My Innocent Mate

XXVI

"What?"

"You just tried to poison me!" he screamed, throwing down the cup and causing it to shatter everywhere.

"E-Excuse me?" I said, backing up to the door. He was scaring the living heck out of me.

"Will!" Asher roared.

The door crashed open. "What's happening?"

I could sense a very angry Will behind me. "Why are you being hostile toward Ella?"

"Take her away," he commanded. Asher turned around, with his back facing me, refusing to look at me.

My eyes widened. Did he seriously think that I poisoned him?

"W-What?" Will sputtered. "You can't be serious? Why?"

"I will not repeat myself. I command you to follow your alpha's orders now."

After a moment of silence, Will obliged. "Yes, Alpha Asher."

I was grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the room before even processing what just happened. Someone poisoned his drink, but it wasn't me. The person who gave me the drink was Rose. I shook my head. No, Rose wouldn't do something like that. She cares about Asher. I was absolutely sure about that.

But, perhaps she wanted to frame me. She certainly didn't take kindly to my presence.

I snapped out of my daze when I felt my arm being shaken. "Ella."

Looking up, I saw Will with a worried expression. "What happened?"

"I-I... don't know. One minute I was giving him a cup of tea and the next, he was accusing me of poisoning it. I didn't! I wouldn't!"

Will sighed and looked down at me with a frown. "I know you wouldn't."

"So then why won't Asher believe that I'm innocent?"

"He's... he hasn't been coping well mentally. He's on edge. The alphas have been trying to sort out what happened at the galas and have been getting nowhere," Will explained.

"That doesn't explain why he needed to lash out at me!" I said, restraining the tears. "I-I would never try to kill my mate! Doesn't he know that?"

Will took my hand and looked at me with soft, sincere eyes. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll talk to him. I know you didn't do it."

"Will, you don't understand. This is a serious accusation. He claimed that I tried to kill him! And I don't think Rose would do such a thing, so I'm left confused."

"Wait, Rose?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She gave me the tea because I couldn't find where the tea bags were," I explained. "But I don't think there was any malicious intent."

I was guided down a dark stairwell that reminded me just like the underground cages in castles that were in movies. I could barely see the step ahead of me as there were only dim torchlights to guide the way.

"I'll look into it. Don't worry Ella."

"Oh, I'm not worried. I know I am going to get out whether he opens the door himself or I bust myself out. Seriously, Asher is so difficult!"

"I know, I know," Will sighed as he gently guided me into the dark, scary cell. "I'll get you some blankets and food. Just wait for this to blow out."

As Will was about to leave, I yelled for him to stop.

"Did you arrange the meeting?" I asked behind bars.

He nodded. "I didn't tell them that you were coming and not Asher though. They'll have to deal with it. The meeting arranged is just for the alphas whose pack goes to our gala, so there will be about twenty tough guys you'll have to talk to. Prepare yourself. It's after our first day of school, which is in a week."

I forced a laugh. "Hey, a good way to make friends is to grab them in by saying I was locked up in a prison just last week for supposedly poisoning someone. That'll show them!"

Will rolled his eyes, but said, "I'll be right back with things to make you comfy... or well however comfortable being in a prison cell could be."

His footsteps echo became quieter as he went farther. I sat down on the cold stone floor and leaned against the dirt-colored wall. This was certainly an experience. My heart hurt. I felt like a chainsaw was stabbed right through it. The blood oozed slowly.

I would've never imagined Asher to accuse me of something so serious. Perhaps this was a sign that we shouldn't be together. Not once have we ever been on a date. Our relationship was just a cycle of fighting and making up.

I hugged my legs and closed my eyes, trying to stop thinking so much. It was draining. I'm tired of caring.

Before I dozed off, there were footsteps coming down the stairwell. It wasn't Wills or Ashers. I hid in the corner closest to the stairwell. The figure was fast approaching.

"Ella?"

The shadow came closer to the bars and the torchlight reflected the worried face of a certain former best friend, carrying a blanket in hand.

"Jason?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing. "Here's a blanket."

"How did you know I was here?" I asked, gladly accepting it.

He looked away from me. "The whole pack is gossiping about it. Asher was so loud, people could hear it from the training grounds."

I sighed. "Great, now they hate me even more."

Jason shook his head. "They're just... skeptical..."

"That I could be a proper luna or whatever? Yeah, I know."

There was an awkward silence that followed. I didn't really know what to say to my former best friend. Were we even still friends?

"So, how's uh Ivy?"

"Iris. And she's doing well. We're doing well," Jason said with a lovesick smile.

"What does she think of me? I'm just curious," I asked.

Jason pondered. "Well, she doesn't hate you. Iris knows you and I are best friends and she trusts me so I guess it would be the same for you."

I scoffed. "Well look where I am. She should rethink that."

"You're not a bad person Ella. I know you didn't try to poison Alpha Asher."

"It sure looks like I did though! H-He, my own mate, thinks I tried to kill him. He doesn't trust me even though I'm innocent. Now, what does that say about our relationship?" I strained the last word as tears began falling.

I cursed myself for being so weak. I was trying so hard not to cry and in the end, weakness won.

Then, as I was bawling my eyes out, there was a thud. I looked up with a tear-stained face to see Jason lying on the ground, knocked out cold.

"Then, why don't you join me?" the figure hovering over him asked.

I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the figure hidden in the darkness. "Zoe?"