Chapter 3: TRAITOR'S BLOOD

-ZOYA-

"Spy."

"Omega."

People whisper all around me, parting like they can't bear to stand near me as I am pushed through their middle.

My face is matted with dirt and dried tears. My wrists are bound behind me. I am dragged all the way from the pack house, and now I am forced to the city square, a huge gazebo spanning about 10,000 square metres where the whole pack gathers under the setting sun.

This is it. I will finally die like I should have 16 years ago. No matter how hard I run, my past always comes back to haunt me.

In the center of the square, on the stone platform sits Alpha Xander, dressed in black. Jason stands next to him, holding a silver sword on a platter.

This is it... I think.

The men force me down to a kneeling position. Xander won't look at me. He keeps his face carefully neutral, even as the whisperers quiet and Castellan Blackthorn stands up.

"Zoya Ironwood, daughter of Sergei of the Red Fang pack. You have been tried and found guilty of treason and deceit."

Liar! I think, burning with a sudden anger. There is no trial. I haven't committed treason.

The pack members talk in hushed voices. Some of the powerful families are smirking.

"...Isn't that Alpha Xander's Luna?"

"Luna? Don't insult the Alpha. She's nothing but a nobody..."

"A traitor!"

The whispers grow louder, some shuffle to get a better view. I see Scar somewhere in the crowd. Our eyes lock for a brief moment. His face is unreadable, then he is lost among the crowd again. I know he believes me to be the monster I am accused of. If only I could explain to him...

"Kill her! Kill the traitor."

My eyes burn with fresh tears, but I don't let them fall. Instead, I raise my head high.

"The only crime on my head is being my father's daughter," I say. My voice comes out raspy and dry, but I manage to sound firm.

"I was just a kid! You punish me for the sins I know nothing of. This isn't you, Xander... Please." I barely beg anyone. And yet I find myself repeating the word more times in a single day than I have in my lifetime.

"Your father's daughter indeed," Xander spits, his voice sounding distant. And then I know I have lost him.

"You have the traitor's blood. You lied to your Alpha, deceived us all. You will die like a traitor."

"I, Alpha Xander of the Shadow pack, reject Zoya Ironwood as my Luna and a member of the pack."

The moment he says that, something snaps inside me. The skin above my thigh where he marked me burns. I double down, shutting my eyes.

Rejected.

Rejected.

Rejected....

Red lights burn in my head. I bite my lower lip to keep myself from screaming as an excruciating pain washes over me.

No...how could it be. Xander is my mate....

"For your crimes, you will die at the hands of the Silver sword," Castellan continues, gazing down at me like I am a piece of trash.

From the corner of my eyes, Jason steps forward with the silver sword.

No.

I don't want to die.

I struggle against the bonds on my wrists. The more I struggle, the more the sharp edges eat into my skin, weakening me. I realize that it must be infused with wolf's bane.

I stare up at them, feeling a surge of hatred. For the pack, for Xander, for all of them. Xander gives Jason a subtle nod and turns around, walking off the stage.

The air feels still with the hundreds of breaths that are held as Jason stands before me, raising up the silver sword by the hilt. I glance away, wishing I could shield my eyes from the bright light.

"Zoya Ironwood, daughter of a traitor, outcast of the Red Fang pack...."

But he never gets to finish his sentence.

At that moment, the sword flies out of his hand, impaling itself on the stone ground at the entrance of the square.

My head snaps up immediately. A hush falls over the crowd. I feel the air grow colder.

Standing at the entrance is a hooded figure, the silver sword embedded in the ground at his feet. A huge white wolf stands beside him, but my eyes are locked on the scythe in his hand.

The stranger from yesterday.

No, no... I'd rather die here.

He takes off the hood, revealing a pair of golden eyes. Long black hair cascades down his shoulders. People instinctively part, sensing the immense power he possesses.

He walks slowly, every step calculated, till he stops in front of me.

Alpha Xander stands frozen in place, staring at the stranger like he sees a ghost.

"Who are you!" He breaks out of his daze, stepping forward, clutching the sword by his side.

There is no reply.

The stranger doesn't even look his way.

Instead, his eyes are locked on me, and in a cold, indifferent voice, like he is pointing out a pre-established fact, he says, "The omega is mine."