Lexie's POV:I sat motionless as Jayson stood in the center of the courtroom, the torchlight casting strong shadows across his face. His voice rang through the chamber, steady and resolute.He had just begun presenting my case to the council. For the first time in days, I felt like I wasn’t completely alone.“She was devoted to Alpha Paul,” Jayson said, facing the five Alphas seated on the raised platform. “I have seen it with my own eyes. If loyalty could bleed, Luna Lexie would be bleeding every day.”My throat tightened.“She stood by his side even when most of the pack still whispered that she didn’t belong. She never once used her position for power or attention. She protected the children, supported the omegas, and spent more time adjusting than anyone gave her credit for.”I tried to keep my breathing even as my eyes flicked across the room. Many were watching me now not with disdain, but with doubt. The right kind of doubt.Jayson wasn’t done.“And most importantly, she was a
The grand courtroom of the High Council was carved into the heart of the mountain, a circular chamber with stone walls that seemed to swallow sound and breath alike. Torches flickered along the perimeter, casting long shadows on the floor below. In the center stood a raised dais, behind which sat five Alphas: each from a different pack, each bearing their own insignia on their chest. Their faces were hard, unreadable, as if carved from the very stone surrounding them.Lexie was brought in through the iron gates at the back. Her footsteps echoed through the silence, the chains on her ankles clinking with every step. Two guards flanked her, but she held her head high. Despite the pallor of her skin and the gauntness in her cheeks, there was no fear in her expression.She was dressed plainly, in a loose gray robe that did little to hide how frail she had become. But her eyes remained sharp, even as they swept across the room to meet the five Alphas who would decide her fate. Jayson stoo
Lexie's POV:It had been fifteen days since Jayson started training me.Fifteen long days of questioning, preparation, and emotional isolation and loneliness. And though it wasn’t easy to admit it to myself, just because of an hour that I spent with someone who didn't hold me guilty in his heart, were making a huge difference to me. I didn't like Jayson at first, thinking that he was the reason I had been forced into accepting my mate bond. I knew it was lame, but it helped me to channel my anger towards someone. And then slowly, I started falling for Paul… although I still didn't feel thankful for Jayson. He was like the overly protective older brother who wanted to train me to face the world but wouldn't let me go into the world alone. Especially after the time I snuck out at night to visit Paul at the Crescent pack. But now, I was actually learning to see the good part about having a protective older brother, that is to have a shield around yourself at your lowest. It was beca
Lexie's POV:I stepped outside, the cool evening air brushing against my skin. The scent of damp grass mixed with fading sunshine was oddly soothing after days of stale silence and locked doors. There he was—Jayson—standing near the rose arch in the backyard garden, his hands folded neatly behind him, back straight, posture stiff.Exactly the same way he had stood the day he found me walking back from school. That day, he’d stopped his car, stepped out without a word, and dragged me back to the Alpha’s mansion—just to declare I was his Alpha’s mate.I almost smiled. It felt like just yesterday, and also like a lifetime ago.I cleared my throat.Jayson turned at once and bowed his head, formally. “Let’s walk, Luna.”We began strolling down the gravel path in silence. The birds had quieted for the night, and the hush made every step feel heavier than the last.Then he spoke, quiet but firm. “You know the pack believes you had a hand in killing the Alpha.”I stopped walking. My breath hi
Lexie's POV:The next few days passed in suffocating silence.No one was speaking to me anymore– not a word, not even a murmur unless absolutely necessary. And maybe it was better this way. Lady Samantha glanced at me with soft eyes, full of concern and sympathy, but she didn’t say anything now. Only on the first day, when I had returned to my room with trembling steps and swollen eyes, she had gently followed behind and touched my shoulder. Her voice had been kind, almost motherly.“You don’t have to worry, dear.”She had said softly. “We believe you. Maybe it would be better if you had said this earlier, yes, but it’s okay. Sometimes we don’t have the mental courage to process all that has happened to us. You are also a victim, and it doesn’t make you the culprit of anything. Okay?”I had nodded slowly, but her words had barely settled the storm inside me.Maybe she didn’t know how to settle that storm, either. Alpha Louis, on the other hand, tried not to even look in my directi
Lexie's POV:The palace walls whispered louder with each passing moment.Every hallway I crossed, every maid who looked away without meeting my eyes, every unfinished sentence I overheard, it was all about Paul.About his absence, and my silence… I couldn’t take it anymore.The walls of the palace seemed to breathe Paul’s name in hushed, accusing tones. I locked myself in our room, and let the tears come in violent, shuddering waves. My fingers clutched at the empty space beside me in bed, where his warmth should have been.I curled into the corner of my bed, my body still aching, bandages stiff and uncomfortable against my skin. But it wasn’t the physical pain that undid me, it was the emptiness in my chest. At some point, exhaustion crept in. I could swear I felt his presence… his large, calloused palm grazed against my cheek, his lips brushing my forehead. Warm lips pressing against mine so gently I forgot to breathe.“Paul…” I whispered, chasing that illusion, but I must have
Author's POV:Five days had passed since Lexie had returned to the Apollo Pack, battered and bruised all over. And although the physical wounds were still raw, it was the silence she had locked herself into, that had carved the deepest pain into her soul. Her right hand was in a plaster cast, one leg braced tightly and strapped, and her steps were feeble at best. Even so, the doctors agreed she could be discharged from the infirmary, provided she got plenty of rest and stayed away from any stress or confrontation.But the world outside the white walls of the infirmary had not stopped for her to heal first. Lady Samantha stood on her left side, steady on her feet and supporting most of her weight, while a maid supported her from the right, arms gently wrapped around Lexie’s waist to help her down the infirmary steps. The path from the medical wing to the main mansion seemed far longer than she remembered. Her body felt like dead weight. Every step ached, and her head swam.But the
Lexie's POV:Lexie's POV:I didn’t know how long I had been asleep this time, but when my eyes fluttered open again, the light was softer. Probably because of the heavy curtains that had been pulled, except for a thin sliver in the corner, which allowed bright sunlight to sneak inside the room. Lady Samantha was sitting on the armchair beside me, holding a book towards that sunlight and thumbing through the pages, her silver-blonde hair tied in a loose bun. The moment I stirred awake, she looked up, her expression softening.“Lexie,” she whispered. “Are you feeling okay, dear?”I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of my body pressing me into the bed. Everything still ached. But something about her question felt a little off, even though I couldn’t place it. She noticed my hesitation and stood up. “Let me call the doctor, alright?”I nodded again. She offered a small smile before walking to the door and stepping outside.That’s when I noticed them, fresh wildflowers, tucked into a
Lexie's POV:The first thing I noticed was the smell of crisp detergent on the linens that had been worn down by the disinfectant.The chemical smell of antiseptic, and the faint fragrance of flowers… lavender, maybe?My head felt like it was packed with cotton, and when I tried to move, fire shot through my whole body at once. A slow groan of pain slipped past my lips before I could stop it.“Lexie?”The voice was familiar and hopeful, my name whispered with hesitation. I forced my eyes to open, and my gaze landed on the white ceiling above, illuminated by soft light. A few machines beeped in tandem, and just then, a small head with curly hair and wide, worried eyes leaned over me.“Lex…?”“Andy…” I croaked out, even though my throat felt like sandpaper.He beamed immediately, his eyes shining with relief. “You’re awake! You’re really awake!”I blinked again, trying to make sense of this room. I was in the infirmary. Apollo pack. I made it.“You scared us so bad,” Andy continued,