Cold room

Ashley

Alex walked to his father's corpse. He bent over and a stream of tears found its way down his cheeks. His eyes were completely shut as he held his father's lifeless body.

“How could you?” He sobbed as he turned to me.

“Alex, believe me, I never did this and I swear with my life,” I spoke sharply, my eyes wide open as I shivered with the knife which was still in my hand.

“Shut your trap, bitch! You stand there with a bloodstained knife in your hand and you're telling me all this shit!” He yelled with all his veins now standing strong from his skin.

“Why would you even believe that I would do such a thing? And to my father-in-law and on my wedding day?”

“Did you hear that? Did you all hear that?” He returned his gaze to the crowd as he left the body. “She wouldn’t do that to her father-in-law,”

“I never did it! Never! Please!!” I cried in pain.

I was already pale red. How was I going to explain to them that I only walked into the room because of Sophia’s surprise for me. How was I supposed to know that someone was there? I regretted ever stepping into the dark room. Probably I should have gone to meet my husband then afterwards I go for the gift.

Alex wasn't ready to listen to my own part of the story. I understood that I'd have done the same if I were in his position. There was no way I could point out myself as innocent, because I held the knife in my hand when they walked in.

“My love, it's me. There's no way I would have done this, seriously you have to believe me. I only walked in here and discovered this,” I explained.

“You're such a bloody liar!” He retorted

“If you don't believe me,I'm ready to prove my innocence,”

“There's a witness Ashley!”he yelled back.

“Wait, what! What witness?” I was shocked. My eyes dwindled towards the audience and back to the young man who stood angrily at me. His hands clenched.

Where would the witness come from when I'm fully aware that I was alone in the room all the while before they came in. Just then, the crowd was moving aside as someone was coming through. It was Sophia.

“Oh, thank goodness you're here Sophia.” I went up to hold her hand and she brushed me off with her hands immediately.

“What do you think you're doing?” She asked, fuming.

“Sophie? Please tell me you don't also believe I did this, please,” I knelt begging her in my own flood of tears.

“Sophia!” Alex called.

“Yes,” She replied.

“I want you to tell everyone here again what you said you saw,” He said and stared at me with rage.

I looked at her, expecting some liberation from her words.

“I saw Ashley walking into this room with a knife and I followed her stealthily. I wondered what she was up to. Her countenance was all about bitterness and I could see vengeance in her eyes. Just then a man groaned and when I looked, it was Mr Lloyd Grey, the father of our one and only Alex here. Seeing that, I rushed to seek attention knowing that it was a very wicked act to be carried out on her wedding day.”

“Sophia!!!, no! Why would you lie against me? That's not true. She brought me here!” I screamed with my mouth agape.

“Shut your trap murderer!” Alex shouted and made to hit me again but two men from the crowd held him back. I could hear some voices from the crowd echo

“She's not worth it!”

I could feel the tears from my eyes splitting and flowing down like a river into a dam.

The room also had people mourning and wailing but I was still confused, the more.

I saw the elders move to the corner of the room close to me. They rested their gaze on me with disgust.

“What do you think should be done to her, Alex?” one of the elders from the council, asked.

“Have you forgotten the code so fast?” another elder added

“You are the son of your father. We expect you to act the same way he would have done.” He chipped in.

“What do you suggest I do now?” Alex asked, taking his gaze to me.

From the part of the ground where I lay, I could see it in his eyes that he didn't totally believe the whole thing and he was pitiful. Just then, some men walked into the room to take out the corpse of Alpha-king Lloyd Grey.

The knife was still beside me and my white silky dress was stained red with dripping blood. I was still shivering hoping that there would be some atom of salvation or a savior to take me out of the mysterious incident I got into. Then one of the elders spoke.

“Looking at her side of the story, it could also be possible that she didn't do it,”

“You all saw the eye witness and I believe you heard her clearly. If there was no eye witness, this would have been a more complicated case,” The elder cuts him short.

“I think the best thing to do is to take her away for the time being while I give myself time to think on what to do to her,”

I summoned courage again and rose to beg him.

“Alex please, I never did this. Don't believe anything they've said to you, they're liars,”

“Really? liars you say? Ashley, I'm disappointed in you. What did he ever do to you? He showered you with all the love you needed and yet you couldn't just control the beast in you!”

He yelled with his veins out. His face reddened and an uncontrollable river of tears flowed down his cheeks.

“It was all Sophia, she called me to take a gift,” I sobbed. I couldn't wipe the mucus off my nose as it increased alongside the heavy drops of sweat all over me now.

“If anyone at all, not my father, Ashley, no!” he continued and turned away.

“I know,” I broke down more.

Just then I heard what shattered me.

“Take her to the dungeon!”

“Wait! Please! Alex, don't do this! I'm innocent!” I begged while my legs rolled and I struggled with the werewolf guards as they took me out.

Just then, my eyes caught Sophia, then she gave me a cruel smile.