Kamrynn’s POV
The sound sliced through the air, silencing the room. All eyes turned to me, wide with shock and confusion.
I stumbled into the Hall, my legs threatening to give out, but I forced myself to stand tall.
“Kamrynn?” Rmonica’s voice broke the silence, a mix of relief and alarm. She started to rise, but Alpha Orion placed a hand on her arm, holding her back.
“This marriage can’t happen! Shouldn’t happen. If it does, this Pack is doomed!” I warned, trying to catch my breath.
Kyven’s face twisted with anger. “What are you doing here?! Where’s the necklace you stole?”
Ignoring him, I pointed directly at Alpha Draven, my voice trembling but firm. “This man is a liar and a monster! He’s planning to use this ceremony to destroy your family!”
Gasps rippled through the crowd, the weight of my accusation hanging heavily in the air.
Alpha Draven stood slowly, his movements calm and measured, though his eyes glinted with malice.
“You have some nerve showing up here,” he said, his voice smooth and laced with vivid contempt. “What nonsense are you spewing now?”
“I’m not spewing nonsense!” I snapped, my fists clenched. “You’re going to use this ceremony to transfer your family’s curse to the Alpha and Luna of this Pack! You don’t care about your daughter or this Pack-you’re only trying to save yourself!”
Whispers erupted among the Pack members, their uncertainty evident.
Rmonica’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. “What?”
Draven sighed dramatically, shaking his head. “She’s clearly unwell,” he said, addressing the room. “She stole, disappeared and when she realized she couldn’t get very far, she came back with some story to avoid punishment. I’m not surprised she’s lashing out, she’s desperate.”
His words made me grit my teeth. “I-”
“That’s enough, Kamrynn!” Kyven interjected, stepping forward. “You’ve done and said enough. What’s wrong with you? Do you even have a heart? Can’t you understand that Thalia’s the one I love, not you? She’s my fated mate for crying out loud. Have a little dignity. Why can’t you stand to see me happy? You’re doing all of this to ruin our ceremony because you’re jealous!”
“Jealous?” I repeated incredulously. “You think I’d risk everything because of jealousy?”
Kyven’s jaw tightened, his gaze hard. “You’ve done nothing but cause trouble since the festival started.”
“Because I saw the truth!” I shouted. “And if you weren’t so blind, you’d see it too!”
Draven moved toward me, his presence oppressive as he loomed over me. “Enough, woman,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “I show no mercy to my enemies, I won’t let you disrupt my daughter’s big day with your petty schemes.”
I took a step back, my resolve wavering under his intense gaze, but I refused to falter.
“Everyone here deserves to know the truth about you, your evil plans for this Pack.” I said, my voice shaking but determined. “The Amethyst Pack has been cursed for generations, and now you’re trying to pass that curse onto this Pack. You’ve framed me for theft, kidnapped me, and you’re planning to kill the people I love just to save your own skin.”
Draven’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second, his smile fading as anger flickered in his eyes. But he quickly recovered, his lips curling into a cold smirk.
“Do you have proof, little bird?” he asked, his tone mocking.
I froze, my mind racing. I had no physical evidence, nothing tangible to back up my claims.
“She doesn’t,” Kyven said, stepping between me and Draven. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Kamrynn. You’ve taken this Pack’s generosity for granted. It’s time to face the consequences.”
“No!” I said, my voice cracking. “You have to listen to me! If you go through with this, Alpha Orion and Luna Rmonica will die!”
Rmonica rose to her feet, her voice cutting through the chaos. “Kamrynn, tell me the truth,” she said, her eyes searching mine. “Is what you’re saying real?”
I nodded frantically. “Yes! Luna, you have to believe me. Please.”
But before she could respond, Draven seized my arm, his grip like iron.
“That’s enough. There’s only one place for a criminal like you, in jail rotting.” He growled, his voice low and menacing.
“Let go of me!” I struggled, but his hold tightened.
“Take her away,” Draven ordered, his voice cold and final.
Two guards appeared at his command, moving to restrain me. I fought against them, my heart sinking as I realized my desperate attempt had failed.
As they dragged me from the Hall, my screams echoed behind me. “You have to stop him! He’s lying! Please, someone listen!”
But no one listened, they all looked at me like I was crazy, like I was nothing but a nuisance that needed to be discarded.
The guards’ grip was brutal as they pulled me along with them, my feet barely brushing the ground. My mind raced, frantic and desperate. I felt the cold, oppressive weight of the Ostracylle around my neck and knew it was my only chance. This device was proof of Draven’s evil scheme-a tangible artifact that could expose him. I just had to make them see it.
One of the guards yanked me roughly, and I stumbled, anger boiling in my veins. I refused to be a helpless victim. Summoning every ounce of strength, I threw my head back with all the force I could muster. My skull collided with the guard’s face, and a satisfying crunch followed.
“Argh!” he cried, clutching his shattered nose as blood poured down his face. His grip slackened, and I spun on my heel.
The other guard lunged to secure me, but I moved fast. I sank my teeth into his hand, ignoring the metallic taste of blood. He howled, releasing me as he stumbled backward.
I didn’t wait. Adrenaline propelled me forward, my heart pounding like a war drum. The hall blurred as I pushed through the throng of shocked onlookers, my singular goal clear: Rmonica. She was the only one who might believe me, the only one who could stop this madness.
“Rmonica!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. “Rmonica, please!”
“Kamrynn!” she gasped, her face etched with confusion as I collapsed in front of her, panting and trembling.
Before she could react, Alpha Orion’s commanding voice boomed from the dais. “Guards! Seize her! This chaos ends now!”
“No!” Rmonica stepped forward, her sharp tone cutting through the commotion. She placed herself between me and the approaching guards. “Orion, stand down. Let her speak.”
“She’s disrupting the ceremony!” Orion snapped, his expression thunderous. “This is unacceptable.”
“And you think dragging her off without hearing her out is the answer?” Rmonica shot back, her eyes blazing. “What are you so afraid of, Orion?”
Her words silenced him, and for a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath.
“Rmonica,” I gasped, clutching at the Ostracylle. “You have to believe me. This-this thing around my neck-it’s proof!”
She knelt beside me, her gaze softening. “What is it, Kamrynn?”
“It’s called an Ostracylle,” I said, my voice trembling. “It-it binds a wolf’s essence. It severs the connection between a wolf and their host. Aryna’s gone. I can’t feel her. I can’t shift. This… this is Alpha Draven’s doing!”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd, skeptical and confused.
“What nonsense is this?” Alpha Orion barked, his arms crossed. “A mere trinket cannot sever a wolf’s connection.”
“It’s not a trinket!” I shot back, my desperation spilling out. “Alpha Draven made this thing. He’s used it to control wolves-he’s been holding me captive ever since the pre-wedding party!”
The murmurs grew louder, filling the hall with a cacophony of disbelief.
“Control wolves?” someone scoffed.
“Ridiculous.”
“She’s lying.”
But then another voice chimed in, hesitant. “I’ve never seen anything like that around her neck before.”
“It doesn’t look like jewelry,” another murmured. “She could be telling the truth.”
Orion raised his hand for silence, his piercing gaze locking onto me. “If what you say is true, then prove it. Prove this Ostracylle is binding your wolf.”
“I can’t prove it on my own,” I admitted, panic creeping into my voice as my eyes searched the crowd for the one person they wouldn’t doubt. “But I know someone who can.”
Before Orion could respond, a figure stepped forward from the crowd. Marwynn, the witch who had unlocked Aryna, glided toward me with an air of authority. Her long, flowing robes swept the floor as she approached.
“Let me see,” she said, her voice calm yet commanding.
She crouched beside me, her fingers brushing the Ostracylle. A strange pulse of energy resonated from the device, and her expression darkened.
“Well?” Orion demanded, his skepticism clear.
Marwynn rose slowly, her gaze sweeping over the room. “She speaks the truth. This device-whatever it is-it’s binding her wolf. Severing their connection entirely.”
Gasps rippled through the room, the disbelief palpable.
“Impossible,” Orion muttered, his brow furrowing.
“It’s not impossible,” Marwynn said firmly. “This artifact is unlike anything I’ve encountered, but its power is undeniable. Kamrynn isn’t lying.”
Hope surged through me as her words sank in. At least some of them were starting to believe me.
“This doesn’t prove Alpha Draven did it,” Kyven interjected, his voice sharp and accusatory. “For all we know, she put it on herself to frame him, so she wouldn’t be punished for her crimes.”
My heart sank as Draven stepped forward, his expression calm and sorrowful.
“Kamrynn,” he said softly, shaking his head. “Why do you continue to tarnish my name? You’ve bullied my daughter, stolen from me and now these accusations? Haven’t you done enough?”
The crowd murmured their agreement, doubt creeping back into their eyes.
I clutched the Ostracylle tighter, my voice breaking. “Today is his 40th birthday! It’s his only chance to pass on the curse!”
Draven’s lips curled into a sad smile. “Yes,” he admitted, his tone heavy with grief. “Today is my birthday. But it’s not a celebration. It’s a reminder of what I’ve lost.”
He paused, his voice thick with emotion. “My Luna-my beloved mate-died on this very day years ago. Since then, I’ve found no joy in birthdays. Only grief.”
The crowd melted at his performance, their sympathy palpable.
“Poor man.”
“He’s suffered so much.”
“She’s heartless.”
My knees buckled as despair clawed at me. I had nothing left.
“Guards,” Orion commanded coldly, “take her to the dungeons. After the ceremony, she will face the punishment she deserves.”
The guards moved toward me, and I didn’t fight this time. What was the point? It was over.
Just as they reached me, a trembling voice broke through the chaos.
“Wait!”
All eyes turned to Thalia, her face pale and stricken.
“She’s telling the truth.”