Chapter 5

"Well, well, well... If it isn't the all-talked-about Luna..." A voice pulled Rashel out of her slumber.

She has been locked up in the dungeon for four days with just one square meal a day. She was already weak and pale. But she willed herself to be strong for the sake of her unborn baby.

Shawn hadn't even had the decency to see her since he ordered that she be locked up.

"Viola. What do you want?" Rashel asked with a glare, slowly pulling herself up to a sitting position.

"How does it feel to see the mighty falling? Huh?" Viola said with the sweetest smile she could muster.

Rashel was quiet.

"You look so pathetic. Do you need food? Clothes? Water? What should I serve you, almighty Luna of the Night Wish pack?" Viola erupted into shrill laughter that seemed almost witchy.

"What do you want from me?" Rashel finally swallowed her shame and pride and asked.

"I want nothing much. Just your death. It wouldn't hurt to make sure there are no obstacles in my way. And you, my dear Luna, seem to be a great obstacle... What do you think?" Her long, dark hair was tied in a bun, framing her deceitful, oval face, giving her an innocent look.

"Why are you doing this? Manipulating my husband and turning him against me? I didn't do anything wrong!" Rashel trembled as she mustered up all the courage she could, standing up to face Viola.

"You did something wrong! You slept with multiple men and shattered the poor heart of our mate! Yet you had the effrontery to return? Don't you have any shame?" Viola yelled.

"I swear by the Moon Goddess, I never did anything wrong! I don't know where or how... I was... I was abducted!" Rashel yelled back at her, wishing someone would believe her story.

"What a pathetic liar! You did even more. A rogue was caught snooping around the border today. And he confessed to a lot of crimes that put you on a death toll, dear Luna," Viola said with a sneer.

"What? What rogue? What did he say?" Rashel asked with furrowed brows. Her agony was increasing. She felt dizzy and hungry. She had forgotten all about Alpha Jethro. All she thought about was making things right with her mate.

"He was seen with the security details of the pack. You handed it over to his leader, and they are already planning an attack on our pack. Why? Because you can't bear to share your mate with a second mate?" Viola scoffed, wiping off tears from her eyes. "I don't mind sharing. We would have shared peacefully. But no. You decided to go the extra mile."

"I didn't do that. Something is terribly wrong here. Trust me, Viola, please," Rashel was desperate. She didn't know how to defend these allegations if she was locked up here with no one to believe her.

"Trust you? That's a luxury no one is willing to offer you, not after Shawn found out you've been in touch with Merikh, the same brother who would do anything to take this pack away from him," Viola added some more salt to the injury.

"Merikh? That's a lie! I've never spoken to..." Rashel tried speaking amidst sobs, but Viola stopped her harshly.

"Enough, Rashel! We are done with your lies. I just came to give you some friendly advice." Viola moved closer to the bars separating them. "Begin to prepare yourself. Your trial and execution are around the corner. In a few hours from now, you will atone for your sins against the Nightwish pack." With that, Viola stormed out of the dungeon.

Rashel crumpled to the cold floor, clutching her chest tightly. For the first time that day, she thought about Jethro. She should have listened to him and stayed back at his pack.

If she had, she wouldn't be in this situation. This was so unlike her mate. How did he turn from being the sweetest thing that had ever happened to her to being the worst thing that was about to happen to her?

Where were these allegations coming from? She was innocent of all the crimes Viola just listed out. And somehow, she believed every word Viola had just said about her execution.

Her time in the dungeon had made her realize Shawn didn't care one bit about her anymore. Otherwise, why hadn't he come to see her yet?

She wished for just one meeting with him, and she was sure he'd change his mind, although she knew Shawn. He was an unforgiving Alpha once offended. But she was certain he'll hear her out as soon as he learns about their baby.

Rashel drifted into a deep slumber. She slid in and out of consciousness a few times, and the ache in her stomach made her know it was already a new day.

Her heart raced. Was she going to die even without food in her stomach? They didn't even have the decency to feed a prisoner awaiting execution?

The gates to the dungeon opened with a quiet creak.

Rashel scrambled to her feet, her eyes darting around for any magical escape route, but there was still none. Her eyes welled up as she braced herself, expecting the worst. But it seemed the Moon Goddess wasn't done tormenting her.

It wasn't a guard. It was someone else.

"Gavin?" Rashel called with shock written all over her face. Had he come to take his own pound of flesh? She knew she hadn't been nice to Gavin because she didn't like him for her friend, Karla. He was a bit less of a gentleman, and Rashel felt her friend deserved better.

"Rashel." He called with an urgency that made her heart race. "I know we haven't been the best of friends, but Karla sent me to deliver a message to you."

At the mention of Karla, her hopes resurrected again. At least, there was someone who cared to believe her.

She nodded eagerly, prompting him to speak further.

"She says you should have this." Gavin handed a note to her with a key: "Use this when the time is right. Your trial and execution begin in two hours. You have to be smart." He said and turned around to leave, but she stopped him.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It's 7 pm."

"Thank you so much, Gavin." She reached out and placed an appreciative hand over his with tears in her eyes.

In the end, his notorious lifestyle was going to save her.

Gavin wasn't into doing decent businesses. He does everything illegal, including forging and duplicating keys for anyone who is willing to pay handsomely for it.

Now, he just handed her a key to the cell she was locked up in, and she had to be smart in order not to waste this good gesture.

Rashel kept her senses alert. She knew so much about the pack, down to when guards usually took their shifts.

"It's time." She said, pulling herself up and carefully unlocking the door.

She felt so weak that she contemplated staying back and letting fate decide for her, but she couldn't let her unborn baby die before seeing this world.

She tiptoed to the exit of the large dungeon. As expected, there were no guards in sight.

Being the one who designed most of the security patterns of the pack, she knew where and how to navigate without being caught.

Rashel ran as fast as her weak legs could carry her.

While Rashel is escaping, she will see Viola talking with Merikh in the middle of the woods that night. But she wonders what they were talking about.

Then she sees them kissing.