Ella’s

I stared at Noah. His cold green eyes cut through me like I was absolutely nothing. My heart screamed that this could not be real. How could he believe that Mara was the one who saved him? I had poured every ounce of my healing power into his body. I had drained myself until I was hollow just to bring him back to life. Now, he stood there, hand in hand with that snake, believing she was his savior.

The room began to spin around me. My chest tightened with a physical pain that I could not name. I opened my mouth, desperate to make him understand the truth.

“Noah,” I said, my voice shaking. “How can you say those things? I gave up everything I had to heal you last night.”

He raised a hand to silence me. His face was as hard as a piece of stone. “I cannot believe my own mother almost made me marry a wolf-less nobody,” he said. His voice was low and sharp. “A woman who would sleep with a stranger on our ceremony night. You are nothing to me, Ella. You are less than nothing.”

The words hit me like a physical blade. They sliced through the last bit of hope I had left in my heart. I sank to my knees on the floor. Tears burned my eyes as I looked up at the man I had saved.

My heart ached with memories of his quiet presence and the way he had looked at me in the garden. “Noah,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You are the one who told me you needed me. Was all of that just a lie?”

He laughed. It was a cold, bitter sound that echoed off the high ceiling. Mara joined in, her laugh high and cruel. She stepped closer to me, her expensive boots clicking loudly on the marble floor. She reached down and grabbed my chin, forcing my head up. Her sharp nails dug deep into my skin.

“Why would a man like Noah waste himself on someone like you?” she asked. Her voice dripped with venom. “You cheated on him on your wedding night, Ella. Don’t you have any sense of shame?”

I jerked my head away from her grip. Anger flared through my tears. “I did not cheat!” I shouted. The words felt raw in my throat. “I never cheated on him! You know exactly what happened, Mara!”

Mara leaned in closer. Her lips brushed against my ear, and her tone became soft and poisonous. “Oh, Ella, I know,” she whispered so only I could hear. “I know because it was all my plan. I drugged you, and I took the photo.”

My blood ran cold. Her words sank into my mind like poison. Before I could think about the consequences, my hands shot out. I grabbed her throat. She gasped for air, clawing at my fingers as her eyes went wide with shock.

“You set me up!” I screamed. I squeezed her neck tighter. “You drugged me! You did all of this!”

Suddenly, Noah’s hand clamped onto my wrist. He yanked me back with a strength that was terrifying. I stumbled, and then his palm cracked across my cheek. The sting exploded across my face, making my vision go white for a second. I froze. I couldn't breathe. This was not the man I had cared for. This was someone cruel and heartless.

He grabbed my neck, his grip tight and punishing. His eyes were blazing with disgust. “You still have the nerve to attack my Luna?” he growled. “After everything you have done to disgrace this pack?”

I clawed at his hand, gasping for air. “Noah, please,” I choked out. “This is not who you are. Do not let her do this.”

He shoved me away like I was trash. I hit the floor hard, and my knees bruised against the wood.

“Someone like you deserves to be punished,” he said. His voice was cold and final. “You will be stripped of your name. You are no longer a member of this pack. You will be reduced to a slave. You will pay for the shame you brought to my family.”

I stared at him, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “Noah, listen to me,” I begged. “Mara is lying to you! I am the one who healed you! It was my power that put you back on your feet!”

He did not even flinch. His face was a mask of pure contempt. “Guards!” he bellowed.

Two men in dark uniforms appeared instantly. Their faces were blank, but their hands were rough as they grabbed my arms.

“Take her away,” Noah ordered. “Make sure she suffers for what she has done. Flog her until she can no longer stand.”

“No!” I screamed, thrashing against the guards. “Noah, please! You have to believe me!”

Mara stepped closer, her smirk wider than ever. “Poor, sweet Ella,” she said in a mockingly sweet voice. “You really thought a girl like you could be a Luna? You are nothing but a fool.”

I glared at her. My voice was hoarse, but it was steady. “You will not get away with this,” I said. “The truth will come out.”

She laughed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Who is going to believe a disgraced girl over the woman who saved the Alpha? Good luck with that.”

The guards dragged me out of the room. Noah’s cold eyes followed me until the heavy doors slammed shut. The hallways blurred past me. My cheek was still burning from his slap, and my mind was reeling. I couldn't believe this was the same man. Mara’s lies had twisted him into a monster.

They shoved me into a dim, stone-walled room in the basement. The air smelled of damp earth and old blood. It was the torture room. My stomach churned with fear. They stripped off my beautiful blue dress, leaving me in a thin shift. My old scars were exposed under the flickering torchlight. They chained my wrists to the wall. The cold iron bit into my skin, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

The first whip cracked across my back. The pain seared through my body like liquid fire. I clenched my teeth together. I held in my screams as my body trembled with each strike. Another whip came, then another. Each one tore into my skin until the pain turned into a blur.

“Stop,” I whispered. My voice was barely audible. “Please stop.”

The guard did not answer me. His whip cracked again. “You heard the Alpha’s orders,” he grunted. “You are getting exactly what you deserve.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears mixed with the sweat on my face. “I did not do it,” I whispered to myself. “I did not betray him.”

Another lash hit my back. My knees buckled, and the chains yanked my arms up. My mind drifted back to the night before. I remembered the moment I had poured my healing power into Noah. I remembered the warmth draining from my chest until I felt completely empty. I had given everything I had to save him, and now I was chained and bleeding while Mara stood by his side.

“I was a fool,” I whispered. The words were bitter. “If I had known my life would end like this, I would have never used my power to help him.”

The lashes kept coming. With each one, I forced my thoughts inward. I replayed the memory of the healing. I remembered the soft light that appeared when Noah’s eyes finally opened. I remembered the way his breath became steady as my power left me. I had expected him to see me. I had expected him to know it was me. Instead, he heard Mara’s story and chose her.

The pain eventually blurred into a distant roar. My body was trembling, but my mind clung to that bright moment of healing. It was the only thing I had left. I remembered the small smile on his face when he first woke up. I had believed in him. I had believed in us.

The guards paused to laugh among themselves. They were men who took pleasure in hurting others. Then, the flogging started again. Blood mixed with sweat on my skin. The iron chains left marks on my wrists that I knew would never fade. When the blows finally stopped, I hung limp in my chains. Every breath I took was a ragged effort.

Somewhere beyond the heavy cell door, life was going on. I could hear the muffled sounds of the mansion. I closed my eyes. I was not going to sleep; I was gathering what little strength I had left.

I would not let Mara’s lie be the end of my story. I would survive this. I would remember everything. I would find a way to make the truth known to the world. For now, all I could do was endure the pain. I would hold onto the memory of what I had given, even if the man I saved had chosen to betray me.