Oliviaโs POV
I could see the hate, the anger, in the eyes of the pack members. They all had one wish in their eyes: for me to be punishedโfor a crime I didnโt even commit. It was strange, so strange. All I did was shove Anita out of my way when she refused to let me pass. It wasnโt even a hard push, nothing that would send someone to the ground. But Anita threw herself to the floor, hitting her stomach on the arm of a chair. That was how it happened.
The next thing I saw was blood trailing down her thighs. And now, I just heard she was pregnantโbut lost the pregnancy just like that? How?
My mother stepped forward, pressing her palms together in a pleading gesture as she faced the triplets. โI beg of you, believe meโOlivia didnโt push her that hard. She didnโt even know Anita was pregnant,โ she said, her voice trembling with desperation.
โReally?โ Anitaโs mother strode forward, eyes burning with anger. โAre you saying my daughter threw herself to the floor? That she caused her own miscarriage?โ
Motherโs expression darkened. โWe are both mothers. We have carried children in our wombs. You know as well as I do that a simple fall like that cannot cause a miscarriage.โ
Lennox growled at my mother, his patience thinning. โWhat are you saying?โ he asked, irritation clear in his voice.
Mother turned to him, her frown deepening. โWhat I am saying is that such a light fall shouldnโt have caused a miscarriage. Something else caused this miscarriage, not my daughter.โ
A wave of anger surged through the crowd. โHow dare you!โ one woman hissed, stepping forward. โAre you calling Lady Anita a liar?โ
โSheโs blaming the victim!โ another man snarled. โHow shameless!โ
โYour daughter pushed a pregnant woman!โ someone shouted. โAnd now sheโs trying to deny it?โ
โYou should be ashamed!โ an elder spat at my mother. โYour daughter is nothing but a murderer!โ
โShe should be punished!โ another voice called from the back.
โLock her up!โ an elder demanded.
โThrow her in the cells where she belongs!โ another snarled.
The crowd grew more restless, their voices rising in anger, their faces twisted with rage and disgust. My mother tried to speak, but no one would listen. The insults continued to pour in, a storm of hatred crashing down on us. These were people who once adored us, people my mother had treated while working in the pack hospital, people my father fought for and protected, and today, they were all screaming for me to be punishedโfor a crime I didnโt commit.
โEnough!โ Leviโs voice boomed through the hall, silencing the pack. His eyes were dark, filled with restrained anger. Lennoxโs jaw was clenched, and Louis stood with his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But I could see the way his fingers tightened over his biceps, as if holding himself back.
Louis turned to the guards standing by the entrance. โTake her to the cells.โ
My breath caught in my throat. โWhat?โ
The murmurs in the crowd turned into cheers of approval.
โYou canโt do this!โ My mother gasped, stepping forward. โYou know my daughter isnโt at fault!โ
โWe will investigate,โ Lennox said coldly. โUntil then, Olivia will remain in the cells.โ
The guards moved toward me. I took a step back, my heart pounding against my ribs. โNoโโ
Rough hands grabbed my arms, yanking me forward.
โMother!โ I cried, my voice breaking.
She rushed toward me, but a warrior stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
โLet her go!โ she screamed, desperation in her voice.
โTake her away,โ Louis ordered.
The guards dragged me toward the exit, their grips like iron. My motherโs cries echoed behind me as she struggled to get to me.
As I was being taken to the cell, my wolf growled inside me, urging me to shift and tear the guards apart, but I chose not to do it. I was already in big trouble; attacking the guards would worsen my situation.
The guards dragged me down the hallway. My wolf growled inside me, begging me to fight back.
โLet me out. Let me tear them apart,โ she urged.
But I couldnโt. Fighting would only make things worse.
We reached the underground prison beneath the pack house. It was cold, damp, and smelled like mold. One of the guards yanked open a heavy iron door, and before I could react, they shoved me inside. I stumbled forward but caught myself before hitting the filthy stone floor.
Clang! The cell door slammed shut behind me. Laughter echoed from the corner. I turned and saw a woman sitting on a small cot, smirking at me. She leaned forward, her eyes filled with amusement.
โWell, well, well,โ she said. โLook who it is.โ
I didnโt reply. My heart was still racing.
โIsnโt that Olivia?โ she mocked. โOur dear Luna?โ
More laughter came from the nearby cells.
โThe mighty Luna,โ someone sneered. โLocked up like a common criminal. How sad.โ
The woman in my cell grinned. โSo, what did you do? Kill someone? Betray the pack?โ She asked, tilting her head.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay quiet. I wouldnโt let them see how much this hurtโhow much it hurt that my pack had done this to me, that my mates had thrown me in here without a second thought.
The woman sighed. โOh, ignoring me? Thatโs fine. Youโre stuck here now. Might as well get comfortable.โ
I turned my back to her, closing my eyes. This was never how I imagined my lifeโto be accused and thrown into a cell, and my mates, the same men the Moon Goddess deemed fit to be my mates, sent me here without a second thought.
For hours, I remained on the cold floor of the cell, my mind blank. My three other cellmates kept taunting me, but I ignored them and remained where I sat.
Hours passed, and it was night. The guards came with four plates of food and shoved each to us. It was an unhealthy meal, but the three other women picked theirs up and began eating. Mine was left untouched.
โDear Luna, arenโt you eating? Or do you want us to set a table for you?โ one of the prisoners, a lady in her early thirties, teased.
I sighed. โYou can have it, Iโm not hungry,โ I said, and immediately, the three women rushed to the plate of food and began fighting each other for it.
I curled up in the corner of my cell, shutting my eyes against the dim flickering light from the hallway. The cold seeped into my bones, but I didnโt move. My stomach twisted in hunger, but I still couldnโt bring myself to eat.
The sounds of the other women fighting over the food slowly died down, replaced by their quiet murmurs. Time dragged on. I didnโt know how many hours passed, only that my body ached from the hard floor.
Then, footsteps echoed in the corridor. I lifted my head slightly as the iron door creaked open. Three guards stepped in, their faces shadowed under the dim light. The other women in my cell immediately perked up, their taunts and hostility toward me vanishing in an instant.
One of the guards, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, leaned against the bars. โMissed us?โ he said, smirking at the women in my cell.
The one who had mocked me earlierโMarla, I thought her name wasโstood and stretched, arching her back like a cat. โYou took too long,โ she purred, walking toward him.
The other two women giggled, moving to their own guards. I stiffened. But before I understood what was happening, the guards started kissing the ladies, and the ladies responded eagerly.
I scowled. โWhat the hell is going on here?โ
Marla turned and looked my way with a grin. โSit tight, Luna, and enjoy the scene, or you can as well go to sleep.โ She smirked and went down on her knees, beginning to unbuckle the guardโs belt.