Celestia's POV 

"Dead?" I threw the ridiculous word back at her pointing my finger towards Asher.

"My baby is alive and well, look!"

Out of nowhere Medea broke into sobs.

"Eclipse told me that your condition was bad, but I didn't know it had gotten so terrible..."

She came over hesitantly looking at my hands as if she wanted to hold them. 

"Celestia I understand what you are going through I would also lose my mind if Jaxon had died during birth,"

I looked between Raphael and Rose, my bewildered eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Raphael? You know I'm not that kind of person-"

"Then why is he blonde?" He stated the same aggravating argument has pulled me further away from Asher. "Nobody on my side of the family has blonde hair except for extended relatives-"

"My grandfather has blonde hair, that's how genetics works!" I screamed at the top of my voice.

"That doesn't prove anything,"

Rose was still giving me that pitiful look as if I was the one falling off the edge of sanity.

I noticed that Asher was starting to squirm, probably because of our raised voices. 

"Let's have this discussion somewhere else," I said quietly.

"Yes we are going to talk about this, but it will not be a discussion, it will be a trial... There all the evidence will be laid in front of you and we'll see how you try to deny it all,"

Since I was a high-ranking wolf my trial was heard in the official elder council room. The oldest Elder, Janice, would be the one acting as the judge since Raphael and I were directly involved. 

The meeting was arranged in less than an hour and I was escorted inside the meeting hall like a criminal that had already been condemned. Next Raphael was Rose and beside her was her sister, who was all but grinning in my face.

"Luna Celestia Ashen, you have a trial before the Elder council for the following crimes..."

Crimes?

As in plural? 

I stood before the council, the only one standing while the rest of them were seated, and different charges from kidnapping to assault were brought up.

"How do you plead to all these crimes, Luna Celestia?" The secretary of the Elder Council asked me, his lips sinking into their usual frown. 

"The only one I'm guilty of is assaulting the guard, but technically I was defending myself because I had been locked away against my own will without even a trial,"

Murmuring swept through the table but everything proceeded. 

First way to the evidence tabled against me. 

The first witness that was called up was the doctor in charge of my delivery, she had a bruise on her neck that she was trying and failing to hide under a scarf, then she glanced at me briefly, and an apologetic expression swam through her eyes before Janice asked her to state what had happened last night from her perspective.

"The Luna struggled to deliver for over 12 hours," she began and that was the only truth that she would tell, I was locked in place as the story was twisted on its back.

"She insisted on a natural birth, unfortunately the pup did not make it and died from inhaling her bodily fluids. She delivered a dead pup,"

"Doctor!" I called out, my voice a shriek of pain and betrayal.

Janice glanced at me from the corner of her eye.

"Luna Celestia, you are not allowed to intimidate the witness you will speak when it is your turn to speak,"

I clamped back my defense tears burning in my eyes. 

What... Just what have I done to deserve all this? 

How much more of this do I have to endure? 

The next person to speak was Eclipse.

"I would hate to say this about the mother of our Pack, but I feel compelled to say the truth and nothing more or less. Have most of you heard that I worked as her personal maid? As such I was given the front seat to someone with her peculiar traits..." she pretended to hesitate and continued, "she would often break down because even after being married to the alpha for almost half a decade she had not been able to single child and she also took several pills to function from day to day it was only about time..."

I wanted to scream. 

It had taken everything inside me to finally start my depression medication. 

The only people who know about it are my doctor and Eclipse.

That was how fondly I held her in my heart.

All for her to expose me; to strip my insecurities to the judgmental Elders.

After she spoke then Medea came, Raphael held her hand while she spoke as if she were no more than a pup herself, whimpering annoyingly 

"I don't have much to say, but I hope the council will show mercy to Luna Celestia," She was still wearing that fake mask of innocence, while indirectly echoing what everyone already assumed-that I was guilty.

After she spoke she went to sit quickly as if her legs were about to fail her.

Raphael remained.

His eyes rested on me, unmoved by my pain...my tears, just standing by the lie both he and his mistress concocted to frame me.

"I've been married to Celestia for seven years now. My parents, the previous Alpha and Luna, believed that she would make the perfect bride as the Eldest daughter of our Beta. I trusted their choice...but..."

He sighed heavily with his full chest.

"...Celestia had two faces, one she showed to the world and one behind closed doors..."

He unbuttoned his shirt and from his pecs to his stomach were ragged claw marks.

"This is what I got while trying to stop her from taking the pup-"

"Raphael!" I seethed, "I never did that.! Why are you telling these vicious lies against me? Janice please..."

I turned to the Elder judge. There was nothing but conviction in her grey eyes and then I knew it.

It was over

Celestia's pov 

I was thrown back into that cell 

Discarded like trash.

Awaiting my judgment, the next and final council meeting for my sake would conclude that.

But I already knew it wouldn't be good.

I curled my hands together, recalling Asher's warmth, his soft puppy smell.

Had he been fed? 

Was he softly rocked when he cried? 

Would I ever see him again?

I had been chained down.

This time with pure silver, it constantly burnt and ate at my skin giving it just enough time to heal before repeating the process.

No meals came to my cell, even with me chained down the guards didn't risk it.

"Celestia...oh how far you've fallen..."

My eyes remained on the floor.

He stood over me, behind the steel bars, his eyes judging and piercing.

"Raphael, why?"

"Why?" he spat back at me, "Are you still going to feign ignorance even now?"

I forced myself to look at him.

"Seven years Raphael...for five years I've given you everything, anything...my body...my heart...there is nothing you've wanted from me that my immediate answer wasn't yes, why am I being punished for being a good Luna and mate?"

He scoffed.

"How you've painted yourself to be the perfect victim after what you did to me..."He gripped the steel bars and bared his teeth to me."Seven years ago, my aunt's mate's anniversary...is that ringing any bells?"

I carefully recalled that night, and the days before it.

"Our son won't stop talking about you, but he's the shy type," Raphael's parents told me.

Back then Raphael and Medea were thicker than thieves.

When I asked his parents they disregarded the rumors.

"She is an orphan and her little sister's caretaker, Raphael just pities her,"

Then it all climaxed that night.

The anniversary party of the Alpha's younger sister was held at the pack house hall.

Everyone was wasted including me.

Raphael needed help getting to his room.

I helped without any ulterior motives.

It was Raphael who came at me with full force.

His lips slammed on mine and his hands sneaking under my shirt, he didn't allow me to get a word in, and the mate bond I had been ignoring blurred my thoughts even more 

When I woke up he looked down at me with disgust traces over his face, like I ought to be whipped off the face of the earth.

He got tested.

An aphrodisiac had been found in his system.

He accused me of violating him.

I defended myself to no avail.

Our parents were no help.

They only thought about forming a bridge between the families.

Mates of convenience.

The romance I envisioned was skewed from the start.

So I tried to win his heart, I tried to show him how loyal and caring I was even when he did little to hide his favor for Medea I swallowed it and looked the other way.

But it seems like the hoops I jumped through only cemented my guilt.

"Why would you be trying so hard if you were actually innocent?"He asked me point-blank once, "You know what you did which is why you're trying so hard to make it up to me,"

Finally, it leads us here.

"Do you really think I stole Medea's pup?"

He paused as if to consider my words seriously.

"No matter what I know that will be a million times better at being a mother than you,"

His answer told me enough.

"You know Asher is mine, don't you?"

"Medea decided to name him Jaxon, "He sharply corrected me 

My shoulders slumped, the chains burnt but the pain didn't compare to what was tearing my heart into shreds.

"Why did you come here, Raphael? To kick me when I'm already down?"

He produced a thick envelope and slipped out a single sheet of paper.

"For any complications in the future, I want you to sign this document that you have no relationship with Jaxon, if you do I'll arrange for the charges against you to be dropped,"

I laughed.

"So it's either Asher or my freedom?"

"It's Jaxon," he warned again with more animosity but I didn't care.

I raised my hands in motion making the chains sink deeper and burn harder.

"Then let me rot, but mark my words I will take my child from you all even if I have to walk over the mutilated corpses of you and your woman to do it,"

He drew a step back, eyes swimming with hatred and disgust.

"Even till your bitter end you won't admit to your faults,"

A false smile crawled up my lips.

"Count these happy moments, but you know me, Raphael, I won't stay down for long,"

His jaw tightened.

"Not this time, Celestia, you won't be able to lay a hand on Jaxon or Medea, I'll make sure of it,"

And he did.

I was brought to the training field for my judgment to be read out to the hundreds of pack members encircling me.

He pushed aside technicalities to dish out my punishment himself.

First was the rejection.

"I, esteemed Alpha of the Brazen pack Raphael Ashen reject you Celestia Willow as my mate, you are thereby stripped of your title as Luna and all privileges and powers that come with it,"

If I were not already on my knees I would have collapsed from the searing pain that rippled from my chest over to my spine.

The guards were wearing gloves, they tugged on my chains forcing me upright.

There was more waiting for me.

Oh, so much more.

"You will serve a decade-long exile away from Brazen pack to repent and during that time you will be stripped of your wolf until the time of your exile comes to an end,"

Ten years 

I swallowed 

They dragged me away, people jeered and threw rotten food at me as a parade of shame carried me out and followed me to the borders of brazen.

Beyond me was no man's land 

Here across several acres of land, untamed and unbridled everything and anything happened.

I was thrown past the 'line' 

Once a Luna 

Now I'm a rogue.

Raphael's POV 

"He won't stop crying, Raphael! I'm so tired!"

My grandmother told me ever since I was a pup that motherhood was one of the biggest transitions for any she-wolf.

With all that in mind, I'd hired three experienced nannies, each of them had at least eight years under their belt, Medea made regular guilt-free outings with her sister Eclipse and I paid for a tummy tuck when going to the gym was too much work.

I don't want to sound inconsiderate.

But I think I've done enough to make this motherhood journey easy on her.

However, she was always quick with Jaxon.

A little whimper and she was quick to snap at him.

Since Jaxon's cries were a regular rhythm throughout the night and most of the night his crib and other pup essentials were moved to our bedroom.

Medea wasn't happy about this but clipped away any complaint.

At least at first.

Then Jax broke into his third cry of the night and she got up before me. She sprinted off the bed and rushed to his bed. She swooped up the three-month-old and shook him with a strength I didn't know she was capable of.

In haste, I caught up to her and snatched the baby from her.

"Medea, what's gotten into you?!"

That's when she said it.

"He won't stop crying, Raphael! I'm so tired!"

His soft tender face ruffled and he cried with his whole being.

"I understand you're tired, Medea, but you know he's only this cranky because he doesn't eat often,"

Medea scoffed.

"Well maybe wouldn't be all skin and bones if he ate,"

Her words hit me with the weight of a physical blow.

"Medea, you're tired you don't know what you're saying...go to bed,"

I tried to lead her back to the bed with one hand and she tugged her hand away and I released it to balance Jax.

"Sleep isn't going to fix this, how much longer will I have to put up with this in my own home? My own child constantly rejects me. When he was a newborn he refused to suckle...we tried everything... don't you remember?"

I did remember.

For five days nothing passed through my son's mouth.

If he were not of Alpha blood he would have never made it far.

He also wouldn't stop crying.

That was until he smelt her.

Or rather her clothes.

I had been instructing the servants how they would dispose of Celestia's things, his tiny fingers pulled towards the wardrobe, to the clothes she had worn.

Medea had been standing by my side when she noticed it too.

We dismissed the servants and stuffed his crib with her clothes.

He calmed, his temperature finally relaxing to a subtle warmth and I got courageous and fished out a bottle of baby formula I had secretly bought.

Medea was flabbergasted.

And betrayed.

A silent apology rang in my eyes as I pressed cold formula into my son's mouth.

Slowly but steadily he began to suckle, I felt like I had aged downwards by about five years and my entire face brightened.

But Medea, now my Luna and mate, was not pleased.

She threw herself on the bed and cried until her eyes were red at the rims.

"I'm no mother, this is what I get for being a scam!"

She said over and over again.

I consoled her 

Kissed her 

Told her that she was just a mother rather than a certain someone.

To date, Jax still slept in her clothes, but I guess it wasn't the same as the real thing.

That's why he'd still break into tears in the middle of the night, loud enough to shake the entire packhouse.

When he finally settled down I held him in my arms for a bit longer and carefully placed him down in his crib like I was dropping a bomb.

Then I spun my head around.

No sight of Medea.

I sighed, leaving the bedroom and heading straight to where I knew she'd be.

The attic.

Medea's family had once been high-ranked and respected by the pack, but her father and mother chose the side of our enemies during a crisis, they were deemed as traitors and executed for their crimes.

Leaving Medea alone to tend to her little sister.

I had always liked her before, but seeing how resilient she was in the face of bullying and mockery for the offense of her parents.

I stood like a wall protecting her from those who tried to harm her.

When her family home was burnt down by self-righteous pack members I begged my parents to let her stay.

I was begging them in the living room when Celestia walked in.

She was 17, with almond eyes that carried carved out innocence.

She listened and followed me afterward as I was marching into my room.

"I need a maid," she said awkwardly, "if Eclipse promises to work hard, I can convince my father and mother to let her work under me,"

Back then I thought she was kind and sincere.

Eclipse became her personal maid, and I later made Medea my maid.

She was often bullied by the other maids in their quarters so she found the abandoned attic and would go there at night and sit on the worn-out mattress and look out the circular window.

She did that now.

Even after so many years.

And I could still see it 

That poor girl, broken by the world, abandoned by everyone, friends and family alike.

My Alpha instincts told me to protect.

I came forward, sitting next to her on the dusty ground.

Without warning she said; "Jaxon needs his mother,"

I reached forward and squeezed her hand.

"You are his mother,"

"His real mother, Raphael...his real mother," 

I swallowed.

"It will be hard to find her," I admitted, "if there is even a person to be found,"

"She's alive," She said rigidly, "...people like her never die off easily,"

I stared out the window imagining her broken face.

Was Celestia still out there?