The Alpha's Unexpected Secret Replacement Bride

Claire POV:

In the dungeon, I was chained to a heavy iron pillar, my flesh torn and mangled beyond recognition.

A bucket of freezing saltwater was violently dashed over me. The agonizing pain made my entire body convulse.

Standing before me was my former mate, the Alpha King to whom all packs now bowed-Erich Blackburn. His eyes held absolutely no warmth. "Claire, if you know what's good for you, confess to your crimes. It will save you a lot of unnecessary suffering."

Ignoring the excruciating sting of the salt in my wounds, I let out a cold, raspy scoff. "I am guilty of nothing."

A sickeningly sweet scent of vanilla and roses drifted into the cell. Kenya Pennington coiled herself around Erich's arm, tears brimming in her eyes. "My Alpha, you must seek justice for our pup. He was only three months along in my womb, and Claire murdered him before he even had a chance to see the world. It's my fault... I failed to protect him. I have no face to see you, nor your ancestors..."

Kenya Pennington. She was supposed to be my best friend. I had trusted her with my life. I was the one who elevated her status, blindly allowing her to become Erich's most favored mistress. But now, watching her rest her chin on his shoulder, catching the provocative, mocking gleam in her eyes as she deliberately exposed the fresh mating mark Erich had claimed on her neck... I felt nothing but pure, unadulterated disgust.

Erich, entirely melted by her crocodile tears, quickly comforted her. "Don't cry, my love. I will get justice for our child right now."

He raised a hand. Two guards immediately stepped forward, unchaining me and forcing me to the freezing floor. Erich drew a silver dagger. The blade glinted menacingly under the flickering torchlight as he reached for my hands, pinning them against the stone.

"These hands," he sighed, his voice laced with a sickeningly fake regret. "They were meant to wear my ring." He paused, his icy gaze meeting mine. "But now... they are just too dirty."

The blade fell.

A searing, bone-shattering agony shot up my arm. I stared in numb horror as my ring finger-the very finger meant for his vow-was severed cleanly from the base.

Then the index finger. The middle finger.

The silver blade sliced through my flesh and bone, one after another.

I couldn't even scream. The sheer magnitude of the pain stole every ounce of air from my lungs, leaving me gasping in a silent void.

Through the red mist of my agony, I saw Kenya unwrap a delicate little pastry and feed it to Erich, smiling as if they were at a picnic.

"Claire Bryant, as the fated mate of the Alpha King, you failed to bear me a son in five years. Driven by jealousy, you murdered the pup in Kenya's womb and audaciously poisoned my mother." I lay on the ground, my body trembling uncontrollably from the shock, as Erich coldly pronounced my doom. "Your sins are unforgivable. Your entire bloodline shall be executed."

I threw my head up, staring at him in sheer disbelief. It all made sense now. He was deliberately pinning these heinous crimes on me for one singular purpose: to eradicate me and my pack!

My grandfather held immense prestige among the werewolf packs. If it weren't for my grandfather leading our warriors to conquer rival territories and defeating the former King's other sons, Erich would have never ascended to the throne. How dare he?

As if reading my mind, Erich sneered. "I am the Alpha King now. Did you really think I'd be afraid of that old fool? Your grandfather has committed treason and embezzlement, and the evidence is irrefutable. I'm doing you a favor by sending you all to hell together. You should thank me for honoring your family bond."

He paused, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "However... if you take all the blame yourself, I might consider sparing your grandfather and the rest of your pack."

I stared into his soulless eyes. "Are you telling the truth?"

"A King never goes back on his word."

The despair in my eyes hardened into a desperate resolve. If my life alone could buy the survival of the Bryant Pack... I would gladly burn in hell.