LOGINThe heavy silver blade sliced through the noon air, stopping a mere millimeter from Tatsumi’s exposed, trembling neck.Storm’s chest heaved violently, his large hand trembling so hard the leather hilt of the executioner's sword creaked under his white-knuckled grip. The deafening, bloodthirsty roars of the crowd blurred into a chaotic, dizzying static in his ears. Deep within his chest, his inner wolf was clawing at his ribs, howling in absolute agony, begging him to drop the weapon. From the edge of the scaffold, Liora saw his hesitation. A flash of genuine panic darted through her eyes before instantly hardening into a cold determination. 'If Storm backs down now,' she realized, her heart hammering against her ribs, 'if he allows an investigation, the truth will come out and my head will be the one on the chopping block.'She needed to move, and she needed to move now. Catching the eyes of the two massive execution guards who were currently wrestling with a thrashing, furious Bet
The wind roared in Roran’s ears as ascended, his knees almost giving away from running. He didn't care about the pain. He didn’t care about the fractured bones or the bruised muscles. His dark irises were locked entirely on the elevated wooden platform where Tatsumi knelt, her fragile body trembling under the weight of the silver suppression chains.He fought his way through the suffocating crowd like a man possessed, his massive shoulders throwing screaming pack members aside. He had to reach her. He had to stop this madness."Get out of the way! Move!" Roran bellowed, his voice raw, flaring to clear a path.When he finally breached the perimeter of the royal guards and scrambled up the wooden steps of the scaffold, the sheer horror of Tatsumi's state struck him like a physical blow to the chest. It broke him completely.She was a shell of herself. Her knees were scraped and bleeding from being dragged across the rough wood. The heavy silver collar around her neck was biting deep int
Beta Roran stepped into the damp, suffocating dark, his throat burning from the scent of stale rust and old blood of the dungeon.He was drowning in a sea of his own failure."I was off duty," his mind screamed, the thought a recurring nightmare that had played on loop since the council meeting. "The one night she needed her guardian, I was asleep. I let her get framed. I let that spineless Alpha tear her away."Every step down the moss-covered stairs felt like a weight pressing onto his chest. He had failed the former Alpha who had entrusted Tatsumi to his care. He had failed the pack's future. But most of all, he had failed the quiet, gentle Omega who had never known anything but loneliness. He had let them put her in silver chains.As he approached her cell block, Roran’s hands began to shake. A sudden, paralysing conflict tore through his mind, slowing his steps to a painful halt. "How do I even look at her?" he thought, his chest heaving. 'Do I face her with the stoic mask of a B
Tatsumi watched her sister closely, the crushing weight of the silver chains on her wrists completely forgotten as the pieces of the puzzle violently crashed together in her mind. The suffocating, musty air of the cell no longer mattered. The piles of ancient bones in the corner blurred into nothingness. The terrifying fear of being unjustly executed, of being dragged to the gallows for a slaughter she had absolutely nothing to do with sent a massive jolt of fury through her veins. It was an awakening, for someone who had spent twenty-five years being passive, submissive, and quiet. 'Why did Liora know the exact minutes the pups died before the pack healers even finalized the autopsies?' 'Why was she wandering the royal corridors so late, completely ignoring a childhood bedtime routine she had fiercely defended for over a decade?' 'Why was she so desperately, fiercely eager to point the finger, jumping to the conclusion without a single shred of hesitation?' The twisted logic
"Liora! Thank the Moon Goddess you’re here," Tatsumi cried out, her raw voice cracking as she pressed her body against the freezing iron bars. The heavy silver chains rattled against her wrists, a harsh sound in the quiet of the dungeon. "You have to tell them, Liora. You have to tell Storm that I could never do this!" Liora stopped a few feet away, her red eyes wide and brimming with forced, unshed tears. She clutched her silk handkerchief tightly to her chest, her entire frame trembling as if she were facing a terrifying beast. "Tatsumi... how could you?" Liora whispered, her voice trembling beautifully. "The pups... our future Alphas... they were just babies." "I didn't do it!" Tatsumi’s golden eyes flashed with desperation. She reached her hands through the bars, pleading with her sister. "Listen to me, Liora. Last night, I couldn't sleep. The pack house felt so suffocating, so I went out to the royal gardens to get some fresh air. It was exactly 10:00 PM. On my way back to my
Meanwhile, Tatsumi sat on the cold, musty ground of the dungeon. The air stunk heavily of rotten flesh and stagnant water, a stark contrast to the pine and earthy scent of the pack house above. In the dark corners of the cell lay piles of ancient bones, dark reminders of the prisoners who had come before her. The suffocating air forced her to press her face against the iron railings just to breathe in a draft of fresh air. It was still musty, but it was manageable. Just last night, she had fallen asleep dreaming of her upcoming wedding. She had seen Storm holding her in his large, protective arms, kissing her so tenderly she hadn't wanted to wake up. Yet, in a cruel twist of reality, he had burst into her room hours later, ordering for her to be thrown into prison for a heinous crime she knew absolutely nothing about. Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion. As the Grand Heiress, she was meant to perform the pack ritual and bless those thirty precious pups. Now, they were all go







