Luciano's POV
I bit my lips as I felt my eyes fill up with water for the umpteenth time that day–or night.
Whichever it was.
I had no idea what day it was nor had my lost memories returned to me.
It felt as if Alpha Luciano had forgotten all about me, because the guards were yet to tell me about my fate.
My gruesome fate.
The terrifying aura of the dark dungeon I had been forgotten in made me shiver in trepidation as my teeth clattered, with tears cascading my face.
The dungeon was a massive structure that radiated fear. Skeletons littered the floor, their bones scattered aimlessly.
The metallic odor of blood also hung in the air; thick and cloying.
I knew in my heart that there was no doubt I'd end up like those skeletons.
"Luciano may eventually let us go. There's no need to cry, Freya. We didn't do it, right? So let's hold our head up and remain brave, okay?" Ana's voice glided into my thoughts and I just scoffed, gazing down at my chained legs.
I was currently sitting on a chair with my hands chained behind my back and my legs chained together, with the heaviest metal chains–the kind that was used for captured rogue wolves.
“Have you forgotten what he did to us? He almost killed us that day. I still have bruises on my neck if you need a jog down memory lane. Let's be realistic here, Ana. Luciano will most likely order a public execution for us." I muttered, tears clogging my throat as I thought about my unfortunate destiny.
There was no way in hell that I could escape my inevitable, impending torture, and the thought both frustrated and horrified me.
Many rumors about how merciless and heartless the alpha was in delivering punishments to rogues always flowed throughout the servants' quarters, and thinking about them at that moment made me gulp shakily.
Some of the rumors claimed the alpha had skinned a rogue wolf alive with the rogue's mate watching while another claimed he had used a guillotine on a spy from a rival pack, who had infiltrated the pack, years back when he had just ascended the throne.
To think he was just a mere eighteen year old, ordering and performing such a gruesome and inhumane act made me sick to my stomach.
The thought of being guillotined made my spirit leave my body for a moment.
Only the moon goddess knew what sort of death I would get.
"The beta will knock some sense into his head. He doesn't listen to anyone but he definitely listens to his mother and beta. I know his beta won't let this case go unsolved, even if Luciano wishes to kill us. Plus, the beta thinks we didn't do it." Ana reassured me.
"How are you so optimistic about our situation?" I asked my wolf.
"One of us has to be hopeful about this. We both can't be negative, can we?" She retorted, before adding. "Let's hope the alpha agrees to investigate the dowager luna's death thoroughly, once that happens, we can gather evidence on our own to identify the killer and bring them to book."
"You're so positive. I wish I could be idealistic like you, Ana. It'd definitely make this dire predicament I've found myself in slightly better." I sighed.
The door creaked slightly and my heart sank to the tip of my toes in fear.
"It's not Luciano," My wolf assured me. "The footsteps are light."
"Freya. Oh, my Freya." I heard the comforting voice of my best friend, that I had missed so much.
"Ivy?" I whispered as she finally came into sight.
Her face was contorted in dismay as tears freely flowed down her cheeks.
"Yes, Freya. It's me. I'm finally here, I'm sorry I didn't come earlier. Madam Svetlana and Cristina have had their whole focus on me for the past three days. I only managed to sneak in by lacing the guards' foods with a small amount of sedatives." She rambled out, crouching in front of me as she gently stroked my hand.
Just like me, Ivy was also a palace maid.
"So we have been here for three days." My wolf voiced out.
My eyes doubled in shock. "Sedatives? What were you thinking, Ivy? Do you want to get info trouble? I don't want you to be in danger because of me. So don't ever jeopardize yourself like that, okay?"
She just scoffed and patted my legs. "I'll be okay. You, on the other hand, look like a mess in this hellhole." She shuddered, glancing around the imposing dungeon.
"Did you think I would look like a luna?" I joked lightly, expecting her to smile.
But she didn't, instead she gazed at me as if horns had suddenly sprouted out of my forehead.
"Right. We heard about that. The alpha was your fated mate. I can't even imagine what you must be going through right now, Freya. First, you were framed for the dowager luna's death. Then, her son turned out to be your mate who coldly rejected you." She said, her expression morphing into sympathy.
"It would have been strange if he had accepted me after seeing a knife with his mother's blood in my hand, wouldn't it?" I tried to make light out of my situation again, which failed woefully once more as my voice cracked at the last statement.
"What do we do, Freya? You poor thing. What do we do? How do we get out of this? Do you remember anything at all? First of all, how did you find yourself in her bedchamber?" Ivy babbled.
"One question at a time, Ivy. Please." I muttered.
She nodded. "Sorry."
"I have no idea what to do, so I'm just here awaiting my punishment. I don't think we can get out of this except we find the real murderer and expose them. I can't remember anything from that night. All I remember is that we were in the kitchen doing dishes after the dowager luna's birthday celebrations." I calmly answered.
"How can that possibly happen?" Ivy mumbled.
"I've been asking myself the same question since I was brought here. And I have no logical response for myself either."
Silence ensued briefly before Ivy shrieked.
"Oh great heavens! I knew this place was a hellhole but I never dreamed of seeing literal skeletons!" She yelped, fearfully eying the said skeletons.
"Welcome to my humble abode." I laughed, and this time, she managed a smirk.
"Right. I brought you something to eat. I had to sneak it out of the fresh batch we made this morning." Ivy divulged, fishing into the space between her breasts.
With an infectious grin, she presented a foil-wrapped bread to me.
"What would I do without you honestly?" I whispered as tears stung my eyes.
"Don't cry. Just eat. Here, I'll feed you." She said, unwrapping the bread and bringing it to my mouth, which I eagerly opened.
The moment my teeth dug into the blissful softness of the baked dough, and I savored its delectable taste, an involuntary moan escaped me.
Soon, I was done eating and afterward, I downed some water from a sachet Ivy gave me.
Glancing down at her wristwatch, Ivy sighed. "I have to leave now. The drugs are probably starting to wear out in their systems."
I felt my heart cut, but I managed a smile and nodded. "Very well then."
Ivy also nodded before stooping to hug me. "Remain steadfast, Freya. I know you'll get through this, okay? I'll try to come see you again as soon as I get the chance."
"Okay." I smiled again as she withdrew from the hug.
One last glance after, she was gone.
And once again, I was left alone in the cold, dark hellhole of a dungeon.
Luciano's POVAs I paced my study with different unhinged thoughts assailing my mind, a knock came on the door yanking me back to reality."Who is it?" I barked."It's Gamma Reginald, Alpha. May I come in?" The voice of my third in command and warrior leader, wafted through the door, causing me to inhale heavily.Picking up my cigar from the ashtray, I bellowed. "You can come in. I presume you're alone.""Yes, Alpha. I came alone." "Very well then." I muttered, lighting up my cigar."Alpha," He said, bowing in front of me. "The preparations for the funeral are underway and the autopsy report have just arrived from the pack's hospital. Would you like to take a look at it now?""That's good. Now we can know whether the omega truly killed her." Killian spoke from within, and I ignored him."Don't bother showing it to me. I already know who killed her and I'm going to make her pay. There's no use leaving her to enjoy an underserved solitude in the dungeon. She deserves to get her punishm
Freya's POV "Long live Alpha Luciano. Long live crescent moon pack." The crowd cheered as two huge guards dragged me to the scaffold.Today was the worst day of my life.It was the day of my execution.After five months of investigating the mysterious death of the dowager luna and all evidence still pointed toward me as the murderer, I was eventually sentenced to death by beheading some days ago.Tears oozed out of my eyes as I smiled mirthlessly at the crowd that had gathered to me take my last breath.The pack that had converged to watch me die an undeserving, torturous death."Ivy." I whispered to myself as my eyes scanned the crowd for a familiar brunette.She didn't come.After my sentencing, she had held me in the dungeon and wept bitterly until her cries lulled me to sleep.Strangely enough, the gravity of the whole situation didn't quite dawn on me on the day of my sentencing.The realization just struck me earlier that day when I was asked to take off my clothes and presente
Luciano's POV "Monster." I heard Freya whisper feebly as the bricks piled up around her.A dry smile curved my lips as I moved closer to her."Just a minute." I muttered, tapping one of the guard's shoulder, and they immediately stopped working.Retrieving my lighter from my pocket, I took one step closer to Freya. "Monster, huh? How brazen of you."She remained undaunted as she kept glaring at me like she would chop me into pieces the moment she was set free.I knew she couldn't do more than a dead rat because the glare was a look I recognized and had grown accustomed to.It was a look associated with most captives.I called it "the cowardice glare" because they couldn't even dare touch me even if I decided to let them go.The least thing a criminal could do was to at least have a courageous mindset, but they were all feeble-minded punies.I flicked on my lighter and let it dangerously linger beside Freya's neck, and her glare instantly dissolved into a panicked look, which was exac
Freya's POV "Help me. Please help me." I wheezed, weakly hitting the immurement.The only response I got was the echo of my own voice and a scoff."Luciano is so evil. He's such a brutal scumbag. Why is he doing this to us?" Ana whimpered from within.And at that moment, I wished I could bring her out of me and hug her."I wish I could hug you too. We've been through so much in just ten days." She said, causing me to sob softly."Do you think we will ever be able to get out of this place? Will we ever be free from this life of torture? Why did this have to happen to us? Why are we being punished for a crime we didn't even commit, Freya?" My wolf asked and I could only cry harder as I clutched my chest.If only I knew the answer to that question."I wish I knew, Ana. I'm so tired of this miserable hell I call a life. Why can't I be happy? Don't I deserve a blissful life after everything I've been through?" I wept.My knees and head ached while my neck itched and burned from the burn w
Luciano's POV "Please accept my sincere condolences once again, Alpha." One of the pack elders said as the diggers covered mother's mahogany casket with earth."Thanks, Elder." I nodded, subconsciously reaching into my pocket for my lighter before realizing that I had left it at the dungeon.I was gradually getting addicted to smoking which wasn't a good thing in the slightest.I could only imagine the nagging I would have gotten from my mother if she were alive.She had always been against me smoking and drinking excessively.Mother would often tell me that alcohol and cigars could only suppress my worries for a while before I get dragged back to the harsh reality of life.And she was right.I had been smoking since she died ten days ago, yet I couldn't get a single hour of peaceful sleep at night.Everything tormented me–from the disturbing voice of my wolf telling me I was making a bad decision by tormenting Freya down to the gory image of mother lying in a pool of her own blood i
Freya's POVI heaved a blissful sigh as I felt fresh air on my face.Being in the damn brick enclosure had nearly killed me.It was then I realized something; I wasn't in the immurement anymore.The toxic smell of cement that gave me heartburn had dissipated but the throbbing ache at the back of my head still lingered."It seems we survived that torturous ordeal, Freya." Ana squealed, causing me to raise my lips weakly to resemble a smile."It seems the omega is starting to regain consciousness." I heard a strange voice say."Really?" Another voice questioned."Yes. Her lips twitched just now." The former voice responded.Opening my eyes felt like a rigorous task, so I kept my eyes closed while gently breathing in the natural oxygen that the moon goddess bestowed onto us.Nothing could have prepared me for the large amount of cold water that was poured on my head.Instantly, I squeezed my eyes open with a gasp as water cascaded down my body, causing me to shiver."What was that for?"
Luciano's POV "Alpha." Reginald greeted as I trekked into my private bar.The private bar was located at a secluded part of the palace beside my bedchambers.Only Darius, Reginald, and my butler were allowed in there."How is the omega? Has she woken up now?" I asked, sitting on a bat stool."Yes, Alpha," Reginald confirmed, going behind the bar counter to retrieve two shot glasses. "What would you like to drink?" He asked me."Plain whiskey, thanks," I muttered, to which he nodded."What did she look like when you went there?" I prodded as he set the shot glass of whiskey in front of me."She looked disheveled but somewhat heathy in a way like someone has been secretly feeding her. I know it can't be the guards because they won't dare go against your orders." Gamma said, taking his seat on the bar stool beside me."Interesting," I downed the whiskey and grimaced."Would you like me to look into the matter?" He asked, and I waved him off."No, it's fine. The person is doing a great j
Freya's POV "It may be Luciano." My wolf tattled as the footsteps became more pronounced.I couldn't find it in myself to feel frightened because I didn't have even the slightest bit of energy.My stomach rumbled with immense hunger, my throat was parched, and my headache had also morphed into an excruciating migraine.Not to talk of the bile clogging my throat, causing me to dry heave every once in a while even though there was nothing in my stomach to vomit.It seemed I was really going to die of starvation at that point because Ivy was still yet to sneak in with food neither had Luciano come to tell me about what manner of psychopathic torture he'd perform next on me.At that moment, I felt death would grant me immeasurable peace and I really yearned for it.My idealization of death was interrupted when I heard the guard greet someone who I presumed was him.I forced my aching eyes open and beheld the striking lout that was the bane of my existence.Alpha Luciano.With swift immed