Chained to the Enemy Alpha
Chapter 97: Innocent

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Innocent

Lily couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

She tried to sign, but her trembling hands refused to cooperate. She couldn’t even look at Zayn. All she could do was stare at the mess in the room. Something about it just didn’t sit right with her.

Though she didn’t know why Zayn was upset, she knew it had to do with the decor. One look, and she knew. This was supposed to be her room. There was only one more door after this one, so this was the room next to Zayn’s.

But none of the decor was what she had asked for. Everything was wrong.

Lily felt like she couldn’t breathe. Pulled out of her thoughts, Lily found herself struggling to breathe. Her vision refocused to see Zayn glaring at her.

It was his hand around her neck. He was strangling her.

She gasped as he lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling helplessly. Her hands clutched at his wrist, struggling to loosen his iron grip.

"Alpha Zayn!" Martha screamed from the hallway, rushing forward. "What are you doing? You’re killing her!"

Jett and Ryker froze in the doorway, their eyes wide with shock. Ragnar, who was still bound to Axel, attempted to move forward. But Zayn’s voice cut through the room like a whip.

"Stay back!" he roared, his Alpha authority washing over everyone present. The command forced them to remain rooted to their spots, unable to intervene.

Lily kicked her legs weakly, her vision blurring as she fought for breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared helplessly at Zayn’s enraged face. free\we,bnovel.c o(m)

"Did you think you could replace her that easily? Take her place in my memories? In my heart?!" He snarled, tightening his grip.

Confusion flickered across Lily’s face as darkness crept into the edges of her vision.

"Look around you!" Zayn shouted, gesturing wildly with his free hand. "The purple walls, the lavender arrangements—they were all her favorites! Irene’s favorites! Every detail, down to the fucking pattern on the bedsheets!"

Lily shook her head frantically, her lungs burning for air.

"Alpha Zayn, please!" Martha begged, fighting against his command to stay back. "Lily didn’t arrange this room! None of this was her doing!"

"Not her doing?" Zayn scoffed, "This room was hers to decorate, and this was what she chose!"

He turned back to Lily, voice filled with disappointment and rage, "Are you trying to mock my dead mate’s memory? Is that your sick game?"

Zayn stared into Lily’s eyes. He searched for the truth he was looking for. That Lily had planned this to mock him. To dig up his pain and watch him be in agony. But he couldn’t find it. All he saw was her plea of innocence.

Martha scanned the room desperately.

"None of these match her requests," Martha insisted, her voice trembling with urgency. "Someone else must have changed it. I was there when she made the requests. The decorators can vouch for this! Luna Lily specifically asked for pastel blue walls and white lilies, like her namesake!"

Something in Martha’s desperate plea reached him, and he loosened his hold just enough for Lily to gasp in a painful breath. Seeing the flicker of hope, Martha continued to scan the room desperately.

She pointed at the shattered vase and strewn stalks of lavender, "Look, flowers aren’t lilies. And the color of the walls! These furniture aren’t the ones she requested either! Please, Alpha!"

Doubt flickered across Zayn’s face. With a frustrated growl, he released his hold on Lily. She collapsed to the floor, gasping desperately for air, her hands clutching her bruised throat. She landed hard among the scattered glass and porcelain, sharp edges cutting into her skin.

Jett stepped forward, reaching down to help her. "Luna, let me—"

Lily shook her head, refusing his assistance. Despite the pain, despite the humiliation, she forced herself to her feet alone. Blood dripped from her palms where glass had embedded itself in her skin, but she stood tall, meeting Zayn’s gaze directly.

She moved her hands shakily to sign.

’I swear on my mother’s grave, none of this is my doing. If you don’t believe me, question the witnesses. They will prove my innocence.’

Zayn’s expression remained unreadable as he studied her. The tension in the room was suffocating as everyone waited for his response.

"Ezra," He called out.

Seconds later, Beta Ezra came running down the hallway. He stumbled into the room, stunned by the sight before him. It was clear Zayn was the one who thrashed the room. Initially, he could not understand why.

That was, until he saw the decoration. The broken vase. The slashed wallpaper. He looked at Lily, who had tears streaming down her face. Though he didn’t approve of her, he knew deep down this could not have been her doing.

"What happened–"

"Luna Lily claimed the room’s decor was not her doing. Someone did it on purpose to... to trigger me. Find out who did this." Zayn ordered, voice still cold.

"On it, Alpha," Ezra replied, still scanning the room in disbelief.

Zayn walked past Lily without looking back, boots crunching on the glass shards as he walked. Lily grabbed onto his pant leg just as he passed her. Her blood quickly stained the fabric.

He stopped, turning back slightly to her.

’Where do I stay now?’ She signed.

Zayn hadn’t considered this. The room was completely trashed. It wasn’t liveable.

Martha immediately stepped up, "You can stay with me, Lily. The servant quarters might not be–"

Lily shook her head, refusing.

She signed again. ’A Luna cannot stay in the servant quarters. People will talk.’

Zayn clenched his jaw. Even after what he’d done, she was still worried about their reputation. His reputation. His heart ached, though he didn’t know why. Could it be guilt over what he had done?

"You’ll stay in my room," he said abruptly.

Everyone stared at him in shock.

Lily’s eyes widened. She couldn’t have heard correctly. Stay in Zayn’s room? After he’d just tried to strangle her?

At that moment, he should still hate her. Why would he offer for her to stay with him?

But Zayn’s expression left no room for argument. "Martha, get her cleaned up and see to her cuts. Get this room cleaned and decorated according to Luna Lily’s original requirements. I want it done in three days."