Chapter 4

I don’t know how long it took for me to come to but when I did, my eyes fluttered open to see heavy iron bars towering over me. A few seconds was all it took for me to recognize that I was behind bars. The air was thick with the musty scent of mildew and despair. I winced as pain rocketed through from my head through my entire body. Scenes from earlier flooded my mind. Piano room. Ethan. Mate. I didn’t know how long it’d been since I’d been unconscious but I lifted my upper body into an upright position, wincing through the pain. My eyes roamed the tiny cell. The small, cramped space felt like it had been constructed from cold, unforgiving stone, and the only source of light came from the flickering torches that cast eerie shadows on the cold, damp walls. Rusted chains hung from the walls, serving as a grim reminder of a prisoner's plight. The only furniture consisted of a meager straw-stuffed mattress, and a bucket in the corner I supposed served as a toilet. I vaguely remembered Ethan saying I would be awaiting trial. Tears prickled at the back of my eyes. I hadn’t done anything wrong. My only crime was being mated to the Alpha. In all my years of being alive, never had I heard that anyone possessed the power to choose a mate themselves, not even witches. Heavy footsteps drew my attention to the narrow, stone-lined corridor. I inched backward until my back was flat against the wall, my throat tightening. Was it time? Would they really behead me? I felt a tear drop at the same time my father's and twin sister’s faces came into view. I let out a quiet sigh of relief, then realized too late that while Ethan had the ability to physically kill me, my family knew how to emotionally murder me and keep me alive long enough to feel it. My father stared at me for what seemed like hours. His lips curled downward into a deep frown and something told me it was safer for me to be in a cell than right next to him. The thunder in his eyes was enough to scare the shit out of me and it was working. “You stupid, stupid girl.” The disgust in his voice was evident. I was used to it but the present situation made it more hurtful. “You couldn’t have just done your bid and gone home, could you? You had to cross the Alpha.” “I didn’t do anything.” Why didn’t anyone believe me? If I had the power to make such a huge change, why hadn’t I brought out my wolf? “Well, he doesn’t seem to think so, you airhead.” Was it just me or was that a gleam in Alison’s eyes? Almost like she was enjoying this. “Do you realize what you’ve done to our family’s image?” “Again,” I gritted my teeth, realizing for the first time that I hadn’t averted my gaze and was staring them both in the eyes. “I didn’t do anything. All I did was walk into the piano room because I heard the piece Ethan had been playing.” “Ethan?” My father’s brows shot up so high they almost disappeared into his hairline. “How dare you call him by his name?” Somehow, I was drawing strength from a place I didn’t know existed. I was going to die anyway. Why continue to cower to the end? They’d both broken me so bad the thought of standing up for myself seemed so difficult but now that I was this close to the end, there was no way I was going out weak. “I didn’t do anything. You’re my father. You should be helping me clear my name.” My father took a step forward so that his front was pressed against the bars. “I regret so much that you hadn’t died along with your mother. You’re a disgrace to me, to this family and I wish I’d killed you all those years ago when I’d had the chance.” I held his angry gaze for a heartbeat, not realizing that I was crying. Those words ruined me. Everywhere in my body ached but it was nothing compared to the agony that tugged at my heart as the gravity of my father’s words settled around me. He truly hated me. It wasn’t just because he thought I was weak. The hatred in his eyes shone brightly even in the dim space. I broke into sobs, unable to tear my gaze away from his. “Ugh,” Alison said in disgust then scoffed. “Can you quit it with all those tears? They’re not going to help you now. You sound like a dying chicken.” My father shook his head, huffing. “You’re on your own from now on. I want nothing to do with you.” I was still in tears as they walked away and silence ensued once more. A few hours ago, I’d been reminiscing about having a mate and building a family and now I was about to be beheaded because I was being accused of treason. It took me a few hours to stop crying and, in that time, I went numb. My life had always been a canvas of black. There had not been a speck of light or a silver lining in sight. I’d gone through the days trying to put myself back together because my family had always been there to bring me down. As a wolf, I’d been termed pathetic, useless and an Omega of the lowest form. But nothing had hurt more than when my father had said he wished I was dead. I was beginning to see that I’d made so many excuses for him in the past and they all just backfired. “Did you hear?” A male voice said from outside my cell. I brought my legs close to my body and wrapped my arms around them. “The Beta’s daughter is marrying the Alpha.” My ears perked up, a tingle reverberating through my body. “I think everyone in the pack knows by now. She’s carried the tale far and wide.” Another male voice said. I assumed they were the guards instructed to watch over me. But who were they talking about? I was the Alpha’s mate and I’d been here for hours now. I inched closer to press my ears to the bars so I could hear better because a cold chill suddenly ran through me. “Don’t you think it’s a bit impromptu? I mean, it’s just been five hours since the other daughter was imprisoned for trying to bewitch the Alpha.” My heart caught in my throat. No, it couldn’t be. “The Alpha seemed quite in a hurry to be mated to her. Looks to me like the Omega scared the living daylights out of him.” My hand slipped and I fell to the ground, the familiar feeling of defeat spreading through me. The worst had happened. Alison was engaged to be married to Ethan, my mate. A scream of pain tore through my throat and I curled myself into a ball as the tears rolled down my nose and dropped to the dirty ground. There was nothing left for me. Nothing except death.