THE WARRIOR WITHIN

Aurelia's point of view

The branding iron was hot, hotter than anything I could have imagined. Before it touched my skin, I felt the wave of heat roll over me like a cruel, merciless warning. My breath caught, but I refused to cry out.

“Slave 579,” one of the handlers growled as he forced my arm down onto the scorching metal. The crowd around us watched silently, their eyes hungry for the show, as if I were nothing more than an animal on trial.

I bit my lip until it bled, the sharp sting the only thing stopping my scream.

When the iron was pulled away, my skin was a blistered, smoking mess. The brand was ugly — a blackened number marking me as property, as less than human. The agony was deep, raw, but rage burned hotter inside me.

I wasn’t going to lie down and accept this.

One of the slave handlers lunged forward to push me down. I twisted my body sharply and slammed my elbow into his ribs. I heard the sick crack, felt the breath leave his lungs.

The crowd gasped.

More hands grabbed at me, but I was quicker. I swung my head around, catching a second guard full in the nose. The crack of bone breaking was loud in the still air, and blood spattered.

Shock rippled through the crowd. Whispers swirled.

“She fights like a warrior.”

“Who is she?”

“She’s dangerous.”

I stood tall, chest heaving, every muscle screaming with tension. I was no helpless girl. I was a mother protecting her children with every ounce of strength left in my battered body.

Before anyone could react further, Sheila’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

“You insolent wretch,” she spat as she stepped forward, her eyes blazing with fury.

I glared back without fear. “You won’t break me.”

Sheila smiled coldly. “Oh, I will. And I’ll start with your children.”

I barely had time to react before her guards grabbed Kael and Sera roughly, dragging them into the center of the courtyard.

“No! Don’t touch them!” I screamed, struggling against the men holding me back.

Kael whimpered, and Sera’s small hands reached out to me, trembling. Sheila dragged Kael close and deliberately scraped her nails across his cheek, leaving a shallow, cruel scratch.

“Keep your mouth shut, rogue,” Sheila threatened. “Or I’ll teach your pups a lesson you won’t survive.”

My blood boiled with rage. “Try it. I swear, I will tear you apart.”

Sheila laughed, venom dripping from every word. “Such fire in a branded slave.”

Her hand shot up, ready to strike at my children —

“Enough.”

The crowd froze.

All eyes swung toward the commanding voice, and there he stood.

Silas.

My heart stopped.

He was tall, imposing, and his eyes burned with fierce determination. He moved forward with quiet authority, the weight of the Alpha clear in every step.

“Sheila,” he said coldly, voice cutting through the tension like a sharpened blade. “This ends now.”

Sheila narrowed her eyes. “Alpha, this rogue is a criminal and disgrace to the pack. She deserves punishment.”

Silas’s gaze landed on me, intense and unwavering.

“She’s my mate,” he said simply.

A murmur ran through the crowd. I felt my knees weaken.

My breath hitched, disbelief and hope warring inside me.

“She’s branded,” Sheila spat venomously. “How can you stand by her? She betrayed you.”

Silas’s eyes darkened, but he did not answer her accusation. Instead, he turned to face the crowd, his voice ringing loud and clear.

“My mate and her children will not be harmed under my watch. No one will touch them.”

Sheila’s face twisted with fury. “You’re blinded by your mate bond. Don’t let this mistake ruin the pack.”

Silas’s stance hardened. “No mistake here. She is mine. And I will protect her.”

The guards holding my children reluctantly released them, and they ran into my arms, trembling with fear.

I clung to them, tears streaming freely down my cheeks.

Silas stepped closer, gently brushing a damp strand of hair from my face.

“Aurelia,” he said softly.

I wanted to speak, to tell him everything — about the pain, the betrayal, the loneliness — but the agony from the branding was overwhelming. My vision blurred. My legs gave way beneath me.

Silas caught me before I could fall.

“Stay with me,” he urged, voice steady and warm.

I nodded weakly, the darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision.

Sheila hissed in fury and stormed away, defeated but seething with rage.

The crowd parted as Silas lifted me into his arms, carrying me away from the ruins of the trial and the venom of the pack.

For the first time in a long while, a small spark of hope ignited inside me — a chance to fight for my family, to reclaim my life. But my eyes were consumed by the darkness.