THE LUNA IS DEAD

"The Luna is dead."

The room froze. Silence spread like frost. Adelaide blinked.

What?

"What did you just say?" The Alpha's voice cracked breaking the silence.

The guards exchanged glances, uncertain who would dare explain.

"Did you not hear me?" the Alpha roared.

Adelaide flinched, instinctively backing into the wall.

The Luna? Dead? That couldn't be right. She didn't write that. In the book, the Luna was the female lead and existed till the last chapter. So what the hell was happening here?

"She was poisoned, Alpha. Found this morning. Lips and fingers… purple."

Rael's voice was cold now, lethal. "Who… who… did this?"

Adelaide leaned forward, her heart racing. Yes… who?

The guards shifted uncomfortably. Their eyes darted from Rael...

—and settled on her.

Adelaide's breath caught in her throar, and her eyes almost bulged out of its sockets.

She turned to look behind her. No one.

Just her.

Wait… you must be kidding. No way in hell…

She turned to the Alpha who was staring at her now with a grave look that she was sure if they were guns she would be dead by now.

"No… no… I didn't…"

"The duke's daughter was last seen sending a box of strawberries to the Luna's quarters. The strawberries have been found to be laced with poison."

"What?!" Adelaide screamed.

What has this god forsaken Polly gotten herself into!

"No. That's not true. I didn't kill her. Please believe me."

What the hell was going on!!!

"Take her away!"

The Alpha commanded and before she could say another word, the guards had grabbed her and pulled her away like a bag of sand, her pleas falling on deaf ears, as her legs skidded across the marble floor.

…

I guess this was how Polly was treated… like a common slave.

Adelaide's eyes blurred as she knelt in front of the Council of Elders. Vanessa, one of her personal maids had gotten her a shawl to cover herself, as she was in a lingerie, with nothing but a flannel over her body, but it didn't seem like anyone cared.

The Luna was dead, her bare skin was the last thing on their mind.

Adelaide's hair clung to her face as took in a deep breaths trying to steady herself. The murmurs around her were growing louder, as more people trooped into the hall.

"So pathetic, does she think she would gain the Alpha's love by killing his mate? I heard she also drugged him and forced herself on him."

Adelaide heard curses all around her but they couldn't touch her. She was still a princess, no matter what. There was no way they would kill the only daughter of the Duke of Masincot without a trial.

Her parents… Polly's parents were members of the Council of Elders and one of the most powerful families in the Bloodmoon Pack, there was no way they would kill their daughter without them having a say in it.

Maybe this was for the best… Adelaide thought.

If she dies now, she might wake up in her real body and end this godforsaken nightmare. Right?!

At that thought, she knelt upright, wiping her tears with the back of her hands. All she needed to do, was cry and apologize profusely, so they'll give her an easier death.

The doors to the Council Hall pulled open breaking Adelaide from her thoughts. Everyone immediately grew pin-drop silent as footsteps approached the Court.

Adelaide looked behind her, and her eyes met the Alpha's. His expression was unreadable, she couldn't tell what he was thinking; she wasn't sure if he was sad or angry. In her book, he wasn't in a romantic relationship with the Luna, it was an arranged marriage, but still, she was still his woman, he would be broken.

"Polly, what have you done?"

A woman's voice asked pulling her gaze away from the Alpha.

The woman looked in her forties, her hair was red like Polly's, and they were pulled into a tight bun. Her blue eyes were almost teary as she reached for Adelaide.

Every Lackris, Polly's mom.

She crouched beside Polly, her trembling hands gently wrapping around her daughter's arm.

"My baby, what have you done?"

She asked again, her voice cracking. She struggled to hold back her tears, but a tear finally escaped, dropping on Adelaide's wrist.

Adelaide didn't know when tears gathered in her eyes, her hands trembled as she immediately shook her head;

"It wasn't me mother, I didn't kill her, I swear to the moon spirit…"

She wasn't sure why she was claiming she was innocent, but strangely, she believed herself; there was no feeling of guilt or satisfaction for someone who had killed another;

What if Polly had indeed not killed the Luna?

"Don't you dare mention the moon spirit with your filthy mouth, an elder spoke from the court and Adelaide trembled visibly.

At that moment, an older man pulled Every from Adelaide's arms.

"Get up." He said, barely sparing Adelaide a glance.

A glance at him and she knew he was Polly's father. Benjamin Lackris.

In his forties, black pulled back hair and gray eyes; she had gotten her bleached eyes from him.

In her book, Polly's father hated the fact that she refused to attend the mating balls all because she was waiting for the Alpha to look at her. Now she thought about it, it was quite pathetic to watch.

Polly was exquisite. Stunning, one of the most beautiful women in all of the North and Southern Packs, her eyes were the rarest, Alphas of different packs travelled far and wide just to come take a look at her.

But what did she do? Pine over a man who did not want her.

Adelaide stared at him as he took his mother up to the court where the other elders were seated. Once he was seated, he finally glanced at her. 

Adelaide's eyes fell to the ground when she saw the look in his eyes, the look of regret and great pain.

It was as though he was there to just fulfill his duties; no matter what sentence the court passes, he didn't look like he would object. He had given up on her long before now.

"Quiet now."

Alpa Rael spoke as he stood up and walked to the middle of the poduim; 

The Hall instantly grew pin drop silent as Rael addressed the court.

"We all know why this meeting was called." He paused, folding his hands behind him, his eyes scanned through the hall, registering the look on the people's faces; after a few seconds of silence; he continued.

"The Luna is dead."

The hall was instantly thrown into wailing as some people started cursing Polly, the guards quickly quietened the crowd before the Alpha Sire continued.

"She was poisoned, by someone in our pack last night." His eyes moved slowly and locked with Adelaide's and her gaze fell to the ground. Adelaide sighed weakly as she bit her lower lip tightly.

They had already crucified her without a trial. What if she was innocent? What if someone was setting her up?

"Pollynia Lackris, did you poison Vera Ashmoon, Luna of the Bloodmoon pack?"

Adelaide looked at the Alpha and nearly scoffed, it wasn't like he was going to believe her if she said she didn't.

She was quiet for a bit. What was her best bet?

For one, she didn't write Polly killing the Luna in her book, and two she was in Polly's body and nothing about her felt like she had killed Vera.

So this could only mean that someone else had killed Vera and pinned it on her, but who?

Adelaide's eyes looked around the hall and she took in a sharp breath.

Polly had a lot of enemies, in fact nobody liked her particularly, she was weak, troublesome, and was always chasing after the Alpha; it made her beauty look like filth, nobody wanted to be around her.

The only person that loved her was her mother who would always support her no matter what she did, she was her only child after all.

So there was nobody in particular she was suspecting, because everyone could be a suspect.

Taking the blame of the Luna's death was an easy way out to getting her life back; but what if they didn't kill her but instead, locked her up in the dungeon for the rest of her life?

Also she would be in jail while the real culprit would roam free?!

No… no... that's not a good call.

Adelaide took in a sharp breath as she clenched her fists by her sides: no matter what she said, they were not going to believe her. There was only one thing she could do.

"I want to be tried by the Moon Spirit."

There was utter pin drop silence at her words and in the next second the hall erupted into chaos.