Chapter 1: Death Of Loyalty

The sting rang through my ears as a hand went across my face. I tasted blood in my mouth instantly—I couldn't cry out in pain but I was certain I was definitely going to turn deaf as well.

The hot tears rolled down my cheeks as he pulled me by my hair.

'W-what?! Let go of my hair please?!' I struggled against the muscular fingers intertwined in my hair but my voice was in my head alone.

“Stay still you dumb murderer.” A male voice boomed at me and the next second I felt myself smacked into a wall. 

With zero resistance, the wall met my head in full force, and I felt everything around me spin. 

Liquid dripped from my head down to my eyes and my vision blurred, seeing all red.

'Why are you so cruel to me?!' I yelled at the only person who could hear me while holding onto the strong fingers that had trickily wrapped themselves around my neck—the goddess, as if being born a hybrid omega wasn't already bad enough, she had withheld my voice as well.

Without warning, he dropped me to the ground.

“You tried to poison the Crowned Prince!”

I stared in horror!

“Whatever you get now, just know you had it all coming…”

‘What?’

My silent ‘what’ was still echoing in my skull when they dragged me into the sunlight. The roar of the crowd hit me like a physical blow.

—

“Witch! Assassin! May the earth spit out your bones…”

The first word hurt the most because they had framed and killed my mother the same way—after her years of loyalty, after she only served the throne with her powers. Ungrateful lots, I regretted my Werewolf nature.

I would have been better off being born a witch, that way I would have razed their pack to ashes like mother could but no—she died loyal.

“Look at her! Wolfless, cursed. Not even a true wolf. And she dared to bite the hand that fed her, she deserves a fate worse than death!” A woman spat on my face when I was dragged past her.

“Our innocent Prince almost died because of her; her silence says it all: Guilty!” then another.

“That's why Omegas can never be trusted, always scheming…” No, there were too many others that had a lot of things to say.

And that was my reward from years of serving royalty, years of bowing down my head and being at their every beck and call. 

Their words found the soft places — a hot, pinching pain on my chest, where stones couldn't reach. They cut deeper than the chains that bound my wrists. 

My mind wandered, I had taken over from my mother, used the little knowledge I gained from her to preserve their sick ones, to nurse their children and to foretell dangers to their pack.

After all my sacrifices, not a second thought was spared on my behalf. None of them, not even a person, stood up for me when baseless accusations were being leveled against me. 

They were an untouchable pack. They no longer needed my services.

"Enough!" The Alpha held up his hand when I was tossed at his feet. The same man I served my entire life; the same man I would lay down my life for—that was what mother taught me.

“She poisoned the prince!”

The words hissed through the crowd before I even saw the platform. My chains rattled as they pulled me forward, dragging me through dirt and spit. My throat burned, no sound would leave me even if I begged.

“Look at her, wolfless,” another voice sneered. “What kind of creature can’t even summon her wolf? Cursed.”

"Even the goddess has rejected her."

I stumbled but didn’t let myself fall flat on my face, I broke my fall with my elbows scraping the floor—they bled in the absence of a wolf to heal me but I managed to get back on my feet. They wouldn’t give me dignity, so I kept it for myself.

The elders waited at the front, dressed in ceremonial robes, pretending it was justice and not slaughter. The Alpha heir sat pale and trembling, the boy they called poisoned. His lips were blue, his skin still sickly, but he was breathing. Alive.

“Rylah...” an elder’s voice rang out. “You stand guilty of treason, guilty of poisoning the Crown Prince, guilty of betrayal to the blood of Silverfang. Do you deny it?”

I wanted to scream. How was I supposed to deny it?

They didn’t even once look at me and consider me, the girl who had trained, obeyed, and bled for them, I couldn't deny it or defend myself and my silence was taken as confession.

“She doesn’t even deny it,” a woman in the crowd shouted.

"Fine then. Your punishment is to be buried alive,"

What? Wasn't I going to be tried? 

"Take her away." His voice commanded.

The verdict spat on me like bread thrown to the dogs was nothing compared to the pain of not even being allowed to grieve.

My tongue rose, my lips parted countless times to beg, to protest, even an action as small as a sob, but silence and foul air would always meet each of my attempts. 

Nothing but a dry frustrated rustle was heard in place.

Those who dared, stared with contempt, their mouths twisted in disdain. I could barely hear through the noise but their faces said it all. It sent all those messages their heart held towards me.

“The meticulous assassin who tried to destroy something Royal but failed miserably!” 

The alpha elders, nobles, and even commoners accepted the verdict, and a “deserving” punishment was put into place. 

The treacherous Omega, who has been cursed with silence by the moon goddess, was to be buried alive!

The Soldiers gloated over my defeat. The throbbing, the burning, the sizzling of my skin, all dulled, sympathizing with me. 

"You're a stain on our kind!" A soldier shoved me forward to the ground. No, I fell into a hole instead—they already dug the pit.

Indeed! I couldn't agree more with those words. Their kind was nothing I wanted to be like.

Thud after thud, the dirt caressed me, and I felt myself reconnect. For some reason, deep down there with earthworms and termites sounded safer than being up there with those broods of vipers.

Deep within, I was a little happy too. It was nearing the end, and all I could think of was a new and clean slate to rewrite my destiny. 

So close to death, I thought I'd be overwhelmed with pain, revenge, regret, sorrow, and all the negative emotions there were. It was justified but surprisingly, things were different. 

I was tired of it all…

All that mattered was my end and it was already a miracle I survived that long. Fate wanted it ingrained in me what grave mistake I made pledging loyalty to an unworthy throne.

"Mistasas....alliyana..." I started muttering Whatever I remembered, daring to do what mother couldn't. 

The leaves rustled and glowed yellow.

The crackling noise betrayed the fierce fire that exploded and mercilessly burned away the forest approaching us fast.

My executors withdrew but in delight…

“Her face disgusts me. I hope the flames burn it from my memory.”

“May her ashes carry her curse away. The pack will be cleaner without her.”

“She should thank the goddess —at least she gave her the mercy of fire, it's faster than decay.”

I crawled my way out of the pit as the fire closed in but I wasn't fast enough to get out of the forest, the flame was faster and I had no spell to quench it—mother didn’t teach me because she never wanted me starting a fire.

As searing heat burned my face, my already poor vision blurred out. 

"One more chance," I voicelessly called out to whatever deity existed. 

Just like everyone else, she let me burn but the darkness consumed me before the fire.