Chapter 2

• Chapter 2
• Zoey Malik
• ~•~
• His words shattered something inside me.
• It wasn’t the first time he had something like that to me, but it was different this time.
• The first few months when Conrad discovered that we were mates, he made my life a living hell. I was just a mere maid in the pack.
• Just because I lost my parents, everyone looked at me like I was nothing. I hadn’t even had my first kiss, not because I was waiting for the right person, but because nobody even looked at me.
• But I was the happiest when I found out the alpha was my mate. I remembered the smile on my face as our wolves sensed each other.
• It didn’t last for long though.
• He condemned me and said mean things to me.
• But eventually, he marked me and took me into his home. I had no idea why he did it, but I was grateful. At least I didn’t get to work tirelessly for meager wages anymore.
• And people finally noticed me.
• I was the Luna of the pack.
• But still, it was humiliating. They would often talk about how I was with a man who was always on Wendy’s bed. With time, I grew a thick skin to their gossip, but it didn’t stop the excruciating pain I always felt whenever he cheated on me.
• Whenever I woke up in the morning, I always prayed to the moon goddess to make things right between me and Conrad.
• I was tired of the embarrassment and humiliation. I wanted him to love me. I always compared myself to Wendy. What did she have that I didn’t have? I thought to myself.
• As time passed, he gradually warmed up to me.
• He stopped cheating on me but didn’t let me forget that he wouldn’t be with me if the mating bond was up to him. His words hurt me but I found a way to live with the pain.
• I was happy that he had finally changed.
• But now, everything was crumbling right before my eyes.
• “You know I didn’t do this, please tell him the truth.” I turned to Wendy, my voice dripping with tears. “I didn’t kill him, I just found him here.”
• Wendy rolled her eyes at me. “There’s nothing you can say or do that would save you. Just stop lying and accept your punishment.”
• Did she realize the gravity of what she was doing?
• She wanted me to suffer for a crime I didn’t commit.
• Wendy was blinded with jealousy and was willing to do anything just to bring me down. She wanted me to be thrown into the dungeon.
• That was the punishment for murder in our pack.
• It was an unforgivable sin.
• I had witnessed a few people who have been thrown into the dungeon as punishment. Just watching them was a terrible experience.
• I couldn’t imagine myself actually being thrown inside.
• “Please, you don’t have to do this,” I whispered, my voice cracking.
• Conrad looked at me without any trace of warmth. “Go back.” He said quietly. “Pack your things.”
• But he didn't mean it the way it sounded.
• He didn’t want to give me a chance to run.
• He wanted the maids to burn whatever I had packed because I wouldn’t need any of it where I was going. Not when I was being thrown into the dungeon.
• Not when I was being buried alive in darkness for a crime I didn’t commit.
• Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak, he shunned me. “Don’t say a word.” His voice was loud. “Just leave.”
• I wiped off my tears with the back of my hand and walked out slowly, my gaze fixed on the ground. As I left, I could hear Wendy giggling triumphantly.
• A part of me wanted to turn back around and drag her by the hair. I wanted her to suffer the way I was suffering. I would have preferred if she was the one in place of the beta.
• But I couldn’t.
• Conrad wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I tried something like that.
• Once I got outside, I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. Hushed whispers rippled through the crowd. Their stares were sharp and suffocating.
• They all thought I was guilty and waiting patiently for my punishment.
• I needed to think of a way to prove my innocence or there was no way I could escape the dungeon. Only the moon goddess could save me.
• I needed a miracle.
• Letting out a deep breath, I increased my pace and walked faster to the house.
• By the time I got to the house, Selena was already waiting for me at the gate. She pulled me into a warm hug as soon as she saw me.
• “Hey, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?” She asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
• I scoffed. “How can I be okay when I’m being framed for murder?” I asked, shaking my head. “Why can’t Conrad believe that I’m innocent?”
• Selena sighed. “I believe you. I know that you’re innocent and we will find a way to prove it to them.” Her voice was reassuring but it didn’t make me feel any better.
• How could we possibly prove my innocence?
• Selena didn’t have any power in the pack.
• Her parents couldn’t be of much help either.
• I felt so helpless and the thought of being thrown into the dungeon was suffocating.
• “Zoey, nothing is going to happen to you.” She added when I remained silent.
• “He asked me to pack my things. He kissed Wendy in front of me.” My stomach churned as the image replayed in my head.
• “Wendy knows the person behind the murder,” Selena muttered, more to herself than me. “That’s why she’s hellbent on pinning it on you.”
• “What if Wendy was actually behind the murder? And framed me to take the fall?”
• Selena shook her head. “No, I don’t think she would go as far as killing Conrad’s best friend. She knows what would happen if he finds out she did it.”
• Selena had a point.
• I knew I didn’t kill the beta.
• And I couldn’t take the fall.
• The real killer was still out there.