Raziela

The first coherent thought to pierce the roaring in my ears was the word “murderer.” My stomach churned with a dizzying, nauseating confusion.

“She did it! The monster killed him!”

The shriek came from Madame Helen, her face was a mask of horror as she waddled towards me, flanked by two of the pack’s strongest warriors, Kael and Finn.

I opened my mouth, but only a dry gasp escaped. I mean I knew what it looked like with me trying to escape the pack in the early hours of the morning, but it had nothing to do with whatever this was.

“What?” I finally choked out, my voice a hoarse whisper. “N-no, I… I didn’t do anything.”

“Liar!” Kael snarled, his dark eyes, pinning me down, forcing me to take a subtle step back. “You were the last person in that room. Your scent is all over and you dropped this…” Kael delivered and a sob escaped my lips when I saw my bracelet in his hands.

No, no, no. This could not be happening. I didn’t do anything, I had only gone to replace the sheets.

Strong hands seized my arms, Enid was yanked out of my hands and I screamed out, kicking my hands and thrashing around, as I pleaded for my child to not be hurt. As I pleaded that I was innocent. I didn’t do anything. I struggled and fought against them as they bound my wrists tightly in front of me.

The sun was starting to rise now and as I was dragged back into the pack, I could see more and more people gathering around. They were whispering amongst themselves and I knew all too well that the rumors were starting to spread.

“Bring her out!” Madame Helen commanded. “Let the pack see the traitor!”

“Raziela has killed Alpha Marcus! He was found this morning, cold to the touch, his medicine bottle had been poisoned. Raziela was the last person to enter the Alpha’s room, her bracelet was found at his door, and this morning she was caught trying to escape with her child! Raziela has killed your Alpha!” Her voice rang out through the pack with such venom, I shrank from the force of it.

But I didn’t even get the chance to chip in a word. The Pack erupted in screams as more pack members poured from their homes.

“Murderer!” The first cry was like a stone cast into a still pond, the ripples spreading instantly.

“She killed the Alpha!”

“Traitor!”

“Monster!”

The words struck me harder than any physical blow.

I didn’t do it, I didn’t kill him.

I wanted to plead until they believed me, but their faces were twisted into masks of hatred, their eyes burning with a fury that seared me to the core and forced the words back down my throat.

I was paraded through the pack towards the pack prison. It wasn't a slow march to justice; it was a violent, degrading spectacle. Kael and Finn, their grips like iron on my arms, forced me to keep moving as the crowd surged forward, pressing in and hurling things at me, their voices a deafening wave of condemnation.

“How could you, Raziela?”

“You whore! Sleeping around wasn’t enough for you.” shrieked an elderly woman as her hand shot out, yanking a fistful of my dark hair and pulling hard, tearing a pained cry from my lips.

Then came the first blow from Grom. His eyes gleamed with a sadistic pleasure that made my blood run cold. He looked like he reveled in causing me pain.

“Let her feel a taste of what she deserves!” Grom roared, his voice cutting through the crowd.

The whip cracked, the sound like lightning splitting the air, and an explosion of pain erupted across my back. I arched, a raw and animalistic scream tearing from my throat. My wolf surged, desperate to break free, to turn and run, but the tight bonds and the sheer number of hostile bodies surrounding me made it impossible.

Another lash, this one catching my shoulder, ripping through my dress and drawing blood. I stumbled, my knees threatening to buckle, but Kael and Finn hauled me upright.

I squeezed my eyes shut, the sting of tears mixing with the sweat and grime on my face as the sun blossomed in the sky. Humiliation washed over me, hotter than the pain. To be paraded, beaten, reviled in this way… it was a torment beyond anything I could have imagined.

“Monster!” a child’s voice, high and piping, pierced through my agony. A small, muddy stone struck my cheek, leaving a stinging welt.

I opened my eyes to see one of the kids that had been bullying Enid yesterday, his face contorted with hatred.

That broke something within me. This was real. This was happening. And they all believed it.

"Alpha killer!" "

She-devil!"

"Kill her before she kills the rest of us!" Rotten fruit and clumps of mud and stones flew through the air, spattering against me, adding to my degradation.

The whipping didn't stop. Grom seemed to relish his task, he delivered each strike with precision, making sure I didn’t lose consciousness. He wanted me awake for every moment of my shame. I bit my lip until it bled, my voice had given out and I couldn’t let out any more screams.

My mind drifted to Enid. Where had they taken my baby to? If they killed me, who would take care of her? Would they kill her too? I couldn’t imagine my child suffering alone in this pack. I scanned around the crowd for Zane, hoping to catch a mop of his blonde hair.

Where was he? Surely, he wouldn’t believe this. He would know this was a lie right? But he was nowhere to be seen in the churning, furious crowd. What if he believed this too? The thought was like a cold knife in my heart, more painful than Grom’s whip.

Finally, the pack’s prison loomed before us. It was a squat structure of grey stone, half-buried in the side of a hill at the very edge of the territory. The very air around it felt cold and dead.

The crowd pressed closer, eager to see me thrown into the dark hole. Grom shoved me forward, the tip of his spiked whip digging into the small of my back.

“In you go, murderer,” he grunted, his breath hot against my ear. “Enjoy your last night.”

With a final, brutal shove, I was thrust into the darkness. I stumbled, my bound hands making it impossible to break my fall, causing me to crash heavily onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor. My shoulder screamed in protest, and a fresh wave of dizziness washed over me.

“The council will be swift tomorrow. There’s only one sentence for killing an Alpha.” He said, the barred door of the prison slamming shut.

Death.

They were going to kill me tomorrow.