Aleena’s POV
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“It’s the time.”, That warrior announced from outside my cell. I nodded my help and, mustering all my energy together, and I tried to stand up on my feet because they hardly provide a proper meal to the prisoners, and on the top, the small of the wolfsbane was added to the food, causing the wolf to sleep in deep slumber. That was why I was feeling extremely weak right now. Taking support from the wall, I somehow managed to stand on my feet and then walked out.
There was only one difference between the other prisoner and me: I was not treated harshly yet. Not until I would be declared guilty.
“We don’t have the whole day.”, That warrior reminded me of when I was taking small steps. He sighed and shook his head. He grabbed my arms, not tightly, and started dragging me out of there! “Why did you kill your parents? For this pack?” he asked me, maybe unable to control the questions that he had for me. “Not just that you even tried to kill your sister and the future Alpha of this pack.”
The future Alpha?
Was Eva going to take the place of my father? Was this just an assumption, or had it already been announced? But this was something that dad wanted me to take his position.
I wanted to answer that warrior’s question, but then he was already accusing me of things I didn’t do. Then why the hell would I even explain myself to him? It wasn’t that he was going to trust me anyway. The only person whom I expected to understand and trust me, Stephen.
I didn’t even know why I was even thinking about him? Well, I could blame the mate bond for that. I wondered why they didn’t reject me yet?
I kept my mouth shut and kept walking in the direction of wherever he was taking me. Once outside of the dungeon, we walked toward the main ground where everyone had gathered around. Six days before, in the same way, everyone had gathered over there for dad’s funeral.
Seven nights and six days!
It had been seven nights and six fucking days since I lost my dad and five days since I lost my mom.
I observed that the number of people arriving here right now was more than the number of people who came to dad’s funeral. I had no idea about mom’ funeral because, at that time, I was in the cell.
Someone said it is true that everyone enjoys watching drama rather than offering their shoulder to anyone in pain. I couldn’t hear or sense at that moment, but I could see everyone’s anger toward me for killing their Alpha and Luna. Not just that, someone was giving me disgusting looks, and on the top, they were cursing me too.
The pack members of Stone Moon Pack were also there, along with the pack members of dad’s pack. They already hated me for insulting their Beta by making him apologize by rubbing his nose on the ground. And now this!
They had now a reason to hate me more than they already had.
I looked for one person in this whole crowd, my chosen mate. But I couldn’t find him anywhere. He was my mate until and unless either of us rejected each other.
The werewolf king had the power to control the land just like vampires had a gift. He and his bloodline shared the same power. So, using his power, he had already created a stadium with the rocks, bringing it out from the soil, where everyone could sit and see me without making any gossip and in silence. At the same time, all the family members of my new family were sitting on the seats allotted to them near the werewolf king. I could see everyone expect HIM.
What?
Did he hate me so much that he didn’t want to attend my trial? I wondered, but I had no answer to this question.
“Finally, the last person who was missing is here now.”, The werewolf kind said, addressing me indirectly. “I’m sure everyone knows why am I here and why the other pack members are here?” he asked before answering that question again. “We are gathered here today to bear witness to the trial of Aleena Williams, younger daughter of Alpha Francis Williams and first and only child of Luna Penelope Willaims of the Silver Moon Pack. The main reason behind my presence is that the pack's new Alpha is yet to be decided, so as long as the new Alpha gets appointed here, This pack will be under my rules and regulations. And all the decisions related to this pack will be taken by me.”, He explained, even though a lot of people had an idea about that.
“Now, coming back to the point. “Aleena stands accused of conspiring with her friend, Julia, to kill the former Alpha of the pack by the late Luna Penelope, and not just that she has been accused of murdering former Luna of the pack by stabbing her right into her heart.” Small beads of sweat formed on my forehead at the prospect of pointing out the topic of my parent’s murder. "Not only that, but we have also found a bunch of her crimes that she had committed until now through the former Luna's diary. It has been found that Aleena used to torture a lot of she wolfs because of her obsession with Alpha Daniel Sam Grint.”
Obsession on Daniel?
Was it my obsession?
Just my obsession?
Wasn’t it love?
I thought about my feeling for Daniel and compared them anywhere with the feeling that I had for dad, whom I loved the most. I doubt that I would even cry even ten percent of the amount that I cried for dad. I did all these things just for a mere obsession for Daniel?
I would reward myself as the dumbest person in the world for not realizing my feeling for my dad earlier and now my feelings for Daniel. I wanted him just because I had heard all good about him, and everyone knew him for being the perfect and most eligible bachelor.
“Not just that, she also planned to kill her own sister in which Alpha Daniel was severy injured. Well, this is not the next of her crime, she also tried to use the witch potion of Alpha Daniel, but accidentally that potion got sprinkled on Beta Stephen Sam Grint, because of which he married Aleena and also chose her as his chosen mate.”
“The trial today will look at the evidence to determine whether she is actually guilty of all these crimes or not.”
I was thankful that the King started the trial by saying positive words. He mentioned that there could be a chance that I couldn’t be the guilty of all these crimes, but his words didn’t lessen my nervousness, which I was feeling a little more as the time passed because I knew in which part I was innocent and in which part I wasn’t.
“Do you swear on the Moon goddess Selene, Aleena, that you will tell the whole truth during the trial?” The King asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“I do,” I replied confidently.
“Great. A bowl of holy water is in front of you, which has the power to burn any werewolf in case he or she lies. I would request to have it before we move further." I agreed with him and drank that holy water. After drinking it, I started praying for the question which would be asked to be in my favor. I was scared and trying my best to hide it. I couldn’t help but look at Eva, who always used to stand in front of me, saving me from getting scolded by dad. She used to protect me even though I used to deserve that punishment but now … Now, I doubt that she would protect me when I was actually innocent. I meant at least at the part of killing my own parents.
One by one, all the witness testimonies were asked to drink holy water.
“Now, we will start by hearing the witness testimonies and the evidence collected against these crimes. I will also give her a chance to Aleena to see what she wants to say against every piece of evidence. She can defend her own case here. Once done, I will make the final decision.”, The King announced. I swallowed the lump that had just magically appeared in my throat.
‘Don’t worry, little sister. As long as I’m alive, nothing will happen to you. Just don’t say a word in your defense.’ I heard Eva’s words in my mind.
How the hell did that happen?
I tried not to look surprised after hearing her words. But how could she mind linking me without my wolf?
I tried to talk to her but I couldn’t. Maybe this was only one-way communication. A little tiny amount of hope appeared in my heart. Until then, I had no idea what she would do, but if she had said so, then she would surely do something.
But what if she betrayed me? And ditch me at the end? Because if I wouldn’t speak a thing in my defense, that meant I was accepting all the crimes and didn’t want to justify myself. Might she try to take revenge on me for trying to kill her and for attempting to snatch her mate from her?
If Leia had been here, then she would have taunted me again by saying that ‘not everyone is like me who look for an opportunity to take advantage of others.’
And with that, the trial began.
It started with the witch who used to prepare a potion for me.
“Greetings, Werewolf King!
I’m Witch Circe. I confirm that I used to prepare all the potions and portions that Aleena used to ask to me prepare, like potions that were used to cloak her or anyone for straight three hours, potions that were used to change anyone's scent into her or vice-versa, a potion to make someone fall in love with each other and many more poison that she find helpful for hunting the vampires. Along with all this, I also used to prepare weapons that she used to for hunting the vampires.”, She said. “Here are the receipts of the things that she used to purchase from me.”, Saying this, she also gave a file to Noah so that he could pass it to the King. That was the disadvantage of the DIGITAL world.
“Hmm.”, The King checked the file before speaking. “Everything is fine, but why did you make a love potion for her? Didn’t you know that it is forbidden to prepare?”
“I know. I know, King. But Luna Penelope threatens me to prepare it by using Aleena’s blood. And I’m just a normal witch, King. I couldn't stand a chance against her or any ranked wolf.”, Witch Circe said.
I had no idea whether this fact was going to work in my favor or not that it was Mom who helped me get the love potion!! I knew it was forbidden to prepare a love potion. That’s why I had asked her to get this work done because she was the Luna of the pack, so her words would have been more impactful than mine. While the rest of the things, I used to collect on my own. The best part was the payment of the love potion was made in cash, not through my bank account.
“Have you prepared the silver dagger that is kept beside you?”, The werewolf kind asked another question.
“Yes! I confirm that the weapon used to kill both Alpha and Luna is made by me for Aleena. The design and way it is made are extraordinary and cannot be prepared by others because the blade of the knife is always laced with never-ending wolfsbane and Vervain’s position, made to kill both werewolves and the vampires. In fact, Aleena loved this dagger so much that she asked me to prepare two daggers in the same design.”, Witch Circe added.
“Except her, anyone else asked you to prepare this dagger?”
“No, King.”, Witch Circe replied.
Every one started murmuring and whispering around me. Since Leia was not with me. I had no idea what they were talking about.
But this was not the end of the trial. Thanks to mom, there were a lot of people who were on the list of testifying.
Then the groups of warriors were called who had found me with Mom’s dead body.
“Luna Penelope had already told us that Aleena might approach her to kill her after killing her father because she wanted the throne, but no one trusted her because of the morning incident when she attacked Aleena and tried to kill her.”
What the fuck?
How could a mom do this to me?
I gritted my teeth in anger. And why in the hell could I even think of killing her even though he attacked me in the morning? On the top, I had no idea when I would open my eyes after that serious injury. That’s a different thing that I was on my feet within twenty-four hours.
I thought to open my mouth and keep my point that I was there for dad. Not to kill her. In fact, when I woke up at that moment, I didn’t even know that I would be going to his room. It was just that I started being emotional thinking about all the incidents related to dad, which led me to his room.
Another warrior started speaking once the first one stopped talking, “We thought after losing her mate and her wolf, she has lost her mind too. But when we realized how wrong we were, it was too late. Aleena had already killed our Luna, stabbing her right into her chest.”
Again the crowd started whispering and murmuring, hearing their testimony.
After that, The forensic doctor came to testify, “The fingerprints that we found on the silver dagger matched with the fingerprints of Aleena.”
“Thank you, Doctor Randell.”, The werewolf king said. “There is no evidence except Luna’s diary against the torture that she did on her wolfs because of her obsession with Alpha Daniel, so the real victim of her torture can come up front and testify against her.” I bit my inner cheek nervously, knowing that someone would surely tell the truth, but to my surprise, no one came up front. “Again, there is no evidence behind the attack that was done on Alpha Daniel and Luna Evangeline except Luna’s diary, so I will again ask Doctor Randell to share his report on the handwriting of the person who wrote this diary.”, he added.
“I confirm that the person who had written the diary is none other than the former Luna Penelope.”
“Thank you again, Doctor Randell.”, The kind said, gesturing for him to leave. “Now, we will hear the testimony of the last person, Beta Stephen, who is now no longer in the effect of the love potion.”
I turned my head to finally look at the person whom I had been searching for since the moment I came here. However, I knew that this was going to happen, but Leia was optimistic that he would forgive us. Well, I had no right to blame him if he wouldn’t.
“So, Beta Stephen, how was your relation with Aleena before the Luna Ceremony?”
“I had a doubt on her that she might do anything nasty to stop the Luna Ceremony. Because I had a feeling that she wasn’t what she shows.”
“And your fear and doubt came true when you realized that all your feelings toward her changed all of a sudden when you announced choosing her as your chosen mate?”, The King asked.
“No. That’s not true.”, He replied. I tried not to look surprised because of his sudden revelation. While everyone present there gasped in shock and surprise.
What did he mean by that?
“Can you explain your answer? Because no one is able to understand your answer ‘No. That’s not true.’”
“Yes! I can.”, Stephen said. “I don’t know why Luna Penelope had written anything about love potion in the diary because I’m pretty sure that I was in the right mind and right sense when I had chosen Aleena as my chosen mate. Yes! This announcement was not less than a shock for every pack member in my pack, including my family members, but that’s true, and I believe that you can sense that too.”, he said, and I started having a hard time believing what was exactly going on.
How was it possible that he wasn’t in the effect of the love potion?
And if he wasn’t, then why did he choose me?
“I chose her as my chosen mate for two reasons. First, it is said to keep our friends close and our enemy closer. I wasn’t sure about her intention toward my pack and my Alpha and Luna. That’s why I chose her as my chosen mate and the second reason behind choosing her was my wolf, Thunder, who was or said who is madly in love with her wolf, Leia. In most cases, wolves sacrifice their mates if they behave like a jerk to their humans. I didn’t want my wolf to do the same. That’s why for his happiness, I chose Aleena as my chosen mate.”, he explained.
I opened my mouth and then shut it, not knowing what to speak. After that, he started explaining how Thunder and Leia met for the first time. I doubt that I was listening to their love story because my eyes and my mind were more focused on the person standing beside me.
I was feeling remorseful, recalling the things I did to him.
“Okay! Hearing Beta Stephen’s testimony. The charge against Aleena for using a love potion on Beta Stephen has been nullifying.”, The werewolf king said. “Now, coming back to Aleena, what would you like to say about the other crimes that had been charged on you?” he asked me, and I kept my mouth shut just like Eva had asked me to. Moreover, I barely had any evidence and proof with me to prove my innocence, and once I open my mouth, then I wouldn’t be able to deny those crimes which I had actually committed.”
“Sorry for the interruption, King. But it looks like my mate is not in the condition to defend herself after staying for five days in the cells. If you don’t mind, I would like to highlight a few things in front of everyone which is not known to any one of us, not even Aleena.”, he said confidently, and seeing his confidence, I was sure that he was saying this with evidence but why was he doing this?
For his wolf or for Leia or for me?
Then he drank the holy water before speaking, “First of all, I will talk about the former Luna’s diary where she had mentioned most of Aleena’s crimes, and I would like to know a few answers from the forensic doctor.”
“Sure, you can proceed.”
“Thank you,” Stephen thanked the werewolf king before asking his question to Doctor Randell, “So, Doctor, you just confirmed that the handwriting in the diary belonged to former Luna. Now, can you please tell everyone how old the ink was that was used in the diary?”
“It was hardly a few days old.”
“Are we talking about all the inks used in the diary?”
“Actually, the whole diary was written with one pen. So, yes! The ink of the whole diary was written a few days before days with one single pen.”
“Please consider this point, King. One who can habit of writing a diary doesn’t write the whole diary in a day or with the same pen. Okay! For a minute, I can consider that that pen could be her favorite pen, so she thought not to use another pen but to write the whole damn thing in one day? That too after Alpha Francis’s death, isn’t that seems something fishy?” he asked. “I will confirm my other point when I will call another person to testify.”, he adds. “Now, coming back to the place which I was questioning Doctor Randell, so, Doctor Randell, you also confirmed that there was Aleena’s fingerprint on the dagger. Can you please tell everyone whether there was someone finger’s print too? Because like Witch Circe said that it was the same dagger that was used to kill Alpha Francis. It meant it was the same dagger which was used to stab Aleena.”
Wow!
I was highly impressed with the man who was defending me!
If he had been the Beta, then he would have a successful lawyer for sure.
“Yes, that dagger also has the fingerprints of Luna Penepole.”
“Please consider this point as well, King. Thank you, doctor. Now you can leave.”, he said, gesturing for Doctor Randell to leave. “Now, I would like to those warriors who were presented at both the crime scene of Alpha Francis and Luna Penelope.”
“Access granted.”, When King said this, all the warriors were called again.
“What do you all remember the reaction of Aleena when she saw the lifeless body of her father?” he asked, and I winced at that topic because that memory was still fresh in my mind.
“She broke down seeing the Alpha in that state. She tried to best to wake him up, but before that, she pulled out the dagger from his heart and threw it away and..”
“Stop.” Stephen stopped them. “Please consider that she pulled out the dagger first and threw it away. Now, coming back to the situation of her mother, did anyone see her stabbing the Luna? Did anyone?”
“No!”
“No! When we reached there, she had held her in her arms, and the dagger was thrown away.”
“Then how the hell you assume that it was her who killed her? The situation of her mom and her dad can be the same, right?” he asked angrily. All the warriors were speechless hearing his question. It looked like they were finding the right words to say at that moment, but they couldn’t find any.
“Let me tell you, what did you assume so? Because you all thought to trust an insane person who tried to kill her own daughter in front of everyone rather than using your own brain. Now, you guys can leave.”
“Now, I would like to clear the Aleena’s name from the attack that was planned against the Alpha and Luna of our pack.”, Stephen said, turning his head toward the King. With this, he played the recording between Silas and Mom over the phone call.
Holy shit!
He had that? But since when?
“This is the call recording of former Luna Penelope and Silas, a contracted vampire whom she had asked to kill Evangeline. And this is the real voice of both of them.”, he explained, providing a file. “Here is the forensic report of the call. As per the conversation and the evidence that I have collected until now, it looks like Luna Penelope was behind everything. And also, behind the plan to trap Aleena for her murder otherwise, what is the use of writing everything against her in a diary just a day before her death? I would like to call my mother, Luna Chloe, now.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“So, Mom! The day when Aleena was stabbed, we were in the hospital. Where were you?”
“Emma and I were with Luna Penelope because we were worried about her state of mind. But later, when she woke up, she was acting normal. She went to the study room in which Alpha Francis was killed and spent all her time over there and had asked us not to disturb her. We did just like she had asked us to do, but at the same time, we were worried for her too. That’s why we used to keep checking on her too, and we found her writing this diary. I didn’t deserve her, thinking she was writing this to pour her feelings or to divert her mind.”
“Thank you, Mom. Now you can leave. Now, you can see that Luna Penelope had written this diary just a day before her death. The whole things are pretty much clear. Now, everyone would be wondering why a mother would do anything against her own daughter? Then, I have an answer to that, too but instead of sharing everything on my own. I would like to call the first wife of the Alpha Francis Willaims, who can explain it in a better way because when all this started, then she was there in that time.”
Clara? Was she here?
What was she doing here? And since when?
Thankfully, the sun was under the sky, so there was no problem for a vampire to walk in the daytime. I couldn’t help myself from gasping when I saw her face.
She looked like an exact copy of Eva!
Or I should say that Eva was exact her mother.
And above all, why was Stephen, again and again, blaming Mom for everything? Even that day, he was saying the same.
“Clara! I didn’t know you were alive.”
“Well, for this world, I’m still a dead person.”, Clara responded with a smile and bowed her head in front of the King. “Hello, Clara!”
“Hi, Stephen.”
“Can you please tell everyone when you knew Luna Penelope and what kind of woman she was?”
“I knew her after eight months of my marriage with Williams. And since the moment he brought her to the pack, she was not fond of me. Well, I can't blame her for her jealousy because her mate was my husband. But except that she also had a problem with me being a human.”
Okay! That sounded like my mother.
“It was the time when I was on death bed. Penelope got pregnant with her second child.”
Second child?
I was the only child, right?
It meant it was indeed me who used to run happily around that pregnant lady.
“I believe a lot of pack members would know about the second pup, who was a boy.”, She said, and I looked around only to find others nodding their heads. “But before he could have said hello to this world, he had to say goodbye from his mother’s womb.”
I gasped, slapping my hands on my mouth.
“This accident happened because of a mistake, because of the mistake of the caretaker of the Aleena. After coming from skating classes, she had thrown her skating shoes, here and there, and Penelope fell down, losing her balance after keeping her legs on it, which caused this miscarriage.”
It was my skating shoes because of which this all happened?
Not just I killed my dad but also my brother.
I wondered if I could stay alive with all this guilt.
“After this incident, the doctor announced that she could never be pregnant again in her life. And that incident not just took away that little angel from Penelope but also changed something in her. She went into some kind of trauma, and at the same time, I died, I meant as a human. Williams got torn between handling both the daughters, filling the gap of both of mother and father in their life.”
It meant that dad was always there for me! It was just that I didn’t remember about that part.
“One day, when Williams went out of the pack for the work, the caretaker of Aleena was found dead in Aleena’s room, and both Aleena and Penelope went missing from the packhouse without informing anyone. Everyone had thought that they went kidnapped, but the truth was that Penelope took Aleena with her to punish her for killing her unborn baby. She used to whip her, beat her, make her cry, and give Aleena as much pain as she could until Aleena died. It went for a few days until Eva and her guards found Aleena and saved her from her own mother.”
My mother tried to kill me?
Just because I was indirectly the reason because of which she lost her son and also lost an opportunity to become a mother again.
It also meant that the incident that happened at dad’s funeral wasn’t the first time when she had tried to kill me.
She had done this before too.
“This information is something that most of the pack members, doctors, omegas, can confirm, and most of the pack members know except Aleena because it was the strict order from Willams not to let Aleena about it as I had wiped her memories. Williams sent Aleena to the boarding school in another pack when Penelope was going through her treatment to keep her safety as her priority.”
“But…but dad said that he sent me away because I was a bully.”, I pointed out. Clara looked at me and smiled just like Eva’s smile.
“That was just a part of the truth, Aleena. Just a small tiny part of the truth, the main reason was to keep you safe from your own mom and also because your mom asked him to do so because she didn’t want you around her. Your dad wanted to keep you with him, but he didn’t have any other choice with him at that moment.”, She explained. She could see that I wasn’t trusting her completely until, all of a sudden, I felt that all my blur memories started getting vivid and clear.
Did she?
Yes! She did.
“Thank you so much, Clara.”, Stephen said, gesturing for her to leave. “Now, I would like to call the pack members who have been staying in this pack for over fifty years and all the people who Clara mentioned in her story.”
One by one, a lot of people came and testified, but I didn’t give any attention to them because, more than that, I was busy with my memories that had been wiped.
I was so overwhelmed with all those memories that I didn’t realize it when I started crying.
All my life, I spent my time with the woman who hated me and barely spent a moment with the person who actually loved me.
I sobbed, recalling the lecture that I had given to dad on parenting? Seriously, what was I thinking then? Who gave me the right to speak those things to him when that person was busy withing filling the gap of mother in my life when I wanted mom by my side.
It was easy for me to give a lecture, but when I placed myself in his shoes, I realized that he did the best he could, managing pack, mate, daughters, and everything.
I didn’t know how long the trial went because I was not mentally present there until I heard Leia’s voice.
‘Did I miss something?’
‘Leia.’
‘Yeah! That’s my name. Are you alright?’
‘No.’
Before we could have discussed it, our attention went toward the werewolf King, “After hearing all the witness testimonies of everyone involved and all the supporting evidence submitted by Beta Stephen. That’s why I, Werewolf King, released Aleena Williams from all the charges because she has been found innocent. It is clear that she has been framed into everything by her mother. She is not the killer of both the former Alpha and Luna. The investigation of their death will be continued, but she is not the suspect anymore."
Tears started brimming in my eyes when I heard that. I couldn’t believe that I was really dragged out of the death’s mouth by Stephen and also Eva. As of now, I didn’t know what she had done till now, but she was involved in it. She always did.
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#TBC
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