His convict Luna

02 The Sentencing

Ivory

Cole’s eyes became cold, so cold that I could not keep eye contact. All I could see was pure hatred.

"Well, if it pleases you to know, thanks to you and your lover, Rain has been silent since I woke up. The attack you orchestrated has left me injured and wolfless. I hope you are happy now," he said, and I gasped, pain in my heart from what he had said. Rain was my life, too, my mate.

"I guess even though you didn't succeed in killing me completely, you still took a significant part of me. You have rendered me useless, Ivory, and I hope you are happy now," he said, and Gamma Olsen walked to us.

"Alpha, you have to pronounce the punishment so we can attend to other matters," he said without looking at me.

He was angry, too. We were friends, but in his eyes, I was now a traitor. I could see that he couldn't stand me, and I couldn't blame him. Had I been in their shoes with everything levelled against me, I would hate myself. It was understandable, but with Rain out of the picture, Cole wouldn't be able to understand emotions and decipher deception. I was truly f*cked.

Cole nodded and then looked at me.

"The punishment is a death sentence. A public execution," Cole said and sighed.

"But I can't bring myself to do it," he said, looking at me with pain in his eyes. He chuckled and looked around.

"Even now, I am a fool for you. Even now, I still love you. Even now, I can't bring myself to hurt you. I can't do to you what you tried to do to me. I can't give my sister, your best friend, the justice she deserves because my heart still beats for you," he said, and I could see he was finding it hard.

"Will a banishment suffice?" He asked Olsen, and he shook his head.

"Banishment is for crimes that didn't claim lives. Besides, we can't leave an ex-pack member roaming free. She might cause trouble out there, and it would return to us. With all that has happened, we can't risk it," he pointed out. I didn't want to be banished, either. I didn't want to leave. Melissa was like a sister to me, and Cole was my life. Erin was also my friend, and they had lost their lives for this. Cole had lost his wolf. With Cole half the man he was and broken, I couldn't live with myself.

"Sentence me to death, please. I do not want to live knowing that I had been accused of hurting the people I loved. Hurting you, killing Melissa..." I said, and he growled at me.

"Do not speak her name!" he warned me, and I was silent.

"What is the other option?" he asked Olsen, and he sighed.

"Life imprisonment," he said, and Cole looked away.

I could see his difficulty. He was fighting himself. He looked at me, and his eyes blamed me for ruining us. I could see it. I could see he blamed me for ruining us. I blamed myself for allowing this to happen to me.

"Life imprisonment," he pronounced, and I knew that was the best deal I would get. But I didn't want to be in a cell. Death would be better than the cell. At least I will have peace.

Locking me up with criminals I had put away as Luna would be hard. I had been in solitary confinement for the two weeks I was locked up. Life imprisonment meant I would have to adapt and make the place my new home, my new world. Everything outside the prison would be unreachable: it would all cease to exist for me. It was indeed a punishment, but I didn't care anymore. I was already dead inside.

"You heard the alpha; take her away," Olsen said, and one of the guards grabbed onto the chain, but I tugged defiantly, wanting to have one last word with Cole because I knew he might never speak to me again.

"Please, one last word," I pleaded with him while the guard tugged the burning metal. Cole hesitated and nodded, instructing them to let me speak.

I took a deep breath and gathered myself. Looking at him, I tried to memorise every part of his features. I tried to commit it all to memory, knowing I might never see him again.

Cole waited patiently to hear what I had to say, and I knew I needed to speak quickly before he changed his mind and walked away.

"I can never fix what has happened, and you will probably hate me for the rest of my life and yours. We might never see each other again, and you might never speak to me again, so I will use this opportunity to tell you this,” I said, bracing myself.

"I know the evidence is damning, but I would rather die than do what I have been accused of. I am not saying this because I want you to pardon me, Cole. I am saying it because it is my truth. I accept the sentencing and all that will happen to me from here on, and I appreciate your kindness for letting me keep my life, even though everything says I tried to take yours. There is nothing I can say or do that would fix this or get me out of this mess. It is over for me, but I beg you," I said and looked at Olsen.

"I am begging you not to dismiss my words. I am innocent in all this, and whoever did this is still at large," I said, and Cole growled at me.

"Liar!" he said with rage. His eyes bloodshot.

"I accept my sentencing, Cole, and I won't fight it. I won't contest it. There is nothing to fight or contest, but I know if anyone went through this length, their goal wouldn't be to just frame me and end me, Cole," I said, and he looked disgusted as if I was acting.

"It is alpha to you," Olsen corrected me, and the words broke my heart. I never knew a day would come when I wouldn't be allowed to call my husband's name.

"I am just begging you to be vigilant and watch your back, Alpha," I said, pleading with him to survive no matter what, and he laughed.

"There is nothing to watch, Ivory. Death would be better than what I have now. I have no wolf, no mate, no sibling and no best friend. I have nothing. You and Erin took it all from me. Do you think someone like me wants to cling to life, Ivory?" He asked, and I shook my head, tears falling from my eyes. The implications of his words registering.

"Please, Col... Alpha, do not end your life. Please live. You have to live!" I said in tears.

"Your words won't give you absolution, Ivory. I will never forgive you. The moon will hide from you. The goddess will punish you for taking everything from me, especially my will to live," he said, and I could see the resignation in his eyes. I knew if he died, then I would have lost everything, and the people who did this would get what they wanted.

"If love is why you feel this way, then hate me, Alpha," I said, and both he and Olsen were shocked.

"Hate me fiercely and cling to life. Let every day you breathe be a testament that you persevered and I lost. Hate me, Alpha and watch your back," I said, and he growled at me with so much rage.

I could see that he hated my words, but that was all I could offer. That was all I had.

The guard dragged me away. I kept my eyes on him even though it was an awkward angle. I kept my eyes on him, memorising his face one last time. Knowing that I might never see him again.

Tears fell, a testament to my broken heart, a testament to my loss and pain. Tears fell because, in his eyes, I was guilty.