The Alpha They Tried to Kill

Chapter Two: The Order to Die

Nobody spoke after the Alpha announced my execution.

The rain kept falling across the arena while thunder rolled through the mountains, but the crowd had gone completely silent. I stood frozen. Maybe part of me had expected this day to come eventually. Still, hearing the words out loud felt unreal. Executed. Not exiled. Not punished. Killed. My own father had just sentenced me to death in front of the entire pack.

I slowly looked around the arena. Some wolves looked shocked. Others looked excited. A few were smiling. Damon looked happier than anyone.

“Well,” he said loudly, “looks like the problem finally solved itself.”

Several warriors laughed. I barely heard them. My eyes remained fixed on Alpha Magnus. He stood above everyone like a king passing judgment on a criminal he no longer wished to tolerate. No regret. No hesitation. Nothing. Just coldness.

I swallowed hard and forced my voice to work. “You are serious?”

The Alpha’s expression did not change. “You were born weak,” he said calmly. “I tolerated your existence because I believed you might still become useful one day.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

“But instead,” he continued, “you became an embarrassment to this bloodline. You shame this pack simply by breathing.”

Every word landed like a blade. The crowd remained silent. Nobody defended me. Not one person. I laughed bitterly under my breath. That should not have surprised me. Blood Fang wolves respected strength above everything else. And I had none. Or at least that was what they believed.

The strange burning sensation inside my chest returned suddenly. Hot. Sharp. Dangerous. I clenched my fists as pain spread through my veins again. The voice from before whispered inside my head. They deserve death.

I stiffened. The voice sounded clearer this time. More real. I looked around quickly, but nobody else reacted. Nobody else heard it. Fear crawled through my stomach. What the hell was happening to me?

“Guards,” Alpha Magnus ordered.

Heavy footsteps echoed immediately. Four warriors stepped into the arena carrying silver chains. The moment I saw the silver, my chest tightened. Wolfsbane silver. Strong enough to weaken even powerful wolves. Damon grinned from nearby.

“Careful,” he mocked. “The cursed prince might actually try to fight back.”

More laughter followed. I ignored him. Two guards grabbed my arms roughly. The silver chains touched my skin. Pain exploded instantly. I sucked in a sharp breath as burning agony spread through my wrists. The crowd watched quietly while the guards forced the chains around me. Humiliation burned hotter than the silver.

I looked toward Selene without thinking. She stood beside her father with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. For one second, our eyes met again. There was guilt in hers now. Too late. Way too late.

“You could say something,” I said quietly.

Her lips parted slightly. But no words came out. Of course not. She lowered her gaze instead. That hurt more than the rejection itself. The guards started dragging me toward the stone stairs leading beneath the arena. Rain soaked through my clothes while wolves moved aside to let us pass. Whispers followed me everywhere.

“Pathetic.”

“The Alpha should have killed him years ago.”

“I heard he cannot even summon claws.”

“What a disgrace.”

I kept walking. If I looked weak now, they would enjoy it even more. The silver chains burned deeper into my skin with every step. Blood dripped from my wrists onto the wet stone.

As we reached the prison entrance beneath the arena, Damon suddenly appeared beside me again. He moved close enough for only me to hear him. “You know the funny part?” he whispered. “Your father is not even hiding it anymore.”

I frowned slightly. Damon smirked. “He hates you.”

Then he shoved me forward. The guards dragged me down the dark staircase before I could respond. The sounds of the celebration slowly disappeared above us. Only dripping water and rattling chains remained.

The prison beneath the Blood Fang grounds smelled like rust, blood, and death. Torches flickered weakly along the stone walls while distant screams echoed through the tunnels. Most wolves feared this place. I had been here before. Usually after training accidents or pack punishments. But never like this. Never as someone waiting to die.

The guards stopped in front of a metal cell. One of them unlocked the door. “Inside.”

I did not move immediately. The guard slammed the end of his spear into my back hard enough to knock me forward. Pain shot through my ribs as I hit the stone floor. Laughter followed behind me. The cell door slammed shut. The chains around my wrists loosened slightly once the guards stepped away, but the silver still burned against my skin.

I pushed myself upright slowly. The guards remained outside the cell for a moment. One of them stared at me with disgust. “I almost feel sorry for you,” he muttered. The second guard snorted. “I do not.”

They walked away. Darkness swallowed the corridor again. I leaned back against the cold wall and closed my eyes briefly. My entire body hurt. The mate rejection still twisted painfully inside my chest like an open wound. I could still hear Selene’s voice clearly. I reject him. Simple words. But they destroyed something inside me.

I laughed quietly to myself. What did I expect? A happy ending? I was the cursed son of Blood Fang. Nothing good had ever happened to me.

The strange burning sensation returned again. Stronger this time. I gritted my teeth as heat spread through my chest. My heartbeat began slowing unnaturally. Then the voice returned. Stop kneeling before them.

My eyes snapped open. The voice sounded angry now. Wild. Ancient. I pressed a hand against my chest. “Who are you?” I whispered.

Silence followed briefly. Then. I am you.

A violent pain suddenly tore through my body. I collapsed onto the stone floor with a strangled gasp. Every muscle tightened painfully. It felt like something inside me was trying to claw its way out. My vision blurred. Images flashed through my head suddenly. Blood. Fire. Mountains covered in dead wolves. Golden eyes glowing in darkness. A massive black wolf standing beneath a red moon.

I gasped and grabbed my head. The images vanished instantly. My breathing turned ragged. What was that?

Footsteps echoed down the corridor. I quickly pushed myself upright as someone approached my cell. At first, I expected another guard. Then I saw her. Selene. She wore a dark cloak over her shoulders with the hood pulled low around her face. Rainwater still clung to her hair.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. I looked away first. “What do you want?”

Her voice came quietly. “I came to talk.”

I laughed bitterly. “Now you want to talk?”

She stepped closer to the bars. “I did not know he would do this.”

I finally looked at her again. “And that changes what?”

Pain flickered across her face. “You think I wanted this?”

“You rejected me in front of the entire pack.”

Her jaw tightened slightly. “You know why I had to.”

“No,” I snapped. “I actually do not.”

She looked around carefully before lowering her voice. “My father warned me.”

I frowned. “About what?”

Her eyes met mine again. “About you.”

A cold feeling spread through my stomach. “What does that mean?”

Selene hesitated. For the first time since I met her, she actually looked nervous. “There are rumors inside the council,” she said quietly. “Rumors your father has been hiding something about your bloodline.”

My heartbeat slowed. “What rumors?”

Before she could answer, heavy footsteps suddenly thundered through the corridor. Selene’s face paled instantly. “Damn it,” she whispered.

A deep voice echoed from the darkness. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

Alpha Magnus stepped into the torchlight. The temperature inside the prison seemed to drop immediately. Selene backed away from my cell. The Alpha’s eyes moved between both of us slowly. Cold fury burned behind them.

Then he looked directly at me. “You should spend your final night praying,” he said calmly.

My jaw tightened. Alpha Magnus stepped closer to the bars. “Because tomorrow morning,” he continued, “I will personally cut off your head.”