"Finally!" Rhiannon Blackwood whispered, a smile stretching on her lips. She held up a small amber-coloured vial to the overhead lights, excitement buzzing in her veins.
She was currently in her lab and had just perfected the 'Lunar Bloom' serum. With this serum, Werewolves, especially the younger ones, could experience pain-free shifts. This was something she had been working on for months and had been one of her most difficult projects.
She couldn't wait to let her family know about the good news.
She brought the vial closer, about to place it into its cryopreservation unit when suddenly, the heavy, reinforced door to her lab was slammed open, almost tearing off its hinges.
Rhiannon yelped, spinning around to catch three figures marching into her lab. They were hulking and menacing, and she recognized them as some of the Pack's warriors. Their faces held grim expressions, and a bad feeling crept up Rhia's chest.
"Rhiannon Blackwood," The one in front called, "You've been ordered to come with us,"
Before she could demand an explanation, the other two guards moved and seized her arms, their grip rough and unyielding. The vial in her hand clattered to the floor, rolling away.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Rhia blasted at them, her eyes burning with rage, "Have you forgotten I'm the Head Strategist of this Pack and the Alpha's daughter? Or are you insane?"
They ignored her tantrums, effortlessly dragging her out of her lab. In a few minutes, they had arrived at the dungeons and the one in front unlocked one of the doors, and she was tossed into the dark, cold cell.
Rhiannon was confused. She stood up and gripped the reinforced bars, threatening and yelling at the warriors but they ignored and left without a word, leaving her wondering what was going on.
It didn't take long before someone walked into the dungeon, and she recognized the spitting image of herself walking down the stairs, heading toward her cell. It was Eleanor, her twin sister.
"El, Can you imagine what just happened to me? How could they do this to me...," Rhia burst out, walking back and forth.
"Hello, Rhia," A terrifying gleam flickered through her eyes, but it disappeared as fast as it came, “What did you do? How did you end up here?”
“I don't know. Some warriors dragged me down here. Could you please help me call dad so this can be sorted out? I demand to know what's happening!”
Eleanor remained silent, simply staring at her sister.
“El!” Rhia called, “Please, Go already,”
Then, a full blown smirk touched Eleanor's lips. She seemed a little too happy to see her sister behind bars. Confused, she opened her mouth to say something when the large doors were thrown open and heavy boots walked down the long flight of stairs.
From the sudden overwhelming aura that filled the room alone, they could tell the Alpha had arrived.
Alpha Killian Blackwood of the True North Pack stood next to his daughter, beside him was his wife and their mum, Astrid. Killian had the usual, strong look in his eyes that gave nothing away.
Rhiannon sighed with relief, as she watched him walk down to her cell, "I'm so glad you're here, Father. I don't know what's going on. Some warriors just barged into my lab and dragged me down here. Could you please let me out?"
"Henceforth, you're no longer the Head Strategist of this Pack," Killian announced, his eyes simmering with suppressed anger.
Her eyes widened, and she fought to comprehend the meaning of what he was saying, "This has to be a joke, right?"
He glared at her, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
"It doesn't make any sense. How can you just decide that I cannot be the strategist anymore? Father, all my life I have poured my heart and soul into everything I've done for this pack, why would you...,"
"Because I'm the Alpha and I said so!" He exhaled powerfully, knocking the air painfully out of her lungs, "I cannot leave the Pack's activities forever in the hands of a Wolfless person like you. Your Twin sister will do a much better job, as my heir. And don't even let me start on the crime you had just committed. How dare you add Wolfsbane to your new serum?!"
Rhiannon stood there, frozen solid. She searched for any sign in his eyes that all this was a joke, but there was no such thing when it came to Alpha Killian Blackwood.
"I did no such thing! I would never...,"
"A good amount of Wolfsbane was found inside your prototype last night. Did you really think you can try to poison my Pack members and go away scot-free?"
"What are you talking about? It makes no sense!"
“You're the only one who's been handling all those prototypes. It's your fingerprint that was found all over them, and yesterday morning the bottle of Wolfsbane I kept in the storage went missing,”
“It could have been anyone! Anyone could have…,”
“It's you!” He growled, “You're the only one who has access into the Lab,”
They were so adamant on making her the Villain, without proper investigation first. She could see it in their eyes that no one was gonna take her side.
A tremor ran through her body, and she fought the tears back and held her head up. Everything she had done for this family, right from the beginning, all the sleepless nights she had spent for the betterment of the family and the Pack as a whole, made her lungs burn with every breath she drew.
She had dedicated her life to the True North Pack. As a child, she was always compared to Eleanor, who was gifted with a strong wolf right from a young age.
To compensate for her lack of wolf even as she grew older, Rhiannon became the brain behind the Pack's survival and dominance.
Right now, the True North Pack was the strongest Pack among the three Powerhouse Packs in the North here, and it was all thanks to her.
When others were sneaking out to parties and spending time on their phones, she was studying and bringing ideas to life.
With her influence as the lead strategist, she had not just grown the Pack, but also the Family company.
As a scientist, she had developed pharmaceuticals that benefitted Werewolves, from Advanced healing compounds beyond normal werewolf regeneration to suppressants for heightened werewolf instincts to help them blend in with humans more easily. And today, she had perfected the Pain-free shifting serum for younger wolves.
Most of all, she had done all this in hopes that one day, she would win the favour of her family, especially her father. Eleanor was always the best in his eyes, no matter how hard she tried.
Without even realising it, she had begun seeking his validation, his acceptance, as if he weren't her father, too.
Rhiannon stared at her mother this time, "Mother...," Her voice trembled, "You're not in with them on this, right? I've done so much for this family," She fought back, her shock shifting into anger, "I'm the reason why we are where we are today. There's nothing I wouldn't do for this family,"
Astrid rolled her eyes, "Oh please, save it! You're not even my daughter, so why should I take your side?"
"Huh?" Rhia creased her brows, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"This!" Killian growled, throwing a piece of paper at her face. It fell to the ground, and Rhia picked it up and unfolded it...her eyes skimming through the contents of the documents, broadening with intense shock as she did.
It was a DNA test report of her and Eleanor which proclaimed they were not related in any way, and also said Rhia was not Killian's daughter, as their DNA was a 99.9 mismatch.
Unlike Eleanor's.
"You were never a part of this family, Rhiannon. You're just a regular human, which explains why you do not have a wolf. It just happened to be a coincidence that you look exactly like Eleanor,"
A tear rolled down her eyes, and her emotions came pouring out of her eyes and lips, "How long have you all known about this? You used me for your own benefit all my life, and now I'm something to be discarded? Is that it?!"
In a flash, Killian's hand was inside the cell and had gripped Rhia by the neck, his grey eyes transforming into a crimson-red pool of rage as he squeezed the life out of her, "How dare you speak to me that way?!" He thundered, his aura blasting through the room
Even Astrid and Eleanor composed themselves, cowering in front of the Alpha's dominance.
Rhia scrabbled desperately against his grip, but it was nothing she could fight against. Her chest tightened against his pressing hold, her lungs screaming for air.
She thrashed and pulled, but he only tightened his hold even more. Pain swelled around her neck and chest, her vision became blurry and the world began to shrink.
Killian finally withdrew his hand, and Rhia stumbled back, dragging in deep, heavy breaths into her starved lungs. Her lungs burned with relief with each gasp, and Rhiannon looked up at her so-called family with rage in her eyes.
"I used you, and so what? Or did you really think for a second that you were worth something? We don't need a weak link like you here," Killian deadpanned.
Weak link? A tear rolled down her face, but her eyes shuddered with intense rage.
Killian and Astrid turned to leave, then glanced at Eleanor, “Whatever you choose to do with her is up to you. You're the next Alpha, anyways,” Killian told her, his voice dangerously low.
Rhiannon’s eyes burned with rage as she watched them leave. Her body shook as emotions gripped her hard, and she sank further into the cold ground of the cell.
"Where's Ethan?!" She demanded, unshed tears pooling in her eyes.
Ethan was the beta of the Pack, and she had been ecstatic three years ago when the mate bond had come alive between them. Rhiannon had thought being Wolfless meant having no mate, but the Moon Goddess had taken pity on her.
Right now, with everyone against her, he was the only one she could rely on. If Layla, her best friend, were still alive, she would have been her safe haven too.
"Where's Ethan?!" She yelled even harder.
"Right here," Ethan replied loudly, and the large door of the dungeon opened again. She heard his light footsteps coming down the stairs, and then he came up to the front of her cell.
A wave of relief spread through Rhia's chest, and she managed to crawl toward him, gripping the bars once again, "Please, help me," She cried, barely able to stand on her own, "You won't believe...,"
The unremorseful look in his eyes brought a pang of ache to her heart.
"Ethan?"
"Unfortunately Rhia, he's not on your side too," Eleanor chipped in and walked toward him. There was a possessive look in their eyes as they met, and Rhia could only shudder and watch in utter disbelief as her sister and mate caught each other's lips in a searing, passionate kiss.
Her world was crumbling right before her eyes, and her feet gave up and she fell back on the cell, "No...," Her voice was barely audible.
"I and Ethan have been together for almost two years," Eleanor began.
Rhia squeezed her eyes shut, begging for it to all be a dream. But when she opened it, the same sight greeted her. The look of disdain in Ethan's eyes, and the raw spark of pride that danced in her twin sister's eyes.
"We've been doing this behind your back for almost two years now, and I found out two months ago that I'm pregnant,"
"What?!" Rhia couldn't hold it back any longer, rage coursing through her veins, "Are the both of you insane?!"
"We are not insane, we are in love!" Ethan spoke this time, his tone harsh and his hands wrapped around Eleanor's waist, pulling her close to his chest, "And you, Rhiannon, you just need to fuck off!"
The burn of rejection began spreading through her chest, and she winced softly, "This can't be real...,"
Rhiannon stared at her sister and mate, hurt and betrayed beyond repair.
"As I'm speaking to you right now, our wedding preparations are ongoing. I would have loved to invite you, but you'll probably be dead before then," Ethan chuckled, and Eleanor joined him.
"You won't get away with this," Rhia croaked out, her throat still burning, "None of you will!"
Eleanor moved forward, unlocked the Bar doors, and stepped inside. The look on her face was simply vicious, and Rhia quickly crawled back, her heart hammering in her chest as Eleanor approached her with a smirk on her face.
“This right here, is what I've always wanted, Rhia,” She spread out her arms in triumphant, her eyes glittering with a wicked gleam, “Do you know how many nights I've dreamt of this moment, Rhia? You stripped of everything you've worked for, sitting in the dirt, at my mercy?”
A cold knot formed in Rhia's stomach.
“All those years,” She continued with a venomous hiss, “Watching you become a prodigy. Becoming to jealous of you even though you have no wolf? Even though I knew you were nothing, I couldn't help but feel like I was perpetually second best,”
Eleanor paused, savoring the horrific look in Rhiannon's trembling eyes, “And finally, here you're…at my mercy,”
As Eleanor revelled at Rhia's vulnerability, she took out a small, transparent glass from her pocket with a purple, glistening liquid inside, "Can you guess what this is?" Her eyes flashed devilishly.
Recognizing the liquid, Rhia's eyes widened, “Don't tell me…,”
“I snuck into the store and took the poison without Dad’s permission. Last night…I may have snuck into your lab and doused most of it into your prototypes. This…,” Eleanor twirled the glass between her fingers, “This is what's left of it. And can you guess where I'm adding this, today?” A monstrous look flashed in her eyes as she swiftly covered the distance between her and Rhiannon.
"No, Get away from me...No!" Rhia flared and kicked her legs, but was no match for Eleanor's strength as she was easily pinned down, and her mouth was forced enough. Moments later, the liquid was rushing into her mouth and a good amount went down her throat.
Unimaginable pain gripped every part of her, and she fell to the ground, convulsing heavily. Blood ran down her eyes as she wailed and yelped in pain, consumed by the effects of the werewolf poison that was surprisingly, working on a 'Human’ like her.
“I knew it,” Ethan mumbled from where he stood, his eyes dark and unreadable, “Babe, shall we throw her into Rogue's pit?”
A look of pure venomous gleam spread through Eleanor's eyes, “Yes…yes!!”
Eleanor gripped Rhia by the hair, dragging her out the cell as her body kept on convulsing. Eleanor pulled her toward the deepest end of the dungeons, where a large, deep pit opened up into an underground dungeon that was filled with rogues Killian had caught and trapped there.
"Babe, would you please do the honours?" Eleanor cooed at her fiancée.
Ethan came forward, and stared into Rhia's bleeding face, his eyes so hard Rhia saw nothing of the mate that claimed to love her unconditionally in the past, "Don't take this the wrong way, Rhia. But you need to die. We cannot let the Mother of Werewolves awaken,"
Then, He sent one solid kick into Rhiannon's stomach and Rhiannon was sent falling into the large, open pit.
Rhiannon landed with a thud, and was attacked immediately. Every rogue pounced on her, their claws and canines tearing and ripping out her flesh and bones, their frenzied snarls and growls vibrating through her soul.
As she screamed, limbs getting ripped off and her skin being peeled from her body from every direction, her bloody eyes trembled with undescribable rage. She
could feel her own blood gushing down her skin, mixing with dirty and the wolves saliva.
And just as pain and darkness consumed her, she swore under her breath. '
You'll all Pay'
