force made me stumble, my breath catching in shock. What the heck was going on?!

They both looked at me furiously. Their eyes were clear, not the glazed look of men who’d been drinking.

“What is wrong with you?” My voice shook in anger. “Who gave you these ridiculous orders?”

They hesitated for only a heartbeat before one of them spoke.

“This is Alpha Lucas’s order, my lady.”

The words hit me like ice water.

Lucas?