"Don't let them kill me." Raw and desperate, Selene's scream rang out through the tense room but it was met with silence.
As she reached for Rylan she scampered across the chilly stone floor, her knees rubbing against the hard surface. As if he were her last hope for survival. Her shaking fingers gripped the hem of his pants.
She cried in a raspy voice, "Please Ryan. Hear me out. How can you believe them without listening to me? I didn't do this.
They all held their breath for a moment. The warriors on guard stiffened. With their robes gathering around them like shadows, the elders observed with dark amusement.
The members of the pack stared at her accusingly, their judgment piercing her like a knife.
Then Ryan moved.
Not to drag her up. Not for her comfort. But to pull his leg away from her as if he was repulsed by her touch.
With a gasp Selene's hands fell to the floor, empty. She raised her head, her eyes watering, looking for any trace of the man she had loved.
Where was the man who had vowed to keep her safe?
There was no warmth in his golden eyes. He looked away from her staring out the open window that overlooked the pack.
The Pack which belongs to his people.
The elders were awaiting his ultimate choice.
With their weapons in hand, the warriors stood motionless. A silent call for justice was pressed against him by the weight of his authority.
Rylan's mouth tightened. He would be disobeying the elders if he allowed her to leave now and refused to sentence her.
Their powers were great. In an instant, their whispers could turn the pack against him. And yet. . . He clenched his fists at his sides.
Why was his chest-beating so hard?
Why did her cries graze his innermost being?
The doubt was drowned by the rage that blazed through his veins. Vulcan's vision flashed through his mind once more.
Kieran's hands on Selene's waist. His lips against hers. They were scheming against him, their voices in low whispers.
They had a blood bond!
Not only that she had betrayed him. She had given herself to his worst enemy.
The thoughts blazed through his brain hotter than any rage he had ever experienced.
No.
She will pay dearly.
He was brought back to the present by Selene's cries which rose. His heart became stony.
When he spoke, it was icy and decisive. "Throw her into the dungeon."
A shock wave swept through the room. Selene's whole body went cold.
She gasped and her blood froze. " No."
She looked into his eyes, it was cold and emotionless.
She will get her sentence tomorrow.
Her chest pounded with terror.
"Rylan. No!"
Two warriors seized her by the arms.
"Vulcan is deceiving you, please pay attention to me. You can't treat me like this."
The warriors pulled her forward. Her nails clawed at the floor as she kicked against them.
"Rylan I love you. .
She started to say something but one of the warriors slapped her across the face. The sharp pain exploded across her cheek causing her head to snap sideways.
Her mouth tasted of blood. She fought hard. As they pulled her toward the exit, her body writhed, and her voice broke with pain. " Rylan! Please— don't do this."
He did not even look back. He no longer cared about her. She is a traitor. As the warriors pushed her forward the pack members split apart.
Thick with disgust and sympathy their murmurs coiled around her like smoke.
Luna Selene. . . .
It's unbelievable to me…
She deceived the Alpha.
She deserves this. . .
She was too close to Kieran.
Sharper than knives, every word cut through her.
How could they say this?
She had fought for them to keep them safe All she did was for the pack.
And yet, they treated her as if she were a rogue even though she had bled for this pack and these people.
As if she were undeserving of pity. Her vision became hazy. She felt a rift in her heart.
Vulcan's face twisted into a slow, contented sneer as she was pulled past the elders. Selene's stomach roiled in disgust. It was fun for him because this was something he had planned.
All of this nightmare had been planned by him and she was the idiot who fell into his trap.
She struggled one final time against her captors but they were too powerful.
She was dragged through the stone tunnel and into the oppressive shadows beneath the packhouse.
Rot grew thick in the air.
The dungeon.
The stale air was accompanied by the soft clanking of rusty chains hanging from the ceilings.
She felt fear snatch at her throat. No—no—no.
No, not here.
The warriors pushed her forward. The stone floor struck her knees. She felt pain all over.
Locking her inside the iron bars.
Grasping the bars she rushed to her feet.
"Please… I didn't do this. I am innocent," she cried in agony.
And the cell door slammed closed. The lock was latched.
It was final and it hung over her like a death sentence. With her breath coming in short, sharp gasps, Selene slumped against the bars.
No one was with her. Nobody stood for her.
She had no one to save her.
It was just her. In the hallway, a torch made ragged shadows on the stone walls as it flickered.
Above, she could hear the pack's distant murmurs, their voices vanishing into the darkness. Believing the lies they had been told they would sleep peacefully in their beds.
And her. . . In the cold, she would wait. For her punishment.
Death.
The iron bars made her fingers tremble and her pulse pounded in her ears. She swallowed a sob that raged through her body.
She would not be saved by crying now. Her breath caught. She felt a growing sense of fear.
She won't be saved by anyone…