STARLETTE
A crowd formed within seconds, most of them gazing at Lauren with horror and a couple of them pointing fingers at me.
I knew immediately that it was a trap. I was set up, and I fell for it.
I was still trying to process everything when Maximus showed up.
“What happened here?” He asked no one in particular.
A girl pointed at me. “She gave her a cup of lemonade to drink, and she suddenly started foaming. She was poisoned.”
Maximus glanced at me, and my heart rate accelerated. Returning his gaze to Lauren, who was still foaming on the floor, convulsing, he ordered his warriors. “Take her to the doctor immediately.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Two warriors chorused and immediately carried Lauren in their arms.
After they left, Maximus took a second before finally returning his gaze to me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face, and that killed me. Was he angry? Disappointed? Hateful? I just hope he won’t believe the allegations. I could be killed if I was not proven innocent. The thought of that caused my stomach to tighten even further. Oh, no, please.
I shook my head vigorously. “I swear I didn’t do it. I swear.”
I wanted him to believe me. I desperately wanted him to believe me.
His jaw tightened, and it took a moment before he finally spoke. “Take her to the dungeon.”
Within seconds, two guards grabbed me, holding each hand as they dragged me away from the scene.
“I didn’t do it!” I yelled desperately, looking at Maximus with hopeful eyes, tears stinging my face. “I didn’t do it!”
He looked away, and at that moment, I knew I was done for. Maximus didn’t even believe me. How do I clear my name?
I was taken to the dungeon. A very disgusting place with the air thick with a pungent smell of urine.
“Hey pretty. Come suck my cock.” One of the prisoners yelled as I was taken through the cells.
“Mine too.” Another yelled.
The male prisoners stretched their hands forward, reaching to grab me with disgusting looks on their faces. I couldn’t survive in this place.
We finally got to an empty cell, and they shoved me inside, locking the gates before leaving me there, alone to my fate.
I was stupid. So very stupid. I should’ve known that it was a trap. I should’ve listened to Bella when Lauren threatened me earlier, but no, I believed it to be an empty threat. How could she be so cruel? Was that how badly she wanted me gone?
Hours passed, and night fell. And morning seemed to be so far away. I couldn’t sleep. I was cold and couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t stop blaming myself for the situation I put me and Iris in. She asked me to stop blaming myself, but how could I not? I was so damn stupid.
I cried so much that I slowly lost consciousness, finally succumbing to sleep.
The sound of the cell’s gate unlocking and opening jolted me away. The light streaming through the small barred Window made me realize that it was morning already. Anxiety gripped me by my throat when the guards grabbed my arm and forced me to stand up.
“You’ve been summoned by the Alpha.” One of them informed me.
Oh, no. What was he going to do with me?
“What of Lauren?” I asked.
“She survived.”
Of course, she wouldn’t do anything that would actually harm her. Now she’s fine, and I am in trouble.
“What-” I started, but the guard cut me off.
“Stop asking questions!”
I remained silent afterwards.
We got to the throne room, and echos erupted as I was taken inside.
“Murderer!”
“Killer!”
“Shame!”
Oh, no.
The Alpha King was seated on his throne. His beta and gamma by his side. And almost all the pack members, if not all, there to witness.
I was forced to kneel before the Alpha King, and a man I had never seen before appeared before me.
“Starlette Cromwell ” The man started, staring intently at me. “You have been accused of the attempted murder of Lauren Smith. Do you plead guilty or not?”
“I am not guilty.” My tone was surprisingly firm.
“Then, how do you explain the poisoned lemonade you gave to her?”
“A maid handed it to me, saying it was for Lauren. She informed me that Lauren asked her to bring the lemonade, but she urgently needed to use the restroom, hence giving me the lemonade to hold for her.” I raised my voice so that everyone present could hear. “I am innocent. I have never had the intention of killing anyone. I am not a murderer!”
Murmurs erupted in the hall, and a whistle was immediately blown, calling the people to order.
I looked at Maximus with desperate eyes, hoping he would believe. But he wouldn’t even look at me. He had not looked at me since I set foot in that hall.
“Who did you say gave you the lemonade?” He asked.
“A maid. I don’t know her name, but she’s a red head.” I told him.
“There were witnesses. A couple of the pack members were there when she gave me the lemonade.” I added.
“Indeed, there were witnesses. There are pack members who attested to you taking that drink from the maid before handing it over to Lauren.” He said, and a sense of relief washed over me.
“Perhaps-” the man walked behind me, and I trailed him with my eyes. He walked towards a stretcher, which I had not seen earlier when I was brought in, and stopped in front of it.
“Perhaps-” He continued as he slowly uncovered the white bedding that covered the stretcher. “Is this the maid?”
I gasped, startled, as I stared at what was beneath the white bedding. A dead body. The maid’s dead body. Oh, no.
Another round of chaos erupted in the room, and a whistle was blown to restore order.
When the hall was silent again, the man continued, repeating his question. “Is this the maid that passed you the lemonade?”
I nodded, tears stinging my eyes. “Yes.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
“You said the maid told you Lauren asked her to get the drink. But-” He strode towards me, his eyes focused on me.
“Lauren informed us that she never sent anyone.”
“I swear she-”
He cut me off. “There could be only one explanation to everything. You conspired with the maid to poison the drink, and afterwards, you killed the maid along with your secrets.”
“No. No. No.” I shook my head vigorously in protest. “I was locked away in the dungeon. How could I have killed the maid?”
“You have accomplices. And we’ll root them all out.”
It didn’t even make sense. Nothing made sense. I turned to the Alpha for his interference, but he still wasn’t looking at me. Tom also. Beta Kade’s eyes were on me, but averted his gaze immediately I looked at him. My mate projected that he cared about my safety and had been trying to please me for a while now. But just when everything went south, when I needed him the most, he forsook me. I hate him now more than ever.
What do I do? How do I prove my innocence? My world was crumbling before me. I was being accused of what I didn’t do, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“According to the laws of this pack, an eye for an eye. Whoever kills one of us, or even attempts to, would meet the same fate.” He turned to the Alpha King. “I ask that Starlette be killed publicly as she-”
“No!” Maximus growled so loudly that I could feel the room vibrating. “There’s no evidence yet.”
“But what other evidence-”
“Return her to the dungeon until a thorough investigation is done!” The Alpha King interjected.