PROLOGUE
~LEYLANI~
I pushed away from the wall with a grunt, as the surface seared hot heat into my skin. I've heard of cellars, dungeons and how cold the walls are. How bad they smell. I've read in books, and the descriptions of everything have always been the same; cold walls, cold floors, little windows with small air space, dark and the stink of dead rats and feces everywhere. Yet this cell room was different, the walls weren't cold, if they were, my skin wouldn't sting from the heat of it.
The floors aren't cold either, just dirty, sticky and the entire cell stinks, but I wouldn't say it smells of dead rats or feces. It simply carried the sweaty smell of everyone that had been locked up here before me, and not once did I ever imagine I'd find myself locked behind the iron bars of a cell wall.
It just never occurred to me that someday, something would make me no less than a criminal. One could've thought, given my status in the kingdom, they would at least fit me in a cell room that was much more conducive, but it's unlike anyone to care for the comfort of a murderer. People don't do that. None that I've heard of.
The sounds of footsteps petered the corridor of the dungeon, and I wouldn't have cared for whoever it was if not for the sweet scent that welcomed my nose as he got closer. I have always loved how good he smelled, but I didn't think there would be a day like this, wherein I would appreciate the sweet smell of his scent more than being alive. It felt good to finally cure the stench in my nostrils, and I didn't waste another minute, turning to face him, as the sophisticated smell of raspberry sent a soothing rush to my senses.
"Lani...." He called, his voice strung low with pain as he stood outside, holding the iron bar of the cell and I stood up, walking over to him despite the heavy weight of the chains tearing my strength down.
"You came." I murmured, reaching out my hand to touch his. He flinched. It was subtle, the way his body jerked when my fingers brushed against his hand that held the iron bar. If my eyes weren't trained on his hands, I could've missed that subtle jerk in his muscles. But he didn't retract his hands, no, he held onto the bar with a composed expression, and as I raised my head to look at him, I wondered if the looks in his eyes right now were what I hoped it was, or something else.
It's only been a few hours since I was thrown in here, and I can't begin to lament how much I've missed him, his touch, his scent, the tenderness in his eyes whenever he looked at me, the shy smile always tugging at the corner of his lips just from watching me doing the most stupid thing.
"Why did you do it?" He asked, voice strained and the doubt in his voice, his gaze had me pulling my fingers away from his hand like I had been burned.
"Amir, I didn't do it, I swear to the gods, and every deity above. I didn't do it." I let out, my voice barely above a whisper, but I knew he heard me.
"That's hard to believe, Lani, I.... I don't know what to believe anymore. How could you? I trusted you, I...." He shook his head as he spoke, pulling his hand away from the iron bar while taking careful steps away from me.
This time it wasn't just doubt I saw in his eyes, no, it was disgust. Hatred, betrayal and it hurt me. It hurts to see that the one person in the whole world who should take my side is about to turn his back on me. Anger, unbridled anger washed over my soul, as I washed those eyes that once looked at me with nothing but love and respect turned into something else.
"You.... You of all people should believe me, Amir." I let out, my voice croaky, my hands trembled as I gripped the chains binding my wrist with vengeance.
"How? It's hard, you killed him...."
"You are my f*cking mate Amir. MY MATE!” I yelled, enunciating the last words, “How can you stand there, and tell me you don't believe me? You out of everyone should know I didn't do it. Why would I kill him? He wasn't just my best friend, he was my cousin as well. How can you not believe me, you are my mate, you're supposed to take my side."
The veins in my head and neck popped as I yelled out angrily, unable to hold off the anger I felt. I was never one that could control her temper, my mother always said it was the only bad thing about me. I was always quick to anger, and it never bode well for me, especially in this situation.
"Exactly Leylani, f*cking hear yourself, he is your cousin. How do you think anyone would believe you when you say he tried to rape you? Why on earth would your cousin want to rape you? He was happily married to his mate, who was a few months pregnant. Everyone knew how hard the prince loved his mate. Why would he want to rape you? Leylani, it doesn't make any sense. We aren't stupid." Amir screamed in return, throwing my words back in my face, and he was right. It doesn't make sense, even though I know it doesn't make sense, but it is the truth.
"Everyone knows how competitive you've always been with him. I don't want to believe that you did it because you were jealous, but it just makes sense. You've always wanted what he had, you've always regarded Jaylen as a competition. I didn't think your greed to take what he has was that strong. I didn't think you would end up killing him, all because of the throne, yet Jaylen only ever saw you as a sister and a friend." He swiped at the tears rolling down his cheeks as he spoke, and the words I had meant to say in my defense stuck somewhere between my lungs and stomach.
I couldn't speak, I just stared at him, my mate in disbelief, perplexed that he also believed what the people were saying about me. Where were all the years of love and friendship we shared? The trust I thought we had in each other?
"I thought you'd at least tell me the truth if I came to you, but it seems you're adamant and feel no remorse for what you've done." Amir shut his eyes for a brief moment, lulling his head back as he sucked in a deep troubled breath.
“I am telling you the truth, Amir. Why can’t you trust me? Me Amir, I am your mate. Even if I lie to everyone, Amir, I can never lie to you. You know that, you know me Amir, I am telling the truth.” I tried not to let my voice break as I spoke, but there was that subtle tremble in every word I said, “It happened so fast, we were talking, and__ the next minute he was on me, I thought__ I thought he was goofing around, and then I__ He___ I tried to….” I couldn’t help the stutter because the memories were as fresh as day, at the back of my head. Yet even to me it made no sense, that Jaylen would just….
“Lani stop__” He barked at me, swiping his palm down his face, “please stop talking, you’re not making any sense, so please stop talking.” He added with a sigh before raising his head up.
“The royal circle is discussing your case right now. You know what they’d do, right? They’ll hang you Lani, that’s the judgment for murder.” I know. I knew the laws and rules of this land like the back of my hand, I was going to be the second-in-command to the new Alpha King, so how could I not know?
“I can’t let that happen, Amir, you can’t let that happen. You need to get me out of here, you have to.” I reached for his hands again, pleading with my eyes.
“How? Do you want to become a fugitive? Make me into an accomplice for murder?” He asked, and I shook my head.
“Amir, I swear to you by the deities that I am innocent, and I understand if you find it hard to believe me, but I am and I can prove it. You have to get me out, if not for me, but for the sake of our little one. Please.” His breath hitched for a moment, eyes leaving my face as they trailed down my stomach.
“What?” Amir blinked, brows furrowed in confusion as he raised his head up. “Leylani, what little one? What are you talking about, are you…?”
“Yes Amir, I am pregnant with our child. That’s why you have to help me get out of here.”
“How long have you known? Why are you just telling this to me now? Lani, how long have you known? Are you lying? Are you trying to play me right now?” His face hardened as he spoke and I shook my head rapidly.
“Baby, please believe me, I am pregnant. I found out two weeks ago.”
“You what!” He exclaimed, dropping my hand like he had just been burned, “two weeks, and you are just telling me now? Are you messing with me?”
“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep it. Remember the last time we spoke about kids? You said you weren’t ready for one yet, because you needed to focus on the family business and I also needed to focus on my duties as Jaylen’s second-in-command. I can’t do that if I have to worry about a growing baby. I was going to tell you, and then this happened.”
He stared at me for a dull minute, eyes blank and face void of any emotions that I couldn’t read what was going through his mind, “So if this didn’t happen did you ever plan to tell me?”
“Of course I will tell you, I was going to tell you this week, I swear, Amir. There was just so much going on with preparations and there was no time.”
“How do I trust that you’re telling the truth? Divan, can’t feel the baby, if you’re pregnant shouldn’t my wolf be able to feel his child?” Amir asked with a questioning gaze.
“I am only five weeks pregnant, I don’t know if it’s possible to feel the child that early, I have the test results at home. That’s enough proof.” I said with hopes that if he finds it, he can finally agree to get me out of here.
“Where?” Amir asked, fishing out his cell-phone from his pocket, “Where did you keep the result?”
“In my room, the bedside shelf, in the top left drawer.” I watched as he tapped on the screen of his phone, without sparing me a glance, as he dialed a number and he turned his back on me.
__Hi logan.__ Yeah can you run a quick errand for me__ Lani’s room. I need you to help me check for a medical report, check the bedside shelf, in the top left drawer. __Yes, I kept a medical result there. Please help me check well, you can check the rest of the drawer___ It should be a pregnancy result.
I listened as he passed information to Logan. I couldn’t quite pick up what Logan was saying. The sounds coming from the speaker were muffled, and it was hard for me to even concentrate on anything in this state.
__Thank you, that means a lot, see ya later buddy.__ Amir hung up the phone, turned to me and I swallowed, seeing the look in his eyes. That look, the fury swimming in his eyes had the wheels in my head turning, and my wolf whimpered, because our mate has never ever looked at us like that, but I know that look all too well because I’ve seen it a few times when he was mad at others.
“You really had to stoop so low?” Amir gritted, stepping forward, “Of all the things you could add to your list of lies, how dare you lie about being pregnant!!” Amir bellowed with anger.
“WHAT!!” I couldn’t hold back my own outburst, “Why would I lie about being pregnant, Amir, I am with child, your child, our child.” I screamed at him.
“SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP!!” He growled, clenching his fist in anger, “Logan didn’t see the stupid test result you lied about, I really cannot believe you’d lie about something like that__ What exactly is the truth with you, Lani? Everything all these years, has it only been lies?”
“Amir, you need to believe me, I would never. We can go for another test. Right now, if you get me out of here, we can….”
“Stop talking.” He cut me off, massaging his temple as he closed his eyes with a deep breath.
When he opened those eyes again, I saw it. I knew what was coming. Those dark brown eyes I once looked into and found peace, solace, love and loyalty only held hatred now. The comfort I once found in those eyes seemingly vanished the moment he opened his eyes, and all I saw was disgust and undiluted rage. Rage that shook my insides and made my wolf keen in pain.
There was no stopping what would come next, and I wasn’t prepared for it either. Not once in my life, in our four years of being together, did I ever imagine a day like this. Nothing could’ve prepared me for this.
"I, AMIR ZALE, REJECT YOU, LEYLANI TAVARES, AS MY MATE."
Eileen, my wolf, howled in pain as the words left Amir's lips, she crumbled to the ground, her breath heaving as we both felt the string binding the mate's bond snap. But his rejection wasn't enough to completely break the bond.
I stared at Amir, despite the pain coursing through my body, and the heat searing through my veins, I managed to keep a blank expression, despite the anguish washing over my soul, and Eileen digging her claws into every corner of my head, begging that I reject his rejection, howling that I do not let our mate go.
Amir’s eyes held no remorse or sympathy for me. His cold eyes stared deep into my soul, and I was almost tempted to look away, but I needed to see that look, to have it imprinted in my memory, to remind myself of this day if I ever make it out of this alive.
"I LEYLANI VESPER TAVARES, ACCEPTS YOUR REJECTION." And with that, I turned my back on him, refusing to give into the churn in my stomach, refusing to be swallowed by the agony of the bond breaking apart.
No, I refused to let him see me crumble, the edges of the chain cut into my palm as my grip hardened, as I fought back against the need to fall on my knees, the need to just shatter. Yet, I didn't let the anguish consume me, not until I heard the fading sound of his retreating footsteps, the sound of the dungeon door shaking against its hinges as it closed after him. Only then did I let my world fall apart, and Eileen cried out to the heavens in agony.
