Chapter 2

Emma's POV

The dungeon had become my personal hell—a dark, damp hell where time crawled and every second bled into the next. A week of unrelenting torment, and I had no idea how I was still breathing. Maybe that was the cruelest part—the fact that death wouldn’t come no matter how much I begged for it.

They beat me, stabbed me, burned me, and filled me with wolfsbane and silver until my entire body felt like one big open wound. Every breath hurt, every movement was agony. My muscles screamed, my skin burned, and my mind raced with one desperate question: Why won’t anyone believe me?

I wasn’t a murderer.

But no one cared. Least of all Alpha Damon.

The door to the dungeon creaked open, and I flinched instinctively, pressing my broken body against the cold stone wall. My chains rattled, betraying my fear. When Alpha Damon stepped inside with his beta, John, trailing behind him, my pulse skyrocketed. My breath hitched. His presence radiated fury, and I already knew what he was here for.

“So,” Damon began, his voice cold enough to freeze my blood. “She’s still denying it.”

“Still denying it,” John confirmed, glaring at me with so much hatred.

I scrambled back, trembling. “Alpha, please... I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t do it. I didn’t—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Damon roared angrily. “Andrea told me everything. She said you were obsessed with me—jealous of Camila because you couldn’t stand to see her with me. You killed her because you’re a pathetic, crazy little runt.”

“No! I swear! I didn’t kill her!” My voice broke as I cried. “Yes, I loved you, and yes, I wanted to be your mate, but I didn’t kill Camila! Please, Alpha, believe me!”

Damon’s glare sharpened, and my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. I didn’t know what hurt more—the disgust in his eyes or the fact that he wouldn’t even try to believe me.

“Andrea!” Damon barked, and my breath caught when she walked in. My best friend—my only friend—stepped into the dungeon with an expression so cold, it was like I didn’t even know her.

“Tell her what you told me,” Alpha Damon demanded sharply.

Andrea’s gaze turned hard as she looked at me. “You told me you hated the idea of Camila as Luna,” she said without hesitation. “You said you wished she would disappear. And then you killed her.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. “Andrea…” My voice was barely a whisper. “How could you say that? You know I didn’t—”

“You’re a murderer, Emma!” She cut me off sharply. “I should’ve known better than to trust you. You’re nothing but a wolf-less omega runt.”

Her betrayal was like a dagger straight to my heart. I stared at her, speechless, as tears streamed down my face. Andrea—the one person I thought would stand by me—had turned her back on me.

“I regret ever being your friend,” she spat before walking out, leaving me shattered in her wake.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Deep down, I knew I didn’t really know Andrea. She’d only been in the pack for a year, and she always avoided talking about her past. Still, I’d trusted her. I thought she cared. But now… now I was alone.

Damon crouched down in front of me, his intense gaze burning into mine. “You really thought someone like me would ever look at someone like you?” he sneered. “Is that why you killed her? Because you couldn’t handle the fact that I would never want you?”

“I didn’t…” My voice cracked. “I didn’t do it.”

His expression twisted in fury. “You were there, Emma! The knife had your DNA! Her blood was all over you! How fucking stupid do you think I am?” He lunged forward, grabbing the chain around my neck and yanking me closer. “You’re a murderer. A liar. A fucking disgrace.”

His words cut deeper than any wound, but when he let go, his beta took over, raining kicks down on me as I cried out in pain. “Confess!” John shouted. “Admit what you did!”

“I’m… innocent… Alpha…” I managed to choke out between sobs. “Please…”

Damon motioned for John to stop and pulled out a flaying knife from his pocket. He held it up, the blade gleaming in the dark. My heart stopped.

“Tell me the truth right now, or I swear I’ll make you regret every second you’ve lived.”

I couldn’t even find the words. All I could do was tremble as John held me in place.

“Please…” I whispered, barely able to breathe. “I didn’t…”

Damon’s face darkened. Without another word, he plunged the knife into my chest. The pain was unbearable—fire spreading through my body as he twisted the blade and dragged it down, splitting flesh and spilling blood. I screamed until my throat was raw, and tears streamed down my face.

“Just kill me already!” I cried out. “Please… just do it…”

Damon leaned closer. “Not until you confess, you worthless witch.”

I looked into his eyes, searching for even a sliver of the boy I used to know, but all I saw was hatred. My heart broke all over again. How could he do this to me? How could someone I loved so deeply be so cruel?

“You ruined everything,” Damon hissed. “You ruined my life. You ruined this pack.”

“I didn’t…” I tried to speak, but my voice failed me.

“Alpha!” Someone’s voice interrupted. “Alpha Lance is here.”

Damon hesitated, tension tightening his jaw. With a sharp hiss, he yanked the knife out, the motion tearing more of me apart. Blood gushed from the wound as I collapsed, barely conscious.

“I’ll deal with you later, you bitch,” he spat before storming out with John.

I lay on the cold, blood-soaked floor, trembling and choking on sobs. My body felt broken, but it was my heart that hurt the most. How could the moon goddess let this happen to me? Hadn’t I suffered enough? Why had she abandoned me?

I hated Damon. I hated the pack. I hated everything.

And for the first time in my life, I hated the moon goddess.

Tears blurred my vision as I whispered a final prayer, hoping this would be the end. Let me die. Let this nightmare be over.

But even that small mercy wouldn’t come. Darkness swallowed me whole, leaving me to wonder how much more I could endure.