Azura's POV
I slammed into something that felt like a solid stone wall.
The air was knocked right out of my lungs. I stumbled back, gasping for breath and waving my arms to keep from falling. I didn't need to see who it was to know who I'd hit. A heavy, familiar energy settled over me, making my skin prickle. It was a presence I knew all too well, one that always seemed to pull at my soul.
I looked up slowly.
Amber eyes were staring down at me, cold and unmoving.
He stood there like a mountain, his expression completely unreadable. Silas and Axel were on either side of him, looking like they had just walked into a disaster. The entire market went dead silent. The shouting, the laughing, the haggling, it all just stopped. Every single person was staring at us.
Why always me.
The guards finally caught up, huffing and puffing. One of them already had his hand clamped tight on Liona's arm; that was why she had let out that sharp scream earlier. She was struggling against his grip, her face pale with fear.
"Alpha!" the lead guard barked, bowing his head quickly. "These two were caught running. They stole from the stalls and tried to escape."
I opened my mouth to defend myself. I wanted to scream that I was the one who got robbed, that I was the victim here. But I looked at Rhydor, and the words died in my throat.
Rhydor didn't say anything at first. He just stood there, his eyes boring into mine. The silence stretched out, getting heavier and heavier until it felt like the air was too thick to breathe. He looked at my messy hair, my dusty dress, and then shifted his gaze to Liona.
Finally, after a long, agonizing pause, he spoke. His voice was flat and hard.
"Take them both. Lock them up."
It felt like a physical blow to my chest.
A ripple of gasps went through the crowd. I heard a basket of fruit hit the ground somewhere, the sound of apples rolling across the dirt echoing in the silence. I waited for him to look at me again, to give me some sign that he knew I was innocent.
But he didn't even look at me. He just turned and walked away, his broad back a final, unbreachable wall between me and any hope of mercy. His retreating footsteps were the only sound in the dead-silent market.
The guards stepped forward. One grabbed my arm, his grip like iron. I didn't fight him. I didn't have the energy left. I just let them pull my hands behind my back.
As they started dragging us away toward the pack house, the whispers started like a swarm of bees.
"Is that her? The one they say is soon to be Luna?"
"She looks like a common thief. What a disgrace."
Each word felt like a needle poking at my skin. I kept my head down, letting my hair fall over my face to hide the stinging in my eyes.
Liona was walking right next to me, her arm still held tight by a guard. As we got further away from the crowd and the market noise faded, she leaned her head toward mine. Her voice was barely a breath, a tiny whisper only I could hear.
"Azura..." she said, her eyes darting nervously to the guards. "Are you sure? Are you really sure that man is your mate?"
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I didn't answer. How could I? If he were my mate, why was he throwing me in a hole?
The prison wasn't a dungeon. It was in the packhouse, and it actually had a bed and a window. But the iron bars still felt like a death sentence. The door clanged shut, and the sound echoed in my heart.
Liona started pacing the second the guards left. She was like a trapped animal.
"Say something!" she finally burst out. "Please! Why would he do that to you?"
I sat on the edge of the bed. The fight was gone, leaving nothing but a cold empty spot in my chest. I stared at the wall, not really taking it in. "Can you just be quiet for once?"
My voice was sharper than I meant it to be. Liona flinched and turned away, staring at the stone wall.
I looked down at the small table where a guard had left some bread and cheese. The sight of the food reminded me of why this whole mess started.
"Give it back," I said, my voice calmer now.
Liona turned around, looking confused. "What?"
I held out my hand. "The pendant. Give it to me."
She hesitated, then reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver chain. It looked so small and unimportant in her hand.
"You really risked everything for this?" she asked, her voice soft with disbelief. She held it up, letting it spin in the dim light. "It's just an old, dull bit of metal."
I took it from her, my fingers closing around the cool stone. "It's the only thing I have left of my parents."
The look on Liona's face changed instantly. The annoyance disappeared, replaced by a sense of deep guilt. "I didn't know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," I muttered, fastening it around my neck and tucking it safely under my dress.
We sat in silence for a while. I finally looked at her. "Why were you doing it? Your mother is a healer. You aren't starving."
Liona's jaw tightened. She looked out the window, her hands trembling slightly. "I just wanted my own money. My own life."
I knew she was lying. I could feel it in the way she wouldn't look at me. But I didn't have the strength to argue anymore.
A few hours later, I heard the jingle of keys. The door opened, and Silas stepped in. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"Why are you here?" I asked, not moving from the bed.
Silas sighed and rubbed his face. "Look, your mate is... he's going through a lot. He has his reasons for this, Azura."
"I don't care about his reasons," I said, my voice as cold as ice.
Silas stepped back and held the door open. "You're free to go. Both of you."
I stood up slowly, my pride feeling like a heavy weight. Liona scrambled to her feet, looking relieved. As I walked past Silas, I stopped. I looked him dead in the eye, making sure he saw exactly how much I meant what I was about to say.
"He is not my mate," I said. My voice didn't shake. "Don't ever use that word for us again."
Silas looked like I'd slapped him. I didn't wait for the color to return to his face. I walked out, and the sound of the heavy door swinging shut behind me felt like the only honest thing that had happened all day.