CHAPTER TWO

“Wait.”

Zackeil paused, lowering his sword to his side.

Lucas said… wait?

A small flicker of hope sparked inside me.

The crowd turned to him, confused by his sudden command.

“Beheading her is too simple a death,” he growled, his jaw clenched. “I want you to suffer, Maddena. For betraying my love… for making me a fool.”

He gritted his teeth and turned to Zackeil. “Sit her up.”

Zackeil removed my head from the chopping block and yanked me upright, twisting my arms behind my back.

“Bring the transparent coffin,” Lucas ordered coldly.

My heart nearly exploded in my chest.

No. No. No.

Being beheaded would’ve been better than being sealed alive inside a transparent coffin.

“Please, no!” I begged, my lips trembling. “You have to believe me. Why would I betray you, Lucas? Why would I ever cheat on you? Please, forgive me...”

Slap!

A loud yelp escaped my mouth as his hand struck my face. The force sent me crashing back down to the floor.

I struggled to lift myself, the chains still weighing down my arms. “Lucas…”

“Bring the coffin!” he barked.

The crowd parted in stunned silence as two guards brought it forward, the crystal-clear coffin reflecting the moonlight as they set it down in front of me.

I stared at it, wide-eyed, my throat tightening. I glanced at Lucas once more, hoping, praying, for a flicker of mercy.

But he didn’t even look at me. He just gestured for the soldiers to unchain me.

They struggled with the bindings, the metal biting into my skin until, finally, the chains clattered to the ground. I rubbed my bruised wrists gently, my entire body aching.

I looked at the crowd.

My pack.

The same people I had protected, cared for, loved. The same pack I once called family.

And Lucas… the mate I gave my soul to.

I never knew he was capable of being this heartless. If I had known, I would’ve rejected him the day I met him in that forest.

I caught Blaze’s gaze through the crowd. His eyes were red, full of pain and sorrow.

“I’m sorry, little sister,” he mouthed.

I gave a weak nod. It wasn’t his fault. The one I would never forgive… was Lucas.

He betrayed me.

Lucas’s voice sliced through the silence. “Will you get into the coffin willingly, or shall I force you?”

I blinked, tearing my eyes away from Blaze. The coffin loomed in front of me, cold and inviting.

I turned to the crowd again, my so-called family, then back to Lucas.

My legs trembled as I slowly stood. Every movement hurt, but none of it mattered now. I was going to die either way. My throat burned. My chest ached.

I approached the coffin and opened it. Inside, the cushioning looked soft. Ironically comfortable.

I gave a soft, bitter smile. At least I’d die lying down.

No one would watch me take my last breath.

Tears welled in my eyes as I lay inside the coffin, curling slightly on my side.

Lucas slammed the lid shut.

Click.

He locked it.

I didn’t scream. I didn’t panic.

The Moon Goddess knew I was innocent. So if this was how I was to meet her… so be it.

I shut my eyes and exhaled.

The coffin lifted.

I stayed still as they carried me for what felt like forever, roughly an hour, before finally setting it down.

“Alpha Lucas, what should we do next?” one of the soldiers asked.

Lucas didn’t respond.

Then came his roar

“Throw her into the water!” he said coldly, no hesitation. no guilt.

My heart shattered again.

Lucas had truly changed.

Seven years. Seven entire years we spent together. Through everything. And now, this.

I only learned I was pregnant a few days ago. After feeling unwell, I visited the pack healer. I had rushed home, eager to tell Lucas.

But the moment he heard the news… he snapped.

And now, he wanted to bury me alive.

“And now he wants to kill me and my unborn child?” I coughed in disbelief, the coffin already growing hot and suffocating. “It will never be well with him or this cursed pack…”

“Yes, Alpha,” the soldier responded.

Through the transparent coffin, I saw Lucas. His eyes were cold, filled with disgust.

The guards pushed the coffin forward. I felt the slow movement. The soft shift of the ground underneath me.

We were near the water.

I tried to steady my breathing, but the air was growing thin.

I stared at Lucas one last time. Tears blurred my vision as the coffin slid into the river, floating slowly away.

I watched them watch me.

I watched him walk away.

And then… they disappeared from view.

The coffin floated for a while, the silence unbearable. But then,

Thud.

We hit something. My head slammed against the side of the coffin. I cried out, pressing my thumb to my throbbing temple.

Still dazed, I tried to break the glass with my fists. I needed to protect my baby. But nothing worked.

“Emilia…” I tried to speak to my wolf.

No answer.

She was silent. Betrayed. Shattered, just like me.

Then… I felt something wet on my back, cold and spreading.

I reached behind me, water.

It was seeping in.

I gasped. Panic surged through me.

“No... no, no, no!” I banged the glass again, screaming. “Help! Somebody please!”

“I don’t want my baby to die!”

But no one answered. No one heard.

Maybe this really was the Moon Goddess’s plan. Maybe this was my fate.

The water level rose, creeping to my neck. I held my breath as it swallowed my face.

I couldn’t hold on much longer, my chest was burning, my lungs aches.

The coffin finally sank beneath the surface. I stared upward, watching the fading glimmer of moonlight disappear.

This was it.

I released my nose, surrendering to the dark.

And then—

Splash.

A figure dove into the water. Fast. Strong.

He swam toward me, muscles cutting through the depths like a blade. He reached the coffin, smashing the lock.

He pulled me out.

I tried to see his face… but the water filled my lungs.

I passed out before I could recognize the man who saved me.