Did you do it?

"Ahh!" Rose's scream grew louder just as Lilith tried to speak, cutting her off and pushing her frustration to the edge. She wasn't even being given a chance to defend herself, yet she was being accused of poisoning her.

"Lilith, did you truly poison her?" The older woman asked as she stepped forward, her tone sharp. The question nearly made Lilith scoff.

"I did no such thing and have no idea why she's in that state," Lilith replied firmly, finally getting the chance to speak.

"Then how do you explain this?" The old woman asked again, gesturing toward the weeping Rose on the ground. Her gaze darkened with anger.

"I…"

"She's doing this to get back at me," Rose suddenly cut in, her voice trembling. "She's still upset that my mother-in-law and I scolded her at the pack house. But we genuinely care about her and only wanted to correct her."

Lilith scoffed, her disbelief plain. Right. 'Poisoning herself and blaming it on me? Clever plan,' she thought bitterly.

"Really? If I wanted to poison you, why would I do it in public? And let's not forget, you were the one who asked to drink from my tea. Or have you lost your memory?" Lilith snapped, no longer concerned about politeness. She wasn't going to be framed.

"Ah!" Lilith cried out as a sharp slap landed across her face. The blow came from the older woman, who now looked livid.

"Why did you slap me?" Lilith spat, her cheek stinging.

"Are you acting out of jealousy? I knew there was something off about you the moment I saw you," the older woman hissed. "But unfortunately for you, Zayd belongs to Rose."

Lilith let out a bitter smile. Even if she was threatened with her life, she would never want to belong to Zayd. It was maddening how they worshipped him like he was some kind of god.

"Well, let me make it clear," she said coldly. "I would rather die than be with Alpha Zayd."

That was the final straw. The older woman snapped.

"Tie her to the pole!" She shouted, prompting the maids to move toward Lilith. But just before they could grab her, a commanding voice cut through the chaos.

"Stop."

Everyone turned to the voice and froze.

Zayd.

He stepped forward, his presence tightening the air causing fear to ripple through the group.

"What happened?" He asked, moving to stand beside Lilith. His gaze fell on her, but she turned away, not wanting him to see her like this.

"She poisoned Rose and shows no remorse. I will punish her accordingly," the older woman said firmly. Lilith rolled her eyes, stunned at how easily they lied.

"Did you do it?" Zayd asked, his eyes never leaving her.

Lilith frowned and finally turned to face him. "Trust me, if I wanted to kill her, I would use a gun. It's far more effective than poison, and I would not need to take a roundabout path. But I am not interested in you, and I couldn't care less about her."

Gasps echoed around them. No one had ever spoken to Alpha Zayd like that, at least not without ending up dead afterwards.

"Did you do it?" He repeated, ignoring her words. His gaze, unyielding.

"Would you even believe me if I said no? You all think I did it, so I might as well take the blame," she said, and silence fell between them.

After a few seconds, Zayd took a step forward but just then, someone screamed, "Rose! She's lost consciousness!" And all attention turned to her.

"What a showoff," Lilith muttered with a snort, shaking her head. She had underestimated Rose. Clearly, that was her mistake.

"Punish her," Zayd finally said, stepping back. The order was all they needed to tie Lilith up without hesitation.

"Whip her thirty times," the older woman commanded.

The whipping began.

Lilith tensed her body, silently bracing herself for the pain. Her defiance only fueled the older woman's fury, she hated that Lilith wasn't begging or breaking as expected.

With each strike, her clothes tore more, and soon the whip began to lash directly into her skin.

"Hmm!" She gritted her teeth, suppressing every sound, counting each lash in her mind. The crowd started turning their gaze away, unable to watch as blood stained her back but the older woman remained unmoved.

Finally, after the thirtieth lash, they untied her and let her collapse to the ground.

"We will be on our way now," Zayd said coldly and gestured for Ben to help her up. But when Ben extended his hand, she held out hers, refusing him that made Ben step back, and watch as she helped herself up. She did it slowly, painfully and with a quiet vow. She would get back at Rose for this. And next time, it would be more than just poison.

They led her away, though she was placed in a different car this time, while the unconscious Rose now rode beside Zayd. Lilith didn't care about the switch, but she was furious that her escape plan had failed because of a woman so desperate to be loved by a man. She had seen women go crazy for love, but Rose had taken it to another level. Going as far as endangering her own life just to eliminate her unbothered rival. 

Back at the mansion, Zayd ordered that no one was to tend to her wounds as punishment for her supposed lack of remorse. But Lilith had endured worse. She didn't mind. A cold bath would do for now, and at least he had the decency to give her a room to rest in.

Late that night, she groaned softly on the bed as the pain intensified. She was about to push herself up when she heard someone enter the room.

"Looks like he plans to kill you too," a familiar voice said. It was Elijah.

"I don't have the strength to talk. Leave," she snapped.

Silence followed.

Then, she felt the bed shift beneath her. Before she could protest, the voice said, "If you want to die, at least wait until after you have escaped. You have to survive to escape. I brought you ointment."

His words struck a chord and as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She swallowed her pride. She would need all the help she could get if she was ever going to make it out of this place.

Meanwhile, outside the room, a presence stood silently, with one hand on the doorknob, and the other clenched around a small bottle. After a moment, it vanished into the shadows just as quietly as it had come.