Chapter 12
They were of me, in my wolf form, entangled with different wolves – with passion. Each image was a violation, a distortion of the sacred bond of the pack.
“Look at the Alpha,” a snarl ripped through the air. “Seducing our warriors, defiling the traditions! It’s clear, isn’t it? A leader raised without the guidance of true Alphas is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“No wonder whispers of weakness plagued the pack. She clawed her way to the top, using her… influence. The blood of the true Alpha runs thin.”
“We were wondering how she managed to lead her fragile pack after her father’s death. The truth is revealed now. She managed it by sleeping with the werewolves of rival packs.”
“Th–That’s not me,” a low growl left my lips, but no one heard that. Another one continued, “No wonder the rumours are circulating that she managed the seat in the Lunar University for further training of Alpha’s position by sleeping with the directors.”
“Let me correct you, Alpha Daisy. It’s not a rumor. It must be true. We all can see how she is, can’t we?”
“You are right, Alpha Dimitri! Just watch her dress. Purposely revealing her chest before everyone. Who wears a wet dress in her own banquet if not for getting attention from male wolves?”
Taking advantage of the situation, many werewolves who were not on good terms with me came front, spilling mud at me and pointing me out for what so deed I had never done in my life. Some even claimed that I tried to seduce them even at the banquet.
“The Alpha’s bloodline is tainted! They let their daughter run wild. She has become a wh*re, satisfying male wolves in their bed, a disgrace to the pack!”
I had heard the whispers before, twice in my previous life. Once, at my naming ceremony. Dylan, who had proposed to me for marriage, rejected me before the entire pack, choosing instead Amy, whose scent clung to him like a curse. The shame nearly broke my grandmother, the old Luna. It made me, and the pack, a laughingstock amongst the neighboring territories. My grandmother couldn’t take the shame and instantly died of heartache. The second time, at my… passing. Before my body even shifted into its final resting wolf form, Marcus, my husband, was howling his claim on Amy, the she–wolf
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he’d coveted, right there in the clearing where I lay. It made my life, and my death, look like a cruel joke.
The memory clawed at me, a phantom pain.
Recalling my past life, I turned to my grandmother, who was struggling to breathe, her eyes red–rimmed as she gazed at the distorted images displayed on the sacred pool. I glanced at my grandmother, her fur bristling, her eyes burning with a tormented grief as she stared at the people pointing fingers at
- me.
“My Bella, she would never engage in such shameful behavior!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with rage and sorrow.
I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. “Grandmother, don’t worry. These images are fake. I would never dishonor our pack or our family in such a way.”
But my grandmother’s anger and hurt only intensified. “Who could have done such a thing? Who would dare to slander our family’s name?”
I gritted my teeth, my mind racing with possibilities. Amy, Dylan and Marcus, were all suspects, but I needed proof.
Just then, Amy stepped forward, a smug smile spreading across her face. “I think we all know who’s behind these images. Bella’s own actions have brought shame to our pack. She’s always been reckless and impulsive, and now she’s paying the price.”
“A–Amy, my granddaughter raised you for this?” My grandmother barely said, her heart beating faster in rage, “Out of all the people, how can you, her best friend, point fingers at Bella?*
“She is a characterless woman who can sleep with anyone if they do something beneficial for her. I’m her best friend, that’s why I know her better than everyone.” Amy added, causing the shock to my grandmother.
My grandmother’s eyes flashed with anger, and she took another step forward. “You’re going to pay for your deceit, Amy. You’re going to pay for betraying our trust.”
Tears streamed down her wrinkled face, not just for me, but for the shattered illusion of loyalty she had so fiercely cherished. “Amy… how could you?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
I knelt beside my grandmother, my own anger momentarily forgotten in the face of her pain. “Grandmother,” I said softly, “don’t let her words hurt you.
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wwwwwww masion of loyalty she had so fiercely cherished, “Amy how cost wwwhispered, her voice barely audible,
Reset beside my grandmother, my own anger momentarily forgotten to She ace of her pain. “Grandmother,” I said softly, “don’t let her words hurt you
They are lies, bom of jealousy and spite.”
Tooked at my grandmother, her eyes filled with worry and pain, I gave her a reassuring smile. “Grandmother,” I said, “I will find the truth. I will expose those who are trying to destroy me. And I will restore our pack’s honor. Please, don’t worry.”
Seeing that she was not in a good state, my heart skipped a beat, and I begged the pack members around me to help me get Luna to the Pack’s infirmary. But they all retreated, their eyes filled with disgust, whispering about those pictures and how I was surely tainted.
Finally, two figures emerged from the crowd. Dylan, ever steady, shifted into his wolf form, offering his broad back. Marcus, his face grim, helped me carefully lift grandmother onto Marcus’s back. We hurried through the shadowed forest, the scent of damp earth and pine needles thick in the air.
“By the Moon Goddess, you came just in time,” the elder healer, Elara murmured, her wrinkled face etched with worry. “Another hour, and the heartache would have claimed her.”
