CHAPTER 6 - ACCUSATIONS AND ASHES

The silence in Zack's office was deafening. Marcus stood frozen by the door, the young warrior's eyes were wide with fear, and Zack's entire body had gone rigid with barely controlled rage. All of them staring at me like I was a disease that needed to be eradicated.

"The false Luna," Marcus repeated slowly, his voice dripping with manufactured concern. "That is quite specific. Almost as if someone knows something about Aria that we do not."

"I have nothing to do with this," I said quickly, my voice embarrassingly weak. "I do not even understand what is happening."

"Do you not?" Zack's golden eyes had gone cold, that brief moment of mate bond recognition seemingly forgotten in the face of this new threat. "Dark magic appears the same day you reveal Luna bloodline powers. Dead rogues with a message specifically about a false Luna. You expect me to believe that is coincidence?"

"Alpha, I swear—"

"Swear what?" He moved closer, and this time there was nothing protective in his dominance. Only threat. "That you are innocent? That you have not been lying about who and what you are since the moment you arrived at this pack?"

"I am not lying!" The protest came out desperate, tears burning my eyes. This was exactly what Marcus wanted—to turn Zack against me before we even had a chance to bond properly.

"Then explain the timing," Marcus interjected smoothly, playing his role of concerned Beta perfectly. "Aria shows unprecedented Luna powers during training, and hours later, dark magic murders appear on our borders with a message about her. As your Beta, I must advise caution."

The young warrior nodded eagerly. "Everyone saw her eyes flash violet, Alpha. And old Magda said she sensed strange magic around her at dinner. Like death magic."

My stomach dropped. Death magic. The rebirth. They were sensing the residue of my resurrection, the cosmic forces that had sent me back through time.

"I am not practicing dark magic," I insisted, but even I could hear how unconvincing I sounded.

"Summon the pack elders and Magda," Zack commanded, never taking his eyes off me. "And send word to lock Aria in the holding cells until we sort this out."

"No!" The word burst from me in pure panic. "Please, Alpha, I have done nothing wrong!"

"Then you have nothing to fear from an investigation." His voice was ice. "But until I know for certain you are not a threat to this pack, you will be contained. Guards!"

Two massive warriors appeared in the doorway, and I realized with horror that this was really happening. I was about to be imprisoned, accused of crimes I had not committed—not yet, not in this timeline.

"Alpha, please listen to me—" I tried one more time, but he had already turned away, dismissing me as if I were nothing.

The guards gripped my arms roughly, hauling me from the office despite my struggles. Pack members filled the hallway, drawn by the commotion, and I heard the whispers start immediately.

"I told you there was something wrong with her."

"Luna bloodline or not, she is dangerous."

"My cousin said she saw Aria talking to herself in her room. Like she was possessed."

"The orphan never belonged here anyway."

Each word was a knife, cutting deeper than any physical wound. In my first life, I had been accepted—barely, but accepted. Now I was becoming a pariah, and I had no power to stop it.

Jennifer pushed through the crowd, her face pale. "Aria, what is happening?"

"Stay back, Jennifer," one of the guards warned. "This one is suspected of dark magic. Anyone who associates with her will be investigated as well."

I saw the conflict in Jennifer's eyes—friendship warring with self-preservation. After a moment, she stepped back, unable to meet my gaze. The betrayal stung even though I understood her fear.

The holding cells were in the basement of the packhouse, cold stone rooms designed for rogues and criminals. They threw me into one unceremoniously, the iron door slamming shut with a finality that made my chest tighten with panic.

"Someone will bring you water and bread," one guard said gruffly. "Do not try anything stupid."

Then I was alone in the darkness, sitting on a hard stone bench with my back against the freezing wall. Tears finally spilled down my cheeks as the reality of my situation crashed over me.

I had been given a second chance, sent back to fix everything, and somehow I had made things worse. At least in my first life, I had experienced happiness before the betrayal. Now I was imprisoned, accused, and hated before Zack and I had even properly bonded.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway hours later, and I looked up hopefully, thinking perhaps Zack had reconsidered. Instead, Selene appeared outside my cell, her expression twisted with satisfaction that she did not bother hiding in the dim torchlight.

"Well, well. The false Luna, caged like the animal she is." She crouched down to my level, her amber eyes gleaming with malice. "I warned you. Some of us are destined for greatness, and some are just stepping stones."

"You did this," I whispered, understanding dawning. "The ritual murders, the message. You are working with whoever is using dark magic."

"Prove it." Selene's smile was vicious. "Oh wait, you cannot. Because you are just a weak little orphan with delusions of grandeur. Whatever power you think you have means nothing. Alpha Zack will never choose you now. No one will."

She stood, brushing off her knees as if our conversation had dirtied her. "I brought you something to eat. A final kindness before your trial."

She pushed a small bowl through the bars—watery soup that smelled wrong. Poison, undoubtedly. She wanted me dead before I could defend myself.

"I am not hungry," I said flatly.

"Suit yourself." Selene shrugged. "Starve then. Either way, by tomorrow, you will be declared a threat and exiled. And Alpha Zack will forget you ever existed."

She walked away, her footsteps fading, leaving me alone with despair and a poisoned meal I would not touch.

I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to keep warm in the freezing cell. My rebirth powers flickered weakly, barely a spark in the overwhelming darkness. Without training, without control, they were useless.

And tomorrow, I would face judgment from a pack that already hated me, accused by the very people who would eventually orchestrate my death.

I had changed nothing. I had saved nothing.

I had only prolonged my suffering.