Chapter 3 Falsefully Accussed

LAYLA'S POV

My only friend is critically injured and will probably leave this world soon yet all the ladies in front of me only keep yelling out accusations. I wonder what kind of evil being could have done this. Because no sane being would attack something so young and innocent.

The woman I had been dreading to see again today, my vixen stepmother, finally storms into the room. She shrieks when she sees the injured girl in front of me. But her shock appears faked and kind of exaggerated.

Her horror is only expressed by her melodramatic gasp and screams. Her eyes are actually glowing with what seems to be pleasure.

I am not surprised when she also accuses me of assaulting the child. I doubt she knows I didn't phase so I have no claws that could have done this.

"You wicked loser! How dare you try to kill a child?" She bellows.

I don't say anything since I am certain she won't listen. She probably thinks that I phased and the only way to get me kicked out of the house is to pin this evil act on me.

A group of guards march in through the door. They must have heard her screaming.

"Look what she did to a child! Arrest her!" She orders the men, pointing at me. Their faces darken with rage as they stride forward.

"I did not do this. I wasn't even in the house!" I say thinking they will be more reasonable than my stepmother and the maids.

"This is your room, right?" One questions in a stern voice.

"Yes . . .but I didn't do this. I was away when it happened" I defend, not wanting to admit to anyone that I didn't phase. It would be the best prove that I am not the one that hurt Talia. But I would be giving my stepmother another reason to order the guards to drag me out of the pack house even before I get a chance to speak to my father.

"Don't let her lie to you! She just turned eighteen. She must have finally phased, lost control and attacked the child!" My step-mother argues. Everyone else seems to agree.

The guards grab me by my arms and hair. Not gently, but as if they want to rip those parts of my body.

I grunt in pain as they pull me up from my knees and start dragging me towards the door, the maids and my step-mother hailing them.

"Take her to the hall, the Prince will be the one to decide on her punishment." She orders the guards and my body stiffens with shock.

The Prince?! Hell no!

He may be the most adored being of this Kingdom, because people claim he is extraordinarily compassionate. But don't mistake compassionation for mercy. I have heard he is very ruthless when it comes to deciding punishment for people that have been accused of commiting wicked crimes. Like the one I am being falsefully accussed of.

If I don't defend myself now before we get to him, I may end up enduring a terrible punishment for a crime I have not committed.

"I did not attack Talia! Please listen to me! I didn't even phase!" I shout out, no longer afraid of revealing the fact that I am still wolfless.

My step-mother appears dumbfounded for a moment. She however quickly recovers and shoots me a glare.

"Stop lying! You're the only one that wasn't in the hall and Talia was right in here in your room. Everyone can see what happened!" She snaps.

"Yeah, you're quite stupid to think you can fool us when this happened in your room." The guard that is pulling on my hair says and yanks harder.

I shriek in pain only to hear them laugh.

I have to keep my feet moving despite the pain because otherwise I will get dragged like a dead body. That would be more painfully.

"Take Talia to the infirmary. I will inform our pack doctor that she is there when we get to the hall." My step-mother orders before following us out of my room and down the stairs to the hall.

"You're such a pathetic being. Look how awful you look! Did you fall into the swimming pool or something?" She insults walking fast behind me and the guards.

Oh hell! I am still in the dirty, wet dress I was in when I got back from the forest. I am sure my hair is even dirtier and a mess than my outfit. I have never looked as good as any girl of my age in this Kingdom. That's because I didn't get to phase on my seventeenth birthday like them and get a shapely body and sleek skin like them.

I still have physical human flaws. Like a few pimples on the face, a little more fat than everyone else and a few scars that don't seem to be in a hurry to leave my skin.

Whether I am beautiful or not, this isn't how I imagined meeting the famous Prince. I will be the ugliest being he has ever seen. He will obviously think I am mad enough to attack a child.

My father had ordered that I don't get anywhere near the hall or let any guest see me. Yet that's where my stepmother is hailing the guards to take me.

She wants to have me humiliated to a point that my father will not want to keep me near him anymore. The show she wants to put up will be beyond embarassing for me. And there isn't a thing I can do about it as long as this giants have their hands on me.

There are still delightful sounds of celebration as we get closer to the door. They suddenly turn into gasps of shock when I am dragged in through the door.

"What on earth is she?" I hear a woman exclaim in disgust as the guards pull me forward. I feel too mortified to look ahead at the stage where I know the Prince, my father and my step-sister are. I have never wished I have the ability to become invisible this much before. I can hear people hurling insults at me already even before learning what I am accused of. They have already declared me guilty just because I don't look so good.

The guards halt and forcefully push me to kneel on the floor. I still keep my gaze on the floor, afraid to look up and face the great and noble people that are obviously glaring down at me.

"What is this?" The sexiest and most mesmerizing voice that I have heard speaks and my curiosity forces me to look up.