Erased by Blood: The Alpha’s Lost Daughter on Trial Chapter 04

Erased by Blood: The Alpha’s Lost Daughter on Trial Chapter 04

“After a full review of the facts, the defendant, Hazel Woods, was found not guilty of bullying.”

Declan was nearly foaming at the mouth with rage.

“Alpha King, have you even looked at the Moon Mirror? How can Hazel’s bullying charge not stand? That wretch is guilty as sin!”

The pack members were stunned, their murmurs rippling through the hall.

“What? The bullying charge didn’t stick?”

“Why not? Hazel clearly hit Helena! How could she not be guilty? Is the Moon Mirror broken?”

“Shut up! The Moon Mirror can’t be wrong. It’s the Moon Goddess’s sacred relic—the final word of truth. There’s got to be more to it. Haven’t we all seen it flip the whole story before?”

“Yeah, let’s wait and see what else it shows.”

At that moment, the Moon Mirror flared to life again.

It began to play a memory—my memory.

After Helena accused me, Dad, Mom, and Declan had all stormed off, leaving me alone with her in the bedroom.

Helena, sweet as ever, led me to the bathroom. “Go freshen up,” she said kindly.

When I came out, she was already digging through my closet, picking out clothes with a thoughtful smile.

“Wear this white one, Hazel,” she said. “You’ll look gorgeous in it.”

Her kindness made my eyes prickle with tears of gratitude. “Thank you, Helena. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you today.”

She waved it off with a generous smile. “No big deal, Hazel. We’re family, right?”

Then, out of nowhere, she doubled over, clutching her stomach as laughter spilled out of her.

“I can’t—I can’t keep this up!” she gasped between giggles. “God, Hazel, you’re such an idiot. You actually thanked me!”

I froze, struggling to process her words.

Her grin warped into something strange and mocking. “You still don’t get it, do you, you moron? That cake I gave you? I spiked it with a massive dose of laxatives. Wasn’t it just delicious?”

My stomach dropped. She was worse than the monsters the nurses at the shelter used to scare us with.

I went pale, my voice trembling. “You did this to me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Mom and Dad?”

Helena only laughed harder. “Oh, you poor, clueless hick. You really think they’d believe you? Wanna bet on it?”

Before I could speak, she clawed at her own arms, leaving red welts, and raked her fingers through her hair until it looked like a bird’s nest.

Then she staggered out the door, tears streaming down her face as she stumbled downstairs, sobbing dramatically.

“Mom! Dad! I’m so sorry!” she wailed. “I shouldn’t have made that cake for Hazel…”

The memory froze on one damning image: Mom, Dad, and Declan glaring up at me from the bottom of the stairs, their eyes cold with accusation.

Helena’s performance had united them against me. That was the real family.

And I had been foolish enough to think I could ever belong.

Watching the scene unfold in the Moon Mirror, Mom, Dad, and Declan stood there, dumbfounded.

Mom recovered first, her voice awkward as she glanced at me. “Look, Hazel… your sister was just fooling around. Don’t overthink it. I’ll… deal with her later, okay?”

Declan scoffed, folding his arms. “Fine, maybe this time you were framed. But what about everything else? At school, you’ve been ganging up on Helena, isolating her, hitting her. Don’t try to deny it.”

The pack members erupted in heated whispers.

“No way. Tell me I’m not the only one creeped out by that foster kid. She’s so young, and already that manipulative. And wait—Hazel’s the real daughter, isn’t she? The Alpha’s own blood?”

“Forget the foster kid—what about this family’s twisted priorities? Their own daughter’s been wronged, and they’re defending the foster instead of comforting Hazel?”

“Exactly. Seriously, it makes me sick.”

“No wonder that foster brat’s so bold and vicious. They’ve enabled her. If I had a family like that, I’d probably give up on life. Poor Hazel.”

The crowd’s words hit Dad like a slap. His face darkened, and he shot me a venomous look. “Don’t get cocky just because people are taking your side. You know what you did to Helena at school. You’re not innocent.”

He turned to the Alpha King, his voice hard. “Please, continue the trial!”