Chapter 1: The Bloody Crown
[AWUOR]
"Murderer!"
"She doesn't deserve to live among us!"
In a land that boasted of peace in the werewolf kingdom, betrayal and anger had finally made an appearance and from the look of things, they weren't both going to go away anytime soon, thanks to the woman who had brought them to this very point in their lives.
"Make her leave!"
"Banish her"
"Send her away!"
These were the angry and disappointed chants by the Sicario pack members. They were currently at the pack square, the place that they always loved and sang praises in. They had loved this place over the years and it was a pity that today, they weren't happy about being here.
"We want her to pay the price!"
"We demand justice!"
The chants continued angrily. There was so much pain in their voices that anyone who was listening could just tell how heartbroken they all were. Maybe it was because of the woman they wanted to banish, or maybe it was because of the person they had just lost so suddenly.
Whoever it was who they were against, she had to have done something that was unforgivable, because why would someone be banished from her home? They called her a murderer and they wanted her gone.
However, who was she, and what in the goddess's beautiful world did she do for them to want her gone so bad?
From the chants, it seemed like she had killed one of them, someone they all valued for them to come together like this.
In a pack that was known as the best in the werewolf kingdom, it just didn't make any sense for one of them to be a murderer. Surely there had to be a mistake, right?
"Murderers are not allowed in our home!"
The Sicario wolves were not going to relent this time. They were furious with the woman they were against and it was like they didn't want anything to do with her.
The woman in question was just seated there in shock, silent tears flowing down her cheeks. She had a golden crown on her head and was covered in regal clothing. Her feet were in golden sandals, though as the chant continued, she had removed them and set them aside.
Her feet were bleeding, probably from the amount of walking she had done. Her regal clothing was tattered and there were blood patches on them. Her lips were dry and her shaky hands, they were covered in fresh blood.
'Dammit' was all the woman could think of as she saw them all. The wolves were fighting back the scent of the blood the woman was covered in and tried to focus on their anger at this woman.
As she sat there she just looked at them, her head held high, almost like she didn't regret what she had done. Her lack of remorse made the people around her very angry, that if their alpha wasn't there with them, they could have killed her too.
However, that was the least of her worries.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, before settling on one point of the crowd. The place where her family was standing. She could see her father, the former alpha, Sicario, her brother and beta, Dom, and her mate, Jer.
They were all looking at her with disappointment and worry. They had clearly not expected that there would come a day when one of their family members was being charged with murder.
The woman looked at them, hoping to the goddess that they could understand her cries for help and listen to her, but they were not willing to.
She knew that already, but she just wanted to try.
"Banish her!"
The chants continued getting louder and the crowd of werewolves was getting agitated.
Alpha Sicario looked at his daughter, Awuor, the one child he had thought would be the hope of their home. She had been a good alpha and had worked tirelessly to get their home to where it was. So how in all hell had she decided to commit murder?
That too, of Eniola, her own mother and the former Luna of the Sicario pack?
Sicario didn't know what to think and frankly, he was too hurt to even make a decision. He looked at the crowd around them. He could feel their rage in the mind links.
Eniola Sicario was a good mother to her children and she was loved by everyone in the pack. She had the heart of gold and evidently, that had been passed to her daughter. The only difference was, Eniola was dead today, and Awuor was the suspect of her murder.
Could a child really murder her mother who had been nothing but loving and caring towards her? Did she have a reason to, or was she just psychotic? Then again, the woman had never once shown signs of being psychotic. That alone made this situation unnerving.
They didn't know what was going on in Awuor's head. Maybe she was truly a danger to them, and if that was so, they would make sure to rid themselves of her before she caused them trouble with other packs.
"You're a murderer! You murdered our mother you ungrateful bastard!" An angrier voice was heard from the crowd and Awuor didn't even flinch at it. She knew she was done for, and that nothing she said would vindicate her of the accusation.
For now, she just had to hope that life was really on her side, and that they didn't banish her, but would it turn out that way? Being a rogue in the wolf-lands was something that was frowned upon. The rogues were considered ferals and would be murdered on sight.
Her people were about to subject her to the life of a feral. it would be the perfect de-ranking ceremony for her, the woman accused of her mother's murder.
"Dom, wait," Jer said to his brother-in-law and the beta. He didn't want to believe that his mate had killed her own mother, but there was damning evidence.
She had been found holding a knife over her mother, not to mention that they had found her retracting her claws that were covered in blood. Her mother could have survived the knife stab, but the harsh claw on her neck had ripped out her throat and she had lost a lot of blood. She didn't stand a chance.
"Your mate killed my mother and the luna of the pack and you want me to wait? Wait for what, Jer? You tell me, what do you want me to wait for then?" Dom asked angrily as he glared daggers at his sister. He had never expected that she would do such a vile thing to their mother of all the people.
"Take it easy on her," Jer said and Awuor lifted her head at her mate's voice.
His words were kind, but his tone was telling something else. Something that only she could see through even with all these people here. She hated that tone and he knew it, but this was the tone she knew he had been waiting to use on her. Did she have another choice anyway?
"Justice for Luna Eniola!" Dom began and the other wolves joined the chant. They were angry at Awuor for what she had done and they weren't about to forgive.