Something snapped within Casey as she heard those words uttered by Alpha Trent, and for the first time, her large blue eyes were filled with the fire of anger. She squared up to Trent, pushing her sister to the side with a quick shove. "You can't do that, Trent."
"What can't I do?" Even though he was still very angry, there was now a slight amusement in his eyes at her audacity.
"You can't just rashly declare her—" she pointed angrily at her sister, "as your Luna."
"It's amusing that you think you decide what I can and can't do," Trent whispered menacingly, and everyone could feel the power in his voice, but Casey wasn't deterred.
"It's one thing to reject me," she snapped, "but it's another thing to declare my sister—my twin sister as Luna in my stead."
"So, what you're bothered about is the Luna title? Do you know you face trial for treason?" His voice dropped below a whisper, sending chills down Casey's spine. "Have you heard what I do to my traitors?"
Casey drew back to stare at her former mate, and again, tears clouded her vision. She knew how ruthless he could be – no, she had not witnessed his full ruthlessness; she had only heard rumours. Rumours of how cruel and unforgiving he was with his enemies, even members of the pack. Alpha Trent had been different around her, treating her with tenderness and love, and now, he was going to turn his ruthless side on her. Casey shivered, knowing she could not survive his ruthlessness.
"Trent, please—please don't do this," she whispered softly as tears continued to stream down her eyes. In the past, Trent would never stand to see her cry. He would have swept her into his arms at the barest sign of distress, smothering her with kisses and comforting her with his strong, masculine arms until he awakened passion in her, and then they would have moved over to sessions of passionate, tender lovemaking.
It was not Trent who walked up to her; it was her sister. Macey laid a hand on her sister's shoulder. To every other eye in the council chambers, Macey was comforting her, but Casey knew better.
"Do you feel bad that you rashly decided to make that wolf-binding vow, dear sister?" Macey whispered, as Casey's eyes filled again with fresh tears. "Well, here's a little something to make you feel even worse," her sister continued in a low, sugary whisper. "I was the one who poisoned the Alpha, a little slip of rose dust in the plate I knew you would use to serve him food. You see, my dear twin sister, I had all this planned from the beginning. And now, you cannot tell him what you know. Heck. You've already accepted the allegations laid against you, and a good thing too, or you would lose your wolf to the wolf-binding vow."
"Why are you doing this?" Casey forced herself to look into the cold, beautiful eyes of her sister, the same shade as hers.
Macey shrugged, suddenly looking bored. "Because I can." A glint of evil mischief entered her eyes then. "You should also know I plan to kill the Alpha, as soon as I give birth to his child, to seal my place as Luna."
"No!" Casey snapped in shock and anguish. All eyes turned to fix on them. "Please don't—don't hurt him. I love him," she pleaded.
Macey shrugged. "Too late." She left her sister to walk over to Alpha Trent. She did not touch him, but she stood close enough to emphasize her position as the new Luna, a contented smile on her face.
Casey tried to draw in several calming breaths as she watched the betas close in on her, probably deciding that she was of no use to the Alpha any more, and it was left for them to deal with her as the traitor they thought she was. She thought of Alpha Trent, of all the loving moments she had spent with him. She was carrying his child for the moon's sake! Casey realized that she could not let her evil sister harm Trent. She had to speak the truth, even if it cost her her wolf.
"Wait! I deny the allegations."
The room went deathly silent, and all eyes turned to look at Casey, including Alpha Trent's. She walked up to meet him again, and tried to fling herself into his arms, but he stepped away, breaking her heart even more.
"I deny the allegations," she said again, swiping at her tears. "My twin sister made me make a wolf-binding vow to accept all allegations if she lays them on me, in exchange for helping you get better. I did it because I love you, Trent. I did not try to poison you, neither have I ever slept with any other man apart from you, but she—Macey, she is the one who poisoned you, and she's planning to kill you."
A bitter smile curved Trent's lips" "So not only are you a traitor, you've started concocting wild lies. How on earth would your sister have access to me if indeed she was the one that made me better?"
Casey opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She saw at that moment that no matter what she said, Trent would not believe her. He had already made up his mind that she was guilty, and nothing was going to change that. She had lost her wolf for nothing.
Just when she thought she could not feel any more pain, Casey felt her heart shatter into a million more pieces. She had sacrificed her wolf just so she could tell him the truth because she loved him, and he did not even believe her.
Somewhere from within her, Casey felt a powerful anger rise up, even as she felt the pain of her wolf being snatched away from within.
"Alpha Trent of Redmoon," she said softly, but the entire room could hear the anger in her voice. "I promise you would regret not believing me. I, Casey, I would make sure you regret it."