Chapter 3 Sent To Prison

• "No, for now, that would be all please." The queen's response was measured, a command signalling the beginning of an inevitable process. Cassandra and her companions turned towards me, walking down the steps to where I was kneeling, vulnerable and exposed.
• My heartbeat was like a drum in my ears, a steady rhythm that matched the dread march in my chest. This was the moment I had been dreading, a moment that would reveal my deepest secrets. I felt small and insignificant in the face of these powerful witches, at the mercy of forces beyond my control.
• Their eyes bore into me, their intensity like a weight on my soul. I closed my eyes involuntarily to shield myself from their piercing gaze. But that action only seemed to trigger something unexpected.
• A sharp slap landed on my cheek, and my gasp of surprise echoed in the room. The stinging sensation radiated through my skin, and I instinctively raised my hand to touch the spot. It wasn't the physical pain that startedled me but the unexpectedness of the blow. My eyes snapped open, locking onto my mother's face. Her expression was a mix of anger and frustration.
• "Why did you do that?" My voice trembled with a mix of fury and confusion. Despite my efforts to maintain my composure, it was clear that my nerves were fraying at the edges.
• "You know what you did! You disrupted the process intentionally." My mother's words were laced with bitterness, a reflection of her inner turmoil. Her disappointment was palpable, and I looked down to avoid her gaze.
• Tears welled up, not from the pain of the slap but from the ache of betrayal that had seeped into my heart. I felt like a pawn in a larger game, my attempts at stalling the process futile. It was as if the universe was conspiring against me, every move leading to more suffering.
• "Can you look up, child? We do not have all day?" The witch's voice broke through my thoughts. Her tone was surprisingly gentle, given the circumstances. I forced myself to meet her eyes, brimming with unshed tears.
• With my gaze fixed on the witch, she closed her eyes and began reciting ancient and otherworldly spells. The words carried a weight of power, and a sensation of dizziness swept over me. It was as if my memories were being plucked from my mind and examined under an unforgiving light. My thoughts felt hazy, my grip on reality slipping slightly as I struggled to steady myself.
• The witch's incantations ceased, leaving an eerie silence in their wake. I dared to meet her gaze, my heart pounding with anticipation and dread. The expression on her face was a storm of emotions, but what caught my attention the most was the loathing that seemed to radiate from her very being.
• The realization hit me like a physical blow. She knew about Lucian. My secret, my love, all laid bare before her accusing eyes. Her features contorted with anger and disgust, directed squarely at me. I couldn't hold her gaze for long, my eyes dropping to the ground as shame and regret washed over me.
• "Hmm…this girl has brought disgrace to our coven! She is in love with a werewolf, and not only that but she decided to elope with him," the witch's voice dripped with contempt, the revelation shocking everyone present. Gasps and murmurs filled the air, the weight of my actions reverberating through the room. I wished I could disappear to escape this spotlight that showcased my betrayal.
• I felt my mother's rage before I saw it. Her words were a torrent of anger, accompanied by sharp hits that landed on me. Each blow stung, a physical manifestation of the disappointment she felt. I could hardly contain the sobs that escaped my lips, my body trembling from pain and guilt.
• Regret clawed at my heart, the weight of my choices pressing on me with unbearable force. Lucian's face flashed before my eyes, and I struggled to comprehend the enormity of my mistakes. Love blinded me, leading me to disregard everything I had been taught, everything that mattered to our coven.
• The guards were ordered to seize me, their grip firm as they treated me like a criminal. I stumbled along, my legs feeling weak and unsteady. The queen's declaration echoed in my ears, a harsh decree that severed my ties to the only life I had known.
• Imprisoned, I found myself sitting on the cold, unforgiving floor, my body aching from mistreatment and my heart heavy with despair. I stared at the wall before me, tears blurring my vision and mingling with the dirt on my face. My appearance mirrored the turmoil within me, a reflection of the shattered girl who had once believed in love's power to conquer all.
• My mind replayed the scenes of my love with Lucian, our promises, our dreams. How did it all go so wrong? The pain of his betrayal was an ache that seemed to seep into my bones. How could he have abandoned me, left me to face this alone? The questions were a torment, and as tears flowed freely down my cheeks, I clutched at my chest as if trying to hold together the shattered fragments of my heart.
• Pain was an ever-present companion, a constant ache in the depths of my being. Each passing day seemed to magnify the weight of my betrayal and the devastation it had brought. There was a bitter irony in how my faith in love had led me down this path of suffering. Alone in prison, I grappled with the harsh reality that the person I had trusted was a coward who left me to face the consequences.
• No one could comprehend the depth of my pain. My mother's rejection, the coldness of my coven, and the confines of my prison cell all seemed to mock me relentlessly. In the silence of my solitude, I felt like a broken doll cast aside by the very forces that once claimed to protect and nurture me.
• I questioned the purpose of my existence. Why was I still alive when every ounce of joy had been stripped away? The future seemed like a dark void, an abyss I had no desire to navigate. Each breath felt heavy, like a burden I was forced to bear without hope of reprieve.
• The allure of escape, of ending the agony once and for all, whispered in the recesses of my mind. The voices that mocked my suffering and despair seemed to taunt me without respite. I longed to silence them, to find a way to erase the pain that had become my constant companion.
• But even in my sadness, I couldn't find the strength to take that final step. My battered and bruised heart clung to a fragile thread of hope. It was a struggle to see beyond the suffocating darkness that enveloped me, but I held on, if only by a threat.
• After Three Years:
• Three years passed, each day blending into the next in a haze of numbness. I now shared a modest home with a friend, our combined wages barely affording us a semblance of normalcy. Life had become a mechanical routine, a far cry from the dreams I once nurtured.
• The world around me had changed, marked by a war that raged between witches and werewolves. The atmosphere was charged with tension and fear, and the notion of a ruthless new alpha among the werewolves sent shivers down my spine.
• The once-mighty witches were now on the defensive, facing the relentless onslaught of the werewolves. The losses were devastating, and the desperation was palpable. As much as I wanted to distance myself from this conflict, I couldn't escape its impact on my life.
• In this landscape of uncertainty and dread, I navigated each day as best I could. The pain of the past had left me scarred, and the future appeared as a vast expanse of shadows. Yet, in the midst of this turmoil, a flicker of resilience remained, a tiny flame that refused to be extinguished completely.
• Mira's abrupt entrance startled me, and I quickly locked the door behind her. It had become our routine, a small precaution in the midst of the chaos outside. Since the war had erupted, safety was a fragile concept, and we did whatever we could to shield ourselves from the horrors beyond our walls.
• I couldn't help my frustration as I chided Mira for her sudden appearance. Her panicked expression told a story of its own, and I couldn't deny that the current state of the world had taken a toll on all of us.
• "Easy there, Mira. You nearly scared me out of my wits," I said, a mixture of annoyance and concern lacing my words. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my racing heart.