Veritas

Chapter 7

Daisy heard her daughter's muffled sobs when she began to regain consciousness. As her senses started returning to her, she noticed several alarming things. The first thing she made note of was the steady dripping sound, which she didn't recognize, nor understand where it was coming from. Additionally, she was no longer outside. This was made evident by the lack of fresh air of the forest surrounding her; instead, she was on a cold, hard cement floor in a musty-smelling, dark room.

Her eyes flew open as she recognized the scent -- she was in the pack's dungeon! Which meant her daughter was, too! She sat up quickly, disorienting herself a little and reigniting the agony that had rippled through her body earlier. This reminded her of her loss, of her family's loss, and while the pain had dulled enough to let her remain conscious...It was nearly unbearable.

She wrapped her arms around herself, and laid back down, curled into the fetal position while she tried to gain control of her faculties again. The pain was making it hard for her to make sense of anything, so she just stayed still and focused on breathing.

Aislinn, though, had noticed her mother's movement. Her voice was a bit far away, but it was distinct enough for Daisy to recognize it. "Mommy? Are you awake?" she asked miserably.

Daisy knew she couldn't answer; but, she had to try. She opened her mouth to let out any sound she could muster, and a groan was all that escaped. To her dismay, Aislinn didn't say anything in response, and her daughter's soft sobs began again. Those sobs lulled Daisy in and out of consciousness, and made it difficult for her to keep track of time.

Finally, when the pain had settled into a tolerable, but constant buzz in her entire body, she was able to remain awake. She slowly sat up, groaning from the pain and effort, and opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. The dungeon was underground, with no electricity, so it was dark and cold. It wasn't heated, so she could see her breath coming out in little puffs in the light of the torches that lined the walls outside of her cell. The little cell she was confined to had bars made of silver surrounding her on all sides, as well as across the ceiling. Having been born and raised in this pack, she knew if she dug through the floor, she'd encounter more silver to stop her.

Daisy let out a sigh, then realized she was no longer hearing the sobs of her daughter. Looking around frantically, she saw a small lump on the ground in the next cell over, and breathing through the acrid smell of the dungeon she was able to pick up on Aislinn's scent. This allowed her to relax a little, especially after focusing in on her daughter's heartbeat to hear it was strong and steady. Still, she was angry that her daughter was left alone, instead of at least being caged with her own mother. A pup her age didn't have a wolf, and made her more susceptible to the cold than an adult would be.

After a few moments of resting to adjust to her constant pain, and to get used to the dim lighting, Daisy heard Aislinn stirring. It wasn't that her daughter was waking up, though; no, she was having a nightmare.

"Aislinn! Wake up!" She shouted, crawling closer to the bars separating their two cells. She was surprised that it was enough to rouse her daughter.

"Mom?" Came the heartbreakingly miserable voice of the young girl.

"Yes, baby girl, I'm here" Daisy replied back softly.

"Oh, mommy!" Aislinn wailed, crawling towards the bars. "Daddy's gone! I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"

"Shhhh, no it's not, my darling. Quiet now, you did nothing wrong" Daisy called out, her heart aching from being unable to hold her daughter. She was confused why they were in the dungeon to begin with; but, she didn't need to wait long to find out.

"Sure she did" came the cocky voice of their Beta, or second-in-command below the Alpha.

Daisy frowned; she hadn't heard the Beta approach. "What do you mean by that, Beta Brendan?"

"Like she just said, it's all her fault. The pack was infiltrated, your mate and our top warrior was murdered, and somehow nobody was able to detect it. Someone helped those monsters get through, and she as good as just confessed to it" the Beta said with a shrug. "We've just been waiting for you to regain consciousness before we tried the two of you, since we weren't sure if you helped or not" he added.

"You can't be serious!" Daisy screeched, getting to her feet with difficulty to face the man before her. "Why in the name of the Moon Goddess would either of us plot something like that? And how could you suspect her? She's a pup!"

"Save it for the Alpha" Brendan said with another shrug, then whistled for two guards to come help him. The guards were at his side within seconds, and wasted no time dragging Daisy and Aislinn out of their cells and up to the pack's meeting area.

An emergency meeting must have been called, because by the time Aislinn and Daisy were thrown to the floor before the Alpha and his wife, the Luna, the entire pack had gathered in the room. Now free from the cell, and the restraints of the guard, Daisy was quick to pull her daughter into an embrace.

Aislinn was shivering in terror, not understanding what was happening. She'd heard what the Beta had said, and understood he was blaming her for the attack; but, she didn't understand how or why. She was scared, and heartbroken, and overwhelmed, so when Daisy pulled her into an embrace she broke down crying once more.

Daisy's heart broke all over again at her daughter's fear and confusion; however, this time, instead of breaking her down, the heartbreak bolstered her. She got to her feet to face the Alpha and Luna, pulling Aislinn up with her.

"Daisy Jones" the Alpha said by way of greeting, now that Daisy had risen to meet him. "You stand before me, Alpha of the Tranquil Waters pack, along with my mate and your Luna, and all other members of the pack that you are charged with betraying" he said loudly, his booming voice echoing off the walls around them. "Your daughter was observed by Beta Brendan as admitting to her fault in this crime, and given her age, we believe she could not have done this alone. What do you have to say in your defense?" The Alpha demanded.

"That your charges are utterly foolish, and baseless!" Daisy replied angrily. "My daughter had a bad dream, and it was because of her dream that her father was out that night! She did nothing wrong, nor did I. It was a freak coincidence, and instead of pointing fingers at a helpless pup, you should be asking the more important questions like why Rogues were working together!"

"Stop trying to detract from the charges at hand!" the Alpha commanded angrily, using an ability that only Alphas were able to use, where their pack members would be compelled to follow their Alpha's command.

"I'm not! I'm trying to get you to see the truth, and logic! This attack made no sense, pinning blame on a thirteen-year-old makes no sense, and if you want to be sure I'm telling the truth just or--"

"SILENCE!" Was the Alpha's next Alpha command, forcing Daisy to cut off her next words.

Daisy frowned at the Alpha, since she was going to suggest he just order her and her daughter to tell him if they'd helped the Rogues. This would be a simple way to prove their innocence, but he wasn't interested in hearing it. In that moment, she realized that this wasn't a trial, nor was it a pack meeting for her to plead their innocence. It was their death sentencing, no matter their innocence; they were the scape goats, since the Alpha likely had no answers.

"You, Daisy Jones, and your daughter, Aislinn Jones, are guilty of treason against the Tranquil Waters pack. While death would normally be the price for such a heinous crime, I feel it is more fitting to banish you. And so, I, Andrew Waters, Alpha of the Tranquil Waters pack, hereby banish you, Aislinn and Daisy Jones, to life as Rogues."

Daisy stood strong, despite feeling the connection of her pack rip from her forcefully. After losing her mate, the pain was nothing more than a mosquito bite; however, she felt Aislinn's legs give out. She scooped her daughter up into her arms, and stared into the Alpha's eyes defiantly.

The Alpha sneered at her. "You may live the rest of your lives with those filthy beasts you allowed into our home. Now get out of my sight, and off of my land. Guards, get rid of these filthy bitches!"

Daisy growled at the Alpha, but didn't waste more breath on him than that. She spun on her heel and marched out of the room with her head held high, knowing she and her daughter were innocent. Something was going on, and Alpha Waters was in on it. She just knew it.

She vowed as she and Aislinn were forced out of the pack that she would find out what was going on, and make everyone involved pay for her and Aislinn's humiliation, and for JJ's life.