A Gift from the Goddess by Dawn Rosewood novel Chapter 5

The cells were cold, damp and dingy, with little amenities. Only a bed, toilet and basin were given to me, a single blanket being the only thing to warm myself. There was minimal space, each cell having three stone walls and bars along the wall where the door was.

 Seven days had now passed and so today, finally, I was set to stand trial before the pack for my alleged murder. I knew the evidence was stacked against me. In fact, it would be almost impossible for me to win this. The only hope I had left was that Sophie was still alive. If she could testify saying she had witnessed firsthand how I’d been inside my chambers all week, therefore making it impossible to have poisoned Thea, then they would be forced to open the floor to the possibility I was not the culprit.

 “Get up,” a guard gruffly ordered from outside my cell.

 I recognised him. His name was James and I had visited his family on multiple occasions on behalf of the ranked members over the years.

 Shakily, I stood up per his request, having not eaten properly the whole week from stress, and made my way to the side.

 James came in and pushed me up against the stone wall, forcing me to wince from the pain. But I knew the bruises would just blend in with the others I’d received already. Due to anxiety and lack of food, my injuries were not healing as quickly as a werewolf normally would.

 “Will Sophie be at the trial?” I asked once he had shoved me out of the cell.

 He didn’t reply, instead choosing to remain completely silent as he continued to push me towards the exit. I couldn’t tell if he had been instructed not to talk to me, or if he just genuinely hated me now.

 We were walking past the other cells and, as we did so, my eyes checked each one through the bars, desperately searching for Sophie. I needed her to be there. I needed her to prove me innocent.

 However, once we passed the fifth cell, my eyes glanced across a man with familiar silver hair.

 “Father!” I cried out, struggling to move towards him against the strength of James.

 “Aria?!” he gasped. “What are you doing down here?”

 I struggled some more against James, but his grip was far stronger than mine. He kept trying to shove me towards the door and I realised that I was not going to be able to win this by strength alone.

 “James! Please!” I begged, turning as best I could to face him. “If I die today then please let me talk to my father one last time. I know you may not believe me but I truly didn’t hurt anyone and I would especially never hurt a baby. If I am wrongly executed today then please don’t deprive me of my last chance to say goodbye.”

 James’ face was stern, trying to be unreadable, but I could see the uneasiness in his eyes. His jaw clenched as he stared down at me.

 “Please… James. I was there at your wedding… I was with your mate when she gave birth to your child! Please just grant me five minutes to say goodbye. Please.” Tears began to well up in my eyes. “Please… Please… Please just give me this one thing. I promise to cooperate fully on the way to the trial grounds after.”

 James still looked conflicted but he finally gave me a stiff nod in agreement. I sighed in relief, eternally grateful for his compassion. “Thank you, James, thank you so much.”

 I rushed to my father’s cell who was already waiting for me at the bars, his expression holding a mixture of horror and disbelief.

 “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you out,” I cried to him. “I wanted to, really I did, but I knew it would be impossible with the security measures in place.”

 “Shhh, don’t be ridiculous. I knew that there wasn’t anything you could do,” he soothed. “I’m grateful you didn’t try to rescue me. I accepted the consequences and knew what I was doing. But why are you down here anyway? Did you say that you’re on the way to the trial grounds? What’s happened?”

 I grimaced at the thought.

 “It was Thea’s baby,” I said. “They all think I poisoned her with some sort of herb to induce a miscarriage.”

 “What?! Thea lost the child? But that’s insane! Why would they accuse you?”

 “Isn’t it obvious?” I smiled bitterly. “Of course everyone is going to point fingers to the scorned mate of the Alpha. They searched my room too. They apparently found the herb in question under my bed, even though I’d never seen it before in my life. I have no idea how it was planted there.”