Page 1 of The Possessive Alpha’s Reborn Luna

Chapter One

Alice

"It wasn't me!" My voice was already hoarse.

The cold marble floor bit into my knees.

I knelt in the center of the palace hall. Elder Allen's body lay less than three feet from me, his throat torn open, blood long since congealed into a sickening dark brown pattern on the floor.

The hall was packed. Those disgusted stares followed me like I was garbage, making it hard to breathe.

I clenched my teeth, fighting the fear that threatened to drown me. "I didn't kill the elder! I saw what happened—it was Victoria. She was with a Black Witch—"

"Silence!" Grand Elder Edwin shot to his feet, furious. "How dare you lie? Lady Victoria nearly died from poison trying to stop you! How much more will you slander her?"

"I'm not lying! Victoria's the murderer!" I forced my voice louder, desperate for everyone to hear.

I looked at the figure on the throne.

Cedric. My mate.

From the moment they dragged me in, he hadn't said a word. His expression was colder than I'd ever seen. I begged him to believe me, pleaded for him to at least investigate. "Cedric, you have to believe me. Please, I didn't kill Elder Allen..."

Whispers erupted through the crowd like a plague. I heard every curse, every ounce of disgust.

"Alice, that damned traitor—she doesn't deserve to be our queen!"

"Told you she was a cursed freak! That birthmark on her face is proof!"

"She murdered Elder Allen. Execute her now!"

The curses crashed over me like waves. Instinctively, I raised my hand to cover the birthmark that covered half my face, as if that could protect what little dignity I had left.

Because of this mark, my family never accepted me. They abused me and cursed me. Even after I became Cedric's mate, I couldn't escape the shadow it cast.

"Alice..." Victoria's weak voice cut through the hall. Instant silence.

I looked up stiffly to see Victoria being helped forward by two maids. Her face was paper-white, black blood staining the corners of her mouth, her pale dress covered in dark splotches.

"Why?" Her voice broke. Those green eyes looked at me, brimming with pain and confusion. "Why would you do this? You didn't just kill Elder Allen—why frame me too? I'm your sister."

I stared at her. This sister I'd grown up with, who showed everyone a soft, gentle face. But I knew what hid beneath that beautiful mask—pure poison.

Just this morning, I'd seen her talking to a Black Witch in a black robe. Then that witch used magic to kill Elder Allen. Now she stood here playing the victim, pinning everything on me.

"I didn't!" I couldn't hold back the rage anymore. "Victoria, what the hell are you trying to do? I saw you with that Black Witch in the meeting room killing—"

"Enough." The ice-cold voice came from the throne.

My breath stopped.

Cedric finally spoke.

He sat there, his chiseled face expressionless. The golden crown gleamed in the candlelight, making those deep eyes even colder.

"You're still lying." Each word was an ice pick stabbing into my heart. "A maid already testified that Victoria arrived after you. How long will you keep this up?"

My heart lurched. My wolf let out a pained howl, growing weaker because our mate didn't believe us.