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Chapter 1

Zoey Malik 

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“No, no.” My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to resuscitate him back to life. My clothes were already stained with his blood. “Please, open your eyes.” I continued to beg, even though he couldn’t hear me. 

Soon enough, I heard voices and footsteps coming from outside. 

“Help! The Beta is dying!” I screamed as I continued to apply pressure with the torn fabric from my blouse on the wound in his chest. 

The door creaked open and I froze as I saw what felt like the entire pack standing in front of me. Before I could say anything, someone from the crowd pointed at me and shouted. 

“Zoey killed him. She killed him.” 

My eyes widened in shock. 

No, I didn’t kill him. 

I was asked to deliver something to him. I found him injured. 

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t kill him.” My voice trembled as I tried to defend myself.“I was calling for help, but I didn’t want to leave him here.”

But the crowd didn’t care. My voice was overshadowed by the angry accusations. No one wanted to hear the truth. They had already made up their minds. 

A group of men were already walking toward me. 

As I realized what was happening, I let go of his wounds and stood up. “What are you doing?” I asked, taking a step back. 

Some of the men checked his pulse, while the others held me. 

“I am the Luna! You can’t do this to me. It’s all a big misunderstanding.” The desperation in my voice was palpable. “Where’s Conrad? You can’t take me away.” 

My chest was filled with terror because I already knew what the punishment for murder was. I couldn’t pay for a crime that I didn’t commit. 

Before anybody could say anything, Conrad walked into the room. 

The entire pack went silent. 

I felt a little bit relieved to see that my mate was there to save me. I looked up at him, my eyes burning with unshed tears. 

“Talk to them, Conny. Tell them that I’m not a murderer.” 

My voice echoed through the silent room. 

Conrad’s eyes raked over me from head to toe. 

He didn’t utter a word until Wendy walked inside the room. 

“I told you she was planning to kill him, didn’t I?” Wendy said as she interlocked her fingers with Conrad. 

Why were they holding hands? He was my mate, not hers! 

But then, my chest tightened when I processed what was happening. Wendy was trying to frame me. I didn’t kill the beta and I never planned on killing him. 

Why was she accusing me wrongly? 

“She’s lying! I didn’t kill him.” I continued in a slightly cracked voice. 

My head was spinning and I couldn’t understand why Wendy would want to frame me. 

Alpha Conrad finally cleared his throat and began. “Release her, and the rest of you should leave.” I let out a relieved breath I had no idea I had been holding. 

“But trust, she will get the punishment that she deserves.” He added when he noticed that the crowd murmured, expressing their displeasure. 

My heart dropped. 

What punishment? I didn’t do anything. 

After the crowd disappeared, I was left alone in the room with Conrad and Wendy. Wendy clung to his hands like her life depended on it. 

“Conny, you can’t believe her. I wouldn’t hurt anybody.” 

Conrad scoffed bitterly. “Don’t call me that. It’s Conrad.” 

My lips parted in disbelief. 

“What? Do you believe her?” 

Of course, what was I thinking? 

He would obviously believe his first love over me. The same person he had cheated with countless times. 

But I couldn’t even leave him because I had nowhere else to go. I didn’t have parents. Or siblings. I didn’t even have many friends. 

Selena was the only one I had. 

And her family couldn’t afford to take me in. 

I had to stay with Conrad even though he treated me badly. 

Wendy made it clear that she hadn’t liked me ever since Conrad and I discovered that we were mates. She continued to make my life miserable in ways both loud and subtle. 

And now, a murder accusation? This was the cruelest thing she had done yet. I would have preferred if she continued sleeping with my mate, instead of framing me for murder. 

I stared at both of them, still trying to process what was happening. 

“I didn’t kill him, you have to believe me.” 

Conrad exhaled deeply. “You know he was my best friend, right?” He raised a brow at me, his voice low. “You fucking killed my best friend.” 

“No, no, no.” I shook my head, the tears I had been struggling to hold back finally started flowing freely. “I didn’t kill him.” 

He looked at me like I was filth. “So why are your clothes soaked with his blood?”

“I was trying to save him. I came here and saw him lying in his pool of blood. I had no idea who did this to him.” 

Wendy laughed as I explained. “I told you exactly what she would say, right?” She turned to Conrad. “Don’t let her fake tears and explanations deceive you.” 

Conrad nodded and Wendy leaned in for a kiss. 

I didn’t expect him to kiss her in front of me. But he did, slow and deep. 

My stomach twisted in agony. 

It was the same pain I always felt whenever he cheated on me with her. As werewolves, when one partner cheats, the other one is left in pain during the whole process. 

They knew how much pain it caused me, but they still continued. 

“Stop!” I screamed when it became too suffocating. 

But they didn’t listen to me, they continued until they were satisfied. 

Then Conrad looked at me, his eyes filled with hate and anger. “You can deny all you want, but everybody already saw you. And there’s no way you can escape your punishment.” He said spitefully, causing me to look at him in shock. 

“Conrad, you know me so well. I can’t hurt anybody.” My jaw trembled. “I’m your mate, Conrad.” 

“You were just a pity mate.” He said. “The moon goddess made a mistake.”