SHE WOULD STILL BE DEAD

Rael took long, purposeful strides as he exited the hall, not sparing the crowd a single glance. His chest burned with anger, pride wounded, ego bruised.

She better be innocent, he thought darkly. Because if she's guilty, I'll burn her body and leave her carcass to the birds of the air.

He stormed into his chambers, crossing the room in a few quick steps. Grabbing a cup from the table, he poured himself a glass of water and downed it in one gulp, the cup slipping from his hand and crashing onto the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. His gaze shifted toward the mountains beyond the window; the sun had disappeared underneath the sky and dark clouds were gathering. It was going to rain.

At that moment, the door swung open. Rael turned to the door in annoyance. When he saw who was at the door, he exhaled heavily:

"I want to be left alone."

However, Jared, the Beta and Rael’s closest friend since childhood, ignored him entirely.

"Rael, that girl asked for an apology," Jared said, stepping fully into the room.

Jared was the only person who could ignore Alpha Rael's commands with no consequences. He towered almost the same height as Rael; they had spent so much time together that people said they had begun to look alike, well, save for his teal-coloured eyes and his long black hair, which was a sharp contrast to Rael's silver-coloured ones.

"What if she’s innocent?"

Rael drew a slow, measured breath, steadying the rage simmering under his skin.

"Polly's the least of my worries right now," he said grimly. "The Luna is dead. You know what that means."

He spoke as if discussing a mere transaction, and in many ways, it was. His marriage to the Luna had been a political arrangement, necessary to unite a fractured pack after his failure to find a fated mate. An alliance with the Northern Riverside Pack had cooled tensions, but there had been no real bond between him and the Luna. No love. Only duty. Still, Rael had never wished her dead. Her brother, Archibald Dune, the Alpha of Riverside, had a dangerous fondness for war, and Rael knew Vera's death could cause a fire far worse than anything he could imagine.

Archie was doom itself; it was a miracle he had agreed to give his sister to him, and now\...

Rael brushed his hand through his hair, cursing underneath his breath.

He had more than internal politics to worry about now.

Jared was silent for a long moment, as if weighing Rael’s words carefully.

"What’s your plan?" he asked finally, his brows knitted with worry. He couldn't think of a possible way out. "By now, news must’ve spread. Soon, Archibald will know his sister was murdered."

Rael raked a hand through his hair, his jaw clenching until it ached.

"She has to be guilty," he said, voice low and hard. "She has to be. Someone has to take the fall, for the good of the pack."

He locked eyes with Jared, fists tightening at his sides.

Jared hesitated, the first hints of doubt crossing his face.

"But... what if she’s innocent? Then what?"

Rael’s expression darkened.

"She isn’t innocent," he said. "And even if she is...

He paused as though thinking carefully about it,

''It still won't matter. She'll still be dead."

…