Chapter 4

I dodged the first attack.

I wasn't so lucky with the second.

Silver-woven chains wrapped around my wrists from behind, and a searing pain shot through me. Silver is poison to werewolves.

They wanted me dead, right here, right now.

"Got her!" the captain of the guard yelled triumphantly.

I was forced to my knees, my hands bound tightly behind my back.

Damon walked over slowly, a sadistic smirk on his face.

"Still claiming to be the Alpha King's mate?" he sneered, standing over me. "Where is he now? Is he coming to save you?"

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"How pathetic!"

"And here I thought she might actually have some powerful backer!"

"Just a crazy bitch!"

Lyla came to my side, holding a small silver dagger. "Selena, you've disappointed me," she said, crouching down and pressing the tip of the blade to my arm. "It's wrong to lie."

The blade cut into my skin. The burning pain made me clench my jaw.

"We have to leave a mark," Lyla whispered. "So everyone knows what you are."

She began carving into my arm.

One agonizing slice, then another, as the rune for "Outcast" was etched into my flesh.

The other Alphas' mates gathered around.

"Let me have a turn."

"This is what traitors deserve."

"Let's teach her a lesson she'll never forget!"

Silver blades left trails of fire across my skin.

Blood flowed freely.

When Damon had seen enough of the humiliation, he planted his foot on my back.

"Now, lie there like the dog you are and eat the dirt off the floor."

I was shoved face-down onto the cold marble.

"Eat!" he snarled, stomping on my back. "Let everyone see what the once-proud princess of Blood Moon has become!"

The laughter grew louder, more piercing.

"Hahaha!"

"Look at the state of her!"

"She totally deserves this!"

I could smell the dirt, feel the burn of the silver, and taste their malice.

Good.

I will remember every single detail of tonight.

I will remember every single face.

"It's not enough," Damon suddenly said. "A traitor like you is a plague on this world."

He shifted into his half-wolf form. His sharp claws gleamed under the moonlight.

"I'm going to cleanse my pack's honor right here," he said, grabbing my hair and forcing my head up. "Everyone will witness the price of betraying the Blood Moon Pack!"

His claws traced a line across my neck.

"Goodbye, Selena."

Just as he was about to rip my throat out—

A single, world-shattering howl tore through the sky.

It wasn't just any howl. It was the roar of a king, a sound that shook the very blood in every wolf's veins.

The crystal chandeliers in the hall began to sway.

Glass goblets shattered.

Everyone froze, their faces draining of color.

"The Alpha King arrives!"

A deep, commanding voice boomed from the entrance.

A tall figure in a black cloak stood in the doorway.

It was the King's second-in-command.

"All hail Alpha King Kael!"

Everyone scrambled to their knees.

Everyone except me.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, but I forced myself to look up.

A man strode into the hall.

He was well over six feet tall, with black hair and eyes of gold.

He radiated absolute power and authority.

Alpha King Kael.

His gaze swept across the hall, finally landing on me.

When he saw the state I was in, his golden eyes instantly turned blood-red.

"What. Have. You. Done. To. Her?!"

The temperature in the hall plummeted.

An overwhelming wave of killing intent washed over everyone.

I pushed myself into a sitting position, looking at the very people who had been torturing me moments before. Now they were all trembling on the floor.

I spoke, my voice weak but every word sharp as glass.

The Goddess gave you a second chance," my voice was raw, but it carried across the silent hall. "You chose Hell."