Chapter Three

FINDING A NEW LIFE

MILA

I could hear the sound of people crying around us, but not for us. Their tears were for themselves, for the hunger that had spread through the pack, and for the fear that never left their homes. I knelt beside my mother and father, with my hands tied tightly behind my back.

My knees hurt against the cold stones, but I did not move. The crowd stared at us with disgust. Some whispered that we were cursed, while the others spat on the ground when my mother tried to look at them.

“They brought this on themselves,” someone said.

“Greedy family,” another voice replied.

“That’s why the pack suffers,” an older man muttered.

The Alpha stood before us. His face showed no pity, and his voice was cold when he spoke.

“I am disappointed,” he said. “I made those rules to protect this pack, and still you disobeyed me.”

My mother cried and shook her head. “Please, Alpha, we never took more than what was given. We never ate beyond our share. We have obeyed every rule.”

My father bowed his head. His voice was weak. “I take the blame, Alpha. Please, have mercy. My wife and children—”

The Alpha’s expression didn’t change. “Do not lie to me. You harbored two sons under one roof. You hid them both from my sight.”

The crowd gasped, but no one spoke against him. No one dared to. My heart stopped. He thought I was a boy. My mother’s hands shook, as she cried harder.

“They were born together,” she said, her voice trembling. “I couldn’t choose between them. I couldn’t give one away.”

The Alpha stepped closer. “You couldn’t lend even one to the army that bleeds for this land? You kept both, while our pack starves and our soldiers die? That is greed. That is treason.”

The crowd began to murmur again.

“She should have given one up.”

“They think they’re better than the rest of us.”

“Two sons—what a waste.”

“Enough,” the Alpha said sharply. He waved his hand, and two guards pulled my father back. “You both knew the rules and you broke them. The punishment is death.”

My mother screamed and tried to move closer to him, but the guards held her down. “Please, not before my children. Please, let them go.”

The Alpha looked at her, then at me and my brother. His voice was calm when he spoke again.

“Only one child will live. Choose the one who will die with you.”

The crowd went silent. Even the wind stopped. My mother froze. My father looked at her, then at us, his face was  pale and wet with tears.

“Alpha, please,” he begged. “Do not make her choose. They are both innocent.”

The Alpha’s tone hardened. “You broke my rule. No family shall have more than one child. You hid them both. Now one must burn with you, and the other will live to bear the shame of your crime.”

My mother turned toward us. Her eyes were red and wide. My brother trembled beside me, his small body shaking. His face was wet with tears. His body shook as he clung to her arm. I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. That was when I knew what would happen.

The Alpha watched the way he held her, and his voice came out cold. “It’s decided then. The one who clings will follow his mother.”

My mother screamed his name. I shouted too, but the guards dragged my father and her away. My brother ran after her, and I ran after him. But before  I could reach him, one of the guards pushed me to the ground. I hit the stones hard and I lifted my head just in time to see three of them being towards  the stake.

The Alpha gave the command.  “Burn them. Let their deaths remind this pack of what happens to those who defy me.”

The crowd parted as the guards tied my parents and brother to the stake. My mother kept calling for me. I could see her eyes searching for me in the crowd, but I couldn’t move.

The fire started with a loud crack. My brother screamed first. My mother’s cries followed, my fathers last. I tried to close my eyes, but one of the guards pulled my hair and forced me to look. The smell of smoke filled my nose and the sound of the fire was louder than the crowd now.

He didn’t know I wasn’t a boy. He didn’t know who he had spared. My parents' voices faded slowly. My brother’s screams stopped and the crowd slowly began to leave.

I kept my eyes open until the flames turned black and the bodies no longer moved.

When it ended, the Alpha stepped forward and his eyes met mine. “You’ll serve the pack now,” he said. “Let this be your lesson.”

His right arm raised, the dagger in his hand glinting under the silver moonlight. My heart ached but I did nothing as the blade descended. Until…

I jerked upright in my tiny bed, sweat pouring down my back like a broken dam. The memory clung to me like second skin, leaving a sour taste behind in my mouth.

It had been ten years. Ten whole years since my family had been brutally wiped off the earth, and even though I had killed the man who made that happen a while ago, the desolate feeling never really faded.

With a sigh, I got off the bed, getting washed, dressed and ready for the day's work.

“Are you okay?” Selena asked as soon. As I walked into the servant's kitchen. “You look ashen.”

I never smiled at her, because I could see it in her eyes that what she wanted was the attention of the strange man who was far smaller than his peers. I was neither a man nor interested in feeding that obsession.

“Fine.” The word was barely even a mumble as I strode past her and headed for the table.

“Morning, Erwin,” Marge greeted, placing a cup of tea in my direction.

I grabbed it. “Thank you. Any new work for today?”

“We need more wood to keep the space warm. Winter is rolling in faster than we expected, and the one thing that pisses the Alpha off is a cold space.”

I nodded. “I'll go chop the wood then.”

She eyed me. “You're skipping breakfast to cut wood?”

My head bobbed in a nod as I took a swig of my tea. I wasn't sure I could keep anything down with those memories floating around in my head anyway.

By the time I stepped out, the cold bite of air met my cheeks, making me close my eyes as I savored the change in temperature.

I found my way into the woods, cutting down logs that were big enough to start and hold a fire. Something rustled in the silence and I paused.

I listened closely, getting another sound, this time a groan. Something was definitely out there. I wiped my hands on the borrowed leather pants I had on and linked toward the sound.

My feet came to a halt when I saw a tall man on the ground, leg trapped in a metal teeth.  He must have walked into a hunter's trap.

I hurried over to him and leaned down, trying to help him out. He caught my hand when I reached for him.

“What are you doing? You could hurt yourself really badly with that.”

The look I gave him was one of self-assurance. “I won't.”

When I was sure he wouldn't try to stop me anymore, I reached for the trap, using a small stick I found on the ground to wedge some space between the teeth and his flesh.

He watched me with raptor attention, and I made quick work of getting the metal off his leg, slicing a piece of his robe off to wrap around the bleeding wound.

“Thank you,” he offered.

“My Lord,” someone called from behind me, sounding frenzied. “I apologize for the delay.”

My Lord? I thought. Only royalty was called that.

“Thank you for helping the prince,” the same man said as he helped the tall man off the floor.

My eyes stayed locked on his, and I wondered why it was that heat was traveling through me at such speed. What was it about this quiet man that was shaking me this much?

I bowed. “No problem.”