Chapter 4

Joanne’s POV

The door exploded inward, and the hinges screamed.

I stumbled back as Alpha Anthony filled the frame like a storm.

“You dare ignore me?!” His voice cracked like a whip, making me flinch.

The backhand came before I could answer, and immediately, my mouth filled with blood. My entire body shook as Anthony stood tall, his aura darkening with each breath he took.

“Search everything,” he ordered the Gammas who had flooded into my cabin. “There’s one vampire still missing, and his blood trail ended nearby. He didn’t just vanish!”

They were searching for the vampire I had helped last night.

My pulse roared.

The gammas tore through my life in seconds. Crockery shattered. My bedding in the corner of the room ripped. The chest that held my personal belongings kicked open and spilled everything I owned onto the floor.

“Please…” I begged, tears burning my vision. “I… I didn’t do anything!”

Anthony’s hand fisted in my hair and yanked me upright.

“You reek of lies,” he seethed.

“I don’t know anything,” I gasped, hoping with everything I had in me that he didn’t smell the lies rolling off me in waves.

He shoved me down. The heel of his boot ground into my shoulder, making me whimper.

“There’s nothing here but useless garbage,” one of the gammas announced.

Anthony gave me a hard kick, forcing me further away from him. I could tell he was frustrated, but he backed off from me.

“Keep searching the forest,” he muttered to his men.

They turned to leave, but Anthony froze when he stepped on something, sharp and metallic.

When he lifted his foot, something slid out from the wreckage—an amulet.

My eyes widened as I caught sight of it.

I had never seen something like it before.

It was teardrop-shaped, dark silver, so tarnished it looked black. A blood-red garnet gleamed at its center, cracked faintly down the middle as if it had survived fire.

Strange markings crawled along the metal, symbols no wolf would know

Anthony bent, picking it up between two fingers.

The garnet caught the light and glowed like a coal washing Anthony’s face in red. His smile was sharp and cruel.

“So. My wolfless little rat keeps company with monsters.”

“No—” The kick knocked the air out of me.

Pain bloomed hot in my ribs.

“Bind her,” he said. “Let the pack see what becomes of traitors.”

They were on me before I could blink.

I was dragged through the pack, my arms and legs screaming from pain due to the tight skin-cutting bindings.

Spit hit my cheek. Someone threw a stone, slicing my cheek. Some packmates laughed while others cursed my name.

By the time they locked me in the dungeon, beneath the packhouse floors, my hands were shaking too hard to lift myself off the ground.

The smell of old blood made me gag; the mildew and mold that grew on the walls made me feel even sicker.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been locked away for; hours blurred.

Periodically, I would be met with a different gamma; they’d ask me questions I couldn’t answer, resulting in blows I couldn’t block.

I knew an entire day had passed by the time I saw Alpha Anthony again. His cruel smirk was all I could see.

“Drag her out,” he ordered his men. “The pack wants a show.”

Soon, hands were on me, yanking me to my feet. My legs wobbled as I moved. My eyes found Anthony again, a question on my lips, but no courage to ask it.

They marched me to the pack square at dusk, where there was already a large crowd gathered.

They screamed at me, threw things at me, and even spat at me.

I was chained, the cruel silver biting into my skin and making me hiss. My knees buckled, so they forced me to the ground. A rock cut into the bone of my knee, and blood trickled into the dirt.

Beta Ben stood in front of me, along with the head gamma, his blade large and ready to sear me to death.

I swallowed hard, my entire body shaking with fear.

Alpha Anthony stood beside me, that harsh smirk never leaving his face.

I lifted my gaze to his, my eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Why do you hate me so much?” I whispered. “I have done nothing to you. I am wolfless, and I pose no threat. Why do you want me dead so badly?”

Anthony let out a wild laugh, making a sound I had never heard before.

“Why wouldn’t I be cruel to the bane who shares my blood?” He hissed, his words making my heart stop.

Share his blood?

That didn’t make any sense. I was an orphan, found by the pack Gammas when I was a baby. Or at least that’s what I’ve always been told.

“What?” I asked, my voice coming out barely above a whisper.

Anthony looked away from me, as if the mere sight of me was unbearable.

The head Gamma came forward, grabbing my hair and dragging me to the center, where everybody could get a good viewing of my death.

I grunted as he threw me to the ground, my shoulder, already bruised, screaming in pain.

“Sad, pathetic, little wolfless,” the Gamma hissed, his face inches from my ear as he pressed the blade of his sword against my throat. I felt the sharp teeth of the blade digging into my flesh, and a warm trickle of blood went down my neck. “To have your own father order your execution.”

He let out a cruel laugh.

I closed my eyes, hating the stinging sensation behind my eyes as I struggled not to cry.

Was Alpha Anthony really my father?

The thought filled me with dread.

I let out a shuddering breath; perhaps this execution was a blessing.

No more hunger. No more pain.

No more being the pack's punching bag.

No more Alpha Anthony.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

Hoofbeats thundered over stone, and gasps echoed around the crowd.

“Alpha!” One of the Gammas yelled, rushing towards the center, a look of panic clear on his face. “The vampires have rallied; they are storming Long Lake!”

“The vampire prince is leading the army, Alpha! I recognized the crest on his armor,” another rushed out.

The sounds of a distant battle echoed through the lands.

The pack was under attack.

Black-cloaked riders rode into the square, crimson banners snapping in the fading light. Swords outstretched and dripping with fresh blood.

And at their head… it was him.

The vampire that I had helped, the one who vanished in front of my eyes.

He was here… and he looked pissed.

He stopped in front of Alpha Anthony, dismounting in a smooth motion.

His hand gripped the steel sword as he raised it to Alpha Anthony. For once, Anthony looked actually terrified. It would have been funny if the circumstances weren’t so dire.

“If you kill her,” he said, voice carrying like thunder, “You’ll lose your only bargaining chip, Alpha Anthony.”