5

The coldness snapped me out in a minute, regaining part of my senses.

“What do you plead?” Commander Sage demanded.

My eyes were clear and I could see him, he sat close to her, his hands reaching for her, completely ignoring my presence. On her hand was my ring, the promise ring that he had given to me, he stared at her like she was the only thing in the room. I didn’t matter. I stop existing in his world.

It was the harsh truth that I was beginning to accept.

“Not Guilty” I said unable to withdraw my eyes from him, staring at how he doted over a woman he had just met, giving her the same treatment he used to give me.

Was it that easy to love someone?

“Are you calling the Luna a liar?” The commander snapped.

I shifted my gaze to her and she had been staring at me all these while as I gazed at Thane.

Her eyes beheld belittlement for me, I was an insignificant thing in a world that belonged to her.

“No”

“So what were you doing in the Soon to be Alpha’s room and how did you get into the pack house?”

I had two options, tell a lie about how I climbed my way into the pack house and receive my punishment or tell the truth and hope for a lighter punishment for what i had done.

“I climbed my way through the tree behind, I wanted to speak to Thane, it was important and the guards wouldn’t let me”

“So you were denied access into the pack house but you deemed it fit to do things your way” one of the elder spoke, his hand caressing the golden ring on his left finger, his face straight ahead without sparing me a glance but everyone in the room knew he was talking to me.

“I had to speak with Thane”

A screech sound from the chair startled me as Commander Sage got up from his seat in a rage,

“You will address the soon to be Alpha by his proper title or I swear you will be beheaded in front of the whole pack to see” he warned.

I swallowed down hard, my head hung low. Commander Sage wasn’t an Alpha but he held the same power. He was the chief of the army, he was in charge of coronations and war strategies. He was a combat war lord and the pack’s judge. Anything he says goes and no one has ever been able to defy him and lived to testify it.

“Do you understand?” His words shook my very core, adding a cooler sensation to the freezing water that was poured on me earlier.

“Yes Commander”

He calmly took his seat and the session continued.

“Lylah Summer, you have been found guilty of breaking and entering into the Soon to be Alpha’s chamber and disrespecting the pack house and the privacy of this place.

Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

This was my chance to appeal, my fate was already sealed and I knew I would be punished but I needed to voice out how I felt. Maybe, just maybe someone would take pity for me and stick to my side.

“Is it wrong to fall in love? I had spent years of my life loving a man who was taken away from me by a woman in power, no one cared about me, no one bothered to ask if I was okay, I tried my best to take back what was mine but failed.

Only now I realize that without power, you are nothing. You all stood there and watched as the Luna Heir stole my mate”

“Enough” I was rudely cut off by the same elder.

“Soon to be Alpha, what is your verdict?” Thane was asked.

I looked up at me, wondering if he would give me an easy sentence despite the history we had. I was more glad that she didn’t have to, it would probably be death so that I could no longer stand in her way.

“Death by hanging”

My eyes bulged out in shock that he could utter such a thing, he held his head high as he looked at me with satisfaction.

Was he that eager to get rid of me, to take me away from the world.

Maybe I was better off dying, then I wouldn’t feel the pain that is constantly weighing down on my chest.

“Luna heir?”

The question was brought to her, a slight smile erupted on her face.

“I agree with Thane” she said.

“Very well then” The Commander said and tears dropped from my eyes, my fate was decided and I was to be killed.

“Lylah Summers, you have been found Guilty by the court and sentenced to one year house arrest. On no account are you allowed to leave the house for anything or what ever reason, if you do break this law then you would be sentenced to death by hanging with immediate effect.

I instantly sighed in relief knowing that I had been spared, I could see the disappointment on their faces as they heard the verdict. They couldn’t oppose him because they had not yet assumed their true title as Alpha and Luna which gave the Commander more power than them at the moment.

Staring at Thane, it was at thy moment that I realized that love could indeed turned to hatred.

Everything that I felt for him had changed to hatred, if only I could rip his heart out and slit her throat, I hated him, I hated all that he put me through, I hated that he made me go crazy and act foolish because of his rejection. He did all that to me and yet still asked that I be killed.

It was the last drop for me and I knew that, He was completely lost in this quest for power.

‘I swear to kill you Thane Anthra and Darla, if it would be the last thing I do’

I said to myself as I was dragged out of the court room by two guards.

Time doesn’t fly so quickly when you are locked up at home like a dog, it had already been seven days and was finally the day for Thane’s coronation.

I wished for anything to happen, fall and crack his neck, struck by lightning, accused of using witchcraft, anything to make his fate miserable. It would bring me so much joy.

It was nothing compared to what I was going through, being locked up.

I was given limited food supply, probably a win-win situation since I had lost my previous job and I had no one to look after me.

The food was barely enough, probably leftovers from the pack house.

Two guards stood outside my house day and night, sunshine and rain to make sure I never escaped.

If I was caught, then I would be killed.

Walking to the kitchen, I picked up the last lemon from the fruit basket to make tea.

Then I opened the windows, I was distracted to find just one guard standing there, Chief Edward, a tall man who took a fancy for black clothes. The streets as usual was empty as everyone was in the pack hall to watch the coronation.

“Good morning Chief”

“Morning Lylah”

“Why are you here instead?” I asked curious. He often came a few times during the day to check on me, to be sure that I hadn’t committed suicide.

I didn’t mind, I needed someone to talk to and he became that person, he wasn’t much of a taker since it was his duty to retain information and always stay alert.

I knew he was much needed at the coronation than right outside my door.

“Not the first coronation I have attended, I will be fine” he responded keeping his face straight.

“I made tea, do you want some?” I offered.

It took a minute before he agreed and walked through the door.

We sat quietly enjoying the stillness of the day, afterall it was something that happened once in a while.

“Why did you do it?”

He finally asked, it seem to be a question that had been weighing in his heart for a while.

“What do you mean?” I pretended like I had no idea.

“Why did you crash out over a man that groomed you and rejected you when you could have just walked away” he modified his words.

Grooming!

I never really thought of it that way, I started dating Thane when I was sixteen, I had a crush on him when I was fifteen. So for three years, he groomed me into a woman that depended on him, needed him, loved him deeply to the point that I was miserable without him.

“I was a dumb teenager who thought that love was everything in this world” I responded washing my cup in the sink, I picked up his, not minding if he was done or not. Luckily, he was.

“So what do you think now?”

“I don’t know”

“Do you still love him?”

I paused.

I hated him, with all my being but I knew that deep down, if he earnestly begged, if he shows signs that he has changed, if he has suffered enough for what he did to me then I would take him back.

“No” I answered sparing him the long talk.

He nodded his head and walked casually towards the door to resume his stance.

“Chief Edward’s?”

I grabbed his hand causing him to pause, he looked at my feeble hands barely able to grab his wrist. It was the first contact I have ever had with a man since I was locked up.

I quickly pulled my hand back.

“Call me Edward” he said.

I felt uncomfortable about it since he was eight years older than me but I had to oblige.

“Could you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“Teach me how to fight” I responded.

He let out a smirk.

“Why? So that you can kill the Alpha and Luna”

His question caught me off guard, it was probably one of the reason but just not the top of my list.

“No, so that I don’t feel helpless ever again”

I said.

If I knew a thing or two then I probably would have given Thane the beatings of his life for what he did to me, i would never have needed him so much to be there for me.

His eyes halted at mine as he moved two steps closer to me.