Chapter 5

(Dahlia)

I COLLAPSE on the ground. But so does Brent.

Disbelief and something else crosses his eyes. Finally, he is looking at no one else but me. I have his full attention now. This time, I don’t have to beg for it.

As blood trickles down my mouth, he looks at me like he has seen a ghost. His gaze widens as he clutches his chest and his wolf calls out to mine, but my wolf does not respond to him anymore. He pales as the realization sinks in.

As the soldiers surround me and bind my wrists with the handcuff, I see something new in the General’s eyes for the first time.

Fear.

Agony.

And then he shifts, his wolf bleeds as he unleashes a howl that sounds like madness and rage. It’s the agony of a severed bond. As I stand in the wreckage, I feel nothing at all. Or maybe I am just… drained. Tired. Empty inside.

If this happens before, like a fool, I know I would have ran to him. I would have exhausted myself trying to calm him. But I’m done breaking just so he can be whole. I’m done hurting just so he could feel better.

I’m done.

The guards start to lead me to their car; there is wariness in their eyes as they look at me like I am a complete stranger. And maybe that’s the truth. Even I could no longer recognize myself each time I’d look in a mirror these days. I’ve lost myself a long time ago, from the time I fell in love with my mate, with the man who was supposed to be my safe place.

“Dahlia!”

I freeze.

“Stop! Where the hell are you taking my daughter?!”

I severed the bond and did not cry. The cops surrounded me, and I still could not find it in me to care. And yet, one line from my dad and I suddenly feel like breaking down. He runs to me. In another time, I would be so glad. So proud. Dad could use his legs again. The mages are truly incredible creatures. Because of them, he could now do all the things he had missed doing. Seeing him run to me makes me think that my sacrifice is still worth it.

But the shame and misery wipe out all the happiness in my chest. The guards stop as dad approaches me and quickly wrap his jacket around my naked body. I would not even realize I’m feeling cold if not for the warmth that lingered in his jacket.

“Dad…” My chest heaves. “I’m so sorry.”

For the person I’ve become. And for the person that I will be.

This might be the last time he would get to see me outside of prison. But apart from those four words, nothing else spills from my mouth.

Dad cups my cheeks and in a trembling voice, he says, “Hush, darling. You did nothing wrong.”

I want to laugh and cry at the same time. Of course, he would say that. In my father’s eyes, I will always be right. I will always be innocent and sane.

“What did they do to you?” he sobs.

He could see the chaos behind me. He could hear the sound of several people panicking because they could not get a hold of Brent’s human form. His wolf has gone feral. He is roaring and attacking people. He and I are a mess. He could see the blood in my hands. In my mouth. And maybe some got on my face too because he is wiping some of them off my cheeks.

But his major concern is still me.

Dad and Craig are the only ones in this realm who have ever shown true care for me. When he pulls me for an embrace, in his arms, I cry. Like a little girl. For the baby I’d just lost. For my mate. For the family we could have had. But most of all, for myself.

But the most painful part is feeling his shoulders shake and hearing him cry for me too. It’s making me feel like the worst daughter in the world ever for making him shed tears for me.

“That’s enough,” one of the guards says in a rough voice. “You can continue your conversation when you visit your criminal daughter in prison. Maybe you’ll be granted a visit or two before she dies.”

Dad releases me and pushes the guard in his chest. “Take that back, you bastard! My daughter is not a criminal! And she is not going to die! I will not let that happen!”

“Dad…”

Jack, one of Brent’s guards, pushes him back. He is younger and stronger. That’s why dad falls on the ground. My beast growls. Fire starts to consume me. But before I can grab the guy, another guard stabs me on my thigh, preventing me from shifting.

“Dahlia!” Dad shouts and is about to help me but Jack punches him in the stomach.

“No! Please! Stop it, I’m begging you!” I plead as tears spill down my cheeks. “Don’t hurt my dad. He’s old. He can no longer heal as fast as you are. I’m coming with you. You don’t have to go this far. He has nothing to do with this!”

But the guard is deaf. Back in Brent’s pack mansion, Jack has always hated me for reasons I could not understand. If not for Craig who appears, Jack wouldn’t have stopped attacking him. Dad starts to cough up blood as he continues to call for my name helplessly while the guards drag me inside their car.

When I lift my head, I see people across the street. Some are with their children. The mothers quickly cover their daughters’ eyes as if meeting my gaze would pass down my curse to them. I’ve heard about it. How they all treat me like some sort of a virus. The rumors began after Brent rejected me.

It’s like being unchosen is contagious. Parents warned their children not to approach me, especially their daughters for fear that my unluckiness or curse might transfer to them.

I take one look at the devastation written in Dad and Craig’s faces before the car speeds away. They bring me to the detention center and push me inside a dark room before slamming the door closed. For three days, all I’ve been given is a bottle of water and nothing else. My stomach rumbles while I wait for Craig to visit.

But it’s Liv who shows up.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, never bothering to look in her eyes even when I hear her sniffle.

“I’m sorry, Luna Dahlia. I didn’t want to do it. But I was threatened-”

I figured as much, but it still hurt to hear the truth.

“Just go. I don’t need your apology. It’s too late for that.”

I close my swollen eyes. My former assistant doesn’t leave. She stays there, crying her heart out.

“The King is enraged. Including the Council and Rosie’s father, Lord Astor. He wants you to be punished as soon as possible.” Her voice cracks. “You have been sentenced to death, Luna.”