Chapter 3

Amelia

“You!” came Aunt Matilda's sinister growl. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“This is my home.” I took a step further and she held the door closer.

“This is not your home, you witch!” Matilda screamed at me. There was hatred in her voice but I could not ignore the fear in her eyes.

Her pupils dilated and lips trembled as she spoke.

“Get out! Witches are not welcome here.” I heaved a sigh, still climbing up the stairs to the porch.

“I don't have time for this. Where is father?”

Matilda slammed the door behind her and stepped forward.

“Your father is not available for you to kill, Amelia. Get out!”

“What?” I was stunned by her words.

“Get out of here before I call the Royal Guards!” she started screaming now, gaining the attention of our neighbors.

“This is my home!” I stomped my foot and instantly regretted it as pain shot up my leg.

“It is not!” She pointed outside. “You belong in caves like the witch you are!”

Now, our neighbors were gathering around. And the whispers, oh the whispers I hated, filled the air. Echoing through the wind like fluttering wings of birds.

Frustrated and heartbroken, I turned away from the house. I had expected the cold welcome but not to this extent. Now, I officially don't have a house nor do I belong anymore.

“Two silver coins for last night's highlights!” A man selling newspapers called out, waving the papers in midair. “Get the scoop of last night's mating ceremony!”

Last night's ceremony flashed through my mind and tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. I bit my lip so I wouldn't cry but my eyes betrayed me and the tears fell.

“Alpha Damien chose Freya Moon as his mate.” A girl giggled to her friend.

That's right. Damien.

Wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my gown, I made my way to the packed house. Before he will meet death's cold embrace, he will explain to me why he rejected me.

At first when I arrived, the guards turned me away. When I resisted, they pointed their swords at me, threatening to kill me until Damien gave the order to let me in.

None of the maids batted an eye or offered clean clothes as I walked in. Some of them had their eyes glued to the marble floor, their body shaking in fear, the others were nonchalant, staring defiantly at me as I looked at them. On my own, I invited my way to Damien's chamber, crossing a red painted hall adorned with gold and regal portraits of the past Alpha's.

I caught Damien's scent when I approached the end of the hall. Another scent caught my nose and I knew he wasn't alone.

My fingers closed around the knob and a soft voice told me to come in. Rage filled my lungs and for a second, I almost breathed fire.

What was Freya doing in Damien's chambers?

“Are you going to stand there?” Damien's call came from behind the door.

“Let them be, darling. Let's enjoy ourselves.” Freya cooed and smooching sounds followed.

In anger, I threw the door open, careful enough not to look at them.

“You can lift your head. We're decent.” Damien said in a careless tome. My heart ached with jealousy and resentment as I looked at them.

“What are you doing here?” Freya shot up from the bed with an angry look on her face.

“I know I'm not here to see you.” I retorted her comment with a glare and she got off the bed, ready to attack.

Damien warned quietly. “Don't do anything stupid, Freya. Get back here.”

Freya ignored his words, her fingers growing claws.

“I'll see to it that your corpse is dragged out of here, witch!”

“Not if you're the one dying first,” I said in a challenging tone.

“Come on.” Freya yelled as she launched her fist at me.

Unfortunately, her swing was too slow. I grabbed her hand and turned my back to her. With one hand, I hurled her over my shoulder and she fell to the floor.

Damien said as he got off the bed and helped her to her feet.

“I told you not to fight her.”

Freya shrugged him off.

“Let go of me! All you did was watch as she humiliated me.”

Damien pinched the skin between his brows.

“I did warn you.”

“You should've listened to him, Freya.” I said with clenched fists.

“That's enough for you!” She hurled herself at me and I was quick to dodge.

“Alright! Break it up you two!” Damien got in between us. I opened my mouth to speak.

“But she- -”

A sharp pain shot up from my side and I looked down. Pool was pooling at the side of my stomach. It hurt more when I breathed.

A bloody sword slipped from Amelia's grip and she screamed in shock.

“Oh my God.” Damien's eyes circled in shock. “Freya, what did you do!”

Freya panicked.

“I didn't do anything. I only picked up the knife to scare her but she - - she got in the way!”

Damien put his arms around her trembling body.

“Don't panic. We'll find a way around this.” Their image blurred and I was losing balance.

“Just calm down.” Damien palmed circles on Freya's back. She looked at me, a sinister grin forming on her pink lips. It dawned on me. She did this on purpose.

They pulled away, staring at my weak form on the floor.

“She's bleeding all over the floor! What do we do?” Damien said in a panicked voice.

“I - don't know.” Freya began to sob.

My eyelids grew heavy and I struggled not to close them. But each time I breathed, I felt the stab wound expand and more blood seep out of me.

“She's dying, Damien.” Freya cupped his face in her hand.

“I know. I have eyes!” Damien pushes her hand away.

Pain lanced through my body as I exhaled. My strength waned by the second and soonest, I let the darkness win.

“She's dead!” Freya poked my cheek with a trembling finger.

“Oh no.” Damien's voice was muffled in my head.

“We need to get rid of the body.” Freya chimed in.

“But how?”

“We throw it in the river. No one will notice.” Freya suggested.

“That's a brilliant idea,” Damien said.

In my unconscious state, I panicked. I tried to move my fingers but my body was too weak to move. I felt warm hands hoist me off the floor and into a thick cloth. Oh no. They were wrapping me in the mattress.

When they were done, Freya said to Damien.

“Hey, don't panic. No one would notice she's gone. They think she killed herself.”

When Damien didn't say anything, she went on.

“Face it. No one wanted her. Not even you!”

Damien found his voice.

“You're right. Tonight when the whole pack is asleep, we'll dump the body in the river.”

And they did as planned.

I felt a cold wave slap against my skin as I was hurled into the air. The mattress slipped off me and I landed in the freezing deep.