Chapter 10

• EMMELINE
• ★★☆★★
• The entire estate was summoned before Darius.
• I stood beside him, every muscle in my body screaming to run, to hide, to do anything but stand there like a damned statue. My palms were sweaty, my breathing uneven, but I didn't dare move.
• I could feel the fear written on the faces of the kitchen staff as they lined up before him. They were all trembling, their heads bowed, eyes darting around as if the answer to their salvation lay on the floor. They didn't deserve this.
• They were innocent.
• I wasn’t.
• I was the one who poisoned him. Me. And now these people were about to pay the price for something they didn't do.
• Darius didn't immediately speak. Instead, he sat there, calm and composed, like he wasn't the one whose life had nearly been snatched away. His beta, Dawson, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as composed.
• "Who tried to poison the Alpha?" Dawson's voice rang out like a gunshot.
• My stomach twisted violently. Cara stirred in my head, growling. ‘Tell them. Tell them now before this gets worse.’
• I ignored her.
• No one said a word. Of course they didn't. They were scared to death.
• Dawson slammed his hand on the table. “Answer me!” he shouted. “Treason against the Alpha is an offense punishable by death!”
• A few of the maids started crying softly. The head cook fell to her knees, her hands clasped together. "My Alpha," she choked, "none of us would dare do such a thing! We would never poison you.”
• "But someone did!" Dawson snapped. "This isn't just some mistake. One of you thought they could get away with murder. This is treason, and it won't go unpunished!”
• The staff broke out in pleas and protests. They were practically throwing themselves to the ground. My heart hammered against my ribs, like a terrified bird trapped in a cage.
• Everyone was babbling, pleading, swearing their innocence. "I would never harm the Alpha!" One cried. Another begged, "Please, Alpha, have mercy!"
• It was a chorus of fear.
• Darius just quietly stood up , radiating a silent power that shut them all up like a slammed door.
• He didn’t have to say a word. He just ‘was’. Even I, hating him as much as I did, felt that pull, that undeniable aura of command. His eyes swept over the crowd, cold and hard, lingering on me for a while. It sent a shiver down my spine. He knew, didn't he? He had to know.
• “If no one comes forward,” Darius said, his voice low and cold. “then everyone will be executed.”
• My stomach dropped. Executed? Everyone? This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This was insane! My plan had been simple: poison him, escape, disappear. Not… mass murder.
• Guards began moving, grabbing staff members, yanking them to their feet, and dragging them toward the door. The head cook was sobbing, begging for her life. The others were frozen in fear. I knew where they were going. To the dungeons. To die. This wasn’t about justice. This was a massacre.
• I couldn't let this happen. I couldn’t let innocent people die because of me.
• “I did it!”
• The words burst out of my mouth before I could stop them.
• The noise stopped. Everything stopped. Every pair of eyes turned towards me, wide with shock. I felt naked, exposed, like a rabbit caught in a hunter’s trap. Oh god, what had I done?
• My plan had been to kill Darius, yes. I’d fantasized about it, dreamed about it. But facing the consequences… this was different. This was real. And it was terrifying.
• “What did you say?” Dawson demanded, stepping closer to me.
• “I poisoned him,” I repeated, my voice trembling. This was it. This was the end.
• I snuck a glance at Darius. His expression… wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t rage. It was almost… like he knew? Like he’d been waiting for this. Had he suspected me all along?
• “How?” Darius asked calmly.
• “Greenshade leaves,” I admitted, the words barely escaping my lips. It was a stupid, clumsy attempt. I was a terrible assassin.
• “How dare you??!!” Dawson roared, lunging at me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact, waiting for the sting of his hand across my face. I deserved it. I deserved worse.
• But the blow never came. I opened my eyes to see Darius holding Dawson back. He had caught Dawson's wrist with a firm grip. “I will handle this,” he said, his gaze fixed on Dawson, not me.
• Dawson hesitated, his jaw clenched, but he stepped back.
• Tears streamed down my face, hot and messy. Relief? No. Fear. Pure, undiluted fear. What was he going to do to me? What kind of slow, agonizing death had he planned?
• He turned to the guards. “Lock her up in her room for three days. No food. No water.”
• "Take her," Dawson added.
• My wolf, Cara, growled in my head. “You're not going to beg, are you? Don't give him that satisfaction.”
• The guards dragged me away, their hands rough on my arms. I didn’t resist. What was the point? I was trapped.
• I bit down hard on my lip, I wasn’t going to beg. My tears betrayed me, though, streaming down my face as I was dragged into my room. The door slammed shut behind me.
• Three days. No food. No water. Alone with my thoughts, my fears, my regrets. Three days to replay every moment, every decision that led me to this point. Three days to wait for the inevitable.
• I sank to the floor, my body shaking with exhaustion and fear. What had I done? What was going to happen to me? My mind raced, thinking of all the possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. Maybe he was going to banish me. Or worse. Maybe he was going to execute me after all.
• Why hadn’t he just killed me instantly? What was the point of this slow, agonizing wait? Was it some kind of sick game he was playing?
• But it didn’t matter.
• I was his prisoner, and my world was over.