hell to hope

Norella Pov

King Jason's voice cut through the tension, "What's so urgent?"

Alpha Lowell's reply was laced with a feigned concern that didn't sit right with me. "It's about Norella. I know she might have said some things, but I want you to be aware of her condition, Your Majesty."

"Somethings like what?" King Jason's tone was sharp, demanding.

I strained to hear more, my heart pounding against my chest. What was Lowell plotting now? The urge to burst out and reveal everything to King Jason was overwhelming, but fear rooted me to the spot. Would he cast me aside, leaving me to the mercy of this pack?

Their voices became distant murmurs, my imperfect hearing betraying me. Then, Lowell's voice pierced through, clear and cold. "It's not possible; she can't be your mate. She has mental issues ever since her parents died. She's so aggressive we have to feed her wolfsbane so she wouldn't be harmful. Think about it, she could even kill the pups she will bear."

His lies stung like venom. How could he fabricate such tales?

Again, Lowell spoke, "Why not reject her, and I'll give you my daughter Myra? She rejected her mate, and I'm sure both of you will make a good couple..."

The voices faded, and I was left alone with the echo of their conversation and the weight of betrayal.

The tension in the room was palpable, a storm of emotions brewing within me. I was a tempest of fear and confusion, my thoughts racing as I contemplated my fate. King Jason's potential rejection loomed over me like a dark cloud, threatening to unleash a downpour of despair. If I were to remain in this pack, death seemed a certainty. My dreams, once so vivid and within reach, were now being snatched away by Alpha Lowell's scheming hands.

An hour passed—an eternity in the confines of my turmoil—when a knock at the door jolted me from my reverie. It had to be King Jason. With a shaky voice, I granted permission to enter, only to be met with a sight that drained the color from my face. It was Tyrell.

"What are you doing here, Tyrell?" I demanded, my voice a mix of defiance and dread.

"And who are you to ask that? I can be anywhere I want to be, Norella," he retorted, his grin twisting into something dark and menacing.

"You think you can escape me, Norella? You're mine, always have been, always will be," Tyrell proclaimed, his words slicing through the air like a blade.

Before I could muster a response, he lunged forward with a determination that sent shivers down my spine. I scrambled backward, desperate to maintain distance, but he was relentless, cornering me against the wall. His eyes held a predatory gleam that spelled danger.

"No, Tyrell, stop!" I pleaded, my voice echoing with terror.

But my cries fell on deaf ears. Tyrell's grip was ironclad, his intentions clear as he tore at my clothing. Fear engulfed me, a sense of vulnerability washing over as I fought against his overpowering force.

In that moment of despair, when hope seemed but a distant memory, the door burst open, and salvation arrived in the form of King Jason. His expression was a thunderous storm of fury as he took in the scene before him. With a strength that seemed to bend the very air around us, he lifted Tyrell away from me, his anger a palpable force that filled the room.

The room was a cauldron of tension. Tyrell's shock was palpable as King Jason's blow sent him staggering, his fall a silent testament to the king's wrath. I retreated to safety, my breaths coming in heavy torrents of relief.

King Jason's fingers were like steel around Tyrell's throat, the atmosphere charged with an electric fear. Tyrell's eyes, wide with terror, pleaded for mercy as he gasped for air, each breath a struggle against the unyielding grip.

Alpha Lowell's voice sliced through the thick air, "Jason, what are you doing?" His entourage, Luna Desi and Myra, entered in his wake, their expressions painting a canvas of shock and bewilderment.

Unmoved, King Jason's voice was a dark rumble, "This man dared to lay hands on my mate." His words hung heavy, a declaration of his protective fury.

Alpha Lowell's face contorted with horror, while Luna Desi's concern was etched clearly upon her face. Myra, however, regarded me with scorn, her sneer a sharp blade of contempt.

"Please, let him go, Jason," Alpha Lowell implored, his voice a mixture of concern and command.

With a reluctance that seemed to fight his very nature, King Jason released Tyrell, who collapsed forward, his breaths ragged, his eyes wild with the remnants of fear. In a desperate bid to deflect blame, Tyrell pointed at me, his finger a harbinger of accusations yet to come.

Tyrell's accusation hung in the air, venomous and desperate. "It's her fault!" His voice quivered with a concoction of rage and fear. "She led me on, teased me, and then cried foul when I tried to touch her."

Alpha Lowell's face turned a shade darker, his eyes narrowing as he addressed King Jason. "You see, Jason? This is what I've been trying to tell you. Norella's mental state is... unstable. She's a danger to herself and others."

King Jason's response was a silent storm, his eyes aflame with a righteous anger. "Tyrell is lying," he declared, each word a hammer strike of certainty. "And you, Lowell, are complicit in this deceit."

He then turned to Myra, his command slicing through the tension. "Get her something to wear," he ordered, his voice a blend of authority and concern.

Myra's hesitation was palpable, her eyes lingering on me with a mix of curiosity and contempt. Yet, under King Jason's unwavering gaze, she complied, fetching a garment with hurried grace.

"Come with me, Norella," King Jason beckoned, his voice a bastion of strength amidst the chaos.

Alpha Lowell's mouth opened, a protest forming, but it was swiftly quelled by the steel in King Jason's eyes. With a nod that carried the weight of defeat, he stepped aside, allowing King Jason to escort me from the room, through the corridors that whispered of impending change, and out into the crisp air as we head to his truck.