2.

—

"No, t-that's not true," the words escaped my lips before I could think. "I didn't push her. That's not what happened!"

The hall fell deathly silent.

I looked around, and it took only a glance to realize that no one believed me. Disgust and condemnation met me from every direction, weighing so heavily that it became difficult to breathe.

"Cora..." I shook my head slowly, anger and disbelief burning through me. "Why would you say something like this? You know I didn't push you. Tell them the truth."

But Cora only buried herself deeper against Theon's chest, trembling so violently that it looked as though she could barely breath.

"Please..." She whispered between sobs. "Don't make me look at her."

Theon's arms tightened protectively around her. "I won't let anyone hurt you." His voice was gentle and it felt like a spear piercing straight through my heart.

"What about me?" The words slipped out before I could stop them. At last, Theon's gaze lifted to meet mine.

"I fell too," I continued. "I'm covered in injuries, and I... I can barely stand."

For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes as his gaze traveled over me. It was as though he was only now realizing the extent of my injuries, the fact that I had fallen too.

But just as he opened his mouth to speak, Elder Rowan— Cora's father stepped forward.

"The injuries you sustained do not change the accusations against you, Luna Selene." Though he spoke with the composure expected of a pack elder, grief and fury blazed in his eyes.

"You stand accused of causing Lady Cora's miscarriage."

"I didn't." My voice trembled with frustration. "I never touched her."

A scoff came from somewhere in the crowd.

"You expect us to believe Lady Cora threw herself off a cliff?"

"I..." My fingers curled tightly into my palms. "I don't know why she did it, but I know she grabbed my wrist before we fell."

A wave of murmurs swept through the hall.

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew how ridiculous they sounded.

What mother would willingly throw herself off a cliff? Let alone one carrying the future Alpha?

Even I would not have believed it if I hadn't remembered.

Another scoff cut through the whispers. It was Aspen, Theon's mother.

"Listen to yourself, Selene." Her voice carried through the silence.

"You expect us to believe that a woman carrying the Alpha's heir would willingly risk her own life and her child's just to frame you?"

Another wave of murmur erupted from the crowd.

I lowered my gaze. Even I knew how impossible it sounded.

If I hadn't remembered what happened…

If I hadn't seen that brief, victorious smile on Cora's face… I might not have believed it either.

The thought alone was horrifying.

What kind of mother would sacrifice her own child for revenge? I didn't know.

But I knew what I had seen.

"My Alpha." Elder Rowan's voice cut through the whispers as he lowered himself in a bow in front of Theon. "The evidence before us cannot be ignored."

His voice was steady, but grief weighed heavily beneath every word. "Lady Cora has lost her child. The pack has lost its future heir. Her testimony, combined with the circumstances surrounding this tragedy, cannot be dismissed. I request that justice is served at once."

The hall fell silent once more. Every eye turned toward Theon, including mine.

Our gazes met and for one fleeting second, I searched for my mate. The man who knew I was incapable of such cruelty. The man who knew me better than anyone. The man who had pledged to love me against all odds.

But his expression was stoic. Even though his gaze never left me, it was hard to tell what was running through his mind.

Surely, he didn't believe I could do such.

Then his gaze lowered back to Cora before he carefully handed her over to her handmaiden.

"Warren," he said. "Continue lady's Cora's treatment in her Chambers. Make sure she receives whatever she needs."

"Yes, Alpha."

The handmaiden quickly wrapped a cloak around Cora's shoulders and helped her to her feet.

As they turned to leave, Cora looked back and our eyes met.

For the briefest moment, the frightened widow disappeared.

In her place was the woman from the cliff.

Then she blinked, and tears rolled down her cheeks once more.

I felt my stomach twist.

"Selene."

The sound of my name pulled my attention back to Theon. His expression remained stoic.

"You are to remain in your holding chamber until I say otherwise. You are not permitted to leave the pack or have contact with anyone other than those assigned to care for you."

A lump formed in my throat. "Holding chamber?" My voice shook. "But I haven't done anything."

"I have not pronounced you guilty, Selene," he said evenly. "But an accusation has been made, and a life was lost. Until the truth is established, I cannot ignore the claims against you."

"I am your mate." The words came out softer than I hoped. "You know me, Theon. You know I would never do something like this."

Something conflicting flickered across his face, then it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

Theon looked away, turning to his attendant.

"Ensure that the Luna receives proper treatment and assign a handmaiden to tend to her needs."

His decision carried an air of finality, and I knew nothing I said would change his mind.

Two guards stepped forward. Without meeting my eye, one gestured toward the corridor leading to my holding chambers.

"This way, Luna."

Luna. For the first time, the title didn't sound like an honor. It felt like a cruel reminder of everything I was about to lose.

I swallowed the ache in my throat and followed the guards.

Behind me, the great doors of the hall closed with a heavy thud that echoed through the corridor.

My mind was a storm of emotions—fear, humiliation, disbelief. But beneath them all burned a rage so fierce it made my chest ache.

Not because I had been confined.

Not even because the entire council believed I might be guilty.

But because Theon believed it was possible.

Maybe it was the mate bond but for whatever reason, that hurt me the most. While he hadn't condemned me, he hadn't trusted me either.

Still... He was right about one thing.

I needed treatment. And perhaps I should be grateful I was being taken to my holding chamber instead of a prison cell.