Chapter 1
Alice
"It wasn't me!" My voice was already hoarse.
The cold marble floor bit into my knees.
I knelt in the center of the palace hall. Elder Allen's body lay less than three feet from me, his throat torn open, blood long since congealed into a sickening dark brown pattern on the floor.
The hall was packed. Those disgusted stares followed me like I was garbage, making it hard to breathe.
I clenched my teeth, fighting the fear that threatened to drown me. "I didn't kill the elder! I saw what happened—it was Victoria. She was with a Black Witch—"
"Silence!" Grand Elder Edwin shot to his feet, furious. "How dare you lie? Lady Victoria nearly died from poison trying to stop you! How much more will you slander her?"
"I'm not lying! Victoria's the murderer!" I forced my voice louder, desperate for everyone to hear.
I looked at the figure on the throne.
Cedric. My mate.
From the moment they dragged me in, he hadn't said a word. His expression was colder than I'd ever seen. I begged him to believe me, pleaded for him to at least investigate. "Cedric, you have to believe me. Please, I didn't kill Elder Allen..."
Whispers erupted through the crowd like a plague. I heard every curse, every ounce of disgust.
"Alice, that damned traitor—she doesn't deserve to be our queen!"
"Told you she was a cursed freak! That birthmark on her face is proof!"
"She murdered Elder Allen. Execute her now!"
The curses crashed over me like waves. Instinctively, I raised my hand to cover the birthmark that covered half my face, as if that could protect what little dignity I had left.
Because of this mark, my family never accepted me. They abused me and cursed me. Even after I became Cedric's mate, I couldn't escape the shadow it cast.
"Alice..." Victoria's weak voice cut through the hall. Instant silence.
I looked up stiffly to see Victoria being helped forward by two maids. Her face was paper-white, black blood staining the corners of her mouth, her pale dress covered in dark splotches.
"Why?" Her voice broke. Those green eyes looked at me, brimming with pain and confusion. "Why would you do this? You didn't just kill Elder Allen—why frame me too? I'm your sister."
I stared at her. This sister I'd grown up with, who showed everyone a soft, gentle face. But I knew what hid beneath that beautiful mask—pure poison.
Just this morning, I'd seen her talking to a Black Witch in a black robe. Then that witch used magic to kill Elder Allen. Now she stood here playing the victim, pinning everything on me.
"I didn't!" I couldn't hold back the rage anymore. "Victoria, what the hell are you trying to do? I saw you with that Black Witch in the meeting room killing—"
"Enough." The ice-cold voice came from the throne.
My breath stopped.
Cedric finally spoke.
He sat there, his chiseled face expressionless. The golden crown gleamed in the candlelight, making those deep eyes even colder.
"You're still lying." Each word was an ice pick stabbing into my heart. "A maid already testified that Victoria arrived after you. How long will you keep this up?"
My heart lurched. My wolf let out a pained howl, growing weaker because our mate didn't believe us.
"I'm not lying!" I shook my head desperately, tears blurring my vision. "Cedric, I'm your mate, the kingdom's Luna! And I'm carrying your child—why would I do this?"
I saw his fingers pause on the armrest. Just for a second.
But I felt it. He wavered. Hope flickered weakly in my chest—
"Cedric..." Victoria's voice shattered the brief silence.
My heart dropped. Dread washed over me. I knew whatever came next would drag me deeper. I tried to stop her. "Enough! Victoria! What other lies are you going to tell?"
She ignored me, eyes fixed on Cedric, voice breaking with tears. "Alice is my sister. I should defend her. But I... I can't just watch her spiral like this."
She glanced at me—like she was looking at a wayward child.
That damned actress.
Then she bit her lip, as if making a painful decision. Finally, she spoke. "The child she's carrying... isn't yours."
The world stopped. I heard my heartbeat—once, twice—like war drums pounding in my ears.
"What did you say?" Cedric's gaze sharpened. His fists clenched. Fury simmered in his voice.
"Victoria, what the hell are you talking about!" I was almost screaming. I wanted to lunge at her, demand why she was doing this.
"I noticed a while ago," Victoria said, not looking at me.
She clutched her chest, the picture of anguish.
"Alice and your beta, Marquis Caspar, often met alone.
Sometimes late at night... I didn't want to say anything publicly.
Alice is my sister, after all. But I can't deceive you—not about the royal bloodline. "
Gasps erupted around the hall, followed by even more vicious curses.
"Alice, that faithless whore—burn her at the stake!"
"Execute her!"
"Cedric! I never betrayed you, I swear!" I struggled to stand, but guards immediately shoved me back down. "Caspar was just a friend! We never met privately! Amy can vouch for me—the late-night meetings are lies! Everything Victoria said is a lie!"
Victoria immediately looked stricken. "Alice, Amy is your maid. Of course she'd cover for you. I'm only trying to keep you from making more mistakes..."
"Caspar?" When Cedric said the name, his voice was bone-cold. His eyes bored into me.
I met Cedric's stare, forcing myself to stay calm. I couldn't panic—that's exactly what Victoria wanted. I had to think.
Suddenly, a name flashed in my mind. Serena! The court witch. She could verify the child was Cedric's. I turned to him quickly. "Have Serena examine the baby! She can prove the child is yours! She'll clear my name!"
"Bring me," Cedric rose slowly, his towering shadow spreading across the floor, "the witch Serena."
Hearing Cedric's words, my tension finally eased. Once Serena examined me, she'd prove the baby was Cedric's. She'd clear my name—
I clung to this last thread of hope.
The wait felt like slow torture.
I watched Cedric. The distrust in his eyes broke my heart. I told myself over and over—don't be afraid. I didn't do those things. Serena would tell everyone the child was Cedric's.
Finally, White Witch Serena appeared. She wore white robes, silver-white hair falling to her waist, her aged but kind face wearing a gentle smile.
She'd healed countless sick children in the kingdom, never charging the poor. Everyone said she was the Moon Goddess incarnate, the kindest person alive. I should trust her.
"My queen," she approached, voice warm. "Please allow me to examine you."
"Please—" I choked out. "Please, tell them the truth..."
Her hand pressed against my swollen belly. A cool power seeped in—not painful like black magic, but soothing.
Minutes later, Serena looked up. But her expression was strange. Before I could process the complexity in her eyes, she quickly looked away.
"Your Majesty," she turned to Cedric, speaking slowly, "I have completed the examination. The child the queen carries is not yours."
My world collapsed. I stared at Serena in disbelief.
"You're lying!" I couldn't believe it. "Serena! Why are you lying about me!"
"I never had an inappropriate relationship with Caspar," I desperately tried to explain, but every word felt powerless now. "Cedric, you have to believe me! This is your child—our child!"
Cedric stood on the platform, looking down at me. His face was terrifyingly dark, jaw clenched, temple veins throbbing. Those eyes burned with rage—and something deeper.
Disappointment.
Disgust.
My wolf howled in my chest, in so much pain she was nearly dying—because our mate refused to believe us.
"Your Majesty!" The nobles clamored. "This woman has tainted the royal bloodline! She's disgraced the entire clan! Burn her at the stake, along with that bastard child!"
"She betrayed the Moon Goddess! Disgraced the entire royal family! She must die!"
The crowd echoed them. "Execute her! Execute her!" Each word stabbed like a knife.
"Enough." Cedric's sharp rebuke was ice-cold enough to freeze my blood.
Immediate silence. Everyone waited for his judgment. My heart shattered completely.
I collapsed to the floor in despair, tears falling uncontrollably. Cedric believed Victoria's lies. I should have known. He never believed me.
"I'll decide Alice's punishment myself," he paused, each word carving holes in my heart. "Lock her in the dungeon first."
"Cedric," tears streamed down my face. "I'm not lying. Please investigate more. Please..."
But he just turned his back on me. That tall figure was like an insurmountable wall, severing us completely.
Guards grabbed my arms roughly, hauling me up. I struggled to look back and saw Victoria leaning weakly beside the throne. When her eyes met mine, a flash of triumph gleamed in those green depths.
They threw me into the dungeon.
Dark. Cold. Reeking. I curled in the corner, hands clutching my belly. The baby was still there, still moving faintly.
But my heart was dead.
"Why," my wolf whimpered, "why won't he believe us..."
"Because he never loved us," I whispered, tears falling silently.
I still didn't understand why Serena lied. The child was clearly Cedric's. I never betrayed him.
My mind replayed this morning. Severe morning sickness—the doctor said mint could help, so I went to the garden. That's when I heard strange chanting from the meeting room. I quietly pushed the door open and saw Victoria with a woman in a black robe. They seemed to be talking.
And in front of them, lying in a pool of blood—Elder Allen! My heart seized. I wanted to leave, to tell Cedric everything. But I knocked over a vase at the door. They found me.
The woman in the black robe turned. She wore a terrifying mask.
I understood instantly—a Black Witch! I tried to run, but she was faster.
She dragged me into the room and tried to kill me.
But Victoria stopped her. She had the witch poison her instead, then started screaming for help, claiming I'd killed Elder Allen and hurt her.