Isabella's POV

"No."

I said the word without being aware of it.

I could not relax my hands on the thin hospital blanket as I looked at the doctor standing next my bed. Her  face was still serious, and her  eyes were down as though she did not want to see me in the eye.

"I am sorry, Luna Isabella, I am sorry," she said.

I kept on hearing those words.

My baby... stillborn.

"No!" I let out a blood curdling scream. "That's not possible."

I felt my voice shaking and my chest felt tight, panic beginning to build up. I compelled myself to sit up though it was very painful in my body.

"I want to see my baby," I said.

The doctor  did not react right away. She  just stood, with clasped hands before him.

"I want to see my baby!!" I screamed again. 

The nurse who was close to the door moved impatiently.

"That will be impossible," the doctor replied, and said nothing more.

My heart beat was increased by his answer.

"It is not possible, what do you mean by that?" I demanded.

"That's my child," I continued. "You can not simply tell me the baby is dead, and expect  me to take it without seeing--

"The body had been already taken away," she interrupted.

My breath caught in my throat.

"Taken... away?" I repeated slowly.

"Yes," she said. "The matter has been handled."

Handled.

The word sounded so cold.

"That was my child," I whispered.

My face was filled with tears and all the burden came crashing down on me. My baby was gone. I had not even been given a chance to hold my child. I put my hands over my face and wept and wept.

"No..." I sobbed. "No... this can't be real."

The room was silent during a few minutes only, save for the sound of my weeping. And then there was a knock  of the door. The nurse looked up first.

One of the young pack messengers came in.

"Doctor," he said quickly. The Pack Council demands  Isabella be present at the meeting room, now." 

The words  sliced my sorrow like a knife.

"The council?" I repeated hoarsely.

The messenger nodded. "They desire that she should come to the council hall at once."

I let out a weak laugh.

Immediately?

I had just given birth. My body was still sore and heavy and I could hardly sit up.

"Tell them..." I started, my voice shaking. "Tell them I can't-"

"We are to use force should you refuse." The messenger said,forcing me to swallow my remaining words.

The physician heaved a sigh, and gazed at me again.

"I'm afraid you'll have to go."

My heart sank.

Of course. I wasn't the Luna anymore. I was a prisoner. Some minutes later two guards came into the room. They helped me off the bed. Each and every step was painful as I went down the corridor.

My mind felt even worse.

The baby was gone. The same thought kept on replaying in my mind. I had been bearing that child months. I had talked to my baby day by day. 

And now... Even now I was not permitted to look at the body. It seemed a long walk to the council hall. As the big doors were opened, what I saw first was that the elders had been seated.

Elder Rowan was seated in the centre with his face as gloomy as ever.

But something felt strange.

Adrian wasn't there.

I frowned slightly.

Where was he?

Was he mourning the loss of our child?

My eyes were sweeping slowly about the room. The members of the council were mumbling to one another. Some of the pack members were standing close to the walls watching.

It seemed that all the eyes focused on me as I was escorted into the premises by the guards. In the middle of the hall I stopped.

Elder Rowan said in a formal way, "Luna Isabella."

His tone sounded distant.

"We have called you to finalize  some things."

My chest tightened.

Finalize?

The big doors behind me flew open once more before I had an opportunity to inquire what it was. The noise reverberated in the hall. They all looked in the direction of the entrance. I slowly looked back.

Adrian walked in.

My heart skipped.

Painfully I felt relief. Perhaps he had gone to make it all plain. Possibly, he had learned the lesson. But I looked who stood beside him.

Clara.

She moved with dignity alongside Adrian like she was part of him.

My stomach dropped.

Then my gaze went toward her stomach.

The shape could not be missed because her dress was tight around her body.

Clara was pregnant.

My thoughts had completely cleared.

No.

That couldn't be right.

I looked back and forth between Clara and Adrian, who were heading towards the front of the hall.

Clara appeared  totally confident.

Her lips even smiled a little.

They both paused before the seat of the Luna and alpha.

My seat.

I stood with a speechless amazement and Clara walked away and sat down on the chair of the Luna.

Everything appeared to stop.

After which all members stood up and bowed their heads a little.

Elder Rowan stood up from his seat, "Luna Clara." 

The title hit me like a slap.

Luna.

Adrian stood there with her. His hand touched her back lightly. The gesture looked natural. Familiar. It was as though he had done it many times. I could feel the pain in my chest.

I looked about in the face of Adrian.

He looked calm.

Cold. Quite indifferent to the consideration that I was standing only a few feet away. Clara sat back in the chair with ease. She smiled to the members of the council and put her hand on her stomach.

My best friend.

My mate.

Together?

"Luna Clara?"

What was happening?

My voice came out weak.

"Clara..."

She turned her head slowly towards me. For a moment, our eyes met. Her face was free of guilt. No shame. Only quiet satisfaction.

"How are you feeling, Isabella?" Clara asked casually.

Her tonewas rather distant.

Almost.

It was as though the room was spinning.

"You..." I whispered.

My voice became tremulous as the pieces fell together.

The testimony  of Clara at the trial.

Her accusations.

Adrian's silence.

Her pregnancy.

Her sitting in the Luna's seat.

It all suddenly made sense.

The dreadful reality began to sink in the pit of my chest.

Clara had betrayed me.

Not just betrayed me.

She had replaced me.

My dearest friend... had stolen my mate... and my Luna place.

I was chilled to the core of the hall as it had all dawned on me.

Clara Wells was sitting in my seat now.

Beside my mate.

As new Luna of Shadowfang Pack.

Isabella's POV 

"Proceed," Adrian said after he took his seat.

"Long live the alpha." Elder Rowan said and bowed. "We shall now commence the council meeting."

The hall resounded with his voice. I gulp slowly, and I had to remain standing despite the weakness of my legs. 

"Isabella Hart," Elder Rowan said, and stared directly at me. We are told that you gave birth to a child earlier today."

I felt my chest tightening upon hearing the word baby.

"But," he said quickly. "It was a stillborn."

"I would like to see my child," I insisted. "I deserve to see my baby."

None of the elders reacted. The fact that they were not talking increased my frustration.

"I carried that child in my belly for months, he was fine, I stuck to my diets! Even in that cold dungeon!" I said, and my voice shook. "You cannot simply inform me that my baby is dead and not to show me the body. Let me see the body and then I'll believe I have birth to a dead child."

The members of the council looked at each other in a short glance. Then Elder Rowan spoke again.

"The council is already aware of the state of the child. And we did the needful."

"My child is not a condition and one of you oldies have the right to decide what happens to my baby!" I screamed before I could restrain myself.

A number of guards moved a notch higher at my sudden outcry. I didn't care.

"I must see my baby," I said and my voice was breaking. "Please."

For a moment, no one answered.

Then Elder Rowan spoke, in a cold voice.

"The child was born dead, stop insisting on seeing a dead child."

My heart clenched painfully.

"No," I whispered.

"Yes," he said firmly.

Tears filled my eyes. I glanced about the hall, and wished somebody, anybody, would take a little sympathy. But the faces that gazed back upon me wouldn't care if I had shed alongside the son.

I felt completely alone.

Elder Rowan clasped his hands together.

"Your ultimate punishment will be decided by the council soon," he said.

My head lifted slightly.

"Punishment?"

"Yes," he replied. "We are expecting a guest, he added. The final judgement will be given by him."

A guest?

My confusion deepened.

How come that a stranger should determine my destiny?

I turned toward Adrian.

He should be able to do something to prevent this madness.

My voice had softened now, I said, "Adrian. Don't you feel anything? He... was your son... our son.."

"Please," I begged. "Tell them this is a mistake."

Adrian's expression didn't change and he said nothing.

The silence was there between us. "Say something! How can you let them treat me like this! I am your mate! I am your Luna!"

Then Adrian spoke.

"You are neither my mate nor Luna," he said coldly.

The words were an additional blow to my chest.

"What?"

Adrian looked about at Clara, and then his eyes came back to me.

"I have met my mate ," he said.

I was struck by the words as they came.

My breath caught in my throat.

"What... did you say?"

Clara just broke into a little laughter.

"Adrian is speaking the truth," she said.

My eyes slowly moved to her.

She sat back easily in the chair of the Luna.

"You know, Isabella, Adrian and I have found our mate-bond not long after your real self was revealed." 

Her stomach was caressed with her hand.

"The Moon Goddess eventually revealed the truth."

My head shook slowly.

"No."

This couldn't be happening.

"Yes," Clara said to herself, with a little smile. It is rather a shame to you, though. You tried but you could never be the original, the real one. You had spent years by Adrian, and never got his mark."

My heart sank aching.

This was a sensitive topic  between me and Adrian. Even after years of being with me, several nights spent together, he had never maker  me as his mate.

Clara tilted her head slowly to the side revealing her neck.

My breath caught again.

There was a mate mark on her skin.

My stomach knotted in pain.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Clara said proudly.

The words cut deep. I was like the ground had fallen out of my feet.

"Why?" I whispered.

I looked at her as my voice shook.

"Clara... why would you do this?"

"Reveal your true nature?" Clara mocked.

The room felt suffocating. I couldn't breathe properly. The great doors of the hall burst open once more before I had time to reply. All looked toward the entrance. A man, old, was walking slowly in. His hair was entirely white, and he walked slightly with a wooden staff.

As soon as the elders beheld him they rose all respectfully. Everyone rose,except Adrian. 

"And the judge is here," Elder Rowan said.

The elderly wolf slowly made his way to the hall. His quick eyes examined me keenly. I had never seen him before. But all this changed instantly in the room.

He also appeared to be respected by everyone.

"Is this the accused?" he asked.

"Yes," Elder Rowan replied.

The old wolf nodded once.

Then he looked directly at me.

"Isabella Hart," he said.

His voice was old but strong.

"You are guilty of killing Helena Blackwood, mother of Alpha Adrian." 

My stomach twisted.

"According to the testimony of a credible witness, the last punishment has been determined," he went on, very calmly.

The hall was as quiet as death.

My breathing was too loud even to me.

The old wolf raised his staff a little, and spoke again.

"The sentence for your crimes..."

He paused briefly.

"...is death."

My heart stopped.

"You will be burnt before the pack tomorrow at sunrise," he answered.

Isabella's pov 

"Move it!" A guard hissed as he pushed me forward, leading me back to the dungeon.

I stumbled, but I was able to hold myself together.

The other inmates were already staring at me.

"No fighting." The guards said as they locked the cell door behind me.

"Well, well," a familiar rude voice said.

I did not have to look far to know who it was.

Scar gradually came forward with a broad smile on her face.

"Looks like the Luna is back."

The other woman  laughed.

"Not for long," Scar's friend added. "Her guardian has been sent to solitary." 

Gradually I went over to the same rock bench where I was sitting. I was still aching in my body due to the birth. My heart ached even more.

"So," Scar went on,folding her arms. "We heard the news."

 The other rogue chuckled.

"Oh yes, the guards were discussing it." 

I kept my head down , not responding.

"What a poor little baby," said Scar in a fake  sympathetic voice.

"Born dead, right?" Scar added.

The duo broke into laughter.

"Imagine that one is bearing a child all these months just to see it born dead." She mocked.

My chest pained at aching.

I gritted my teeth and remained quiet.

"Perhaps the baby was aware that its mother was a murderer," sneered the other  woman.

It was at this moment that Scar  burst out into a clap.

"Oh!" she said excitedly. "We should celebrate."

 I raised my head, shocked by the sudden mood swing.

"Celebrate what?" Scar's friend asked.

She grinned wider.

"The Luna's funeral."

"Oh, that is excellent," her friend said.

Scar lifted an empty metal bowl, which lay on the floor, and  she put it in the centre of the cell.

"There," she said dramatically. "Our coffin."

The other lady started taking bits and bits of cloth and throwing them into the bowl.

"Goodbye , Luna Isabella, goodbye," said Scar.

I felt my throat tighten.

"A tragic tale," Scar said. "She killed the Alpha's mother..."

"And then her baby died. And tomorrow morning she is going to be burnt to death."  Scar put her hand over her heart. "So sad."

The duo  broke into a fresh outburst of laughter.

My hands began shaking.

I tried to ignore them, and their words, tried  to focus on breathing. But all the words seemed like a knife that was stabbing further into my chest. I had lost my child. My mate had abandoned me. My closest friend had ruined my life. And tomorrow...

I was going to die tomorrow.

"Hey, Scar," said, and tossed a piece of clothe at me. .

I slowly lifted my eyes.

"Have a nice funeral," she said with a smile. "You are the one going into the fire tomorrow morning, you see. You should enjoy your funeral, not everyone is lucky to attend their funeral you see."

Before I had time to answer, a great bang was heard outside the dungeon.

Boom. The women suddenly ceased laughing.

"What the hell was that," one of them said.

Another loud crash followed. Then shouting. Far distant shouting was the order of the day.

"Attack!"

"We are under attack, keep an eyes on them, not one should get out. I'll go get reinforcements!"i heard a dungeon guard shout.

The noise of combat soon became known on the land. My heart skipped. The dungeon guards started yelling commands out. Metal clashed against metal. Someone screamed.

"What did you do this time Luna?" Scar hissed.

"Nothing, I swear it." Came my shaky reply. 

The noise grew louder. Footsteps crashed along the passage.

Then suddenly-

The dungeon doors burst open. A number of armed men came rushing in. But they weren't pack guards. They differed in their clothing.

Darker.

More dangerous.

"Seize the prisoners!" one of them said.

The doors of the cells were hastened opened. The rogues  about me started to their feet.

"What is going on?" Scar demanded.

"Move," one of the attackers said, roughly shoving her aside, that exact second, an arrow flew right into her eye socket.

"No!" A screamed clawed its way out of my throat.

"Ensure she does not die!" One of the attackers said and immediately, four other men grabbed me. 

In a few seconds the dungeon was in pandemonium. Inmates were ripped off the cell and forced to go to the door. The men  pulled me along out of the others.

I was still a weak body after giving birth to a child.

I struggled to keep up. The clatter of fighting resounded all around us as we were precipitated out of the dungeon. Fire was blazing in a distance. The wolves were fighting throughout the pack territory. I had just time to think what is happening when all turned dark.

My eyes slowly opened again, hours later or so I thought. I for  a moment thought that I was in a dream. The room in which I was was not much like a dungeon. The bed on which I lay was big and comfortable. The stone walls were neat, furniture dark and the light cozy.

It was more of a royal chamber than a prison. At a loss, I gradually forced  myself up. That was when I noticed him. One man was seated by the bed with calmness. He was a long, dark-haired, sharp-featured man. His eyes however, I found most remarkable.

They were golden. Not the usual amber color of the most wolves. They were brighter. More intense. He sat and stared at me as I sat up.

"Where... am I?" I asked weakly.

The man sat back a little in his chair.

"In my territory,"he said coolly.

His voice was deep and steady. My confusion deepened.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The man looked me over a little, and then replied.

"My name is Lucian Varek."

He paused slightly.

My breath caught. I had heard that name, he was the lycan King of the rogues.

"What...how did I get here? Why am I not in the dungeon?" I asked slowly.

The golden eyes of Lucian were still upon me.

"During the raid on Shadowfang Pack you were taken," he explained.

My mind raced.

"You attacked the pack?" I asked.

"Yes."

Anger flared inside me.

"You have ruined a whole land to take prisoners?" I demanded.

Lucian lifted one eyebrow. "I have my reasons."

My heart pounded.

"Then why am I here?" I asked. "You kidnapped me to become your servant?" I asked.

Lucian burst out into a little laugh.

The sound surprised me.

"You do not understand," he said, calmly. "I did not bring  you here as a slave."

He leaned forward slightly. "I brought  you here to be my companion.

My confusion deepened.

"A partner... for what?"

Lucian became more serious.

"I am aware of all that has happened to you," he said.

My stomach tightened.

"I know about the accusation."

He paused.

"The trial."

Another pause.

"The stillborn child."

I felt my heart throb in my chest.

lAnd your lover," continued Lucian. "Adrian Blackwood, and his Luna, your best friend, sorry-ex best friend, Clara wells."

My hands clenched.

Lucian examined my response.

"You have been betrayed," he said plainly.

"By those whom you trusted, blindly."

I didn't respond.

Because he was right.  "How do you know all these?" I asked. 

Lucian tilted his head back in his chair. "I can know the color of your underwear if I want." 

"Jerk." I hissed under my breath and he burst into laughter.

"Revenge." He said, turning serious as though he was not the same man laughing seconds ago. "I brought you here for revenge."