I AM THE SHE-ALPHA

CHAPTER 004

Raven's POV:

The cold dungeon air wrapped around me like a wet, suffocating blanket as it seeped into my bones, and the smell of decay irritated my nostrils. How long have I stayed here? A day or two, maybe three, I don't really know, but the mark on my neck burned hotter with each passing day, a cruel reminder of my betrayal, my rejection, and the culprit that led me here.

I sat by the far corner of the dungeon, clutching my arms as if that could shield me from the despair sinking its claws into my soul.

How did everything succumb to this?

It seemed like a dream I couldn't escape.

All of these, it's all because of 'her.'

Kaelith's face flashed in my mind-her fake crocodile tears, the way she turned the entire pack against me with her deceit and lies.

'I was a fool,' I thought, hating the fact I trusted her, believing that this plan, as reckless as it was, would somehow come in our favor.

Another stream of tears fell down my face as I remembered my parent's disappointment, their disownment, the pack's discouraging glares, and his disgust. My mate, my Alpha, my Theodore.

I replayed his rejection in my mind, his words cutting deeper than any dagger.

"I'm innocent!" I shouted, my frustration getting the best of me as a new stream of tears fell.

"Shut it, girl. Everyone thinks they are." A grave voice spoke from the cell adjacent to mine. "You're to die in a few hours just like us, but do you see us crying? No! Stop your foolish whining and enjoy these few hours of your life."

I ignored them, as I had done for days now, scooting even farther into the wall of the cell, for I didn't want to associate with these rogues. They attacked our pack weeks ago and killed some of the pack warriors. They were criminals and savages.

Now, I was one of them.

I turned to the small window, and true to the rogue's words, it was almost a full moon.

Almost to the point of my death.

The deafening silence that gripped the entire dungeon like a second skin was shattered with a loud boom, shaking the very foundation of the whole place.

I clung to the cold walls as the ground trembled from the force of the explosion, debris falling from the ceiling. The dungeon was now enveloped with shouts, the metallic clatter of iron bars hitting the stone floor, and dust that blocked every view.

"What the hell was that?" The rogue across from me snarled, gripping the iron bar of his cell as another blast erupted, this time, closer to us.

The walls cracked as I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline surging through me as I peered through the iron bars of my cell.

Chaos. Pure, unrelenting chaos.

A wave of dust filled the whole place as a figure draped in black, the face covered by a hood, emerged from the wreckage.

The rogue in the cell opposite mine cackled, gripping the bars of his cell with wild excitement. "Hurrah, the great Beta has come to save us. Looks like the cavalry's arrived! Time for freedom!"

The stranger, the beta freed all the rogues and lastly opened the gate opposite mine, releasing the lousy rogue.

"Thank you, Great Beta." The rogue said, running away immediately.

The stranger didn't say anything, only turned to me as he stared. I didn't know what to do but stare at his supposed face, completely covered by the shadow of his hood.

He turned and was about to leave, causing me to scream, my voice filled with desperation. "Please, sir. Help me. I don't want to die, please."

The stranger stopped, his back now facing me. He was silent for a while before he spoke. "Why should I help you?"

His voice was strangely smooth yet strong, like a fine wine with a powerful alcoholic effect.

"B-because...because." I was speechless. He was a rogue, and I was his enemy, a member of the pack meant to destroy him. He had no reason to save me, but I was desperate. "Please."

He turned to me, and with a snap of his sword, the door sprung open, the key lock damaged.

"Run," he said, his back still facing towards me. "For if I see you again, I will kill you myself."

I need not be told twice, as he broke my cage and I ran as fast as my small legs could carry me, out of the dungeon and into the forest.

Chaos and panic filled the whole place as the Fangborn Pack warriors tried to subdue the rogues.

The icy wind whipped at my hair as I tore through the dense forest, dry branches tearing at my skin and legs, but I didn't dare stop.

I couldn't stop.

Shouts and growls followed behind me as the trees thinned suddenly, and I skidded to a halt, my heart sinking.

A cliff. I always hated that cliff.

The jagged edge loomed before me, the drop plunging into a dark, roaring river below as the moonlight reflected off the churning water, mocking my escape.

I made a move to find another way out to escape but as I spun around, my blood ran cold.

Standing there were two fully transformed wolves and Kaelith in the middle. She held a cruel smile that twisted her perfect face.

"Well, well, Sister." She poured, stepping closer, her voice dripping with venom. "Ever the coward you are. Running already? I thought you'd at least grow the balls to wait for your grand execution."

"Kaelith," I breathed, slowly backing closer to the cliff's edge as stone pebbles dropped beyond. "You... This is all your fault. You framed me? You turned the whole Pack, our parents, and my mate against me! Why?"

She burst out laughing, stepping even closer. "Oh, Raven. Always the dumb twin you are, how pathetic. But what do you want me to do? I can't have the pack against me, can I?"

"And after all, only one of us can be Luna."

My gaze narrowed. "You have your own mate," I hissed, "Stop this nonsense, admit your mistake and we can go back to the way it was, please, sister. For our sake. For my sake."

"Nonsense?" She laughed, a cold, mirthless sound that chilled my bones. How could I not have noticed so much evil in her? "I am to be Luna. I am the better twin; instead, I am stuck with an ordinary Beta as a mate. Either one of us was going to have Theodore as a mate, and when I saw Gilbert was my mate, I knew I had to intercede before Alpha Theodore could claim you."

"That's why you framed me. You had these planned all this while."

"Bravo, Sherlock. You're finally catching on."

"Y-you'll never succeed." I couldn't believe she would do this to her sister. "You'll never be Luna."

Kaelith smirked. "And who's to stop me? A dead girl?" She turned to the wolves beside her. "Get her."

As they lunged for me, I jumped away from the cliff end, narrowly escaping a swipe to the face and a fall to my death.

Before I could regain balance, I saw a blur as Kaelith lunged at me, her claws glinting in the moonlight. I barely dodged, but she was faster than I'd anticipated. Her nails tore through my arm, blood splattering the rocks as pain ripped through me.

"Stop running, Raven!" Kaelith snarled, her eyes glowing with predatory fury. "It's useless."

I stumbled back, clutching my arms, but she was relentless. She swung again, her claws tearing my chin. I screamed, falling to the floor as she climbed on top of me. I shivered from her cold claws on my face.

"Sister, please, let me go," I shivered as I pleaded, "I swear, I would be out of here, and you'll never see me again."

She smiled, which made my stomach turn, and not in a good way. "Nah, I prefer you dead."

She slashed her claws at me as she spoke, causing a blood-curdling scream to escape me, but she didn't stop.

"That way,"

Slash!

"My secret,"

"would never be..."

Slash!

"Exposed,"

Slash!

"And I can also take my position as Luna. It's a win-win."

My vision turned hazy as I felt my strength slipping. I couldn't move, only lying on the floor as my body was being torn apart by her.

"Are you going to kill your own sister?"

I couldn't recognize the voice that spoke, I was in too much pain to think.

Do they want to kill me? I was already dead. Killed by my sister.

Kaelith replied. "Nah, I can't possibly kill my blood, can I? Let the wild wolves finish the job."

In the course of a few days, I had undergone what I could never have imagined. I wasn't ready to die, not now and at least not in the hands of my sister and wild wolves. I began to drag myself to the cliff, bearing the pain that coursed through my veins.

I didn't know how far I'd gotten, but I felt the free edge of the cliffside.

I could hear muffled sounds from behind me, and I knew the wild wolves were ready to feast, but after everything, this wasn't how I wanted to be remembered on earth.

If I wanted to die, I would die by my own accord.

With the last remaining strength I had, I said my final goodbye to the world and pushed myself off the cliff.