Chapter 5 The Betrayal
1166 Words
"You are playing a dangerous game, Cassian," Lord Vance declared, his heavy ringed hand slamming onto the long council table. "The law of the pack is clear. An intruder who violates the Moon Temple dies at sunrise. Yet you keep her breathing in the high tower!"
I sat locked inside the iron cage in the corner of the council chamber, heavy chains binding my wrists to my ankles. Every lord and elder in the room glared at me with pure hatred, but my eyes remained glued to Cassian.
"The girl unlocked a seal that has been closed for three hundred years," Cassian said smoothly, his voice echoing off the stone walls. He stood at the head of the table, entirely unbothered by the rising tempers around him. "Executing her before we understand how her blood opened those doors would be foolishness, not justice."
"Or perhaps you are letting personal feelings cloud your judgment, Alpha King," Malakor sneered, stepping out from the shadows of the chamber. The High Priest looked like a bird of prey in his long red robes. "The guards reported you spent half the night in her cell. What business does the King have with a doomed trespasser?"
A sharp spike of tension flashed through the room. I felt an instantly sudden spike of heat in my chest as the mate bond flared, transmitting Cassian’s hidden frustration directly into my mind. I pressed my back against the cold iron bars, trying to swallow the panic rising in my throat.
He wasn't trying to save me. He couldn't be. He was just an Alpha King playing political games, using me as leverage against his own council until he got whatever answers he wanted.
"My business is the safety of this kingdom," Cassian growled, taking a threatening step toward the priest. The pressure in his voice forced several weaker council members to wince. "And I do not answer to you, Malakor."
"You answer to the pack," Malakor countered, turning to face the rest of the council. "The next moonrise occurs tonight. If the girl is not dead on the altar before the moon reaches its peak, the High Council will strip your authority and carry out the execution ourselves."
The lords murmured in agreement, their dark eyes shifting toward my cage. Cassian stayed silent, his jaw clenched tight as he stared at Malakor, the heavy silence growing more suffocating by the second.
The heavy council door slammed shut as the guards dragged my cage back to the high tower. Hours crawled by in silence until the middle of the night, when a key turned quietly in the heavy lock.
The door swung open without a sound. Cassian stepped into the room, draped in a dark cloak. Before I could shout, he pressed a finger to his lips, knelt by my cage, and picked the lock with a thin metal tool.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, pulling my feet free as the chains hit the floor.
"Saving your life," he murmured, pulling me toward a dark tapestry on the wall. He pushed it aside to reveal a small stone door leading into an abandoned passage. "Move quickly. We have less than twenty minutes."
I hesitated, staring at the dark tunnel. I didn't trust him, but staying meant dying on an altar at moonrise. I had no other choice. I ducked into the shadows, following close behind his heels.
The passage was damp and narrow, smelling of old dirt and dried moss. We moved through the darkness, taking quiet steps to avoid making noise. Twice, heavy footsteps echoed through the stone walls above us. Each time, Cassian pulled me flat against the cold stone, shielding my body with his own while holding his breath until the guards passed.
In the dark, I felt his pulse racing against my arm. Every time he touched me to guide me through a turn, the mate bond surged, wrapping around my heart like a warm flame. I looked at his tense face as he checked the path ahead, risking everything to lead me through the dark.
It hit me all at once. He wasn't doing this to use me or play political games with his council. By sneaking me out of my cell and leading me through this secret exit, he was going against the High Priest and breaking the laws of his pack. He was putting his crown, his authority, and his whole kingdom on the line just to keep me breathing.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked softly as we paused at a low wooden door. "If they catch you helping me escape, you'll lose your throne."
Cassian didn't look back, but his hand tightened around mine. "Then I lose it," he said, his voice quiet and steady. "I won't let them bleed you to save my crown."
Cassian pushed the heavy wooden door open, letting the cool night air rush over us. We stepped into a quiet stone archway that led directly toward the outer forest. Relief flooded through my chest as I took my first breath of real freedom. We had almost made it.
Then, torches flared to life around the courtyard.
Bright orange fire cut through the darkness, illuminating dozens of armed palace guards standing in a wide semicircle. Right in the center of the path stood the Captain of the Royal Guards, his hand resting on the hilt of his unsheathed sword.
"Going somewhere, Your Majesty?" Captain Lucian asked, his voice echoing off the high courtyard walls.
Cassian immediately shoved me behind his back, blocking me with his body. He drew his own blade, his shoulders locking tight as he glared at his captain. "Stand down, Lucian. You answer me."
"Not tonight, my Lord," Lucian said smoothly, taking a slow step forward. "The escape route is blocked. You won't make it to the trees."
"Who told you about this passage?" Cassian growled, his knuckles white around his sword. "Only three people in the palace know this door exists."
Lucian offered a bitter, grim smile. "Someone close to you betrayed your plan to the High Council the second you left the high tower. Lord Vance knew you would try to smuggle the girl out before moonrise."
The guards moved in unison, closing the gap until we were completely surrounded by a wall of shining steel and burning flames. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. There was no secret exit left, no dark corner to hide in, and no way to fight through so many trained men.
Cassian tensed, preparing to strike the guard closest to him, but Lucian didn't draw his sword. Instead, the captain dropped his head and slowly sank down onto one knee in front of his king. Behind him, every guard lowered their weapons and bowed their heads in deep silence.
Lucian looked up, his face pale in the dancing torchlight, and delivered the blow that shattered everything.
"Your Majesty... the Council already knows she's your mate.”
- Writer
