THREE
1222 Words
The cloth of food slipped from my fingers.
It hit the marble floor softly.My heart stopped as two guards stormed into the hall before either of us could move. One grabbed Aiden violently by the shoulder while the other slammed him against the wall hard enough to c***k the marble.
“Aiden!” I gasped, stumbling to my feet.
“Traitor,” one of the guards snarled.
Aiden groaned as they twisted his arms behind his back, but his eyes immediately found mine.Fear flashed across his face.
Not for himself…For me.“Don’t say anything,” he warned sharply.
My chest tightened painfully. “What’s going on?” I whispered.
The guards ignored me completely.
Another set of footsteps echoed through the hall cruelly. Alpha Rane appeared moments later, Luna Lora beside him with satisfaction practically glowing on her face.
“Well,” Rane drawled, staring at Aiden with amusement.
“Looks like we finally found the rat hiding in my pack.”
Aiden glared at him silently. Rane’s eyes slowly shifted toward me.“You,” he said coldly, “must think you’re very special.”
I immediately lowered my gaze. “Take him to the beating grounds.”
My breathing stopped. No,
Please no.The guards dragged Aiden away despite my weak protests. I followed behind helplessly, my legs shaking beneath me while dread clawed violently through my chest.
Pack members gathered quickly the moment we reached the beating grounds.
Whispers spread everywhere.
“Treason?”
“The doctor?”
“What did he do?”
Aiden was shoved roughly toward the center post before chains were wrapped tightly around his wrists.My stomach twisted violently. “No…” I whispered.
The beating grounds were where punishments happened publicly. Where people screamed, Where people died.
Aiden lifted his head slowly, bruised but still calm. And somehow… That made this worse.
Rane stepped forward lazily, hands clasped behind his back as though this were entertainment.“This man,” he announced loudly, “has committed treason against the Ashtray Pack.”Murmurs erupted instantly
“He aided a slave. Attempted to help her escape.And worst of all…” Rane’s eyes darkened with mock fury, “he forgot his place.”
My chest constricted painfully.This was my fault, All of it. A whip was placed into one of the warriors’ hands. I flinched instinctively.“Aiden…” My voice cracked softly.
His eyes found mine immediately.And he smiled, Actually smiled. “Don’t cry for me, Haze.”
The first whip struck.A sharp sound cracked through the air.Gasps echoed from the crowd. I physically jerked at the impact, my nails digging into my palms hard enough to draw blood.But Aiden didn’t scream. Another lash came.Then another. Blood slowly stained the back of his shirt.
Still…He refused to beg.Rane circled him slowly like a predator. “You know,” he mused casually, “I expected betrayal from many people.”
Another whip landed. “But not from the pack doctor.”
Aiden laughed weakly. The sound startled everyone. Even Rane paused. Blood trickled from the corner of Aiden’s mouth as he slowly lifted his head. “Do you really think…” he rasped painfully, “you’ll get away with this forever?”
The crowd went silent.Rane’s expression darkened instantly.Aiden continued anyway.“One day someone stronger than you will come,” he said, voice shaking but steady. “And when they do…”
His eyes shifted toward me briefly.
“They’ll burn this cursed pack to the ground.”
Fear exploded across several faces. Rane smiled coldly.Then without warning…He grabbed a blade from one of the guards beside him.My breath caught.
“Aiden—” I screamed in horror
The blade drove straight into Aiden’s stomach.A broken sound escaped my throat. The world stilled. Blood splattered across the dirt. Several people gasped.
Aiden’s body jerked violently against the chains before going still for a moment.
No.
No no no—
Rane twisted the blade cruelly before pulling it free. Aiden choked on blood.
My legs nearly gave out beneath me.
“Aiden…” I whispered.
His eyes slowly searched through the crowd until they found me one last time before his eyes shut forever. I stared at him numbly Waiting for him to move.
To breathe, To open his eyes again.
But he didn’t. He never would again.
Something inside me hollowed out completely.
Rane stepped back calmly as though he hadn’t just murdered someone in front of the entire pack. “Cut him down,” he ordered lazily.
The guards immediately obeyed.Aiden’s body collapsed heavily onto the dirt.
I flinched at the sound. A sharp ache spread through my chest so violently I thought it might tear me apart.
Luna Lora moved beside Rane, wrapping an arm around his own possessively while staring down at me with disgust. “She’s crying over him,” she sneered.
“Pathetic.”
I lowered my head instantly, trying to hide the tears sliding silently down my face.
Rane’s lips curled cruelly. “Careful, slave,” he mocked. “People might mistake this for love.”
My fingers curled tightly against my palms.
Love? No, Aiden was family.The last piece of my mother left in this cursed place.And now he was gone too.
Before Rane could continue humiliating me…Rapid footsteps suddenly thundered across the training grounds.
“Alpha!”Everyone turned instantly.
Beta Dominic pushed through the crowd, breathing heavily like he had been running as fear flashed across his face
Rane frowned immediately. “What is it?”
Dominic lowered his voice slightly, but the entire courtyard still heard him.
“The Alpha King has entered our borders.”
Everything stopped.Complete silence swept across the grounds.Several wolves visibly paled.Even Luna Lora stiffened.
Rane’s expression changed instantly.
“The Alpha King?” he repeated sharply.
Dominic nodded quickly. “Yes, Alpha. King Armani and his men arrived less than ten minutes ago. They’re heading toward the manor now.”
Murmurs exploded throughout the crowd immediately.“Why is he here?”
“I heard he wipes out entire packs.”
“They say he killed an Alpha for lying to him.”
Fear spread like wildfire. Even the warriors standing nearby suddenly looked tense.I slowly lifted my gaze through blurred vision. The Alpha King.
I had heard stories about him for years.
Monster. Merciless ruler of all werewolves.
A man feared even by powerful Alphas.
Rane straightened immediately, wiping the irritation from his face and replacing it with forced composure. “Why wasn’t I informed sooner?” he snapped.
“We only just received word,” Dominic answered quickly. “His arrival was unexpected.”
Rane cursed under his breath before glaring around the crowd. “Clean this mess up,” he ordered coldly, gesturing toward Aiden’s body.
My chest tightened painfully.No.
Please. But nobody listened to the silent plea in my eyes.Two guards immediately grabbed Aiden’s body carelessly, dragging him across the dirt like he meant nothing.
I looked away before I shattered completely.
Luna Lora adjusted her dress quickly, nervousness flickering beneath her usual arrogance. “If the King sees the …” she started quietly.
“He won’t,” Rane interrupted sharply.
His eyes suddenly landed on me.
And darkened.“You.” He pointed directly at me.
“ Take her back to the dungeon”
- Writer
