Faithed Mate

Ravenna's POV

They all pointed at me.

"Murderer," someone whispered from the crowd.

I shook my head desperately.

"It wasn't me."

But no one believed me.

After all, my foster parents were the Alpha and Luna of this pack, Iron fang park. 

Lycon was the future Alpha heir of FrostClow park.

They had no reason to lie.

At least, that was what everyone believed.

Beta Theron suddenly stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face.

"You shameless bitch!"

The sting burned deeply against my skin.

Hatred blazed in his eyes.

And honestly, I understood his pain.

Zephyra was the only family he had left.

But I wasn't the one who killed her.

I turned toward my foster parents, hoping they would finally stop this madness.

They didn’t.

Neither of them made any effort to clear my name.

Even Lycon still held Nyran protectively in his arms.

None of them seemed to care what Beta Theron did to me.

Inside my head, Xevira was raging furiously.

"Are you seriously going to stand there and take the blame for something you didn't do?!"

"No one would believe me," I whispered back weakly as tears filled my eyes.

Just then, Beta Theron lunged at me again.

I stood frozen, expecting the pain that was about to come.

But Xevira refused to let them hurt me any further.

Without my permission, she forcefully shifted.

A second later, we leaped straight into the nearby forest.

The wind rushed violently against my fur as we sprinted past countless trees at terrifying speed.

Eventually, Xevira stopped near a quiet river.

No one followed us.

I slowly sat beside the water, staring blankly at the rushing current while tears rolled silently down my cheeks.

"Let it all out," Xevira said quietly.

I blinked in surprise.

Usually, whenever I showed weakness, she became annoyed instead of comforting me.

But the moment she spoke, the emotions I had been holding back completely shattered.

"Why would they do this to me?!" I screamed into the night.

My voice echoed painfully through the empty forest.

I cried until my chest hurt.

I cried until I could barely breathe.

All the frustration, humiliation, and heartbreak I had bottled up finally exploded out of me.

It took a long time before I finally calmed down.

When my tears eventually stopped, I wiped my face weakly with my palm.

Silence settled between us.

Then Xevira spoke again, surprisingly gently.

"What now?"

Her question made fresh tears gather in my eyes.

"I'm scared," I admitted quietly.

Murder wasn't considered a serious crime within the werewolf empire.

But that didn’t change the fact that I would forever be labeled a murderer.

Forced to carry the blame for something I never did.

Tears slipped down my face once more.

"We'll get through this," Xevira whispered softly.

Her words comforted me slightly, but the thought of how my life would change from now on made my chest ache all over again.

---

It was already late when I finally returned home.

My eyes felt empty as I walked inside with my head lowered, wanting nothing more than to lock myself inside my room.

But the moment I stepped into the mansion, Nyran rushed toward me.

She wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Thank you, sister."

I stared at her in disbelief.

Was she thanking me for allowing her crime to be pinned on me?

Then Lycon’s voice sounded behind her.

"Can't you at least hug her back? She's being sincere."

I was already tired of hearing that sentence.

I remained completely still.

Nyran slowly pulled away before lowering her head guiltily.

"Big sister must really blame me," she whispered tearfully. "I'm sorry."

Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

Lycon quickly pulled her back into his arms and gently patted her back.

"Don't cry," he murmured softly. "It's not your fault."

Inside my head, Xevira muttered coldly,

"Then whose fault is it?"

I knew she was trying her best not to lose her temper for my sake.

Suddenly, Lycon glared at me angrily.

"It's just taking the blame for your own sister. Why are you acting so cruel?"

Before I could respond, a powerful aura filled the room.

I immediately recognized it.

Alpha Andrew.

My foster father.

"Ravenna, you're back," he said calmly.

Celery walked over and held my hand warmly.

"You are such a good sister."

"Mom, Dad… please help me apologize to Ravenna," Nyran said softly while lowering her eyes pitifully. "She seems upset with me."

Instantly, Celery released my hand and frowned at me.

"You shouldn't resent your sister over something so small," she scolded. "People will forget about this eventually."

Then she hurried back to comfort Nyran, who was still resting in Lycon’s arms.

"Don't cry anymore, dear."

The concern in her voice was painfully obvious.

Xevira growled bitterly inside my head.

"Why are they treating her like the victim when you're the one suffering?"

I said nothing.

Quietly, I walked away and returned to my room.

---

The next morning, I left for school early.

Even though I was terrified of facing everyone, I still had to attend.

The placement examinations were approaching soon.

Those exams determined every werewolf's future role within the empire.

The moment I stepped inside Goldenclaw Academy, I immediately felt countless eyes turn toward me.

Most of them were filled with disgust.

As I walked through the hallway, whispers followed me everywhere.

"That's her."

"The murderer."

"I heard she killed Zephyra over a man."

I kept my head lowered and said nothing.

I just wanted the day to end.

Even though Goldenclaw Academy consisted of students from different packs, news had spread frighteningly fast.

To everyone here, I was the girl who murdered someone out of jealousy.

On the surface, I remained calm.

But inside, I was slowly breaking apart.

At least Xevira kept encouraging me quietly, reminding me I was doing well.

Just as I was about to enter my classroom, freezing cold water suddenly poured over my entire body.

I gasped sharply as chills shot through my veins.

"What the hell?!" Xevira shouted in shock.

I slowly looked up.

Standing above the railings on the upper floor was Athlea.

She stared down at me with pure hatred burning in her eyes.

I understood why.

She had been Zephyra’s best friend.

I tried to walk away, but Athlea clearly had no intention of letting me leave peacefully.

Without hesitation, she jumped down from the upper floor and landed directly in front of me.

Before I could react, she grabbed my long brown hair and dragged me forward violently.

Xevira instantly wanted to shift, but I stopped her.

"They have the right to hate me," I whispered weakly.

"But you didn't do it!" Xevira snapped.

"They don't know that," I replied painfully.

"That still doesn't give her the right—"

She suddenly stopped speaking.

Athlea had slammed my head harshly against the window.

"Look!" she screamed furiously.

"Look at the person you killed for!"

My vision blurred slightly before I forced myself to look outside.

And there—

I saw Lycon carrying Nyran in his arms.

His eyes shone with happiness and pride as he smiled at her.

Then his voice echoed clearly across the courtyard.

"Guess what? I found my fated mate last night."

He tightened his hold around Nyran lovingly.

"And it turned out to be the girl I already loved… Nyran."

His words felt even colder than the freezing water soaking my body.