“Wretched witch! I don’t know why we didn’t kill her sooner!”
That harsh growl sounded at the same time that Deborah was thrown to the ground, the roughness of the earth and straw from the courtyard in front of the palace tearing her skin through her already filthy dress. That pain, however, seemed almost like a joke after all the punches and kicks she had received while trying to free herself from the restraints on her wrists and legs. Eventually, when a hard punch in her stomach made her cough up blood and fear for her baby, Deborah decided to stay as still as a dead animal.
Still, the attacks did not stop. She could feel the bruises and concussions forming on her arms, legs, abdomen and head. Even her scalp was burning in a place where one of the servants had pulled her hair, perhaps even pulling out an entire strand.
But even through all the agony, all she could focus on as she lifted her head, the gag still burning the corners of her lips, was Evangeline's tearful expression before her, standing next to the huge pile of wood and hay that had been set up in the center of the courtyard. To everyone there, her expression probably looked desolate, but to Deborah, it looked like nothing more than mockery, as if her cousin was ready to enjoy a show.
“We should make the horses tear her up!” an old man growled nearby “It’s the least she deserves for what she allowed to happen to my son! My poor boy, forever without his hands...”
“Don’t be foolish, Wallace.” A female voice responded “By burning her, we have a chance to burn the curse and free our lands from the curse those damned lions have placed upon us.”
“Mirian is right! My grandmother always said that the punishment that a follower of the God of Discord could receive is to be taken to the presence of the Goddess after death, to be punished as they should!”
“Please, Evangeline, try to calm down…” one of the servants begged, holding her cousin by the shoulders as if she were the only one there who needed to be comforted “I promise that your mother will be here soon. We haven't been able to find her yet, but we will soon. I think it must have been the shock of knowing what your own niece tried to do to you...”
“Haven’t they found her yet?” Evangeline’s voice changed for a quick moment, but then returned to sounding desolate “Oh, Mom is beside herself. Please, don't pay too much attention to anything she said when you see her, okay? She will certainly try to find an excuse for Deborah's behavior because she has always considered her second daughter. But please don't let her get close to Deborah, in case you find her before the fire is lit. Even though she is tied up, I'm afraid of what she would do to my mother, after what she did to me.”
"Don't worry. She won't hurt anyone else. Soon, she will be dead and I am sure the King will finally take you as his queen.”
“Oh, I can't even think about it…” she whimpered again, those ice-colored eyes piercing Deborah's soul as their gazes met “All I can feel is the pain of having to watch someone I considered my sister die... But, if this is for the good of the entire kingdom, especially if in fact Deborah was the traitor who handed us over to the lions, as I once heard Iron mention..." even with the meters separating her, Deborah can see when one of the corners of her mouth lifted in a discreet smile “Then, so be it.”
“Lift her up and tie her to the stake.” One of the guards ordered, causing Deborah’s body to recoil in pure despair.
Even with all the pain she was feeling, she still tried to struggle away from those rough hands, but nothing was enough. With extreme ease, those men dragged her to the structure of the fire, lifting a huge, heavy stake right into the middle, before beginning to tie Deborah's limbs to it. Her joints seemed about to come apart, but she couldn't even think about it as her eyes fell to her belly, still completely flat, but holding the most precious possession she had ever had in her life.
And now, both of them would be consumed by the flames.
In vain, she still tried to wriggle away from that fire, only managing to hurt herself even more as the wolves around threw more straw below her feet.
“We are just waiting for your order, my future queen.” One of the guards spoke to Evangeline, fervent loyalty burning in his voice, as he lit a torch far away.
“It hurts me so much...” Deborah’s cousin sobbed, her icy eyes staring at her without even blinking “So, please, just get it over with.”
Before Deborah's eyes, the torch moved, slower than normal, the flame getting closer as her entire life flashed before her eyes. Scorned, loved, betrayed, scorned again... Hopeful to build a better future for her baby, And, now, she would meet her end in the most painful way possible, as it had been all her life.
From the moment she was born, until her last breath, she would be hated. For the Goddess, for her pack, for her mate.
Inevitably, the torch met its fate, heating the pieces of wood and spreading through the dry straw like a plague. Through the gag, Deborah screamed as the flames licked her toes, though that was certainly nothing compared to the agony that was to come as the fire rose. As the flames crackled, she was no longer able to see through the smoke screen and her tear-filled eyes, but she was able to hear the voices chanting around her.
"Witch! Burn the Witch!”
“This is for you, my daughter! May the flames of justice destroy whoever took you from me!”
“Oh, my Goddess, please accept the offering of this corrupted soul and free our land from this death curse. We have already suffered so much...”
Monsters! That's what Deborah wanted to scream. That's what they were, monsters who were killing her poor baby who didn't even have a chance to be born. They could have done whatever they wanted to her, but they couldn't hurt that precious child. After all the things they had done while she was growing up and especially that last year, yet Deborah had never been able to truly feel hate.
Not until that moment.
If there was a way to make them pay, even after she was dead, through someone else, even if it was the lions... Deborah hoped that could happen.
She had prayed so many times in vain to the Goddess of the Moon... So, who knows, pray to the God of Discord would make any difference?
“Don’t say that, my child.” That same voice she had heard in Hannah's room murmured through the smoke "You are more important than you can imagine."
Hatred, despair and confusion bewildered Deborah, the pain from the burns on her feet increasing more and more, until the last voice she expected to hear screamed in an enraged command.
“Get my mate out of this fire right now!”
“Get my mate out of this fire right now!” Iron’s form was visible even on the other side of the heat and flames.“My King…” the guards’ voice trembled “We… We surprised her trying to kill the princess after she attacked Evangeline, so we thought…”“I gave you permission to decide for yourself what her punishment would be?!” Iron snapped “Put out that fire right now! And, whoever is responsible for this, better step forward, if he doesn’t want to be replaced by Deborah on that stake.”“It was... It was Evangeline who gave the order my King.” It seemed that the servant who took so much care of Evangeline was not that loyal, as she responded promptly, cornered.“You bitch...! I told you not to touch her!”“But... Iron...” Evangeline whimpered “She tried to kill me and your sister...”“Then you should have locked her in the room and waited for me! You are not the Queen to make decisions in my place... Put out that fucking fire before I kill every one of you!”“Is the mating bond that stro
“You look so beautiful, Debbie... Isn't it amazing how that dress makes your hair color pop?” Evangeline hummed, and, even though she struggled, Deborah had her chin held and was forced to look at her own reflection in the mirror before them.“You… You really think so?” she swallowed nervously.“Of course! This will be perfect to shut up all those mean girls who are always talking about how this beautiful red is a mark of the God of Discord. Oh, I would give anything to have hair like that too...” Evangeline sighed, running her fingers through her perfectly straight, snow-white hair."Do not say that. Your hair is perfect. How could it not be? It is a symbol of the Moon Goddess.” Deborah turned to face her cousin, intertwining their hands “And, don’t worry. I know that before I was always wetting your shoulder with my tears because of this, but... Iron is always saying that my hair is beautiful, so... I have no reason to cry anymore. Whenever he tells me I'm completely perfect... I fe
The Pack's judgmental look threatened to destabilize her, but Deborah sought comfort in her mate, knowing that none of it would matter, as long as Iron was with her. He had made her happier in that last year than she had ever been in her entire life, after all. Deborah trusted her mate to help her face the challenges of being a queen. The contempt of those wolves was just an obstacle on the path to the happy life they would build together.As the mating ceremony etiquette dictated, Iron turned her toward him, holding her hand in front of all those witnesses, making her chest swell with that warm joy that Deborah could never have imagined would be bestowed upon someone like her, who had not been considered by the Goddess as worthy of having more than one form. However, Iron did not return her smile or appear to notice the caress of her thumb on his palm, when he began to speak.“It is my duty as Alpha, once I have found my fated mate, to stand before the four packs, as your Alpha and
“Your servants have complained that you are not eating again.”Normally, that voice would have made Deborah freeze the fork's path to her mouth. However, that day, she just dipped the meat in the sauce, not even turning around when answering the King.“I appreciate your concerns, but this will no longer happen.” she commented calmly, beginning to chew her dinner, as a menacing growl responded.“For your sake, I hope so.” Iron spoke and finally, from the corner of her eye, Deborah noticed the stern expression on his face, plus the way Evangeline was sitting on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck like snakes around a prey “I don’t remember giving you permission to starve to death.”“As you wish, my King.” She just nodded softly, refocusing solely on the plate in front of her, as Evangeline murmured, her voice sweet as honey.“Should we retire to the bedroom, my King?” Even though she wasn't looking in their direction, Deborah knew that her cousin was moving provocatively on Iron's
"Say!" Iron spat, wrapping his hands in the back of her hair to force her to look him in the eyes again “Show that there is still at least a drop of wolf honor left in you and admit that it was you who conspired with the lions! It was you who stood next to my sister at the gates that day and made it easy for our enemies to invade our Kingdom that day! It was you who allowed children to be killed, women to be raped and so many of us to be tortured in their dungeons! You’re the reason Hannah was almost dying in that bed, unable to wake up!"Deborah even tried to open her mouth to say something, but the shock ended any words she could have formulated, while Iron just continued, his tone increasingly full of hatred and pain."Every day, I have to control the urge to tear apart my own skin, to get this off me! And do you really think this last year was enough to punish you? Nothing I can do to you will come close to the pain you made this kingdom feel, Deborah!”As had happened a year ago,
“There we are, my dear. But, please, remember, feather steps. It could be the end of both of us, if they catch you here.”Deborah smiled when she heard the kindness in that voice, despite the fear and apprehension. Every time she and her aunt sneaked through the narrow passages hidden between the castle walls, Anastasia was terrified, looking everywhere, as if expecting a guard to emerge from the shadows to chop off their heads at any moment.But even so, she never refused to help Deborah.“It’s okay. You can go back now, Aunt Ana. Even though all the soldiers are a little less alert now because of the change of patrol to accompany the King to the borders, I will be careful, I promise. And fast, too.” She promised, reaching for Anastasia's hand, her heart aching to realize that her aunt's bones seemed more protruding with each passing day “I... I just want to have a quick chat. That’s what always calms me down.”“Oh, my poor girl...” Anastasia sniffed, moving closer so she could hold
“Evangeline?” she felt her blood run cold, her eyes darting between the sharp blade and her cousin's livid expression “What are you doing here? What... What did you want to do with Hannah?” Anger rose in Deborah's voice when she realized why Evangeline could enter her best friend's room with a sharp weapon.“You...” her cousin murmured, barely looking like herself, with that cold, glassy look “You're always trying to get in my way... But, not this time. Thanks to you, I will achieve even more than I expected tonight.”Still with her face empty, Evangeline just remained looking at her for a few seconds, in total silence. When she began to raise the dagger, Deborah feared for herself and for her child, and prepared to try to find a way out of there, even if it was through the window, taking a chance on the ledges outside... However, what Evangeline did was turn the weapon on herself, moving it towards her arm until a cut appeared there, staining the white nightgown she was wearing.Jus