PROLOGUE

I struggled against the iron grip on my arms, screaming, "No, no! You have to believe me!"

I looked at my mate—my heart plunged into free fall as the world around me seemed to stop. He didn’t believe me. None of them did. I turned in desperation, scanning the cold, unrelenting gazes fixed upon me. The silence was deafening, ringing in my ears louder than any accusation.

"Jay, I would never poison Samantha." My voice shook with pleading, but my words shattered off his furious expression.

"You dare. How dare you speak her name?" Jay hissed.

I stepped backward, shaking my head against it. This could not be real. But the warriors behind blocked my retreat.

Jay took one deep, harsh breath, his chest heaving with an almost restrained fury. Pain, rage, and a murderous intent burned in the eyes that looked down at me—the woman he had once sworn to cherish.

"For the attempted assassination of my fated mate, I, Alpha Jay Merlot, sentence you to death by poison. The same poison you used to try to kill my beloved." His voice dripped with venom, the finality of his words sinking deep into my bones.

I had stood by his side through everything. We had grown up together. Jay was my stepmother’s son from her first marriage, and when we wed two years ago, I had given him the throne. I had made him Alpha. And now, he was condemning me to die.

"Take her away!" His voice boomed like a knell of doom through the hall.

"Jay Merlot, what's the meaning of this?"

A commanding voice boomed from the doorway, and the hall fell into stunned silence as all eyes turned toward my father stepping forward. Relief flooded my chest.

"Father…" I breathed, my voice cracking. I had never been more glad to see him.

When his gaze shifted to me.

"Father, I swear, I didn't do it! I'm being framed!" I pleaded. My voice was laced with desperation.

"Silence!" Jay commanded. His voice was laced with authority.

My father’s expression darkened as he turned his sharp gaze toward Jay. "What is this nonsense?" His powerful voice rang through the hall, his posture rigid with authority. "How dare you accuse my daughter of attempting to murder your mate? What possible motive would she have?"

"Jealousy!" someone from the crowd shouted.

My father scoffed. "Jealousy? Why would my daughter be jealous of a mere omega when she is already the Luna?" His voice was like thunder, rattling through the room.

A murmur swept through the assembled wolves, undertones of judgment against me and my father.

My father growled, stepping closer. "My daughter is innocent of this allegation. Someone here is framing her." My heart pounded faster. "Did you plan this with your true mate to humiliate my child?"

The tension between my father and Jay was evident in the air.

And then I saw it.

The glint of steel, the sword that had always been part of Jay's ceremonial attire, whipped at my father and slashed his throat.

"No!" I screamed. Blood gushed from the wound, splattering to the ground. My father fell to his knees, his eyes wide with shock, before he collapsed.

My world shattered.

"Father!" I screamed, launching myself forward, but some rough hands seized me.

Jay wiped his sword clean of my father's blood and turned away. "Take her to the dungeon. Her execution will be in seven days."

For the last time, I looked back at the lifeless body of my father.

People parted and got out of Jay's way. Others fled the hall as I was dragged away, screaming and kicking. "Let me go!" I screamed, my voice hoarse with desperation.

My struggles were useless against the iron grip of the guards. They hauled me through dimly lit corridors, the stone walls closing in on me like a prison of shadows. My breath came in ragged gasps as fear twisted in my gut. I barely had time to take in my surroundings before I was thrown into a cold, dark cell.

The heavy iron door slammed shut behind me, the deafening sound echoing through the narrow hallway like a cruel finality. I lunged for the bars, gripping them so tightly my knuckles turned white. "Please! This is a mistake!" I shouted, my voice cracking. But no one answered. No one cared.

My heart pounded within me, a frantic rhythm against my ribs, threatening to break out of my chest. I couldn't sit.

Then, suddenly, footsteps.

The faint sound echoed down the hallway, deliberate and unhurried. My breath hitched, and I quickly wiped my tears, scrambling to my feet. Hope flared inside me, fragile but alive.

The iron bars creaked as a jailer unlocked the gate. A figure stepped inside, and my stomach twisted.

It was her.

Jay's mother. My stepmother.

For years, I had called her "Mother." I had loved her as my own when my father married her when I was ten. She had tucked me into bed, brushed my hair, whispered lullabies when I had nightmares.

But as she stood before me now, something in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine.

"Mother, I’m innocent!" I pleaded, my voice shaking.

She smiled wryly. Then, she laughed-a cold, cruel sound that made my blood turn cold.

"Yes, I know," she said matter-of-factly.

The air left my lungs. My lips parted, but no words came. My mind reeled, trying to make sense of her words. If she knew… then why was I here?

The other guard said, before I could utter a word; he was a tall man casting a long shadow into the cell. Menacing, his face was set in a scowl as he growled.

"Luna Samantha is here," the guard announced, his voice rumbling along the stone corridor.

The heavy door creaked open, and Samantha stepped inside. A petite woman with soft brown hair, piercing brown eyes, and sun-kissed skin stood before me. Her delicate features were unreadable as she stared at me with a mixture of amusement.

"I have something to tell you before you leave this world," she said, her voice eerily composed.

A lump formed in my throat. My hands trembled as I bowed my head, forcing out the words that had been suffocating me for days.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and my voice cracked. "I never meant to trouble you. But I swear, I never tried to poison you."

Samantha interrupted me before I could say more.

"I believe you."

I froze.

The air in my lungs turned to ice. Had I misheard? My heart clenched painfully, daring to hope. My stepmother stood beside her, nodding in agreement. If they believed me, if they truly believed me, then maybe, just maybe, I had a chance. A chance to get out. A chance to live.

Samantha cocked her head, her lips twisting upwards in a malevolent smile.

"You had no hand in poisoning me," she corroborated.

I huffed, blowing out sharply. "Really? You came to save me?" I asked so quietly I almost wasn't audible.

Laughter from him and her followed.

My stepmother stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with malice. "How dumb can you be?" she sneered.

The walls of my fragile hope came down, and my chest tightened as dread dug its talons into me.

Samantha moved closer, her expression smug. "Jay is my fated mate," she said, her words like daggers to my heart. "We knew it the day of your engagement ceremony. Ever since then, he's been sneaking into my room. Every night."

I felt sick.

I stared into her face. The truth was staring back at me through her cold, triumphant gaze.

My stepmother’s smirk widened. "Oh, I loved your father," she admitted, "but not too much. I was the one pushing Jay to court you, to make you believe he chose you." She leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "But ever since he became Alpha, we’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to get rid of you and your father. In fact, we couldn’t wait, so we framed you."

"No!" I screamed, moving my head violently.

"Yes," they chimed in unison, their laughter still echoing in my ears as they turned and walked out of the cell.

I was left alone for five days in the dark.

On the fifth night, my father’s Beta, Mark, now the head of the warriors, visited me. His presence was like a flicker of light in my endless torment.

"Luna," he greeted me.

I shook my head. "I'm not your Luna anymore."

"You will always be my Luna," he persisted. Then his voice went down.

"We have to get out of here."

Before I could process his words, he moved swiftly, knocking the guard unconscious. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the gate. My legs wobbled from exhaustion, but adrenaline kept me moving.

We ran.

At the back of the fortress, the scent of the sea filled my lungs. The sound of waves crashing against the cliffs was deafening in the silence of the night.

The bell sliced through the air, sharp and urgent. Warning the soldiers that their prisoner was on the loose.

Mark blocked my way with his arm, panting. I looked at him in confusion.

"Go to the sea," he urged. "There's a boat waiting. It's your only chance to escape. I'll hold them off."

"Charge them?!?" I stammered. "That's suicide!!

His eyes softened, but his grip on my shoulders was firm. "We have no other options," he said. His voice wavered, but his resolve did not.

"Please, Luna. Live. Take back the pack from Alpha Jay."

My eyes smarted and burned, but I fought them back.

Mark swallowed hard. "There’s something I need to tell you - before it’s too late. No matter what your stepmother told everyone, no matter how they claimed you were weak, that you weren’t fit to lead. I always respected you." His voice thickened with emotion. "You are not weak. You deserve to be the Alpha of our pack. You are the real heir. But even then, you did not accept the throne and instead gave it to Jay. I have never given up on you, and I never will—not until my last breath."

A tear rolled down my cheek.

I had no time to say a thing before Mark turned and ran towards the approaching soldiers.

"Mark!" They killed him. I forced myself to move, sprinting toward the stairs leading to the sea. My heart pounded with each step. I could hear the waves, see the moonlit water - but then… A shadow. Jay. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me. His men flanked him, their eyes cold and unyielding. "Jay…" my voice faltered as I took a weak backward step. Before I could react, pain exploded in my chest. I gasped. The world slowed as I looked down, my trembling hands reaching for the blade buried deep in my heart, the same sword Jay had used to kill my father. Blood. So much blood. Jay’s face twisted into a cruel sneer as he leaned in, his breath warm against my ear. "Die, Melody. Die." Terror simply swept through me. No, no! Goddess, no! I should not die! I won’t die! I'm innocent! Moon Goddess!