003

Sometimes your whole world turns upside down when you least expect it to. Even though I was officially mated and married to Alpha Damien, he continued having an affair with Ava, his girlfriend before we married.

First, he kept it a secret after our marriage, But he later threw caution to the wind and showed off their relationship not minding how Stephanie felt. Stephanie being a soft-spoken and gentle-natured girl who wanted no trouble pretended as if she did not notice anything going on between them. The whole situation only made her yearn for a baby, with the hope that a child would bring them together and he might start to love and appreciate her more. But all efforts to get pregnant proved abortive and at worst Alpha Damien seemed not too keen to have a child with her.

And now that his father was dead, she knew her fate was about to get worse unless there was a miracle.

***************

It had been two days since Mr. King died and no one in the pack had seen Alpha Damien, he had left the mansion two days after his father's death was announced, and Stephanie did her best to manage things at the mansion. The council of elders would do the preparation of the burial and this had been put on hold until Alpha Damien returned.

“Where is she.” a voice thundered from the gate.

No one dared to ask questions as they watched him storm into the house. Everyone took cover, as they acted as if they were engrossed with their chores.

Stephanie heard the voice, it was the same voice that made her jump and scared yet tickled her in ways she could not understand. She knew it was her he sought and why; she was about to find out.

As gracefully as she could she rearranged her skirt and stood upright waiting for him to come to her, her nerves almost failing her.

As Alpha Damien entered the room, his piercing gaze fell upon Stephanie. The intensity in his eyes sent shivers down her spine, but she refused to let fear consume her.

“Alpha," she murmured as soon as he entered her room. “You are back.’

“Spare me the concern. What happened to my father.” he roared, his anger overwhelming him as he spoke.

Stephanie wanted to take cover, she would rather be anywhere but near him. But his statement what was he implying, had he lost his mind?

“Your father…he died,” Stephanie replied

He growled this time “I know he died. Now tell me how.”

“I…I don't know. He never came down for breakfast, so I asked Mark to prepare his meal and I took it to his room. When I got there he was not in his bed and neither was he on the balcony so I went to the bathroom.” she took a deep breath, afraid she would burst from holding it in for long. “I found him slumped on the floor, he was not breathing; that was when I raised an alarm.”

He sneered, not believing her. Everything Ava said was making sense.

Stephanie looks so innocent, he had been fooled by her for so long. Lately, he had been having doubts about how he treated her and was willing to make amendments. He was ready to start a family with her, be kinder to her, and hoped she would conceive and bear him a child. An heir to the alpha throne.

But he had been so wrong about her, she was evil personified and he hated her so much he could rip her head off her shoulders.

“You poisoned him, didn't you? You killed my father Stephanie. Why?”

Stephanie draws back, shocked by the accusation. She would not kill anyone, less Mr king her father-in-law who meant the world to her.

"Alpha Damien, I would never do such a thing," Stephanie replied, her voice trembling with genuine shock. "Mr. King meant the world to me. I loved him as my own father, and I would never bring harm to him."

Alpha Damien's face contorted with anger and suspicion. The pain of his father's loss had clouded his judgment, and he was grasping for someone to blame coupled with what Ava had told him.

“You served his meal and he trusted you. Only someone close to a person can have access to poison his meal and you have all the access you need to my father. You might have loved my father but I know that you hate me and would want to cause me pain and the only way to do that was to kill my father. You ensured to gain his trust and love, you made him too weak to go to the kitchen for his meals, and then you started to lace his meals with belladonna because you knew it would not be easily detected by him. Then he grew weaker and senile till he died from the poison.”

Stephanie listened in disbelief at his accusation, she would never do this, never. But his eyes said it all as his mind was made up that she was his father's killer. Yet she would not allow him to conclude without defending herself. “You must believe me alpha Damien” Stephanie went to him, and she placed her hands on his sleeve “I loved your father, he was like the father I never knew or had.” she pleaded, her voice choking as she tried to hold back her tears.

He shook her hands off him and smacked her hard across her face. “Stay away from me, you want to kill me too just as you killed my father, but I won't give you the chance.: he barked at her, his fury as alpha overwhelming his body.

He had never raised his hands on her before, just verbally abused her, and most times he ignored her existence. Stephanie slumped on the floor and cried her body shaking in between sobs, he hated her more than ever for a crime she never committed.

“Thank the goddess for Ava, I was blinded by your faux innocence but she made me see you for who and what you really are; a gold-digging daughter of silver” He spat at her