A Different kind of Fire

Seraphina.

The flames roared to life before my eyes, and I couldn't shrink away from it. The smell of the smoke choked. My eyes were burning and I was gasping for breath, but there was no clean air to breathe from. The silent tears were already pouring down my cheeks and I lowered my eyes to find the wielder of the fire. 

Him. My mate. Alpha Kael.

"Crown prince!" A sharp and loud voice yelled through the rowdy crowd.

I was already weak. I had already lost hope. I was waiting to feel the fire burn, for the fumes to choke me to death. No one would believe me. No one would come to my rescue... Yet, Alpha Zen said whoever was responsible should be forgiven? Why was life so cruel? Why did I have to take the fall for what I knew nothing about?

"STOP!!!" A voice bellowed from the crowd, and I tried my hardest to look at what was going on. Hope bloomed in my chest. Was I about to be saved?

The crowd was parting suddenly, as if someone was pushing them harshly away. Alpha Kael paused and from where I was tied, I could see his jaw tick in anger. The man who shouted rushed out and fell on his knees before Kael.

I recognised him instantly. Torvin Heracles. His family was next in line to the throne after Alpha Kael's family ruled as the Alpha King. What was going on? Why was he interceding for me?

Everyone held their breath as they could feel the tension between these two powerful men. They were never openly hostile from what I heard from Alpha Zen, but they hated each other greatly.

"Speak!" Kael spat out angrily, trying so hard to stay calm at the sight of the man who had thrown himself on the ground, his knees and head planted on the sand.

"I beg you! Extinguish the flames!”

Kael stared down at him, the lighted torch he held illuminated his sharp features, highlighting the scar on his jaw.

 “Torvin,” his voice was a dangerous rasp, barely human. “Step aside. This is the Vittori justice. For Zen.”

“Is it? Look at her! An Omega!" Torvin pressed. "Does it really make sense? An Omega stealing the ceremonial knife? Slitting an Alpha’s throat? Alone?” He shook his head, his messy hair falling across his forehead. “Brother, think! Zen was strong and vigilant. How could one weak Omega overpower him, steal the most sacred weapon, and escape unnoticed? The evidence points to her, yes, but the logic… it screams conspiracy!”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Heads turned, whispers ensued.

“What are you suggesting,Torvin?” Kael snarled, looking clearly disgusted that Torvin called him 'brother'.

“I’m suggesting,” Torvin's voice filled with urgency, "That she is a pawn. A convenient scapegoat. Someone wanted Zen dead. Someone powerful enough to access the ceremonial knife. Someone cunning enough to frame the lowest of the low.” He rose slowly from his knee, his green eyes sweeping the crowd. “If we burn her now, we burn the only lead we have! We let the true murderer, the one who orchestrated this atrocity against the Vittori line, walk free! They could be watching us right now, laughing as we destroy the key to finding them!”

The murmurs grew louder. People exchanged glances. The bloodlust in their eyes slowly receded and I could feel the silent agreement from the crowd. Torvin was masterfully redirecting their rage, Alpha Zen has told me he was very good at public speaking.

“Justice for Zen demands more than a quick burning!” Torvin proclaimed, his voice swelling again. “It demands the truth! It demands the unmasking of every conspirator! What if there are others? What if they plan to strike again? At you, Kael? At others?” He turned back to Kael, his expression begging. “Let her live so we can find who the real enemy is! Then… then let justice be served fully. Not just on the weapon, but on the hand that wielded it from the shadows!”

Alpha Kael stood motionless, staring at Torvin, then his gaze lifted, sweeping over the crowd. I could see the calculation in his eyes, but the grief in them was even more immense. Torvin’s argument was logical, and… it delayed my death.

Murmurs of agreement, of “He’s right,” and “Find the others!” began to rise.

"Fine," he pursed his lips and his black eyes turned to the guards around, pointing at the fire that was slowly reaching up to my legs. "Douse it!” His command shook the entire grounds. “NOW!”

Warriors and guards sprang into action immediately, hauling buckets of water and sand, throwing them onto the base of the pyre. He inched closer when the fire had been completely quenched and I had been taken down the pyre.

“You heard him,” Kael stated, his voice low, “You live... for now. But make no mistake, Omega. Your life belongs to me. Every breath you draw is—"

His hand dropped, curling into a fist at his side. He turned slightly, addressing the warriors. “Clean her wounds.” His gaze swept over Torvin, who stood watching with a carefully neutral expression, then back to the crowd. “She is bound to me. My shadow. My responsibility. My prisoner. Any harm that comes to her outside of sanctioned investigation…” He let the threat hang, heavy and unspoken. The crowd shifted uneasily.

He loomed over me, "Look at me, Omega,” he commanded, his voice like gravel.

I forced my head up, meeting his furious gaze. The mate pull hummed weakly between us. Something inside him seemed to be subduing his feelings of the mate bond. Something sinister...

“You belong to me now,” he stated, making sure he emphasized each word that came out of his mouth. “Body and soul. You go where I go. You speak when I permit it. You breathe because I allow it. Your sole purpose is to aid in uncovering the truth of my brother’s murder. Fail me,” he leaned in, his breath hot on my face, “and the pyre will seem merciful compared to what I will do. Do you understand?”

The words choked in my throat. Loyalty? To him? The man who just lit the fire meant to consume me? It was madness, but I didn't have a choice, did I? I also wanted to find out what really happened that night.

I swallowed the bile that rose up my throat and my eyes met his burning eyes, the intensity of his Alpha gaze sent every bone and organ of my body into a terrified submission.

My voice, when it came, was a ragged whisper. It was all I could do to keep myself from falling over.

“Yes, Alpha Kael. I understand. I am yours. Your shadow. Your prisoner. Your Omega. I swear my loyalty… to serve you, and uncover the truth.” The words tasted like ash. Like a different kind of death sentence...