Chapter 1

Lindsay's Pov

The dungeon was dark and damp with rats running around all over the ground.

The walls were covered with moss, and the air smelled of rotten flesh.

I had been locked up here for three days.

I hadn't  had a drop of water for the past three days. My body was weak. 

My wolf had fallen into a slumber. She had drained her energy to heal me.

I held my legs and huddled up in the corner in my bloodstained white tracksuit.

My brown hair withered like weeds, and my smooth, firm skin was full of ugly wounds.

Most of those wounds were done by the guards in the dungeon.

They tried to rape me more than once because I was beautiful, but they had underestimated me.

In addition to my beauty, my fighting abilities should not be taken lightly.

Although I was severely injured, I beated the hell out of them.

I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

I needed a rest so that I could save my energy fortheir next round of attacks.

The wounds started to throb again.

I bit my lower lip, hoping to numb the pain.

The cell door opened all of a sudden.

My eyes snapped open, and I stiffened immediately.

After looking at the visitor’s face clearly, I heaved a sigh of relief in joy.

“Mom!”

I clung on the wall to stand up and threw myself into her arms.  

“Mom, how did you get in here?” I was so surprised that tears welled up in my eyes.

She patted me on the back and said, “I came in while the guards were switching their shifts at noon.”

“I miss you so much. I really miss you.”

I hugged her greedily with a lump in my throat.

I could swallow back all the grievances in front of outsiders, but I just wanted to cry out in front of my mother.

“I brought you some food. I have something to tell you after you finish.”

She handed the lunch box to me, but I put it aside.

I was starving, but now I had something more important than a meal.

If someone in the world were willing to believe my words, that person would certainly be my mother.

I could not wait to explain it to her.

“Mom, listen to me. I didn’t kill anyone. It’s—”

My mother suddenly interrupted me before I could finish my words.

“Alright. Stop talking and eat first.”

I hugged her excitedly. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

However, she sighed beside my ear.

“You disappointed me,” she said coldly.

“What did you say?”

I leaned back from her arms, thinking that something was wrong with my ears.

“I said that you really disappointed me. I never thought that I, Gamma Jen, would raise a daughter like you.”

I let go of my hands that were wrapping around her back and took a step back in disbelief.

“What do you mean?”

“I already know the truth.” Her eyes danced with fury. “How could you kill Kristen for a spot in the varsity? Is that what I’ve taught you?”

She snarled and slapped me across the face.

The corner of my lips ripped open, and I tasted blood on the tip of my tongue.

I frowned as I still could not understand what my mother was talking about.

What did she mean I killed Kristen for a spot in the varsity? What nonsense was she talking about?

I swallowed the blood in my mouth, covered my face and turned my head. I then looked right at her and protested, “I didn’t.”

“You’re still lying at this point! How did you end up like this?”

“What do you mean? I said I didn’t do it! You’re my mother! Why won’t you believe me?!” I screamed, devastated.

“How can you expect me to believe you? Someone saw it with his own eyes, yet you are still denying it!”

She pointed at me accusingly.

“Kristen is the sister of an Alpha. You should be grateful that she was willing to be your friend. How could you do something like this because you were jealous of her? You must be crazy!”

“I’m not that kind of person!”

“No? So, are you saying that Neil lied?”

“Neil? Neil told you guys that I killed Kristen? He’s my friend. How could he accuse me? He—”

“Shut up!”

I was slapped again, and blood ran down the corner of my lips.

Heartbroken, I looked at my mother. It hurt so much that I could not breathe.

She glared at me. “Did Kristen score more points in the baseball game that day? Was she chosen for varsity instead of you? Did you two get into a fight in front of the school? Did you take her to the border?”

Too many questions at one time. I couldn’t deny all of them. 

I had to admit that some of them were true.

Yes. My score was not as good as Kristen’s, and she was chosen for varsity, but we did not get into a fight. I took her and ran toward the border only because we were hunted by Rogues.

Moreover... I hold my strength back on purpose in the baseball game.

Kristen told me that the Alpha took this tournament very seriously. If she did not get a spot in the varsity, the Alpha would definitely punish her.

But she was way too nervous and wore a pair of leather shoes on that day. So I changed shoes with her after she begged me to do so.

I wanted to let Kristen win, so how could I be jealous of her?

I tried to explain it to my mother. I could be misunderstood by everyone else in the world, but not my mother.

“Mom, trust me. Look at my shoes. They belong to Kristen.”

“So what?”

She looked at me doubtfully, but calmed down in the end.

I quickly organized my words in my mind and told her the truth in the most straightforward way.

She was a smart person, so she would understand me for sure.

Brief silence lingered in the air as I gazed at her hopefully.

I blinked after seeing her frown gradually relaxed.

She believed me, right?

She must believe me.

“What can a pair of shoes prove? Who knows if you have put on it deliberately just to escape blame?”

I gasped.

“Everyone knows what you’ve done! You’re still trying to deny it! You’re my daughter… A Gamma’s daughter! I had high hopes for you! How could you bring such a great disgrace to me?!”

“Why don’t you believe me?”

My mother pushed me away and looked at me, as if she was staring at a piece of stinky garbage.

Her expression changed slightly after the cell door was opened up once again.

The Alpha, Tyler, came in.

He knitted his brows and pursed his lips as his face darkened. The muscles on his arm were twitching.

He was infuriated.

I could not help but shudder.

My protest seemed insignificant in the face of the Alpha’s aura. 

But if I did nothing, I would die. . I could not let myself fall into such a situation.

Therefore, the moment Tyler, walked up to me, I explained loudly at once, “I didn’t kill Kristen! The Rogues followed us and attacked us on that day, so we ran to the border in panic!”