~JADE~

"What the fuck is this about?" Hunter all but growled as he shoved me into what I presume must be a small office in the council hall. The sound of the door slamming shut behind us enhanced the threat in his growl in this tiny space.

I couldn't even bear to harbour shame with the way he had dragged me from where I stood before the elders and across the hall into this tiny room. It remains unfathomable to me how easy it was for him to change from a loving and doting mate to this man who cannot even stand the sight of me. Not one iota of respect did he think to grant me, almost as if I was never worth a thing to him.

"I have a few questions."

"If this is another plot of yours to gaslight me with your words or to beg, save your breath." Hunter snapped.

"It is neither of the two; I want you to answer my questions honestly. All I need to know is the truth, and once I hear the truth from your mouth, I'll accept your rejection like you wanted before we step back out there, as long as you are honest." I replied, meeting his questioning gaze, and from the look in his eyes, I knew he barely trusted any word that came from my mouth.

This was a man who once treated me like I was made from the finest of gold, a man who told me that my past shouldn't determine who I am or who I ought to be. Yet I look into the eyes of my first love, the eyes of the first person I ever allowed myself to love, and all I see is doubt and his extreme repugnance towards me.

"Ask your questions, and be quick with them." He sneered down at me in such a condescending voice that made me coil into myself.

"A few days ago, you said, 'I should have known better than to trust or love another Dimaano daughter.' What did you mean by that statement?" I asked him, swallowing through the lump that had begun to form in my throat.

"What do you think it means? It is exactly as I said; why do you need an explanation? Whatever it means won't prove your innocence or free your guilty conscience."

"You are right; it may not do anything of the sort, but I need to know because Arya said some words and I..." I paused, an aching slowly building in my chest, crawling up my throat.

'Ask him; we need this. We deserve this closure, at the very least. Don't choke up now.' Levana mumbled in a trembling voice, and I could tell even she felt my pain, just as raw and cold as it felt for me.

"She told me she had been preparing for the role of Luna all her life; she said she worked so hard for it, only for me to come and steal what was hers. At first, I thought to pass it off as just a hurt sister who would say anything to hurt me, but then I remembered the words you said." I took in a few deep breaths as my eyes clenched closed for a moment, and my breathing quickened.

I threw my head back as I fought against the tears welling in my eyes and the pain in my chest that crawled up my throat, wrapping around my lungs in a vice. "Were you in a relationship with Arya before I returned to the pack?" I reeled my head forward as I asked.

Silence stretched between us as Hunter refused to answer my question. "I need the truth, Hunter. It doesn't matter if it will hurt me; I am already in pain. I've been in pain for the past week. Nothing else can hurt me more than I already am." I lied because everything still hurt, and I knew the truth that was about to leave his lips would only hurt me more.

"Yes, we were, but what does it matter now anyway." He finally answered, his voice rigid like a stone wall and his face void of emotion.

I nodded. "Were you in love with her? Did you love her?" I asked. I have no idea why that is important now, but for some reason, I needed to know, maybe to console myself with a lie that Hunter loved me more than her. Perhaps I just craved the pain that came from his truth.

"What does it matter? It was a long time ago." Hunter snapped. He put a little distance between us as he walked away from me.

"Please answer me, Hunter; were you in love with my sister?" I asked in a trembling voice, and Hunter turned to face me. Seconds stretched into minutes as he remained silent, his eyes never leaving mine.

He stared at me, his gaze unflinching, like he was searching for something in my eyes. Whatever it was, I refused to give him the satisfaction of finding it so hardened my expression, yet I couldn't push back the stinging tears in the back of my eyes that threatened to spill.

"At the time, I was." He let out a sigh, breathing heavily.

"She was your first love?" I muttered, and he nodded.

"How long were you two together?"

"From when we were fifteen."

"Did you break up with her because of me? Was it because of my return to the pack and you found out I was your mate? Is that why you left her?"

"No. I broke up with her because she cheated; it wasn't her first time, and I was tired of putting up with all her lies and gaslighting." I closed my eyes briefly to suck in a shaky breath. I wasn't sure if my exhale was out of relief or just the fact that I had already accepted defeat.

"How long were you separated before I came back?" I asked, and despite how much it pained me to know the answers to these questions, I asked them nonetheless.

"A month. Arya and I had been separated for a month."

"And everyone knew of your relationship? My parents, your parents, the entire pack?"

"Yes," Hunter replied, avoiding my gaze.

A laugh erupted out of me at his confession. "Yet no one thought to inform me. No one told me that my sister held the heart of the man I thought was the love of my life." I cackled bitterly at the thought.

How foolish was I to think Hunter was ever mine? How had I been so naive to think I was his one true love?

Foolish, foolish girl, Jade. Your foolishness should be a case study. I mumbled in mockery.

"I can't imagine how much fun it must've been to make a mockery of me for two years." My laughter continued. "I was parading myself as Luna to-be, without knowing I was a clown in a circus, thinking I was yours just as you were mine. Mine alone, but now I know that without the mate bond, you never would have loved me.

Acknowledging this bitter truth feels like the devil had his claws deep in my heart. Even though I laughed bitterly, I could feel myself drowning, and as much as I tried hard to swim to the surface, I couldn't. Every attempt I made to breathe in the air only ended up with a lungful of water that constricted my throat and suffocated me.

"Jade..." Hunter called weakly, stepping closer. He reached out for me with shaky hands, and I stepped back. He was never mine, and I was stupid to think we were meant to be. Now I know why it was so easy for him to discard me-not even one iota of trust that I might be telling the truth-that maybe Darren had drugged me.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine." I murmured with a chuckle as I wiped a tear from my cheeks-a lie even I wasn't convinced of.

"Jade, I loved you, but you cheated. How can I...

"I, JADE ALTHEA DIMAANO, daughter of Juan Dimaano," I began saying, cutting Hunter off because even now, he still believes I cheated, and there's nothing I can say that will change his mind. "Accept the rejection of ALPHA HUNTER HENDRIX, son of Orion Hendrix. May the moon uphold this rejection and the goddess ease my pain." I finished, wiping away droplets of tears as I turned, opened the door of the tiny room, and walked out.

Nothing will ever ease my pain, and nothing will ever lessen the anguish in my heart because of his betrayal.

~JADE~

I don't even think I remember when the trial started.

No.

I shook my head mentally; this wasn't a trial because there wasn't even anything to try here. This was some twisted judgement-day shit going on. This ceased to be a trial from the moment my own mate didn't even believe me or try to fight for me.

After accepting Hunter's rejection, I walked out of that tiny office space with my heart in the pit of my stomach.

Could it have been naivety because he was the first man I ever loved that I didn't see things I probably should've noticed? Looking back at everything that has happened throughout the two years of our relationship, I guess I was just too naive to see things for what they really were.

Hunter was always territorial and possessive, and one time when I complained about it to my mother because he was being too restrictive, she told me that was normal for Alpha wolves and their mates. She said wolves were territorial, so it made sense.

I used to get all happy when Hunter would become jealous and throw a fuss if he saw me even smile at another man because I assumed it meant he loved me so much and didn't want anybody else to get too near. Having someone dote on me like that made me feel special. He was always breathing down my neck and always wanted to know where I was, who I was meeting, and how many hours I'd stay out. even had a phone tracking app installed on my phone because he wanted to know where I was at all times.

And I was so stupid to think it was because he loved me. I always giggled when he would call whenever I was in town and ask why I was taking so long. I always blushed like a fool because, oh goddess, my mate loved me so much he didn't want me out of his sight. My mate was so possessive, attentive, and territorial that it always made me melt. However, I had been so foolish to see that it wasn't the case.

No, the hard truth that I failed to see then was that my mate didn't trust me; he didn't trust me to stay faithful and loyal to him. So every time I was out of sight, in his head, I could be with another man, and he needed to make sure that I wasn't. I would always tease him about being insecure, but that was only because I loved how flustered he got when I did and his little show of annoyance whenever he tried to rebuff my claim. Then he would go all Alpha mode on me, trying to prove that he wasn't insecure, and then proceed to proclaim how much he loved me. It was entertaining to watch his pale complexion turn a paler shade of pink, and as he babbled on about how much he loved me, I would take advantage of the chance to bring his face down to my level by kissing him on his ginger hair.

Those moments were one of my many happy memories with him, but all those habits of his that I fancied and nurtured weren't because he loved me so damn much he was scared to lose me; no, it was because he never trusted me. And, dear goddess, that stung like a bitch.

It stung so fucking hard, I could feel it twisting my liver, and it felt like someone had a chainsaw to my spine.

"Jade." The sound of my name being called echoed in the far distance, and for a moment I didn't really pay attention. "JADE!" The growl ricocheted off the walls of the hall and slammed straight into my ribcage, successfully pulling me out of my head.

"Yes?" I asked, snapping my head up with slightly wide eyes to look around the room while I tried to hide how unexpectedly shocked I had gotten because of the sudden growl.

"You were asked a question." One of the elders present for my case responded in a pinched voice.

"My apologies if you could please repeat the question again." I prompted, without feeling the need to explain that I was lost in thought and just couldn't be bothered to listen to them while they contemplated my fate.

"We asked if you had a way to prove your innocence." An elder repeated the question for me.

"My innocence?" I asked, blinking rapidly, because I needed to be sure I heard that right.

"Yes. You claim you are innocent, and if you believe you are right against the better judgment of your sister and mate, then can you prove your innocence?" The head elder explained.

Try hard as I may, I wanted to keep my emotions in check, but I couldn't help the mocking snigger that erupted out of me as I took in his words.

Is this a joke?

Are they being serious right now? Asking me to prove my innocence? Isn't that what they should've tried to do for the past few days? Shouldn't they have tried to search for Darren and have him standing here today?

"Did the elder say something funny? Or do you think we're all here for your amusement?" One of the elders barked at me, and I shook my head as I brought my hands to cover my mouth, a failed attempt to stop the sounds coming out of me.

"I'm sorry." I spluttered another round of mocking giggles. "I really am sorry; that was just... I couldn't stop myself." I struggled in between laughs as I replied.

"You want me to prove my innocence?" The scowl on their faces deepened at my question. I sighed, shaking my head. "How? How do you expect me to prove anything at all when I told you some minutes or perhaps hours ago that I do not remember anything that happened after drinking the water my dearest sister offered me? How do I prove something I don't know?"

My gaze travelled among the elders, and if the judgement in their eyes wasn't clear enough, the annoyance on their faces was more than enough evidence of how irritated they were with my presence.

"Are you suggesting that I drugged you?" Arya yelled, springing to her feet. The elders had given her permission to sit down while she was giving her testimony of what happened and what she saw, and the entire ordeal was done with snot and tears all over her face.

Hunter had also given his own statement, and weirdly enough, Arya was the one who raced to our home to call Hunter after she saw me sleeping in bed with her boyfriend. According to my dear ol' sister, she had been too shocked, hurt and scared that her boyfriend would hit her or try to hurt her if she confronted us alone, so she ran to my mate instead.

"Did you?" The bitter smile on my face stretched thin as my gaze bounced back to Arya, who wore a scowl on her face and I wondered if looks could kill.

"You..." Arya began, already sniffing. "How could you?" And then the waterworks followed. "You betrayed my trust, and now you accuse me of doing something so vile." She hiccuped, sobbing hysterically as she blabbed incoherent words that made no sense.

My mom reached out from her seat, patting Arya's back, while the majority of the people at the table turned to her with a look of pity on their faces. Even Hunter couldn't keep the passive expression on his face as he turned briefly in her direction but immediately looked away.

Nice. Once again, I am the bad guy.

How nice.

I sighed, raising my head up to stare at the ceiling while I fought back the stinging tears in my eyes.

"It is a customary rite for anyone being tried to be given a chance to prove their innocence; are you saying you can't prove yours and there is no point extending this rite to you?" The head elder asked, and I dropped my head with a heavy sigh.

"Like I said, I don't know or remember what happened; how do you suppose I prove my innocence? Why is her boyfriend not here if you really wanted to give me a chance?" I asked while pointing at Arya. "Shouldn't he be questioned as well?"

"The delta fled the pack, and all attempts to find him have been futile; however, he isn't the accused, you are. And if you cannot prove your innocence, we are within our rights to proceed with the trial as we deem fit and make a decision based on all the evidence brought here against you today." The head elder responded, and I gave a curt nod.

A few days ago, I was still foolish enough to hope that this trial would prove my innocence, but I had resigned myself to my fate the minute I accepted Hunter's rejection and walked out of that tiny room. I was never a part of this pack, and even if my innocence is proven, they will never see me as one of theirs. I was an outsider when I came back two years ago, and I am still an outsider. Being with Hunter for the past two years gave me a false sense of security, and I was so deluded to think I belonged here.

I watched with a shattering heart as the elders huddled together and whispered amongst themselves. The head elder whispered something to the elder next to him, who in turn whispered in the ears of the next elder, and it continued like that until it got to Alpha Orion, who shifted his attention to Hunter for a few minutes, and it became quite clear that they were having a conversation through the mind link.

My gaze trailed back to the people I thought were my family. Arya was still sniffling and crying, and my parents were fussing over her, patting her back as they tried to console her. She said I was the self-absorbed one who always took everything from her, but for as long as I can remember, it has always been this way.

My parents only agreed that Aunt Diwa take me with her because they believed she would teach me discipline. To my parents, I was the troublesome child, the one who never listened, and that was how I got myself into the mess of becoming Aunt Diwa's ward. It wasn't because I was eager to visit the Philippines, nor was it because I manipulated Aunt Diwa to take me; it was because my parents didn't want me here. They didn't want to deal with my troubles and would rather have their perfect daughter, Arya, who always obeyed and never questioned them.

"It has come to our knowledge that you are pregnant with your mate's pup. Is this true?" My gaze returned to the elders for a moment.

"Jade, are you pregnant and are we to believe that the pup you are carrying belongs to your mate?" The elder repeated his question, and my gaze shifted to Hunter.

Our eyes met, and I stared pointedly at him as I flipped the question over and over again in my mind. Is it true? Is it his pup? Am I really pregnant?

"No," I replied without breaking eye contact with Hunter. "I lied." I declared in one breath, and for some reason, Hunter flinched.

If this is his only chance to ever father a pup, then I will gladly deprive him of the opportunity and joys of being a father.

~JADE~

Did I make the right choice when I answered that Hunter wasn't the father of the child I was carrying? It may not have been the right thing to do given the kind of mess I was in already, but their shocked expressions were more than enough satisfaction for me at that moment. 

Hunter and Alpha Orion were the ones who looked the most shocked by my response. I guess Hunter probably expected me to insist the child was his and use that as an excuse to hold onto him and beg for mercy, but I was done with begging him to see me and to hear me after I accepted his rejection. He didn't even believe me these past few days when I had been trying to tell him that I was carrying his child, and suddenly he was shocked that I was not clinging onto him.

What was there to cling onto in the first place? 

The shocked expression on their faces didn't last long and quickly turned into disgust as soon as the meaning of my words had settled in. Hunter had snarled to show his disgust, and his parents shook their heads. Although I could've sworn Alpha Orion was the only one who wasn't relatively disgusted with my revelation, I couldn't tell why. 

Everything after that revelation moved in a blur; the elders didn't waste another breath as they announced my verdict, and it was impossible to miss the malice in their voice when they declared me guilty of infidelity and treachery. According to them, the fact that I was pregnant with the child of another man was more or less a plot against my mate and his position as Head Alpha.

Hunter's mother had hissed and said I may as well have driven a sword through his heart and killed him. Although I would never harm him in that way, I wanted him to endure the same pain I did when he rejected me and each time he went to bed with someone else. Yet aside from the brief moment of shock that flickered across his face and the abrupt flinch, his face remained impassive and his eyes cold as the elders passed their verdict. 

"It is no news that we do not tolerate any act of perfidy, unchastity, or treachery in this pack. Our fathers before us and those before them condemned such, as did those who committed these taboos." The elder who had led my trail declared as he mounted the platform that I was made to kneel on.

Pack members gathered before the platform. I guess words do travel fast in the pack because it was only a few minutes ago when the guards led me out of the council hall to the back of the building where the platform stood. 

"Pack traditions are made to be honoured, and pack laws are implemented for a reason. One of which is so we can lead a virtuous life; another is so we can command respect amongst others; and the most important is so that we can always have the goddess on our side and her blessings upon us as we honour her name through her just actions. We cannot accomplish any of these things if we tolerate abomination and those who commit vile acts." 

The elder moved up and down the platform as he addressed the growing crowd. He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the faces of his audience, and then he climbed up the steps, coming to a stop beside me. "Before you, is Jade Dimaano! As you all know, she's beta-mated to your Alpha Heir, Hunter Hendrix. Your luna-to-be has been tried and found guilty of infidelity." The elder voices, pausing for a moment to allow the words to sink in with the crowd, I couldn't tell if their shocked gasps were genuine or if they were only appalled by the sight of me and my misdeeds. 

Once the murmur within the pack members died down, the elder continued. "She has also been charged with perfidy, for she carries the bastard child of another wolf. A Luna who bears the child of another wolf who isn't her Alpha is no different from a greedy man who seeks to kill the Alpha of his pack and unseats him." 

The murmurs grew louder as he continued to decree my crimes and how heinous my actions were. The voices of the pack members rose above his own, and some of their words were no longer a whisper as they hurled insults and demeaning words at me. 

Despite my attempt to pretend like their opinions didn't matter or that I wasn't affected, I couldn't because their words jabbed at me like a pack of needles, pricking my skin harshly in a vicious attempt to draw blood.

"Such action is punishable by death." The elder in charge continued. "However, Alpha Orion, in his good nature, pleaded that we spare her life. Jade Dimaano will not be getting a death sentence, but this doesn't mean she won't be punished for her crimes." My gaze shifted to Alpha Orion, who stood at the left side of the platform with his Luna and Hunter.

Various questions fleeted through my thoughts at the revelation that he had pleaded on my behalf. Why would he do that? If I am being condemned for something as serious as treason, an accusation that my actions were a threat to his son's life, why would he ask that I be shown mercy? 

His gaze met mine, but his eyes betrayed nothing, and no matter how hard I stared at him, I couldn't decipher his reasons for begging the elders on my behalf. Unlike his son, did he believe me? But if he did, why isn't he trying to talk some sense into his son, or at least why hadn't he tried to prevent this trial from happening? 

The voice of the elder grabbed my attention once more, dragging my gaze from Alpha Orion back to the elder as he came to stand in front of me. "For her crimes, Jade would be flogged with seventy-four lashes for the sin of infidelity, after which she would be branded as an unworthy mate." The elder turned to me with a sneer on his face, and his lips curled in a grimace. "And you will bear the mark of your sins for the rest of your life, for any wolf who stumbles upon you will see and know how greatly you wronged your mate and defiled the sacred ties of your mate bond. Your sins will follow you wherever you go." 

The elder turned his back to me as he addressed the crowd. "This is a lesson to you all, whether you are mated or unmated, a reminder to you that the mate bond is sacred, a gift from the moon goddess, one that should never be taken for granted or defiled. Anyone who defiles the sacred gift of the goddess will be punished and degraded as deserved. Jade Dimaano will perform the Dance of shame around the pack after her lashings, and then she will be forever banished from these pack lands." 

I sucked in a sharp breath at his declaration, "If you go against this verdict and ever set foot on this pack land, you will be treated as a lowly rogue and killed upon sight." 

My gaze danced around and settled on Hunter; something had shifted in his eyes between the time of my trial and now. A lone tear slid down my face as I held his gaze in a silent question. 'Is this what you wanted?' I asked mentally, even though I knew he couldn't hear me now that our link had been severed. 'I hope you are happy.' I added, wincing in pain and folding forward as the first lash of the whip hit my back.