Sentenced to The Ruthless Alpha

Chapter 25: Between Mercy and Monster

Thora POV

Thora took one long breath as five beefy men hustled forward, eyes glowering with rage. A young girl who looked to be around Thora's age broke through them and knelt beside the man on the floor, checking for vitals. Her eyes glistened with tears when she looked up and glared at Thora.

"You filthy human! What did you do to my brother?"

"Nothing. I was just trying to help…" A loud smack across her cheek sent her stumbling back onto her heels. Thora clutched her stinging cheek and blinked back the stars in her eyes.

"THEO!" The girl sobbed, shaking him gently.

Two of the men hauled Thora up by her arms so a third could beat the truth out of her. Before the first blow could land, a soft, low gasp broke the tension.

"Theo? Theo, are you okay?" A teary smile broke across the girl's face when her brother's eyes fluttered open. She cradled his head in her arms and rubbed his chest as a small cough shook through him.

"You're going to be okay." She chanted it like a mantra, stroking his back.

Strangely, the men didn't drop Thora's arms or rush forward to help him. Confused, they traded uneasy glances with each other, then with Theo's sister.

"You said he was… dying." One of them said, doubt dripping from his tone. "The pack doctor isn't even here yet."

Theo's sister's shoulders stiffened. Dabbing her eyes, she helped her brother up with great difficulty, then lowered him onto the nearest bench. A nervous laugh escaped her.

"The moon goddess must be feeling generous tonight, to have saved my brother even before the doctor arrived." She shot Theo another teary smile. "We already lost so much. I couldn't bear losing him too."

Theo's eyes flashed with equal parts dread and relief. He turned to the men. "I—I exerted myself during training. I should have stopped when everyone else did. I just want to win badly, to give Danika a better life."

"I need you alive.” Danika replied. “That's the only way my life gets better."

An emotional beat passed before the men turned back to Thora.

"And the human? What was she doing when we walked in? She had her lips pressed against yours!"

"It's called CPR," Thora said. "It's a way to help save someone whose heart and breathing have stopped, by pressing on their chest and breathing into their mouth." She'd barely finished before their faces twisted with disgust; Theo's included.

He looked like a nervous wreck as he rushed to add, "I was already unconscious when she got here." His brows furrowed at her. "Nobody asked for your help. My sister was already getting the doctor. You shouldn't have touched me." The strength was back in his voice, his eyes bright with irritation and anger.

"Then maybe you should've found somewhere else to choke and die, instead of right in front of me a couple minutes ago while I was cleaning…"

Another slap landed on her cheek, again from Danika. "How dare you raise your voice at him? Have you forgotten your place?" She whirled around. "If the alpha wasn't already buried in preparations for the Culling and every other pressing pack affair, I'd drag you by the hair to his study myself to be punished for overstepping."

Thora shrieked when a calloused hand closed hard around her wrist.

"The alpha's never too busy to punish an errant wolf. This human scum deserves a taste of the Valcourt dungeons." He yanked her wrist, pulling her toward the door.

"Malek, wait!" Theo called out weakly, rising to his feet.

"What?"

"Trust me, I want nothing more than to see the human punished too, but…" He swallowed. "If word gets out that I collapsed during training, or that the human put her lips on mine…"

He didn't need to finish for the meaning to land. "Please. It'll ruin mine and my sister's reputation in the pack. They'll bump us down a rank above the omegas. It could ruin my pairing at the Culling. Please, feel free to punish the human privately, but the alpha and the rest of the pack can't know what happened tonight." He clasped his hands together, prayer-style.

Thora couldn't believe her ears. How had an act of kindness turned into this? If she'd known she was saving a selfish, ungrateful liar, she would've left him to choke and die. Her eyes caught the sharp stare from his sister. Ugh, Thora thought, disgusted by both of them.

"Theo, that could land us in the pack's bad books…"

"It certainly won't." Danika countered with a cunning look. "Not if we all agree not to tell."

She crossed her arms and eyed Thora. "The human's word holds no weight anyway. If she ever breathes a word about tonight, no one will believe her over us. In fact, they'll skin her alive soon enough once the petition is approved."

‘W-What petition?”

They all shared a mocking laugh at her.

"But more importantly, we can't be sure the alpha won't find some excuse to spare her again, given his little sentence." Something dark glinted in Danika's eyes. "Guys, it's smarter to punish her ourselves than to hope the authorities do it for us, don't you think?"

"Makes perfect sense to me." One guffawed.

"I've got a lot of ideas on how to punish a human!" Another chirped.

Thora backed away as their eyes strayed to her like predators sighting prey. She tripped over the bench Theo had sat on, and their laughter scalded her pride.

Then something peeking out from a jacket on the floor—Theo's, she realized—caught her eye. It all clicked at once: the fearful looks between the siblings, the pack doctor who'd never come despite Danika's claim, the hesitance to bring the alpha or the council into this.

Thora slipped the item into her palm. It felt exactly like what she thought it was. She smiled back at her bullies.

"Theo, you go first. You're the victim of her shamelessness. Make sure you draw blood." Malek cheered him on.

"No, my brother's too weak." Danika cut in. "I'll help him carve a memory into her skin; one she won't forget the next time she tries to venture out of her limits."

Claws out, Danika stormed toward Thora, ready to strike. She towered over her, blocking the spectators' view just as Thora flashed her palm open. The fire in Danika's eyes doused instantly. The strength melted from her arms the moment she saw what Thora held.

Thora whispered. "Get your lackeys to back off, or you'll have to explain to the alpha and the entire pack how you and your asthmatic brother smuggled an inhaler in here. I know damn well human items like this are contraband, so think twice before you act a fool."

Danika gulped. Like a seasoned actress, she dropped her hands and smoothed her expression faster than Harley Quinn could pull off a con, then turned.

"Malek, I think you're right. I couldn't live with myself if you all got in trouble for protecting Theo and I." She swept a clump of hair from her face. "No need to sully your hands with this one. I'll deal with her properly, and with any consequence that comes of it. Trust me."

Malek and the others nodded. "You're right. As tempting as this is, we can't risk our necks over a human." He spat on the floor. "Good luck, Theo. See the doctor when you can."

"I will." Theo mumbled as they left.

Once the door clicked shut, the siblings turned to find Thora back on her feet.

"Give it back!" Danika warned, eyes flaring amber.

"Or what? You'll kill me? I think not."

"You really think you can walk out of here with it?"

"I think you could snatch it from my hands, no doubt. But I also think I could raise an uproar and get the pack to search your rooms for more incriminating evidence, evidence I'm confident they'd find." Her eyes lingered on theirs a second too long, crinkled in delight when fear bloomed within.

"But I wouldn't do that." She tossed the inhaler and watched Theo catch it. "Asthma's painful enough. And though your brother's a selfish liar, I don't regret saving his life."

"You didn't save him. The moon goddess…"

"The moon had nothing to do with it!" Thora snapped. "He was choking when I found him. He stopped breathing before I could even run for help." She dragged a hand across her sweaty forehead. "Deny it all you want, but we both know the doctor was never coming. She probably doesn't even know about Theo's condition."

One look at their guilt-ridden faces told her everything. "Wolves don't get asthma, do they? But humans do…"

"Shut up!" Theo growled with effort, eyes narrowed and dark. "You're wrong!"

Danika caught him, trying to calm him.

"You've got it wrong, human." She braced his weight against her. "Theo was hurt a while back, grazed by a silver bullet. He's had breathing problems ever since."

Her eyes dropped to the inhaler in her brother's hand. "This is the only thing that pulls him back from death's door. That's all it is. Our parents were purebloods. Theo is nothing like you!"

Fuming, she helped her brother toward the door. "I dare you to snitch on us. The pack loves us. They'll never believe you."

Thora let out a deep breath once they were gone, exhaustion settling back into her bones. As wild as it had all been, she was glad it ended without her having to answer to the pack, or getting hurt.

She fell asleep after she was done cleaning the training hall. A loud howl jerked her awake. Outside, the moon shone brightly against the dark night. Cold air wafted in, sending chills down her spine. She felt hot all over, an unbearable sensation that made her skin scream to be touched.

Her thoughts drifted conveniently to Roman. She wondered if he had bothered to look for her all day, if he worried where she might have slept tonight.

The heavy door creaked open, and Roman stepped inside. Moonlight spilled across his broad shoulders as he shut the door behind him with a soft click. Startled, she pressed herself deeper into the shadows behind the stacked mats, heart hammering against her ribs.

He moved with purpose. His hands went straight to the hem of his shirt. In one fluid motion he peeled it off, revealing the carved lines of his torso—thick slabs of muscle shifting under smooth, sun-kissed skin. Scars from past battles laced across his chest and ribs. Every inch of him honed and lethal.

Thora's breath caught. She'd never seen him like this, with the moonlight catching on the hard planes of his abdomen. Her heart stuttered as he rolled his shoulders loose. His body was a weapon, built for dominance, every muscle defined and ready.

He dropped into a low stance. When he moved, it was fast, brutal and controlled. He struck at the air with claws bared, pivoting on the balls of his feet like the space around him was an opponent. Sweat beaded along his spine as he dropped into push-ups that made his back ripple.

He hit the iron wall next, claws tearing fresh grooves into scored metal. He dragged the stone blocks across the hall by their iron rings, veins rising along his arms. Then he leapt onto the spinning, spiked wheel, claws sunk deep, holding on through every violent turn.

But something was wrong.

Through it all, his nostrils never flared in Thora’s direction. Never scented her.

Thora's stomach dropped. The realization hit her like a punch. She was right there, close enough to see every bead of sweat roll down his chest, and he had no idea. Roman couldn't smell her at all.