Chapter 4

Aisha's POV I stood in front of the pack's court, my heart pounding against my ribs but I kept my chin high, refusing to let them break me. All through the night in the dungeon, I kept thinking what had led to all of this. I was happy one minute and thrown into the dungeon the next minute. Before me sat the council of elders, their faces lined with years of wisdom or, in this case, blind loyalty to the wrong people. At the center of them all was the current Alpha Derek, his sharp, scrutinizing eyes locked onto me like a predator sizing up prey. Beside him, Luna Zanya sat in silent judgment, her expression unreadable. I clenched my fists. This was the moment I had dreaded. "Aisha Monroe," Alpha Derek's deep voice echoed through the hall. "You stand accused of assaulting the future Alpha. How do you plead?" I lifted my gaze, despite the whirlwind of emotions surging inside me. "It was self-defense," I said firmly. "The future Alpha attacked me first. I had to protect myself." Murmurs rippled through the crowd, I could hear the disbelief as they stared. They couldn't believe I would speak up about his abuse first. But before I could say more, the large oak doors creaked open, and Jack sauntered in. My breath hitched at the sight of him, his golden hair perfectly styled, his blue eyes filled with feigned sorrow. He looked every bit the wounded victim. Lying bastard. "Alpha Derek," he began, his voice laced with practiced innocence. "I understand this must be hard to believe, but I need to tell you what really happened." I braced myself. He sighed dramatically. "Aisha misunderstood everything. When she arrived at her house last night, Lisa and I were waiting in the living room to speak with her. We wanted to explain our feelings and come clean about our love. But she—" He swallowed, lowering his head as if reliving some great pain. "She lost control. She attacked me in a jealous rage, clawing at me like a wild animal. I tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't listen." Gasps filled the courtroom. I stared at him in shock, my breath stolen by the sheer audacity of his lies. "You're lying!" I shouted, stepping forward. "I walked in on you two having sex! You didn't call me there to confess anything, you were gloating! You fucking liar." He shook his head, looking at me with pity. "I understand that it's hard to accept the truth, Aisha. But you have to let go." I felt sick. Alpha Derek studied me, his expression neutral but his gaze unwavering. "Do you have any proof to support your claim?" I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, another voice rang out. "My daughter and I would also like to say something," my stepmother interjected smoothly, stepping forward with Lisa by her side. I stiffened. She turned to the council, her expression filled with well-crafted concern. "Aisha has always been… unstable," she said, her voice laced with fake sadness. "She has never handled rejection well. I believe, deep down, she convinced herself that she was Jack's mate, even when he made no such promise to her." "You liar!" I snarled. Lisa, standing next to her, smirked before schooling her features into one of perfect innocence. "I was there, too," she said. "Aisha stormed in, furious, and attacked Jack. We begged her to stop, but she wouldn't listen. If he hadn't taken the brunt of it, she would have turned to me." A cruel silence fell upon the room. I searched the faces of the elders, hoping, praying that someone would see through the deception. But doubt clouded their eyes. The weight of my stepmother's words settled over them like a heavy fog, suffocating reason and truth. Alpha Derek exhaled through his nose, his patience thinning. "Enough," he said. "The evidence is clear." No. No, it wasn't! "Aisha Monroe, for the crime of attacking the future Alpha, you are sentenced to five years in the dungeons," he declared. I felt the world tilt beneath my feet. My knees nearly buckled, but I forced myself to remain standing. "You can't do this!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "I am innocent!" He didn't even flinch. "Take her away." Two guards stepped forward and grabbed me by the arms. I thrashed, but they held me firm. Jack gave me one last glance, his lips curling slightly before he turned away. Lisa rested a hand on his arm, tilting her head at him in a way that made my stomach churn. And my stepmother? She smiled. As they dragged me away, I shouted one last thing, my voice ringing through the courtroom. "I will never forgive you!" The dungeon halls were cold and damp, the air thick with the stench of mildew and decay. The sound of dripping water echoed in the silence as the guards led me toward my cell. My hands were bound, my wrists raw from the rough rope. As we passed a dimly lit corridor, I heard voices, they were low, hushed whispers that sent a shiver down my spine. My steps slowed, and I strained to listen. "Did you pay the guards?" Lisa's voice. "Of course," my stepmother responded. "Aisha won't last a week down here. The conditions will break her, and if they don't, the prisoners will." A cruel chuckle followed. "Good," Lisa said. "Once she's gone, all of her father's assets will be ours." Something inside me snapped. I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. They planned to kill me. Not just imprison me, kill me. Hatred surged through my veins, burning away the despair that had threatened to consume me. They thought they had won. That I would rot in this dungeon, alone and helpless. They were wrong. I gritted my teeth and whispered under my breath, a promise sealed with fire. "I will survive. And when I get out of here, I will make you all pay."