Natalia's POV 2

The first thing I noticed as I slowly woke up was the feel of a warm body next to mine. It felt like I was in a dream and I didn't want to wake up from it.

I snuggled deeper next to the body, caressing the muscles that were around me when suddenly a jolt burst through my body waking me up immediately. My eyes flickered open slowly and the first thing I saw was Maverick looking mad as hell next to me.

I blinked in confusion as I noticed we were not alone in the room. Ronnie, Lilian and Liam, Maverick's Beta were also in the room and they all had a look of anger and disgust on their faces but even worse they were directed at me.

"How could you do this to me on the night of our engagement party? You made a fool of me in front of the entire pack. How could you do this to me?" Lilian was yelling, her eyes blood shot from crying too much.

Maverick stood up to comfort her but she pushed him away angrily, her face filled with disdain.

The last remnants of sleep had evaporated from my head and slowly the seriousness of the situation dawned on me. I stared in dismay at the unmistakable spot of blood in the middle of the bed, my blood chilling as I realized what had happened between us.

I held my head on the palm of my hands trying to remember what had happened last night. It felt like a daze and everything happened so fast it felt like a dream except it wasn't. I was so sure it was a dream. How on earth had it become real?

Lilian and Ronnie were looking at me with such hate and disappointment, it made me want to hide under a hole and never come out. What the hell happened last night and why was I lying in bed with Maverick?

Maverick stood up from the bed and slowly walked towards Lilian again, his steps nervous and hesitant. He still hadn't looked at me at all since I'd woken up and his attention was completely focused on Lilian and no one else.

"I don't know what happened but I swear this wasn't my intention. I must have been drugged. You know I would never betray you this way," he pleaded, his voice hoarse and shaky but Lilian didn't care. She was too hurt to care.

"Don't you dare take me for a fool, Maverick? How the hell do you explain this situation? How do you expect me to feel seeing you in bed with that slut? I can't stand the sight of both of you. You make me sick," she yelled before storming out of the room in anger.

Maverick eyes followed her helplessly until she left. His shoulders drooped in despair and his hair a tousled mess from running his hands through it one too many times. I'd never seen him like that and it was obvious Lillian's words had affected him a lot.

The room remained silent after Lillian's exit as I tried to make sense of whatever had happened the night before. No matter how much I tried, my memory felt like a daze and the last thing I remembered was Maverick taking me to my room.

I felt the air change even before I saw his piercing stare. Gone was the despaired man and in his place was man filled with vengeance. His eyes switched between blue and red so quickly as he slowly walked back towards the bed.

"You have two minutes to dress up and meet me in my office or else only the moon goddess knows what I would do to you," he growled, before leaving the room. Lian followed closely behind him leaving only Ronnie and I alone.

She had a disappointed look on her face and my heart dropped when I noticed the hate in her eyes.

"Ronnie, I can explain. This isn't what it looks like," I tried to explain myself but she ignored me and stormed out after her brother.

I collapsed back on the bed, my mind a hazy mess. What the hell was I going to do now? No matter how much I secretly loved Maverick, I would never have wanted to be the other woman in his life.

The red spot of blood on the bed stared at me shamefully. I had finally lost my virginity to the person I had always loved but instead of a happy occasion, it felt like a complete nightmare.

I stood up from bed, ignoring the throbbing pain in between my thighs and dressed as quickly as I could. There has to be some sort of explanation as to what had happened between them that night.

I stepped out of the room with my heart in my throat and judging from the stares I got from the pack members they knew what had happened the night before.

"Slut"

"Whore"

"How could she even live with herself?"

Their insults and taunts followed me as I walked towards Maverick's office and I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that they blamed me for what had happened between Maverick and I. It felt unfair because it wasn't even my fault.

I reached Maverick's office and I knocked on the door gently. He answered me back with a growl, making the hairs at the back of my head to stand in fear. For a second I considered running away but I knew that would only make me look guilty. I didn't do anything wrong so I had nothing to be afraid of.

As I walked into the office, a slap landed on my face, disorienting me for a moment. I looked up in surprise to see the angry eyes of Ronnie standing over me angrily. She looked even more angry that she had been earlier and looked ready to tear me apart. Maverick and Liam stood at the end of the door behind Maverick's large desk.

"How could you do this to my brother? You were my friend and I trusted you. How could you stoop so low and drug him just so you could stop him from getting married? I never expected this from you, Natalia," she uttered furiously, her hands balled into a fist by her side.

"No I didn't drug Maverick. I can't even remember what happened last night. Please Ronnie, you have to believe me. You know I could never do something like that," I pleaded trying to make her see reason.

"Then what the hell is this? How do you explain this?" Maverick questioned flinging a tablet across the table in my direction. He was looking at me with so much disgust it made my skin crawl.

I picked up the tablet and played the video on the screen. It was a camera footage from the night before during the time I handed a glass of wine to Maverick.

I shook my head aggressively. "This doesn't prove that I drugged you. You can ask the bartender that night. I only gave you the drink he passed on to me. Please you have to believe me"

Maverick scoffed, his eyes turning red with barely restrained anger. He was fighting with his wolf to stop him from taking control of him. "You clever little bitch. What a coincidence that the bartender that served us is nowhere to be found. You must have paid him off so your secret would never be exposed but guess what you are in for a wild ride. I'll make sure you regret the day you ever met me for what you did that night," he growled, his claws digging into the chair.

I stepped back in fear, my heart pounding heavily in my chest. Why couldn't they believe I had nothing to do with it? I couldn't even remember what had happened that night and now I was being blamed for it.

I turned to Ronnie. She was the only person that could help me right now "Ronnie you have to believe me. We've been friends since childhood. Do you really believe I would do something so despicable? You know me more than anyone else in the world"

Her face softened a bit in doubt as she stared at me but just as quickly as it came, it vanished off her face.

"It's not something I would ever expect you to do but with the way you've always been so obsessed with Maverick. It doesn't surprise me that you would go to such lengths just to have him," she finally said, her words breaking my heart into tiny pieces.

I stood in disbelief staring at every one of them in the room. None of them believed me. How could they not believe a word I said? I grew up with every single one of them and they knew the kind of person I was. How could they think I would do something to hurt Maverick when I loved him so much?

"Get her out of my sight and lock her in the dungeon. No one is allowed to see her without my permission and whoever dares to disobey me will suffer the consequences," he ordered Liam, his voice as cold as ice before turning to me.

"The cups have been sent for analysis and once the results come out that you really drugged me, I'll make sure the rest of your life in this pack will be hell on earth," he threatened harshly.

I didn't bother to fight Liam as he dragged me away, resigning myself to fate. I couldn't believe this was happening to me and nobody was willing to believe me or prove my innocence.

All I know for sure was that I was being framed but who was framing me or why they were framing me was still a mystery to me.