2- I was doomed.

Rayna’s pov:

“Violet?” I whispered and dropped the holy book in panic. Everyone in the room turned back to have a look at her.

She seemed distraught. Her eyes were red. Her hair was a tangled mess. Her clothes looked like she didn’t bother to change them or didn’t even attempt to take a shower.

“What is it, Violet?” Alpha Magnus who had just taken his seat stood up, all surprised. Violet was a good-looking girl just like her elder sister.

“She…she confined me in a room so that … so that the truth won’t come out….” She was shivering profusely and crying.

Her tear-stricken red face looked haunted.

“What do you mean?” Eric who used to be Violet’s boyfriend before my eighteenth birthday frowned and I had to suppress my smile when I felt his hands pressing my shoulders a little protectively. 

“Rayna is our mate, Violet,” Derek also came forward, “if you have any feelings for Eric just try to do something about it. None of us can leave our mate.”

I batted my lashes quite dramatically when Violet eyed me. However, she sobbed and shook her head, “Seriously, Eric? You won’t leave her even if I tell you she tried to kill me and our baby?”

The moment the words left her mouth, I felt Eric’s hands loosen around me.

“B…baby?” he whispered but Violet heard him.

“Yes. Baby. Our baby, Eric. The moment I gave her the news thinking that she was a sincere pack member, she locked me in my bedroom and left. She told my sister Lola and Beta Logan that I have eloped with someone which is not true.”

I could feel several pairs of eyes on my face, and I didn’t know how to convince them.

“And why would I do that?” I spoke for the first time and tried to sound confident.

Then my stepmother decided to speak, “Maybe because you were jealous and scared,” she had disgust on her face, “You were declared as an omega and we stayed nice to you.” She quickly walked towards Violet and hugged her younger sister tightly, “I can’t believe you can do such a vile thing to my baby sister.”

She said in between her sobs.

“Is it true?” I heard the voice that belonged to the man who was supposed to take my side. Who was supposed to trust me and keep me protected.

Just a few minutes back he apologized to me because he knew I was going to be someone more powerful than him.

And now?

Now he was the same man who might be anything but my father. 

“You know she is lying!” I tried to push back my tears, “Why would I close her in her own bedroom and attend this ceremony when I am the fated one.” I turned to Eric a little desperately, “Moon Goddess chose me for you. Why would I do it when I am already having you all? I never knew that she was pregnant.”

The triplets were now standing there silently, and I could detect disbelief in their eyes.

There was silence in the hall now except for the sobs of my dramatic stepmom and her sister.

Please don’t believe them. They are liars. Please Moon Goddess, don’t let them do this to me. Please help me.

“Rose! Wake up. See what they are doing to us.” I called my wolf a little desperately. I needed someone on my side. 

Someone who would believe me.

“If you are telling the truth then prove it.” Said the man who was my father, “Prove it that you didn’t lock her in the room leaving her on her own without any food and water. Provide the evidence because Lola and I were staying in the packhouse and didn’t know what Violet was going through in our house.”

My father demanded sternly.

I narrowed my eyes to look at the man and wondered if he ever loved my mom.

“Why doesn’t Violet prove it?” I lifted a brow and ran a slow gaze on my mates, “if she is telling the truth, ask her to back it up. Two weeks back, I imprisoned her in her bedroom while I was busy serving the pack house as a maid. if you remember, I used to run the whole kitchen. Do you think I had enough time to lock a spoiled brat just because she is pregnant with your child? And she is so innocent that she never told this to the baby’s father but came to me…” I placed my forefinger on my chest, “she came to a filthy omega to share the news? Who was I? A gynecologist?”

I smirked and stepped back.

No, Violet. I am not giving it up without a fight. Moon Goddess chose me.

ME!

I am the one who deserves this. Not you. I won’t let you win.

“Shut up!” Violet placed a protective hand on her belly, “I came to you because I was feeling cramps. I wanted you to bring me chamomile tea. Eric was supposed to know about it after I would recover from my tummy pain.” She said wiping her face, “I made it here after I jumped through the window in my wolf form. Unlike you, my wolf is stronger.”

By now my head had started reeling with dizziness.

What was going on?

For how long had they been planning this?

It was one against many.

One versus the whole pack.

How would I win this fight?

“OK. You want proof? I will provide that.” Violet came up on the stage and all I wanted to do was push her off.

This was MY stage. 

It was MY moment. Why was she destroying it?

She stood on the stage and faced the audience. 

“Ever since she has gotten her wolf. How many times did she shift? She never showed her wolf except on her eighteenth birthday.”

“Oh, I can answer that.” I chuckled and shrugged, “Because everyone knows I have a weak wolf. Continuous shifting makes me nauseous.”

See? This was easy.

“Really?” she slowly turned to me and looked into my eyes, “then prove me wrong. Shift! Now!”

She ordered me with a challenging smile, “Once you will shift and show us your wolf. I promise this stage will belong to you.”

I swallowed hard.

“Rose! You there? Hey!” 

Shit. 

Rose was still nonresponsive. 

“I …. I … can’t. What do you want to prove, Violet?”

“What do I want to prove?” she smirked and walked up to Eric, “call the pack witch and get her tested. She never got her wolf. She just made it all up with the power of magic.”

What? How could she come up with these absurd allegations? Doesn’t she get tired?

“They all saw my wolf. Rose stayed with me throughout. We all felt the mate bond.” I protested until Eric spoke. 

“Violet is right, Rayna. Show us your wolf. Nobody saw it after your eighteenth birthday. To tell you the truth, I don’t even feel the mate bond right now.”

His brothers nodded their heads in agreement.

“B…But… I… I am your mate!” 

“We’ll see!” spoke Luna Camila quite impatiently and then called the pack witch, “Amora! Amora! Are you there?” The witch came forward folding her arms on her chest.

Her head was bowed as a sign of respect.

“Check her for any magic spells.” The Luna ordered her and stepped back.

Amora came up and started checking my pulse rate and then my eye pupils. I stood there confidently because there was nothing to hide.

Nothing to be afraid of. I was not a Liar.

“My Alpha! Luna!” she again bowed to them after the check-up, and I managed a smile. Now everyone will know the truth in no time, and we will move forward with the Luna ceremony.

The old witch licked her dry parched lips, “She is under a spell. It seems like Ms. Violet is telling the truth. Rayna has no wolf!”

I felt as if someone had squeezed oxygen out of my lungs.

I was doomed.

Doomed forever.