ACCUSED

NIGHT FANGS PACK

LUMA

My sister ruined my life twice.

First, she stole the battle plans and ran off with another wolf.

Second? She left me behind to pay for it.

Now I'm mated to a man who hates my face because it looks just like hers. Trapped in his pack. Watched every time I breathe.

I stared at the blank walls of my room.

Six months. Six months I'd been trapped in this pack. No entry. No exit. Watched even when I went to the bathroom.

The only time I was left alone, I regretted it.

My mate by alliance, not by choice had demanded I attend a business meeting. He drank so much that I ended up nursing him. His scent clouded my judgment. That night, I lost my virginity. I thought maybe, just maybe, he'd stop hating me. After all we had shared something.

But no.

When he woke me the next morning, it was with curses.

"You're cunning and vicious, just like your sister. You saw an opportunity and took it, didn't you?"

I didn't understand. I kept shaking my head, trying to make him see. But he wouldn't listen. He kept cursing. My pack. My tribe. My family. And most of all, my cunning sister.

How did I end up here?

It wasn't a mistake. It was all my sister's doing. And I was paying for it every single day.

His sister. His brothers. His Beta. His warriors. His entire pack manifested their hatred daily. Omegas spit in my food. Guards sneered when I passed. I was a ghost they all wished would disappear.

Oh, Goddess. How did I end here?

I-Luma Emberheart daughter of the Alpha of the Ravenclaw Pack, never expected to end up like this.

But my sister, Ina Emberheart, had other plans.

*****

A year ago my life was peaceful. I was preparing to join the wolf academy.

Ina discovered she had a mate. The powerful Alpha Tristan Whispering Wood of the Night Fangs Clan.

We were all enthusiastic. We prepared for the mating ceremony. My parents gathered mating gifts. The entire pack buzzed with excitement.

But Ina had other plans.

On the marking day, she escaped. Not only with the Night Fangs' strategic battle plans but with another wolf as well. Unknown. Unidentified. Gone.

Just like that, she vanished. Leaving our family in chaos.

Alpha Tristan was furious. With no proof, he invaded our lands. Destroyed hectares of crops. Killed several of our shielders.

My pack was the smallest. We couldn't fight back.

So my father submitted. Fell to his knees. Begged. Without hesitation, he offered me as an alliance mate.

I was shattered. I never imagined such a day would come. But I had to save my pack. My family. So I agreed. Hoping to appease the Alpha. Hoping to solve the impossible.

But Alpha Tristan wasn't that easy. His reputation ruthless, heartless preceded him.

He demanded my pack supply seven hundred Omegas. Without permission, he stationed seven hundred of his own shielders on our land. Just like that, my pack became claimed. Ravenclaw Pack was now Ravenclaw Clan.

I hated his guts. But I had to be respectful. My people's safety came first.

From the moment I climbed into his car, he showed me hatred. And whenever I misstepped, he didn't hesitate to shove me.

"You're no different from your sister," he'd say. "Same face. Same cunning nature. Don't think you'll gain sympathy from me."

I ignored his hateful behavior. I did my best to help during official pack alliances.

I endured his sister pushing me into a basin of silver. His brother dumping hot water on my hand. His pack members laughing at my pack's lost status.

Sitting here in my room, I shivered at the memories.

How would my life have been if Ina hadn't run away?

I didn't have time to answer. The door opened.

My mate stepped inside.

Dressed in a night-blue suit, he looked handsome. More than ever. His brown skin glowed under the sunlight spilling through the window.His jet-black hair fell over his shoulders.

"He's still handsome because he hasn't opened his gutter mouth yet," my wolf, Lumina, whispered.

"Turns out," he said through gritted teeth, "even under surveillance, you still find ways to betray my pack."

"I don't understand." I stood slowly. He was close. I knew he could hurt me.

"Don't play that card with me. Where are the plans you took? Where are they? Produce them before I squeeze the life out of you."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Tristan. What plans?"

He stepped closer. His scent invaded my nose. My heart pounded.

"You're so good at playing innocent." His hand moved to my face then gripped my neck. This was the first time he'd touched me since that night. "Do not provoke me. Those plans are crucial for my pack's safety. Bring them out. Now!"

He shoved me. I fell onto the bed.

"I don't even know what you're talking about! How could I take something from your office when I don't even know where it is?"

He stared at me for a moment. His jaw tightened.

Then he clapped his hands.

The doors opened. Two shielders walked in.

"If you won't talk, the dungeon will make you. I don't have time to waste with you here. The sooner you talk, the sooner you leave."

"But—but I didn't do anything!" I struggled to understand. What was he saying?

"Please, Tristan. I didn't do anything. I swear. I didn't take anything."

The shielders grabbed my arms.

I was dragged away. My voice faded. No one cared.

Omegas stopped in the corridors. They laughed. Some even spat on me.

The shielders didn't wait for me to stand. I was dragged. Mercilessly. My knees scraped against the marble floor. Then gravel. Then the path to the silent, stinking dungeon.

Without another word, I was thrown into a cell.

I fell. My head hit the wall. My knees bled. My palms burned.

Then I threw up.

"Day one and you're already vomiting?" Tristan's sister, Rimena, appeared outside the cell. "Look at the little princess. So delicate."

Why was she here? Did she take the papers?

Before I could speak, she cut me off.

"You're right. I took the papers. But who would believe you?"

"But why?" My voice was barely audible.

"Why?" She laughed. Clapped her hands. "Oh, poor Luma. You're just dirt. A smelly rogue. You don't belong here. Especially not with my brother. I want you gone. And I'll do anything to make that happen."

She left.

I sat there. Stunned. On the dusty floor. Inhaling the stench of wolves who had been here before me.

Goddess.

How did it come to this?