Alle Kapitel von The Pack's Criminal is the Alpha King's Mate: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

[Ciara’s pov]I am being released from prison today after being locked up for five years.I waited and waited, yet no joy ever reached me.Before this, I was the most beautiful she-wolf in the kingdom. The heiress of the Laurent family and the pack. But now…My fingertips trembled as I peeled away the old, stained bandage from my cheek. Cold air brushed my raw skin beneath, making me flinch with the sting. I stared at the woman in the mirror, trying to find a trace of the girl I used to be, but only a woman with a big scar on the cheek stared back.Two weeks ago, I was beaten after the warden received another call. The whip slashed across my face, the silverbane lining made it impossible for the scar to heal. It was yet another punishment for killing my fiancé’s sister… my best friend.A crime I never committed.The warden bangs his wooden stick on the bars. “This is what you asked for.” The prison doctor, the only one I can call a friend in this hell, handed me the fresh skin

[Ciara’s pov]Before I could answer him, Alicent hurried into the room. Her eyes immediately landed on the ruined portrait behind me. For a brief moment, something almost like satisfaction flickered across her face. Then it disappeared.She rushed towards me and deliberately positioned herself between the portrait and our parents. “Mom, dad,” she said breathlessly, forcing a bright smile. “Why are we standing here? You wanted to talk to Ciara about something important, remember?”My fingers curled slowly against my palm. Had there been anything else hurtful they could say to me?Mother lowered her eyes, while father cleared his throat. Neither of them looked at me properly, as if I was nothing to them anymore. That hurt more than I expected. Father’s expression grew serious while Alicent moved closer to Mother. Luther stood near the doorway with his arms folded over his chest.I looked from one face to another. “What do you want?”“You're going to the royal palace.”I frowned.“Why?

[Ciara’s pov] “What happened in prison?”I wanted so much to confide in him about everything but Thomas had stopped loving me a long time ago. So I looked away. “It is none of your concern.”His expression hardened. “Ciara.”I stepped around him. “Move.”He didn't.The Mate Bond pulsed between us and my wolf stirred again. I heard her scream in my head when she smelt Thomas’s scent.I hated it.I hated the way my body recognized him even when my heart wasn’t willing. Thomas suddenly reached for me, his fingers closed around my chin.I froze. My mind went numb for a moment.He turned my face toward the light, examining it. I couldn't bear the man who loved me to treat me like damaged merchandise. I shoved him away. “Don't touch me.”Thomas stepped back as I saw his expression darkened. “There is nothing wrong with you… physically. You spend five years hiding behind bars from all the people that you destroyed. You are a murderer and a coward.”“Yes, that is who I am.” I fight back my

[Ciara’s pov]Luther's eyes met mine filled with something resembling guilt flickered across them. Whereas it didn’t take me long to figure out he wasn’t going to save me. “I'm sorry,” he whispered. The words were so quiet that I almost wondered if I had imagined them. Luther stepped behind me while I gritted my teeth. A sharp kick struck the back of my thighs which made my legs buckled.I crashed onto the cold marble, catching myself with my palms. A bitter scoff escaped me. “Sorry?” I looked over my shoulder at him. “That is how you justify your wrongdoings?”Luther didn't answer, instead he reached toward one of the guards and took the whip from his hand. The leather coils slid across his palm making my stomach twisted.I stared at him in disbelief. “You're really going to do this?” His jaw clenched but he didn’t say anything, not like I wanted to hear another apology from a man who was about to hurt me.Across the room, Thomas stood motionless while I stared at him in disappointm

(Thomas POV)The walls seemed to shrink around me with the grim silence. I couldn’t believe the woman standing in front of me was my ex-mate, Ciara.I could barely recognise her. I stared at the crates stacked against the wall and the piles of shredded clothing scattered across the floor. For several heartbeats, I could not understand what I was looking at. My mind refused to connect the pieces.Then I saw it.A small handkerchief lay on top of one of the crates.My breath stopped as I recognised it and rage coursed through my veins. The delicate embroidery along its edge was unmistakable. It was my sister's.In Ciara's room. In pieces.My eyes slowly moved toward her and I couldn’t believe Ciara actually treated my sister’s memory like this. She stood several feet away, watching me with an expression I could not read."Tell me this isn't you." My voice sounded foreign even to me.Ciara said nothing.That silence hurt more than any confession could have. It hurt more than five yea