A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The last piece of hope I had inside me died at her words.

 

Sophie had betrayed me, thrown me out and lied blatantly to everyone. How could she do this to me after everything we’d been through? I had loved her so much, trusted her implicitly, and yet she was now acting as if I meant nothing to her.

 

Sophie’s eyes began to fill with tears as her voice wavered into the crowd.

 

“Ariadne had been distraught by the news of Miss Woods’ pregnancy and I saw how this began to erode at her sanity; something I’d seen was already dwindling prior. Whilst in her employment, I saw her experience several fits of hysteria, laughing at the most horrible of things. And her mood swings were even worse. Sometimes she was so sweet, other times she would change like a light switch, become irritable and angry without warning.”

 

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was taking one small incident and magnifying it, warping it with more lies to suit the agenda. Had she really disliked me this much the whole time?

 

“She persuaded me to try and escape with her, but I know now she didn’t tell me the whole story. I thought I was going to be helping a poor girl who needed someone to care for her. Instead, I ended up aiding a criminal with something so heinous.”

 

She turned her teary eyes to Thea, crying during her words.

 

“Miss Woods… I don’t know how you could ever forgive me, but I truly did not mean you any harm. I believed that I was bringing you a peace offering from Ariadne that day, not dosing you with the death of your child. I thought she wanted to make amends one final time before we left. I was wrong… so wrong… I am so sorry….”

 

Her voice broke off into sobs as the crowd was whispering among themselves. They all believed her. They believed every lie she was telling.

 

And there was nothing I could do.

 

Thea suddenly stood up and everyone became silent to watch, anticipating a violent scene towards the woman who had poisoned her. Her walk was shaky and unsteady as she strode up to Sophie, as if to emphasise on her recent hospitalisation. However, to everyone’s surprise, when she finally reached Sophie, she engulfed her in a hug instead. They hugged as if they’d known each other as good friends.

 

When Thea eventually broke away, she smiled benevolently up at the older woman, grasping Sophie’s hands in her own.

 

“…I forgive you, Sophie,” Thea said, making a show of her mercy. “I can hear your words ring true under the light of the Goddess here tonight. I know you did not mean me or my baby any harm, and so I can’t blame you for the sins of your superior.”

 

I looked out into the crowd to see they were enamoured by everything she was saying. They were hanging on her every word, their faces full of admiration for her.

 

“This may be too soon to announce, but…,” she looked towards Aleric who was just as enchanted at everything she was doing. He gave her a nod of approval for whatever she had been silently seeking permission for, and she smiled brilliantly back at him.

 

us. I see how pure and loyal

 

Calling her by Aleric’s nickname “Alec” was also another power move. It showed everyone how close they were. No one had called him by that name publicly since his father had died. This was all a charade to win the hearts of the pack, to make

 

was the devil, a

 

it if you would attend to me, showing me the

 

her knee immediately and kissed her hand, bowing her head in

 

greatest honour to serve you and spend the rest

 

instantly erupted in applause at the scene they had just witnessed. Their new soon-to-be Luna had shown great love and forgiveness to the person who admitted to poisoning her. She was beautiful, kind, and strong. I knew they had never felt those things about me. I had

 

think we’ve seen enough,” Aleric said

 

walked up to Thea and wrapped an arm around

 

made my

 

hair back. It was strategic, I was sure. She wanted me to see. Wanted me to feel the pain it would cause one last time before my

 

had marked Thea as his own, showing the world his favour for her. And it had only taken him a week, wasting no time to

 

to love him, but to think I begged him to

 

hated him. I hated Thea. I hated this pack. I

 

I hated her the most. I knew what was coming next, Aleric didn’t even need to say it. It was all because of Sophie. Her false testimony was the final

 

my mistake in loving them; her and Aleric both. I had given everything to them and it had turned to poison against me. Was this always my destiny? Was I fated to live and die as only a means to help the pack? They had their

 

Do you have anything to

 

breath to calm myself. There was no point in trying to dispute the

 

only words I could think of. The honest words I felt

 

of an innocent you are about to carry out,” I said bitterly. “There is nothing I can do anymore to prove myself not guilty against the stacks of false evidence you have brought forward, but deep down… I hope you all suffer. When I am gone and

 

There was only silence.

 

assumed I was going to cry and beg for forgiveness from Thea like Sophie had. But

 

ditzy girl I’d known over the years. No, there was a strange intelligence that showed through them now. She looked at me as if she knew all along

 

as her true self for the first

 

so no one ever suspected her. And with a

 

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