The Omega Princess And Her Four Mates

Th eExecution

Chapter Four

Darian's POV

Pain tore through my shoulder as I tried to push myself off the ground. My palm slipped against the damp earth, and I dropped back down with a groan. Blood soaked through my fur and stained the leaves beneath me.

I forced myself to move again, but my strength was failing fast.

Then voices drifted through the trees.

“My King!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Where are you?”

I tried to call out, but only a rough groan escaped me.

The footsteps stopped.

“Did you hear that?”

“Over there!”

Branches snapped as two palace guards rushed through the trees and froze when they saw me.

“Your Majesty!”

One dropped beside me while the other stared at the blood covering my body. “What happened to you?”

“I can stand,” I muttered, trying to push myself up.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, you're not standing anywhere.”

They slipped their arms beneath mine and lifted me between them, carrying me toward the palace.

“Get him to the healing center. Now!”

By the time we reached the palace, my vision had begun to blur. The guards rushed me inside, and the palace healer hurried toward us. “Your Majesty?”

“Keep him alive,” one of the guards said.

She immediately ordered her assistants to bring bloodroot and moonleaf before pressing her glowing hands over my wounds. “Stay awake,” she whispered.

I tried. But the darkness was already closing in, and the last thing I heard was the healer calling for more herbs before everything disappeared.

***

Elara's POV

I hadn't slept.

I sat against the cold stone wall with my knees pulled to my chest, watching the faint light creep through the narrow window above me. Morning slipped away, and the hours dragged on until the light outside began to fade.

Sunset was when they would kill me.

I kept rubbing my hands together, trying to warm them, but my fingers remained cold.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, and I lifted my head as several guards appeared at the end of the passage. My heart began pounding. “No…”

The keys rattled as one of the guards unlocked the door, and I pushed myself to my feet. “Please.”

The door swung open, and the guard's voice was cold. “It's time.”

I backed away, shaking my head. “No. Please.”

One guard grabbed my arm while another took the other, and I struggled against them as they pulled me from the cell.

“Let me go!” My feet dragged across the stone floor as they forced me down the corridor. “Please! Just give me a chance to speak to my father.”

Neither answered.

The palace grounds came into view as they dragged me outside, and the sight waiting beyond the courtyard made my stomach drop.

The execution grounds had already been prepared.

Elders stood gathered around the raised platform while members of the royal household watched from the front. My father sat beside Seraphina, his expression hard and unreadable, while Evelina stood beside her. When our eyes met, the corner of Evelina's mouth lifted before she quickly looked away.

Unease crawled through me as I watched her.

The guards dragged me toward the center of the platform, where a wooden post stood beneath a carved symbol of the Moon Goddess. Ropes hung from either side.

My legs weakened. “This can't be happening…”

They tied my wrists first, pulling the rope tight enough to bite into my skin before securing my ankles.

I swallowed against the ache in my throat as tears filled my eyes. “Please.”

No one moved.

My gaze traveled across the crowd until it landed on Elder Marvins Blackthorn, my mother's uncle and one of the kingdom's most influential elders. His face remained still as our eyes met, and I silently begged him to do something, anything. His jaw tightened, but after a brief hesitation, he looked away, and something inside me sank with the realization that he wasn't going to help me.

The kingdom priest stepped forward, his robes stirring in the evening breeze, and raised both hands. “Silence.”

The murmurs died away immediately.

He turned toward the carved symbol of the Moon Goddess. “By the law given to our kind, one wolf may be bound to one fated mate. No wolf shall bear more than one sacred bond, because such a bond threatens the balance between packs and kingdoms.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

“Before the Moon Goddess, we acknowledge this violation of the law and surrender judgment to the hand appointed to carry it out.”

My breathing grew uneven as I shook my head. “Please, I don't want to die,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I'll do anything to prove that I'm innocent.”

Seraphina held my gaze with a firm, commanding expression while the priest continued.

He lowered his hands. “May the Moon Goddess judge her soul with mercy.”

The royal executor stepped forward, dressed in dark ceremonial clothing, with the sword reserved for executions gripped tightly in his hands.

My pulse quickened as he moved closer.

The blade caught the fading sunlight, and my entire body began to shake. When the executor stopped in front of me, I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back another sob.

“Father…” My voice broke as I looked toward him. “Please.”

He didn't move, nor did he even look at me.

My chest tightened as I stared at the man who had never made me feel wanted, yet whose protection I had still hoped for when my life was on the line.

“Father,” I whispered again. “Please.”

I waited for him to move, to speak, to show me even the smallest sign that he cared, but he remained still and silent. There was no protest, no hesitation, not even a flicker of emotion on his face.

Tears blurred my vision as the executor raised the sword, and I pulled against the ropes until they cut into my wrists. “Please!” I screamed, my voice breaking as I shut my eyes and trembled, unable to stop the tears spilling down my cheeks.

The sword began to descend, but before it could reach me, a command rang across the execution grounds.

“STOP!”

The blade froze in midair, and everyone turned toward the palace gates as the crowd slowly parted. I slowly opened my eyes, and my breath caught when I saw what was coming through them.

A black horse charged through the entrance, its hooves striking hard against the ground as a royal chariot followed close behind. The guards stumbled back, while uneasy murmurs spread through the elders.

“Who is that?”

“Isn't that the Lycan King?”

“What could he possibly be doing here?”

The chariot came to a sudden stop, and the entire execution ground fell silent. The executor slowly lowered his sword as I stared through my tears at the chariot, my breath catching when its door opened and a familiar figure stepped down.

My eyes widened the moment I recognized him.

Caelen Draevar, the Lycan King.