---- I knew he would say that. He used the exact same trick to frame me in our past life. "Selena, are you crazy?" someone shrieked. "Is she trying to get herself killed?" "Now the Alpha King himself will be furious!" Damon waved his hand, and several Blood Moon guards immediately surrounded me. "For the crime of desecrating a royal tribute and attempted witchcraft," he announced, "I will carry out the sentence here and now!" The guards' eyes glowed red as they began to shift. Claws slid from their fingertips, glinting in the light. "Wait," I said. "It's too late to beg for mercy!" Damon roared. Islowly straightened up, looking at the guards who had me surrounded. ---- Then, I smiled. "Beg for mercy?" I repeated the words. "You've all madea terrible mistake." My voice was quiet, but in the silent hall, it was terrifyingly clear. "Tam Alpha King Kael's fated mate." I looked around at their shocked faces. "Who dares to touch me?" The hall exploded. "What?" "She's lost her mind!" "That's impossible!" Damon froze for a second, then let out a harsh laugh. "Hahahaha! Selena, you really are insane!" He laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. "The Alpha King's mate? You think a lie like that can save you?" ---- The other Alphas joined in. "That's hilarious!" "A banished outcast claims to be the King's mate!" "The frost in the North must have finally frozen her brain!" Lyla covered her mouth, her eyes full of spite. " Selena, it's wrong to lie like this. Everyone knows the King's mate is a woman of unparalleled nobility. Someone like you could never hope to be with him." Damon's laughter died. "If you're going to tell a lie, you might as well die for it," his expression turned vicious. "Your crime is even greater now-blasphemy on top of deceit!" He gestured to the guards. "Take her! Her punishment is doubled!" The guards began to fully transform. Silver fur sprouted from their skin, their muscles bulged, and their claws grew longer and sharper. ---- They lunged at me from all sides, their claws carving deadly arcs through the air.