A brush with death

(IVORY’S POV)

"Bind this vile woman!” Alaric commanded.

Confused, I couldn’t understand what was happening. I found myself in a room surrounded by judgmental eyes.

"I can't stand her face. Bring her out for the verdict." With that, Alaric stormed out of the room.

One of the guards grabbed my hand roughly, and pain shot through my sore, bloodied body, still aching from the lashes of the cane. I shivered from the biting cold. My clothes were torn, exposing parts of my chest to prying eyes, but my long, wavy hair mercifully covered me.

I tried to speak, to ask what was happening, but no words escaped my throat. Only whimpers. As I was dragged outside, my eyes adjusted to the dim light—dawn was approaching. How long had I been unconscious?

"Slut!" Voices from the crowd jeered at me, my stomach churning. "Cursed Luna!" Some even hurled stones at us. "Adulterous whore!"

Alongside me, an omega male was dragged, almost as naked as I was. Who was he?

As we were paraded through the streets, the shame burned hotter than any physical pain. I had tried so hard to be a respectable Luna, but now, here I was, almost nude before the people I once led.

"Please spare her dignity! She’s done nothing wrong!" Evans appeared suddenly, pushing through the crowd, her face twisted in horror. Her eyes locked onto mine, tear-streaked and desperate. "E… E..." I tried to speak, to call her name, but nothing came out.

"Luna? Ivory? What’s happening? Why are they dragging you?" She was frantic, almost looking like a crazed woman trying to understand. And turning to the people. “How could you all stand there, watching your Luna degrade? Where is your loyalty? Your pack pride? I shook my head, too horrified to find words.

She turned to the one leading the guards, anger in her voice. "Beta Kaiden, please, this has to be a misunderstanding. We both know who Ivory is! Even if the world is against her, you can’t be; you know her so well."

"Get out of my sight, or I'll have you punished as well," he growled at her, his voice menacing.

"But she’s your cousin! Your first cousin! Please, I ask you, reconsider." Evans fell to her knees, clutching his knees while begging him.

I looked at him, perplexed. Was this man truly my cousin? Why couldn’t I remember? The faces, the place—they all seemed hazy. As if a dark force was erasing parts of me.

Panic gripped me. Maybe I was going insane.

I struggled to speak again, to explain to Evans. I screamed at the top of my voice, nothing but gibberish. "E…Ehvaanshh …noutsh…"

"Luna, please speak to me!" She cried, terrified for me. "What happened? Are you okay?" Tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head. I didn’t know what was happening—I couldn’t remember.

"I…do…n’t…kno. w… I do.n’t…re.me…ber…" I managed to whisper, my voice hoarse and broken. She cupped my face gently.

"It’s okay, I trust you," she said, her voice soft but full of concern.

Just then, Beta Kaiden stepped forward and yanked me away from her. "I warned you. Stay out of this, or you’ll be treated as her accomplice."

He shoved me forward violently. "Move it now!"

Evans yelled after us as they dragged me away. "Can’t you see? She’s under a spell! How can you all be so blind?"

Inside the ‘Hall of Judgment,' I was thrown harshly to the floor, gravel scraping against my knees. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the deep ache in my heart.

Then he walked in. Alaric. The man I had loved, the one I thought was mine. And there, by his side, was Valerie, their hands intertwined. He sat on the throne, his amber eyes fixed on me, cold and brutal.

I tried to speak, to remind him that I was his mate—his Ivory Flower—but no words came. Valerie leaned in, whispering in his ear, stroking his arm. His jaw clenched.

"As you all know," he began, his voice hard, "I have gathered you all here to witness the passing of a ruling.”

“Not only have you betrayed me as my wife, but you have also betrayed this pack as its Luna. I curse the day I ever accepted you as part of me, body and soul."

My heart twisted painfully. I couldn’t feel my wolf. It was as if she were shackled, unable to reach me. Was this really happening, or was it some nightmare I couldn’t wake from?

"I knew you were wrong for me," he continued, his voice growing louder, shaking the room with his Alpha authority. "But never did I think you’d stoop so low as to cheat—with an omega—on my birthday!"

His words hit me like blows, and the room trembled beneath the weight of his rage. Everyone bows before his voice. But that wasn't what baffled me; his sharp accusation does. How could he? When he knows I have been nothing but faithful to him in our years of marriage.

I could feel her a little, Lilly, my wolf; she was still there, but powerless. Whimpering in the back of my mind, pleading for him not to say what was coming next. We all knew!

"I… Alaric—"

"No, Alpha, please!" Evans burst into the room, throwing herself to the floor. "Don’t say it! Don’t sever the sacred bond between you two. Look at her! She’s under a spell; someone’s controlling her!"

“How dare you interrupt the passing of judgment? This is treason! You’re siding with an enemy—I say she should be punished!” the great Delta declared.

“Hear me out, Alpha,” Evans continued, her voice trembling with desperation. “You know the woman you were married to more than anyone. You can attest if she's capable of committing this shameful act. It's a setup.”

Alaric stormed toward her, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her across the room, the impact making her bones crack. "Guards, throw this lunatic in the cells!”

"I, Alaric Blackwood, Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack, in compliance with the book of law, chapter 18, verse 2, hereby sentence you to death by wolfsbane."

The words felt like knives in my chest. My body was slightly shaking. I know what this meant: a slow, painful death. But wouldn't I be better off dead? I would rather die a thousand times than watch him move on and live without me in the picture. He is my bane of existence.

"I reject you, Ivory Nightshade, as my fated mate. I strip you of your title as Luna of this pack." The finality in his voice echoed heavily in the room.

Snap!!!

The bond between us shattered, and agony tore through me. This was it? The end? My end? I watched Alaric fall to his knees from the force of the broken soul tie, but the emotional pain that tore at me was far worse than any physical suffering. I took pride in saying he was one of the few who never humiliated me but never had anyone hurt me like he did.

We locked eyes for a moment; his in shock. Maybe wondering? How could I withstand the pain without flinching when even he, the Alpha, couldn’t? But he didn’t know—I had already died inside long before this.

Unable to bear my gaze, he turned away, ordering for me to be taken to the woods and injected with the poison.

The last words I managed to choke out were, "I... do..n't..dese..rve this."

"Take her away!" he shouted, never glancing back. Perhaps he was afraid to see the truth in my eyes—afraid that he was wrong.

“Well deserved!” “Burn in hell!” hoots erupted from the crowd, their voices filled with cruel satisfaction as the decree was made. “Finally! Go rot!” they yelled as they dragged me away, my body thrashing helplessly in their grip.

When we reached the woods, they slammed me onto the ground. One of the guards sneered, spitting at me, "Finally, we’re rid of this curse in our pack. I didn’t think I’d live to see the day the Moon Goddess answered our prayers."

The others agreed with him. Showing their gratitude to her.

‘Arghhh’ I screamed in pain as they jabbed the needle into my neck. The wolfsbane coursed through my veins, and the ringing in my ears grew louder while they took off.

As I lay there, cold, alone, and naked, I felt death creeping closer. Pangs!

Then, I sensed a shift—a dark, powerful energy approaching. A hybrid, but I wasn’t afraid; I was already on the brink of death. It was a'she’ and the scent was familiar.

She encircled me, kneeling in front of me. I took notice of the coiled ear; I knew it! The aura wasn't that of an ordinary wolf.

“This is what you get for stealing and tasting what’s mine. Goodbye, Ivory. I hope you enjoy dancing with the devils.” Valerie? The last thing I saw was her laughing before everything went dark.

******

"Quick! Alert the pack doctor!" I heard a voice that sounded distant.

I gasped as my eyes shot open. Where was I? The space around me was too bright and surreal. Flowers were scattered everywhere, creating a serene, almost magical scene. I breathed in the strange scent, unfamiliar yet comforting.

I felt alive—the same soul but in a different body. Is this heaven? Does it even exist to begin with? What if I was in my subconscious, and this is what dead people experience? Trapped till eternity, feeling alive.

I was lost in thought, trying to make sense of it all when a face appeared above me. "Are you hurt?" a husky voice asked, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked, shocked as I recognized him. The Alpha King, with a smirk curling at the corner of his lips.