Chapter Five.

Alpha Rowen's POV.

She was distant…Erica was distant, I didn't know if it was the pregnancy thing, although a bump hadn't appeared on her belly yet.

It's been two months since we got married, we hadn't touched each other since then, she stayed in her own room, just like Denise stayed in hers, always nagging about the fact that Erica would never compare to her status…

And I?

I was too busy with the pack, fighting rogues off our territory and rivals who never learned their lesson after I'd killed a good number of them…

But today, was another special day, no fights, just the peace and quiet. I walked in, into Erica's room, and there she was, sitting straight on her bed, pondering over thoughts I couldn't tell.

I went to her, sitting by her as I placed my hand gently on her belly, looking straight into her eyes as she peered into mine.

Then her lips parted…

“Why did you marry me?” This was something she'd wanted to ask for long, why I'd married her, why I went after a maid because she was my mate…

I slowly got up to my feet.

“It was the right thing to do, and you must know this Luna, I am respected for being just.” I told her.

“Is that all?” She asked, avoiding my gaze.

“That's all, Luna, but now you're carrying my child, for whom you ruined my suit, ” I smiled, as she giggled.

Her smile…it was beautiful I hate to admit.

“I'm just…a property?” She asked, as she played with her slender fingers.

But I had no answer to give to that, what did she think? That I had fallen in love with her because of one single night?

“Take care of yourself, and my heir.” I told her, as I left.

I headed for Denise's room, I needed to see her because word had gotten to me that she wasn't feeling well.

She would act differently, throw her arms around me like a child and act overexcited anytime I came to see her…she didn't know or at least guess how irritated I was anytime she would welcome me that way, and how much I hated her.

My mother detested her more, although she always supported me in everything I did, her own hatred was personal.

But I still opened the door and walked in ready to endure her clingy attitude, but what I expected didn't happen.

She laid down flat on the bed, her eyes faced the ceiling and her lips were slightly apart.

“Luna Denise?” I called out to her, but she didn't respond, “ I know you hate the weather as much as I do.” I said, as I shut the door behind, but she didn't reply, she didn't even make a gesture or bat an eyelid.

I ran to her side and noticed that black liquid trickled down from one corner of her lips, a cup and sauce stood on the stool by her side and when I looked into the cup, I noticed she had just finished having her tea, I brought it close to my nostrils and sniffed…wolfsbane.

***

I summoned all the maids employed to serve her and take care of her while she was ill into her bed room, while the pack doctor attended to her…good thing he came on time, Denise would have been pronounced dead.

“Her tea was poisoned.” I smiled slightly, as I held up the tea cup, looking at the eleven maids one by one as they fidgeted, “She was poisoned with wolfsbane!” I thundered, smashing the tea cup against the wall.

It was a heavy crime to kill anyone in any form, and I wasn't ready to tolerate such crimes in my reign as Alpha of the Blood Moon Lycans Pack!

“Who served her tea?” I finally asked, “Who?!”

“I did.” A soft voice came from the slightly opened door…

My heart slammed heavily against my ribcage…

“You…” My words trailed off, I was too disappointed to say anything.

“But believe me, I didn't poison her.” Erica held her belly with both hands, her eyes spoke of fear as they welled up with tears.

“Then explain this…explain why she's lying down there almost lifeless!” I yelled at her, as my hands pointed shakily at Denise.

“I'm telling the truth,” She sobbed, as she covered her mouth with her hand.

A part of me wanted to believe her, wanted to defend her, to pull her close and tell her I believed her…but the other part cried for justice.

“You're a sly,” I told her, “A greedy sly.”

She nodded vigorously in disagreement.

“I swear in the name of the moon goddess, I didn't have any intentions of harming her.” She cried harder.

Silence…except for her racing heartbeat that made me believe she was lying.

But then the pack doctor broke the silence with a shocking news…

Denise was pregnant.

***

Erica's POV.

My mother always said that death was inevitable, that one should welcome it when the time came.

But this was no time for me to die, and plus, I didn't want to die like this, a shameful, yet painful death.

The guards pulled me by the rope tied to my wrists to face the council.

Rowen sat in the middle of the Elders staring at me with those cold blue merciless eyes of his…

I looked around and found Denise sitted at one corner with her mother. The both of them looking at me with unexpressed victory in their eyes…every member of the pack was present, except for my mother…

“Where is my mother?” I requested, but nobody answered, “Where's my mother!” Tears streamed down my face as I stepped forward, a little bit distant from Rowen, “ You wouldn't let me see my mother even in the time of death?” I sobbed.

Why was all this happening to me suddenly?

He raised his hand, as one of the guards stepped out, only to return with my mother's head…my heart sank to the bottom.

I gasped as I tried to catch my breath, I fell on my knees as the guard dropped her head right in front of me.

“Lady Celyn, was an ex convict, with a new criminal offense of being caught plotting treason with a rival pack.” Rowen spoke with no regrets.

“That's not true!” I yelled, as I sprang up to my feet, charging towards him, but the guards held me back.

He scoffed.

“You will now suffer the same fate as your mother for trying to kill, your fellow Luna. Any last words?” He spoke further, as he avoided my gaze.

I swallowed, trying to catch my breath, but everything was too heavy to bear, my head throbbed with head ache, and I felt my heart was about to fail.

“I forgive you, Rowen.” I whispered, as the guards forced me to go on my knees.

I placed my head on the set wood in front of me, as I stared at Rowen, eyeball to eyeball…and as I waited for the executioner's axe to cut off my head, the tears in his eyes was something I wasn't surprised seeing, cause I knew deep down that, behind his cold stares, cold actions and plain replies …he loved me, he loved me very much.