로그인Vanessa's breath quickened as she realized this was no bluff.
Her father grunted in pain as silver cuffs were tightened against his wrists, burning into his flesh.
"Stop it!" Vanessa shouted. "He is too old to be subjected to such punishments! He cannot..."
Edwin turned his gaze to her. "I would never have thought of you as wanting to be compassionate, especially to your father. Considering how you stabbed him in the back,"
The torches burned low in the dungeon that night, shadows crawling across the stone walls like restless ghosts.The screams from earlier had faded, leaving only silence, and the faint drip of water echoing from the ceiling.Garrett sat slumped against the iron pillar, his arms bound in silver chains that had already seared half-moon marks into his wrists.He looked different now, the proud and mighty Beta of the Dark Moon pack reduced to a bruised, hollow-eyed man. But there was still a dangerous glint in his stare. It was the glint of a wolf that refused to die quietly.Across the cell, Vanessa sat curled on the ground, whispering to herself. She muttered broken words that no one could understand.The heavy door creaked open. Edwin entered. Alone this time.No guards. No Ralph.Just him, and the echo of his own footsteps.
Vanessa's breath quickened as she realized this was no bluff.Her father grunted in pain as silver cuffs were tightened against his wrists, burning into his flesh."Stop it!" Vanessa shouted. "He is too old to be subjected to such punishments! He cannot..."Edwin turned his gaze to her. "I would never have thought of you as wanting to be compassionate, especially to your father. Considering how you stabbed him in the back,""He is still my father, Edwin. His blood runs through my veins, it is only natural that I feel this way towards him.""You could end it all. The pain, the punishment, the ridicule. You could end it all by telling the truth. That is all it takes."She froze. The defiance in her eyes flickered, replaced with panic.Garrett turned his head slightly, his voice hoarse but defiant. "Don't you dare say a word."
The council chamber was empty.The trial had ended days ago, but no one in the fortress could rest. The shadows of what had been said, and what hadn't still lingered in the dark, and in the heart of everyone.Garrett and Vanessa had refused to confess.No amount of questioning, pleading, or isolation had made them speak. They remained as adamant as ever, keeping quiet like still waters.So Edwin made a choice. Not as Alpha, but as a son robbed of a father, and as a man haunted by the ruin they had brought upon his pack.He stood before the council table that night, his fists clenched tight against the polished oak. Ralph stood nearby, silent, waiting."Every day they sit in those cells," Edwin said, voice low, steady, but cold, "they mock the lives they destroyed.""How can we let them enjoy silence, comfort and peace in the
When the courtyard fell quiet again, Edwin stood looking over the valley, the rising sun washing over the scars of battle.Tiara stepped beside him. "You could have ended him there," she said softly. "Why didn't you?"Edwin exhaled slowly. "Death is mercy," he said. "Let them live long enough to understand what they destroyed."Tiara nodded, her gaze drifting toward the distant horizon. "Then justice has begun."Edwin's expression softened slightly. "No," he said. "It has only just begun."The wind carried the faint sound of chains from the dungeons below. A cruel, metallic reminder that the war's true punishment had only started-------Back in the Ashbane camp, the fires of victory had turned cold. The soldiers who had pledged themselves to Vanessa now whispered behind her back, uncertain, uneasy. Word of Garrett's c
The first light of dawn crept across the valley, pale and cold.Where the night before had been filled with roars and clashing steel, now only smoke and silence remained.There were so many bodies littered across the field. Soldiers of both sides, wolves and men alike. The once-proud banners of the Ashbane pack lay torn and soaked in mud.At the center of the field, Garrett was being dragged to his knees by two Dark Moon warriors, his wrists bound tightly with silver chains. His face was smeared with dirt and blood, but his eyes still burned with defiance.Beside him, Vanessa stood trembling, her once-silken hair matted with sweat, her fine dress in tatters."Why are you even dragging me? What is this about?" He asked."You amaze me for a traitor, man," one of the men chuckled." He's got so many balls, right?" The other sai
Vanessa smiled, her voice cold and smooth as silk. "Then you swear allegiance to me. When the dust settles, my father will be dead, Edwin will be weakened, and I will be the only heir left to claim the Ashbane name."Her calm, matter-of-fact tone terrified them more than any war cry could."Those who stand with me," she added, "will keep their lands. Those who do not..." She paused, letting the silence fill in the threat. "...will share my father's grave even before they blink."By the time she left the tent, the captains had already begun whispering among themselves. The army was splitting silently invisibly, one half loyal to Garrett, the other to Vanessa.Later that night, Garrett awoke in a cold sweat. His chest burned, his veins felt heavy, and the faint metallic taste of wolfsbane lingered on his tongue. He pushed himself upright, gasping, and saw Jon standing by the tent flap, tense and uncert
The doors to the arena shut close with a heavy thud, and the lock slid into place. Only Edwin and Ralph remained inside. The fire burned with low intensity in the corner, casting jagged shadows across the walls. Neither of them said a word for a very long moment.Then Edwin finally broke the silenc
Vanessa paced on the rooftop of the Alpha's quarters. Her perfectly manicured nails kept digging and scratching her palms.Edwin had been gone for three days, three days that felt like an eternity to her..“He should have returned by now,” she muttered, gluing her eyes on the road that disappeared
The arena was dead silent.A training accident, they called it. It had happened that a rare spearhead had dislodged from the ceiling where it was hanged and it sank right into the little boy. No one expected it. No one could have stopped it.Except for one girl.The same girl they had mocked, ridi
Garrett sat at the long council table, pacing slowly behind his chair, awaiting the outcome of the trap that had been set for Tiara.A single candle flickered between the elders, casting stretched shadows across their weathered faces.“This matter with Tiara is growing out of hand,” Elder Leonard m







