"LOLA!"
The scream ripped out of Sofia's throat before she knew it. Her whole body trembled violently as she staggered back from the railing. Her chest constricted, her breath breaking in rapid gasps.
"No… no… no…" she whispered, clutching her head with both trembling hands.
Then, she ran.
Sofia burst into the hall, gasping for air. Her face was pale, her heart beat so hard and fast she thought it would burst.
"Help!" Sofia screamed, "Lola fell!"
Gasps filled the hall. The music stopped. Glasses slipped from hands and hit the table.
"Help! Please!" Sofia cried, her voice trembling.
She stumbled outside, the cold air hitting her skin, her chest burning as she searched the ground.
And then she saw Lola.
Lying broken on the stone path. Her silver dress was torn. Her crown, lying on the ground, cracked.
Sofia's knees gave out. "No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "No, no, no…"
Behind her, the gasps turned into shouts.
"No!" Lady Cara screamed, her voice breaking as she ran forward. She dropped to her knees beside the broken, lifeless body of her daughter. Beta Stephen and Damien were right behind her, their faces pale with shock.
Lady Cara gathered Lola into her arms, rocking her gently as if holding her could bring her back to life. "Not my baby… please, not my baby," she cried, pressing her face into Lola's hair. Her sobs tore through the night.
"Someone help her!" she screamed, her voice trembling. "Please, somebody help my daughter!"
The crowd froze, horrified. Then a figure pushed through the crowd. The pack healer, an older woman with red hair, rushed forward. She dropped to her knees beside Lady Cara, gently laying her hands on Lola's body.
"Lay her flat," the healer instructed quickly. Beta Stephen pulled his wife back, though she resisted at first, clinging to Lola. Finally, he pried her hands away, and the healer placed Lola carefully on the cold stone.
She pressed both palms over Lola's chest, her eyes shutting as she whispered a fast incantation. Her lips moved without pause. A faint glow lit up her hands, spreading slowly, seeping into Lola's chest.
"Breathe, child… breathe…" the healer urged softly, her voice trembling though she tried to stay steady. The glow pulsed brighter, then dimmed, then brightened again.
The whole pack watched in silence, their breaths held, their hearts pounding. Mothers clutched their children. Some wolves wept quietly. The only sound was the healer's desperate chant and Lady Cara's muffled sobs behind her.
"Come back… please, come back to us," the healer whispered, pushing more power into her palms.
Lola did not move. Her chest was still. Her lips remained pale. Blood trickled from the side of her head, staining her silver dress and spreading dark over the stone path.
Nothing happened.
Finally, the healer stopped. Her shoulders slumped. She lifted her head slowly, her eyes full of sorrow.
"She's gone," the healer whispered.
Sofia sat paralyzed. Hot tears poured freely, blurring her sight. Her body convulsed with sobs, her chest ached with broken gasps. Whispers around her grew louder, drifting into her ears.
"Lola went to find her sister..."
"Sofia is the last person to see her..."
"Jealous little rat, she hated Lola."
"No, I don't believe it—Sofia wouldn't…"
"Then why is she crying like that? She must be guilty."
Sofia shook her head as she looked up at the guests who had gathered. Some avoided eye contact with her. Others had already made their judgment. They thought she was guilty.
"No! No, not my baby!" Lady Cara cried as she rocked Lola's cold body in her arms, sobbing into her daughter's hair.
Beta Stephen closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath. He said nothing.
Damien sat frozen, staring at Lola's lifeless form. His hand shook where it touched her dress, his lips parting as if he wanted to deny what he was seeing. For a heartbeat, his eyes were glassy with grief, disbelief shadowing his face.
Then his face hardened. His grief turned to rage.
He stood, locking eyes with Sofia.
Sofia felt her heart grow cold as her mother looked at her the same way. Filled with rage.
"You!" Lady Cara pointed at Sofia, "You killed her! You pushed Lola! You've always hated her! You murdered my daughter!"
"She did it."
"I saw them together upstairs."
"She wanted Damien for herself."
Sofia shook her head, her tears spilling. "No… no, I didn't… I didn't push her…"
But no one listened.
Damien moved towards her in a flash. He grabbed her arm hard, dragging her out of the shadows of the sidelines and into the centre.
Sofia gasped, trying to pull away. "Damien—please—"
"Don't say my name!" he snarled, his voice shaking with rage. "You killed her. You murdered Lola. Sofia, how could you!"
Her sobs shook her body. "No, I swear—I didn't—I didn't!"
But the crowd shouted louder:
"Cursed freak!"
"Murderer!"
"Lock her up!"
Lady Cara screamed from the ground, holding Lola's body. "I want her dead! Execute her!"
Sofia's heart broke in her chest. She looked toward her father. "Father… please…"
But Beta Stephen didn't even look at her. He turned away.
Damien tightened his grip on her arm. He pulled her closer, his voice low and full of fury. "You hated her because you wanted me," he spat. "And I chose her. Did you really think I didn't notice the way you looked at me all these years? Pathetic and desperate. Did you really think I would ever want you?"
Sofia's breath caught, her whole body trembling.
Damien's voice rose, cruel and sharp. "Listen well, Sofia. You will never replace Lola. Fat. Weak. Cursed. You disgust me, Sofia."
Sofia's heart shattered.
The boy she had loved all her life, the boy who once defended her, now destroyed her in front of everyone.
Damien felt his rage twist with something he couldn't name. He didn't know what hurt more—the sight of Lola's lifeless body at his feet or the fact that Sofia had turned into this monster.
His sweet, innocent Sofia… the purest girl he had ever known was gone. In her place stood a jealous, conniving murderer, or so it seemed.
"Guards!" He shoved her into their hands, "Take her to the dungeons. She'll remain there until we decide her punishment."
The guests howled in agreement to Damien's orders.
Sofia screamed through her tears. "I didn't kill her! Please, you have to believe me!"
She tried to free herself from the guards, but their grip on her tightened. Lady Cara rose from where she knelt. Her face was red and twisted with hate and grief. She stormed up to Sofia and slapped her hard across the face.
Sofia stopped screaming. She wanted to plead with her mother, but never got the chance. Lady Cara didn't stop. She slapped Sofia again. And again. Each strike hit harder than the last.
"You killed my daughter!" she screamed, slapping her relentlessly. "You will die for this!"
"You cursed child—always jealous, always hateful!"
Sofia cried out, her face burning from the hits, but the guards held her still. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she begged, "Mother, please—I didn't—"
"I'm not your mother!" Lady Cara spat, her chest heaving.
Her voice turned cold, "You are not my daughter."
With a broken sob, she turned and stumbled back to Lola's body, returning to her grief.
Sofia stood trembling, her face red and wet with tears, her heart ripped apart.
"Take her away."
The last thing Sofia saw before they dragged her away was Damien kneeling beside Lola, his face buried in his hands.
The boy she loved now hated her.
Her mother disowned her. Her father ignored her.
Every one of them turned their backs on her.
Her life was over.