CHAPTER TWO

~SCARLETT~

“You can't do this! Let me go! Alex!” I cried out as I banged my fist painfully against the iron door.

After Alex's declaration, he ordered them to take me back to the room while my people, my parents were being prepared for execution.

“Alex please! Alex you cannot do this! They're innocent, we are Innocent” I screamed and could see the blood slipping down my fist from how hard I was banging my fist on the door.

I paused slightly when I heard the bolts on the door being unlocked. The door opened up and Alex was standing there with that same stoic expression on his face.

“Leave us” He ordered the guards who immediately bowed their heads and walked away.

“Alex, you cannot do this. You can punish them, brand them, flog them but please don't kill them, I'm begging you” I pleaded as I grabbed onto his shirt but he just stood there without saying a word.

“Alex please! They're innocent! I don't know what they told you but you cannot do this, I'm begging you” I begged desperately as I stared up at him with tears running down my cheeks.

“This is the punishment for their crimes, Scarlett” He uttered and I clenched my fingers on his shirt.

“You’re the Alpha, you make the rules. You can lower their sentences and…”

“I will not bend the rules, especially not for you, Scarlett. Do you fucking know the severity of what you've done? What they have done?” He questioned, disbelief clear in his eyes.

“But we didn't do anything. Why won't you believe me?” I questioned softly and he scoffed.

“Why should I believe you?! The more you deny it, the angrier It makes me, Scarlett. I can't believe I fell for someone as devious as you and now that mistake is one I have to unfortunately live with for the rest of my life” He muttered through clenched teeth, his words dripping with anger, hatred and sadness.

“If it was a mistake then you won't be here. You're here to check up on me, aren't you?” I questioned and he scoffed before leaning down so close that the tip of our nose touched.

“I’m here to make sure you're suffering just as much as I did when my parents were killed. All the hardship I had to go through during that period, you witness it all and you didn't fucking care so why should I care about you. You're an evil woman, Scarlett and I'll make sure I make your life miserable from now on starting with having you watch your people and your parents get killed one by one” He muttered then straightened up and walked out of the room without another glance back.

The door was immediately closed and bolted lock while I stood there shaking with shock, fear, hurt, anger, literally every damn emotion was coaxing through my body and all I could do at that moment was cry and scream as loud as I could.

“If there's really a goddess out there please save my people, they did nothing wrong. I'm begging you” I cried out as I fell to my knees with my forehead pressed firmly against the ground.

I didn't move from that position till I heard the bolts on the door being unlocked again and when I raised my head, I noticed the sun was about to set. I had stayed in that position for hours, praying to the moon goddess to spare my people and to soften Alex's heart.

“Get up and don't you dare fight us. We have been ordered to use force on you” One of the guards uttered as they grabbed me and pulled me up from the ground.

I pursed my lips as they dragged me out of the room once again, my heart was heavy and my head was pounding loudly. I was pretty sure my eyes were swollen from all the crying I had done.

I thought there were no tears left to cry till I got to the execution ground and my eyes landed on my people and parents.

They were all dressed in white and had solemn looks on their faces. Right beside them was the guillotine, standing tall and large. It was obvious it hadn't been used in a long while but the blade’s sharpness could not be dismissed.

“Scarlett!” My mother cried as soon as she saw me and immediately, tears began flowing down my cheeks.

“Mother!” I called out as I pushed away the guards and ran towards them despite how badly my legs were shaking. This was real, Alex really wanted to execute them.

I couldn't let this happen!

My mother opened her arms wide and I fell into it, hugging her tightly as we both cried.

“Mother” I cried on her shoulder and could faintly hear Alex's uncle announcing the crimes my parents and people had committed.

“For their crimes, they are all to be beheaded immediately” He finished off.

“No, I won't let you! No!” I screamed as I turned around and tried covering them with my body as if that would keep them hidden.

“It’s okay darling. As long as you're okay, we are okay. Do not blame yourself for this and know that we love you dearly” My father suddenly said and I turned around to stare at all of them.

Even the children were dressed up to be executed but they weren't crying, as a matter of fact it all seemed like they had accepted their fate.

“No…” I muttered softly as I shook my head frantically while my mother just smiled then grabbed my hand.

“It’s going to be okay…” Before she could complete her sentence, the executioner grabbed one of my people and pulled them towards the guillotine.

“No!” I screamed and was about to run towards them when two guards grabbed onto me and pulled me away from them.

“Please I'm begging you, please!” I screamed so loudly, I could feel my veins popping out from my neck.

I fell to my knees screaming in pain as one after the other, my people were being beheaded.

I screamed and begged but no one listened. As a matter of fact, some people urged them on and even laughed as my people were being killed.

I could barely hear my voice anymore at this point despite the fact that I was screaming. My ears were ringing and my chest was aching so badly, I felt like I would die. Why? Why wasn't the moon goddess doing anything?

What did they do to deserve this?! What did we do to deserve this?!

“That’s enough I'm begging you! Please, that's enough!” I pleaded to no one in particular as I continued to cry but once again my tears fell on deaf ears.

My parents were saved for last and I knew it was to taunt me further. Alex's words from early ringed in my mind and I clenched my fist. This was all my fault, he was doing this to punish me.

I groaned as I pulled out of the guard’s hold and ran towards Alex. The guards tried grabbing me but Alex held up his hand to stop them.

I ran towards him and knelt down in front of him.

“Please I'm begging you, spare my parents. We'll leave and you'll never get to see us again so please I'm begging you. They're all I have left, please!” I pleaded as I grabbed onto his feet.

“Kill me instead and spare them! It was my container that contained the poison, I'm at fault so kill me!” I screamed as I cried bitterly.

“Scarlett it's okay, you did nothing wrong” My mother screamed behind me and my hold on Alex's feet tightened.

“Alex please, I'm begging you. Spare my parents, spare them!” I pleaded and I could have sworn I saw guilt flash in his eyes.

“Alpha, maybe you should…” His Beta, Brian began but Isabella immediately shut him up.

“Sparing them will only send a bad message across, Alpha. Finish the execution, that's the right thing to do for the betterment of the pack” She uttered with a light smirk on her face.

“I agree with Isabella, the execution should be carried on” His uncle replied and almost everyone agreed with them.

“Alex please, I'm begging you. Kill me instead please!” I cried out, tears coming out from my nose and eyes.

All around me, everyone cheered for the execution to carry on but I just stared directly at Alex.

“If you have any bit of love for me, you'll let them go” I murmured softly as I stared into his eyes and he frowned.

“Alpha, you'll pass a wrong message. You cannot be weak” Isabella urged him then placed a hand on his shoulder and that seemed to snap him out of his trance. He nodded slowly at her before turning to me.

“Carry on with the execution!” He ordered and immediately, my heart dropped.

I stared at him with wide eyes before quickly standing and running towards my parents. At that moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The guards tried to grab me but I instinctively dodged them.

“Mother!” I called out as her head was placed on the board. She smiled at me one last time and mouthed the words ‘I love you’ before the blade fell down on her neck, instantly beheading her.

Her lifeless body was pushed to the side and my father was brought up. They placed his head on the board and he smiled one last time as well before he was beheaded.

I immediately stopped in my tracks as it suddenly felt like the world came to a stop. I could hear voices around me but couldn't make out what they were saying.

All I could hear was the sound of my rugged harsh breathing.

“Mother, father…” I mouthed as I fell to my knees at the same time the guards got to me and grabbed me roughly.

“Leave her!” Alex ordered and they immediately let go of me and I just knelt down there with wide eyes as I stared at their lifeless bodies.

All of them, every last one of my people were killed. My parents…

A scream I didn't recognize came out of my throat. It was so agonizing that even my wolf wailed within me.

“Mother! Father!!” I screamed as I slowly began to hit my chest with my fist as tears rolled down My chest.

It would have much rather been killed than to endure the pain I was currently feeling in my heart.

“Take her back to the room, be gentle” I heard Alex uttered and immediately, an anger I had never felt before surged through me, I grabbed a sharp stone on the ground, stood up and ran towards him before the guards could grab me but before I could get to him, I was grabbed by other guards.

“I hate you! I'm going to kill you, you monster! I hate you!” I screamed loudly as I tried to pull out of their hold only for one of them to hit me on the head hard and immediately, the world fell silent as I slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

“I, Scarlett Bailey, daughter of Jonathan Bailey, reject Alpha Alexander Hilton as my mate” I managed to say softly before my eyes rolled to the back of my head and fell to the ground, Unconscious…