One

Three hours ago, my mate and son died. My world turned upside down, filling me with terrible grief. 

As if that wasn't bad enough, my closest and most trusted friend accused me of poisoning my family. Now, the council gathered to condemn me.

I ruled as the female Alpha of the Wild Fangs pack, one of the strongest packs on the South Coast, loved by all, and envied by few.

My husband, Marco, and I weren't fated. We had the usual issues that non-fated couples faced, mostly that we didn't connect sexually in the bedroom. 

Even so, we respected each other, and a year ago, our surprise son Ivan, a beautiful and healthy baby, came into the world. I'd give my life for my family. 

Now, a dark cloud came over me, casting a shadow over everything I cared about.

With fat tears rolling down my eyes, I faced the council. Elder Logan, the oldest male in the Wild Fangs pack, scratched his bushy white beard, and his voice shook across the hall.

"Be honest with us, Dakota. Did you poison Marco and Ivan?"

I raised my head and clutched my dead baby in one arm. "I'm not crazy. It's unfair to say that I killed my own family."

The council members leaned in close, their voices hushed and thick with suspicion.

"We have concrete evidence against you from your best friend, Sloane, and mother-in-law, Margret" the head hunter snapped with a cold and unforgiving tone.

"I didn't do it! There was no reason to kill my husband and son!" I yelled as loud as I could, and my tears blinded my vision. 

Once a badass who kicked ass and was on top of her game, I had now become an object of mockery. 

"Okay, but why is your golden staff of power missing? Elder Estelle, the pack's nurse who helped me give birth to Ivan and bathed him morning and night for three months, said, "You're the first leader to lose your staff, putting us in danger." 

"It was stolen from me," I sobbed, getting down on my knees. "Please, Estelle. You saw my struggles to have a child. I could never hurt him."

She put up her hand. "I won't let personal feelings cloud my judgment, Dakota."

I turned away, holding my breath, and stared at my baby's round face. My boy was dead. How did I slip up? Whom did I hurt? Why was the moon goddess silent? 

Was she asleep? Or was she a mean and cruel bitch?

Since the inception of the pack, males couldn't rule as Alpha. And ever since I became Alpha, I obeyed the moon goddess, leading my pack with a strict but loving heart.

Three hours ago, I took a break from my duties to help my maid, who was like a younger sister to me, make lunch for my family.

My beta, Sloane, joined us as we were setting the table. I served Marco a plate of potatoes and veggies and he was feeding our son from his plate when they fell over and began foaming in the mouth. 

"Hurry, Dakota! Get your golden staff!" Sloane cried as Marco and Ivan fought for their lives. Screaming in shock, I rushed to my room to get my staff, which has the gift of the moon goddess and the envy of all packs.

But as I looked for it, I became very dizzy. I was sure I left it next to my bed.

"Dakoda, what have you done?" Sloane had screamed, her face reddening as she partly shifted into her wolf form, her henna-painted nails becoming sharp claws. "You killed your family! I'll expose you!"

"What! "How dare you accuse me of such a thing?" 

Sloane ran off, and minutes later a crowd was chanting the death song outside the pack house. They dragged me out like a criminal, accusing me of murder. 

I raised my head in the hall. A guard opened the door for Sloane. Behind her stood my maid Sara, whose frail body shook as she wept. 

My mother-in-law, Margaret, walked in crying, cursing me. The noise outside got louder as people yelled and jeered.

"She killed my son because she never loved him," my mother-in-law sobbed. "Marco told me that she used to take birth control pills in secret so that she wouldn't get pregnant."

"What! That's a lie, Margaret. Don't do this to me. You knew better than anyone how hard it was for me to get pregnant."

"You dare call me a liar? Everyone can see that you are not as innocent as you say you are. I told Marco he shouldn't marry you, but he didn't listen! Behead her!"

My best friend agreed, calling me evil. My heart stopped beating. I could handle almost anything except being wrongly accused. I felt like ripping myself to pieces.

My maid cried out loud and Sloane slapped her.  

"I didn't kill them," I wept. "I'm innocent." 

Sloane scoffed, pointing a finger at me. "There's no reason to believe you. You told me the other day that it hurt a lot to have sex with Marco because your wolf was always irritated."

I gasped in shock, wishing I was dreaming. Sloane was using my secret against me. 

She was a tall, powerful woman with a lot of influence. If she could turn me down like this, I was hopeless. 

My surprise turned into pure rage. Sloane killed my family. How could I have been so blind?

It was in her eyes, the cold calculation, the envy, a contrast to the warmth and loyalty I always knew her to possess.

Fury rippled along my spine. "You disgusting pig! You did it! You killed them!" 

Sloane laughed loudly and wildly, her amber eyes burning with hate.

"You're such a loser. Ivan was my godson. I did your dirty job and was loyal to the end, but you lost my respect. I don't care what they decide, even if it means cutting off your head.

Elder Quinton, my late dad's best friend, ordered everyone to be quiet while he was talking. 

"Before making a decision, we took the evidence into consideration," he said with his eyes fixed on me. "We shall pronounce your verdict in the presence of everyone."

The door flew open with a bang, and the angry crowd rushed into the hall, pushing the guards out of the way.

Surrounded by the mob, they closed in, yelling and glaring at me with hate.

"We pronounce you guilty," Elder Quinton's voice rang out through the hall. "Unfortunately, we don't have first-hand evidence against you and can't sentence you to death. You're hereby banished from the pack, forever. You are no longer welcome here and anyone caught keeping in touch with you will be punished severely. Your leadership position is hereby transferred to Beta Sloane."

Sloane ripped my bracelets, once a symbol of my power and respect, off my arms. I was kicked out, now a laughing stock. 

"Please let me bury my husband and my son." I cried but the crowd chanted no!

Sloane snatched my son away and I grabbed her dress, screaming hysterically. 

"Give him over to me!"

She pushed my hand away and gave me a nasty look."What else do you want with that poor child? Dice him up into cubes?"

"You'll pay for this," I roared. "The seed you planted will grow up and choke you to death."

The hall fell silent. Sloane froze for a minute. Then she flung her head back and burst into wild laughter. 

"Rot in hell, Dakota."

Sloane convinced many people that I was guilty, and even those who believed me, like my gamma, Erika, who was crying in the background, were scared to speak out against her. Only my maid was with me in this fight.

Warriors who used to love me grabbed me out of the hall by my dress. Sara held on to me tightly, going through the same pain.

"Stay, Sara. I can't take you with me."

"I'll never leave your side!" Her voice trembled and she grabbed my arm.

I was hurt, alone, and without a family. 

I took my first step, then my second, and my third, until I reached the pack's border, where my legs went jelly and I fell to the ground as a loud thunderclap echoed in the sky.

Rain poured down on me, and I looked up at the sky, cursing the moon goddess in my heart for repaying me with evil in return for my good deeds.

"I'll be back!" I put my hands on my chest, my voice harsh and echoed over the mountains. "Those who killed my family will die a slow and painful death!" 

 Sara rocked me back and forth, and hot, bitter tears ran down my face.

"What's up next?" She trembled, wiping her tears. 

I didn't say anything, and I felt lost and empty for the first time in my life.