6

Aprils POV

I never wanted to sleep. I fought it with every ounce of strength I had left, but somewhere between the sobs that wracked my body and the hollow ache in my chest, my eyes grew heavy. I don't know how long I was out, but when I woke up, the cell was colder and emptier than it had ever been.

The first thing I noticed was the iron stench of the dungeon's damp stone walls, mingling with the sourness of fear. Then, the sound—the heavy clatter of boots against stone and the low murmur of voices approaching. I shot up from the ground, my limbs stiff and cold, my heart hammering as the cell door screeched open.

"No!" I screamed, throwing myself forward, but the guards were already there, dragging my parents away. My mother's eyes met mine, filled with a desperate kind of love and an apology that I could feel all the way to my bones. "Please!" I screamed again, my voice breaking as I reached for them. "Don't take them! Please don't!"

My father's voice boomed in the damp air, his tone steady despite the tremor in his voice. "April, stay strong!" he yelled as the guards shoved him forward. "We love you, my sweet girl. Don't forget that. Ever."

I'm being pulled back into the cell by a guard I didn't even notice was there.

"I'm very sorry for all this. You don't deserve it.' the guard says.

I'm too overcome by grief and sorrow to reply.

I clawed at the ground and anything I could hold on to but was too slow and weak. The heavy metal door slammed shut in my face, and the dungeon seemed to close in around me, the shadows thickening like a noose. I pressed my palms against the cold stone, feeling the roughness scrape my skin as I pounded my fists against the door. "No! Let them go! It's not fair!" I shouted, my voice hoarse and ragged.

But there was no mercy for us. There never had been.

It was all because of him. My mate, the one who was supposed to love me and protect my family, had rejected me without a second thought. He had called me weak and unworthy and then walked away, leaving a trail of broken promises behind him. But his betrayal didn't just shatter my heart—it signed my parents' death warrant. If my mate had been anyone else, anyone with even a shred of decency, my parents wouldn't be in this situation. They wouldn't be about to die.

I stumbled back, sinking against the wall as my legs gave way. Despair settled over me like a dark, suffocating fog. Guilt clawed at me from the inside, sinking its teeth deep into my chest. This was my fault, wasn't it? If I hadn't been so desperate, so pathetic, maybe my mate wouldn't have found me so worthless. Perhaps he wouldn't have condemned my parents to die.

The guards returned after what felt like an eternity, and I felt the rough grip of hands seizing my arms, yanking me to my feet. I stumbled forward as they dragged me down the dimly lit corridor, the torch flames flickering against the walls, casting dancing shadows that seemed to mock my helplessness. The sound of the execution grounds grew louder with every step, the murmur of the pack members assembling, the low thrum of tension that hung in the air.

It was hard because I knew I was being led to the place where my parents would draw their last breath.

When they finally led me outside, the sunlight was blinding, harsh against my eyes that had grown used to the darkness. My gaze swept across the gathered crowd, pack members standing like statues, faces void of emotion as if they were just here to watch a performance. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. They just stared as my parents were dragged onto the wooden platform, forced to their knees beside the guillotine, their heads bent in resignation.

The Alpha stood at the front, his voice ringing out with cruel authority. "For the crime of direspect, and as an example to all who disrespect the Alpha, future or present, I order the execution of these prisoners," he declared, his voice cold and impersonal, as though he were simply talking about the weather.

The guards locked the steel collar around my mother's neck. First, the sharp metal bites into her skin as they secured her to the guillotine. I could see her trembling, her lips moving in silent words of prayer. Then they bound my father, his eyes fixed on me with a fierceness that almost made me crumble. 

This hurts so much; my heart is so broken it's aching. Seeing my parents like that broke me in so many ways.

"April," he called out, his voice breaking as he struggled against his restraints. "Remember, we love you. Always."

 "Look for your parents". He adds.

"Mom! Dad!" I cried, my voice piercing the air as my body strained forward, fighting against the guards who held me back. "Please! Someone stop this! They're innocent!"

But no one moved. No one said a word. The pack stood there, watching as if this was some kind of twisted entertainment. As if the lives of my parents meant nothing more than a passing spectacle.

My mother's eyes locked onto mine, and I could see tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. "Be strong, my darling girl," she whispered, her voice carried away by the wind. "We'll always be with you."

I saw them look at each other and hear them expressing how much they loved each other and other words of endearment. I stopped listening to give them their privacy.

The Alpha raised his hand, and the executioner moved into position. I saw the glint of the blade, the cold steel catching the light as it was prepared to fall. I screamed a sound that came from somewhere deep and primal, a sound that ripped from my throat as if it would tear me apart. "No! Don't do this! Please!" But it was too late.

The blade came down with a sickening thud, slicing through the air, and then…silence.

Their heads rolled from the guillotine, hitting the ground with a dull, final thump. I watched as their eyes stared blankly, lifelessly, the expressions on their faces frozen in that last moment of love and fear. Their blood pooled on the platform, seeping into the wood, staining it forever as the air filled with the thick scent of their blood.

My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground, the scream tearing from me like I was being ripped apart from the inside. The world blurred around me, a haze of horror and pain as if everything had shattered into a million jagged pieces. I could still hear my mother's voice in my head, her last words echoing through my mind. "We love you."

But I was alone. Alone with the crushing weight of loss, the soul-crushing scream that never seemed to end, and the searing hatred for the mate who had brought me to this nightmare. My heart felt like it was being carved out of my chest, piece by agonizing piece, and all I could do was scream and scream until there was nothing left inside me.

The pack watched in silence, their faces indifferent, as though my parents' lives had meant nothing. As though I was nothing.