Alpha's forsaken bride: The rejected and the cursed

"I am innocent, Damon!" I scream the words until my throat burns raw, but it's pointless. The stone walls of my prison swallow my pleas, just as they've done for days. No food. No water. The irony of ending up in a cell after my wedding ceremony would be laughable if it weren't so terrifying. I can't believe it. Will not believe it. My chained hands tremble as I wrap my arms around myself. The cell walls are rough-carved rocks, sharp edges poking out at cruel angles, denying even the small comfort for me to lean against them. Each link of the chains bears the pack's crest - a bitter reminder of the position I've lost. The prison doors swing open with a metallic screech. My eyes dart up, hope and fear warring in my chest as Jane appears. "Jane!" I cry as she rushes to embrace me through the bars. The chains bite deeper into my skin as I strain against their limits to reach her. The familiar scent of wildflowers that always clings to her offers a moment of comfort. "Jane, what

If I can find a way out of here then I will be free. I have to survive. I am not supposed to be alive. Was it not the same poison that killed Alpha Rowan? Why am I still alive? Does the moon goddess hate me so much she refuses my dead body? She does not want me alive and refuses me dead. What kind of selfish goddess is she? I walk, light in my steps as I snick past guards. Trying to find an exit. My body is weak and my movement slow. “She looks young,” someone says. I pause and hide. “She is not the youngest,” another voice adds. I peer at the bunch. They must be maids. “It is a shame, I wonder when he will call us for a change of sheets” another maid adds as they walk by. “I never get used to the bodies. Such beauty gone to waste.” Shhh and it is suddenly silent. They cannot be talking about me. What do they mean by change of sheets? A waste of beauty? I gulp and increase my pace through hollow red walls. The feeling the walls were painted red to hi