I pushed those thoughts aside as I made my way to Owen’s room. The ceremony had ended and the pack was still celebrating. Owen had promised me that once the festivities died down, we would have our moment. But as I approached his door, my heart began to race. This was the moment I had been waiting for.
I opened the door to a sight I would never forget.
Mara, a she-wolf from the pack lay in a pool of blood on the floor. Owen stood above her, holding a knife in his hand. “What... what happened?” I stuttered.
“It’s not what it looks like,” His eyes were wide with shock as he turned around.
“What did you do?” I whispered as I stepped into the room fully. My legs was suddenly feeling like they were made of stone.
“She came to me,” he said quickly, his words tumbling over each other. “She tried to... throw herself at me. I told her no, but she wouldn’t stop. There was a struggle, and... I didn’t mean to. You have to believe me.”
I tried to process what I was seeing. My mate, standing over a dead body. The bloodied Knife in his hand was an evidence he had really done this.
“I didn’t want this to happen,” Owen continued. “But if anyone finds out… if the pack knows… they’ll exile me. They’ll never accept me as their Alpha. You know how they value loyalty above all else.”
His eyes locked onto mine as he continued pleading. "Please... you have to help me. You have to take the blame."
"What exactly are you asking me to do?" My voice was steady despite the scene before me.
"They won't believe me," he pressed on. "But if you say it was you, they'll never suspect me."
"A murder confession." I stared at the knife in his hands understanding what this meant.
"Please, Ariana. You're the only one who can save me. When I become Alpha in five days, I'll release you. You'll be my Luna and we'll have our happy ending."
I couldn’t process the emotions crashing over me. The man I loved, the man I trusted was standing here asking me to lie for him to take the fall for something he had done.
“If I do this…” I whispered. “You promise you'll come for me?”
He nodded quickly. “I promise, just five days.”
I couldn’t bring myself to condemn him. I knew how badly he wanted to be Alpha. I knew how much he had worked for this moment. If the pack found out the truth, everything he had worked for would be destroyed. I understood that and I couldn’t bear to see him lose it all.