Lucy's POV
"Someone get her dressed and bring her out of the dungeon!" Xaden commanded, his voice sharp, echoing off the cold stone walls.
The maids, who had been silently eavesdropping behind the shadows, stepped forward hesitantly.
The iron gates creaked open, and they slipped inside, draping a plain maid's dress around me.
As the fabric brushed against my frozen skin, I glanced up and caught them staring.
The Alphas. All four of them.
Their eyes lingered, unapologetically, devouring every inch of my exposed body before the cloth could hide it.
Heat pooled in my cheeks, but it wasn't shame that made me shiver.
It was the way their gazes burned hot and hungry, as if they would devour me if they had the slightest chance to.
Clothed in nothing but a plain maid's dress, I walked barefoot through the stone corridors, each step colder than the last.
Xaden had warned me, if I turned out to be wrong, this would be the most humiliating moment of my life.
And now, I understood why they brought me to the hall.
It wasn't just a challenge.
It was a public execution of my pride.
The grand hall was already full. People lined the edges, whispering, watching, and judging.
Their stares burned into my skin, tightening around my throat like invisible hands.
I could barely breathe.
My courage, once hot and bold, was now slipping through my fingers like sand.
What if they didn't believe me? What if this went wrong?
There would be no getting out of it.
My heart skipped a beat as panic tried to claw its way out of my chest. Maybe… maybe I should've just stayed silent. Endured the dungeon.
But now it was too late.
The hall fell silent as they waited for me, my heart thudding like a drum in my chest.
"I'm ready," I said, lifting my gaze to Selena. Somehow she looked confident, but there was a little trembling in her hands while she was holding the hem of her stylish dress.
Knowing I wasn't the only one nervous here, I gulped down quietly, lifting my chin despite the fear clawing at my spine.
"If I win, you will let me speak, and if she wins, you can throw me back in the dungeon … or worse." I shut my eyes at the last word but squeezed my fist to remain bold.
The Alphas exchanged glances, but Riven surprisingly gave me a slow nod, as if he had the slightest doubt in Selena. Or maybe it was me hoping.
Selena smirked as if she knew something that I didn't.
The game began. The Alphas stood like gods, watching.
Malek asked first. "What did your mother call you when you were sick as a child?"
I smiled quietly at that. It was almost all of the stories I told Xaden that night. He must have told them, and that was why Malek could think of that question first.
"Little dove," I answered boldly. "Because my mother said I was pretty as a little dove."
Selena stammered. "Little… little star. Because she said I was her…"
"Wrong," Malek said sharply. Selena flushed but recovered fast, laughing nervously.
"Slip of the tongue."
Then Caden asked. "What happened the last time you ate peaches?"
Caden's intimidating eyes narrowed at me so fiercely, my heart pounded as our eyes locked.
I had also told Xaden that story of when I ate peaches and I almost died because of it.
I was allergic to peaches. It was so surprising they knew all these details about me. Xaden must have told them everything that happened on that night.
"I almost died." I swallowed. "And my dad only had to save me by giving me a healing potion."
Every eye went to Selena, waiting to hear her answer before Caden decided who was wrong or not.
But she gulped so hard, she hesitated just for a second too long.
"I… fainted. I don't remember."
Another point for me.
I smiled in relief. Even Caden's eyes flicked to Xaden, a sign of doubt forming.
Tension coiled tight in the room. Until Selena staggered forward dramatically, another fake tear streaming down her cheek.
Her sleeve slid down, revealing a red, fresh bite on her arm.
"This morning while I was trying to speak to her at the dungeon, she gave me this painful bite into memorizing these answers… she made me repeat them over and over. She said if I didn't say what she wanted, she'd cut my tongue out."
The gasp that echoed in the hall was louder than a thunderstorm.
"No," I breathed. "No, that didn't happen!"
"Yes, the maid did that to the princess." A guard standing a short distance away from her added suddenly, looking away from me. "I… I heard it."
My stomach dropped. Had she paid him? No way! I turned back to the Alphas.
Why would a guard lie for her? Unless… this was bigger than just Selena. Unless they planned this.
"She's lying. Look at me!" I shouted. "Why can't you remember me?"
"Enough!" Caden's voice cracked through the room like a whip. "It was foolish of us to even listen to a maid like you."
No… please… My eyes focused on Xaden. He hadn't said a word… But he wouldn't stop staring at me as if a storm was brewing in his mind.
Then he immediately said."The Lucy I met three years ago told me she would be eighteen this year. That means she should have met her wolf by now. So to end this… let's decide it here. The real Lucy should have her wolf."
A sharp gasp clawed at my throat. I nearly stumbled back.
No. No. Please, no…
Selena's eyes snapped to mine, gleaming with cruel satisfaction.
No…my heart thudded. Selena smiled viciously… She knew what was happening.
She knew she was the only one with a wolf now… and I…
I hadn't met mine.
I had turned eighteen just last month, yet my wolf still remained silent.
I couldn't feel her, not even a whisper and my father knew.
Still, when he told me I was to marry the Alphas, he said it didn't matter.
He said they were destined to be my mates, wolf or not.
I swallowed so hard… Selena didn't give it a second thought.
With a dramatic flare, she stepped forward her smirk deepening then let the shift take over her.
Bones cracked. Her body convulsed. And in seconds, a tall, sleek gray wolf stood in her place, eyes glowing with a bright yellow light.
The hall erupted in a loud cheers.
"She has her wolf!" someone shouted from the crowd. "She's the real princess!"
A sob clawed at my throat. No. No. This wasn't happening.
"She's lying," I whispered. But it was too soft. No one heard me over the applause.
When she shifted back naked and smug they didn't even offer her a cloak. They wrapped her in a dress made for royals.
"You see?" Selena said, lifting her chin like a queen. "That filthy girl can't shift because she doesn't even have her wolf. I am Lucy. I always was."
I felt the room turn against me like wolves scenting weakness. The laughter started low.
And then Xaden laughed.
The sound sliced into me, so cruel.
Then came Malek's deep chuckle. Caden's arrogant scoff. Riven's biting grin. Even the Alpha King, who'd been unreadable until now, let out a low, disappointed breath.
My heart caved.
I stepped forward, trembling, my bare feet stinging from the cold stone floor. The maid's dress clung to me like shame. My eyes lowered, heat burning beneath my skin.
"I…" My voice broke. "I don't have my wolf. But that doesn't mean…"
Selena yelled, interrupting me.
"Go ahead, bitch!" Selena snapped. Her lips curled, still glowing from the shift. "Tell us more lies."
The room laughed again louder this time. Mocking. Tearing me apart.
I looked at Xaden. His face had hardened, but his eyes… they flickered.
Was it Doubt? Or Pain? I couldn't even tell before it disappeared in seconds.
My throat tightened. My body stiffened as the ache in my chest spread. The room blurred, the edges of my vision darkening. I wanted to vanish. To cease to exist.
This… this couldn't be happening.
And then, Xaden's voice, cold and sharp.
"Guards."
The hall was silent at the sound of his voice.
"Throw her back in the cell."
He didn't even look at me.
"At sunrise before the ritual with our bride, she will be executed … for daring to accuse our bride with such disgraceful lies."
Executed.
The word crashed into my skull. A death sentence. For speaking the truth?
Gasps filled the room. But no one moved to defend me.
A guard stepped forward. Another followed. Heavy hands grabbed my arms, dragging me backward.
"No…" My scream got caught in my throat. I was silenced by a great shock.
I stared at them through the tears building in my eyes as the guards pulled me away.