The day went by in my overthinking about the case, and the setting sun totally went out of my notice. Dinner bells rang and everyone headed outside while I stayed cramped up in my prison cell.

My stomach was empty since morning and my body was already going weak from the lack of energy.

I heard someone call out my name and I looked up to see that annoying face, who had made my life miserable here!

Chief Jack smirked at my state and entered inside with two new lady officers, they looked huge as compared to Jack himself, if they planned, it won’t take them a second to break his neck. But then again, it won’t take them a second to break mine either!

The prison guard was the first to enter, opening the chains he finally set me free as my body instinctively stretched. But well fate had different plans.

The lady officers roughly held my hands behind my back cuffing them together, “Wait, hey!” and I swirled my eyes internally laughing at myself, why would I even think I was free? But that little moment of freedom had an oddly sweet taste to it.

“You will be going home tonight, these two officers will be always keeping a close watch on you,” Jack was irritated at his own words probably dissatisfied that the commotion he started in the morning didn’t reap desired results, “live the last happy hours of your life”

I didn’t understand his game. Did he plan on leaving me stranded midway and aggravate the villagers as he did with the prisoners today? What was he plotting?

Jack enjoyed my state of confusion mixed with fear of the unknown, then he sighed pitifully, “It’s better to see you in chains here, but you see, it would get hard for me if I keep you here before proper trials! I trusted you would flee if left out to roam freely and so I had to keep you locked,” his face looked spiteful in spite of his stupid act, “But don’t worry Selene after tomorrow’s trials you will be locked here guilty forever! consider this as your trial visit to the prison”

How can one person be this annoying!? Even the air around him was a stench. It was just a matter of time, a little more patience.

Seeing that I wasn’t adding a word to his words, he turned grumpily and the huge lady officers dragged me by my shoulders, we stopped in front of the locker room and I was carried inside while Jack waited at the door.

My cuffs were let loose but a silver collar was promptly clamped around my neck without my knowledge and I turned to see the officer who didn’t even bother meeting my eyes. My eyes took a 360-degree turn, rolling like a wheel inside my skull. Any silver restraints meant my wolf was chained even if I was free.

Going ahead I opened my locker which had nothing but hospital scrubs, as I was directly brought here from the hospital, the clothes weren’t even washed, the smell of the hospital and an old locker reeked from it!

There was no other choice for me, my disgusted face said all about how dirty it felt. Stopping my breath I put on those scrubs, my inners were already dirty as I barely got any change of clothes here in the prison, so that part was skipped.

After I was done we walked out, one officer stepped outside before me and the other one after me. They were pretty tall and bulky making me look like a high schooler in front of them even though we probably were the same age.

Jack signalled us to walk with an irritated face, but then again he didn’t even have to try, he looked irritating 24/7. We exited the prison facility and there was a security escort van standing outside, the driver was obviously one of the officers and he came behind to open the door for us to step in.

Once we were settled Jack inquired almost barking his ugly mouth off, “Where do you live?”

“Near the outskirts, there is a rundown house. If we go straight from the village road it is 10 minutes away” I answered. The Van started without any delay after I was done. This prison was built far away from the residential area of this village, which made the ride longer than 40 minutes.

It was a long drive with the van, I would have enjoyed the late-night winds but the silver collar won’t stop bothering me. I was finally out of that prison and somehow smiled faintly even when there was a whole new battle to fight tomorrow in the court.

“Something amusing?” Jack asked infuriated by my smile. I just nodded a No making a poker face, I didn’t want any conversation between us but I knew it would definitely start now.

“Tell me Selene”, He continued “why are you so relaxed when tomorrow you are going to be prosecuted?”

I shrugged, ” I don’t know, maybe because I am not as afraid of the truth, as you are!”

Jack hissed in anger, “The truth? You killed my brother that is the only truth! No one will stand with you in the court tomorrow, you are new to this town and all the fingers will easily point to you, just you wait!”

Grinning I shrugged my shoulders again looking away, I had a knack for getting on his nerves. But honestly what he said had some truth in it, what if Channing never manage to find any evidence, what if he finds them and still turn against me! Our pack must also hate me! How am I to work on my mission if this gets me banished from the village?

I really couldn’t contain those thoughts, my life has been nothing but series of betrayal, this will just add to it if Channing never returned.

“Do you really think tomorrow there will be shreds of evidence proving you did nothing?” Jack had his own doubts just like I had mine, or I guess he was getting bored on this long ride as well.

I looked at him a bit frustrated by my own thoughts, “I didn’t do anything!”

Jack laughed for the first time in front of me, but this was a burst of pure sarcastic laughter, “You can’t really put up an act as an innocent person! You didn’t do anything? So you mean to say his bloodstains on your body and the wounds inflicted by you were never there? Even if there were some unknown wounds on John’s body, do you want to say, YOU didn’t really attack him at all!? Do you want to say both of you never fought?”

My eyes went wide in this realisation, all this time I thought that if we could get the other wolf who killed john, I would be free. But for me to be truly declared ‘Not Guilty!’, proving John’s betrayal to the court was more important. If that is not proved, I would still be charged with the law for attacking the pack’s Beta. ‘How did I not think about this earlier! My happiness was very short-lived because now I was sure, that I will be back in prison after tomorrow’s trial.

I couldn’t answer anything to chief Jack and put my head down. I had lost the battle before it even began!

The van parked in front of my house, I got down along with the officers who were to accompany me tonight. Jack commanded from inside the van, “Keep an eye on her 24/7, we will leave at 6 in the morning so be ready accordingly! And don’t hesitate to beat the shit out of her if she tries anything stupid.” He gave me an unpleasant expression and closed the doors from inside as the Van sped off into the distance.

I looked at my spare house with a sigh as we stepped inside, the house was truly rundown with no front door and barely anything cleaned. My room was at the end of the lobby so I had only cleaned that one, the kitchen wasn’t of any use to me so only the fridge was repaired in there.

I walked to my room passing the broken stairs on the left and a dark closed room on the right. I turned to apologise to the lady officers for no extra room, but I didn’t expect them to leave me alone so I skipped on that part and unlocked my bedroom. The first thing I wanted was a nice bath and to get out of these filthy clothes, so grabbing my towel I rushed inside the bathroom

One of the officers said, “Don’t lock the door!” And I simply replied, “Okay!” Leaving the handle-lock open.

I turned the shower on letting the water make me feel fresh again, but my mind was racing with the thoughts of trial. ‘I have to figure something out! Or I’m getting stuck in the prison again. It will be a huge blow to my mission, also father will get a reason to call me back; that is the last thing I want!’