Cruelty

Cruelty
For a long while, neither of us said anything.

The hallway had become utterly still once again, just the faint hum of the old bulbs above and the quiet rhythm of our breaths filling the space. I thought maybe Ciel would say something first, but he didn’t. He just leaned against the wall, his gaze distant, and his jaw set in that thoughtful way of his that always made me wonder what kind of storm was brewing behind his calm.

But eventually, my eyes drifted over him. The faint cuts along his neck, and the dark bloodied scratch under his sleeve caught my attention.

The question that had been itching at the back of my mind since I saw him earlier when I’d first stepped into the room with Elara resurfaced.

“Ciel… what happened to you?”

He turned his head slightly, meeting my gaze. For a second, he didn’t answer. Not until he saw my eyes looking at the bruises and cuts riddled all over him. Then, as if deciding I deserved the truth, he exhaled slowly and said, “You remember I told you I’d go to town to look into Michael’s death?”

I nodded, uncertain. “You said you wanted to find out who was behind it but I didn’t know when you... Never mind, continue?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. His voice dropped lower, heavier. “I found my way into the mayor’s mansion.”

My brows knit. “What? Why would you-”

“Because he’s the only lead I had,Alyssa. You heard the hunters say he sold us out too.” His tone sharpened like the edge of a blade. “And it’s true. The mayor’s been colluded with the hunters. The bastard fed them information about us, leading to Michael’s death.”

I stared at him, stunned.

He gave a slow, grim shake of his head before continuing, “I needed to know why. So I went there. It was risky, but the chance had to be taken. I snuck in past his guards and cornered one of his men who told me all of this.”

I blinked at him, the realization hitting like a pulse. “That’s how you got hurt?”

He didn’t answer right away, just flexed his fingers as though remembering something unpleasant. “No, this is. This is something else.”

I waited, my pulse quickening.

“Michael’s death wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t one of our pack members who chose to kill him. It was a deal. Michael’s life for the rest of the pack. It all makes sense why they made you talk Michael into seeing the Mayor that night. The thought behind it all was to offer Michael’s and our life to fend the hunters off of the trail of the whole pack.”

My mouth went dry hearing him. My head hammered as the truth of the whole matter set in, ruthless!

I shook my head slowly. “No… that can’t be.”

Ciel’s expression didn’t falter. “It’s true, Alyssa. Gamma Jerome and his accomplices staged the whole thing to make the hunters believe that with the Alpha gone, the rest of the pack would scatter so as to ensure survival. One big sacrifice to save the rest.”

“Save the rest?” I repeated bitterly, biting deep on my lips as I fought back the hurt.

My voice cracked halfway through, and I felt the air leave my lungs. The image of Michael standing tall, proud, laughing when he would tease me flashed behind my eyes. For some reason, those moments struck even more painfully than his death.

I clenched my hands. “So that’s it? That’s what it was all for?”

Ciel’s eyes darkened. “That’s what I was told. But I guess that wasn’t enough, Gamma Jerome kept the game going. I would sayt from the jump, you and I should have fallen along with Michael in his plans. That’s why even after Michael’s demise he still wants everyone who could expose the truth gone.”

My head snapped toward him. “Everyone?” I muttered, finding reason in his words. It made sense now why I was a target, and why Icarus had said the betas would have tried to kill him and his family even if he gave me up for them to kill earlier.

“Icarus,you, me, Elara, even Zias. We are all targets now. Jerome knows that if any of us pieced together what had really happened, everything would crumble. And once we can prove the truth to the rest of the pack, we can turn things against him. So that’s why he keeps sending men after us all.’’

My breath hitched. I stepped back finally realizing what had caused Ciel’s wounds. “You were ambushed…?” I murmured. “It was them?”

“Yeah.” His gaze met mine again, fierce and unwavering. “They caught up with me on my way back. Three of Jerome’s men, maybe more…”

A chill ran through me. For a brief moment, I could almost see the ruthless fight between Ciel and those werewolves. I wonder just how Ciel would have felt to see those guys after having learnt about the truth behind Michael’s death. The blood, the sheer stubbornness in his eyes as he refused to fall. I felt something twist painfully in my chest.

“Ciel…”

He only gave a small shrug, as though brushing off the fact that he’d nearly been killed. “It’s just scratches. That’s all.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. My throat tightened, words lodging themselves somewhere deep where my fear and admiration tangled together. Ciel was the last person I had left in all of this, I couldn’t lose him too. But I knew not to worry about him too much, after all, what’s happened had already happened.

Silence fell again.

My thoughts swirled like a storm, all jagged edges and heavy emotions. I slowly felt anger rising within me. I was still at a disbelief over Jerome’s cruelty and that of the mayor. My grief for Michael rose again, mixing with the loss of Icarus…

I was worried. Worried that it could be any of us next. Me, Ciel, Elara… It could be anyone. Who knows what other evil schemes gamma Jerome had in mind. So far he’s dealt too much damage for me to doubt that something of the sort wouldn’t happen again.

Suddenly, a thought struck me when I realized there was one more person I hadn’t thought of to be a possible target. “Wait-- Ciel, what about Selena?”

He looked at me, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“She’s here now,” I said quickly, “If Jerome’s after everyone who could have realized the truth behind Michael’s death, then…? Wouldn’t she also be in danger?” I questioned.

“ That has to be a given.” Ciel just sighed, but he seemed to attain a seriousness that conveyed his plan to caution Selena.

I relaxed at this, then pondered something else.” How did she even get here? She was still in the packhouse when I was kicked.”

Ciel exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I don’t know either. She suddenly appeared after I’d found Icarus… or what was left of him.” His voice faltered briefly. He trailed off, his jaw tightening again.

“But you’re right, Alyssa. Something doesn’t sit right with the timing with which she appeared. How did she know to come straight to Icarus’ place when she’d been in the packhouse before. Could it be that she knew about Icarus’ family being held hostage?”

I swallowed, uneasy. “ Could be…” I said, trailing off into thought.

Selena had always been kind, a little distant, but kind. I didn’t want to doubt her, but Ciel’s tone made it hard not to. And after everything that had happened… trust felt like a luxury none of us could afford anymore.

After a short while in thought, I admitted softly. “When I was kicked out, she didn’t come after me nor offer any defense in my stead despite the fact that in the past few days we’d been quite close. Although, we really haven’t been on great terms ever since Michael’s death. This morning she screamed at me and told me to leave when I’d gone to speak with her about it. I really don’t know…” I hesitated, unsure how to finish that thought.

Ciel turned his head slightly, frowning, but he didn’t say anything. He stared at the floor, seemingly deep in thought.

For a long while after that, neither of us spoke. We just stood there, lost in our thoughts, the silence thick and full of everything that didn’t need to be said aloud.

I thought about the mayor, about Jerome, about the hunters, Michael, Icarus, Elara, Zias, and Selena; it all blurred together in a mix of emotions.

The faces, the blood, the betrayals, and cruelty. All of it had me spiraling in hurt. A deep ache spread through my chest. “It’s too much,” I whispered, barely realizing I’d spoken aloud.

Ciel looked at me, his expression softening. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “It is.”

I met his gaze then, and for the first time since all this began, I saw something raw in his eyes-- not anger, not vengeance, but weariness. He was tired, just like I was.

That realization hit me harder than anything else. Because, for all his strength and composure, he still has a heart. He also bled, and was also breaking inside.

I opened my mouth to say something -anything- but the words never came.

“It’s okay,” he said softly, almost like he was reading my thoughts.

I nodded faintly and looked down at my hands, feeling small and uncertain and painfully aware of everything we’d lost.

The silence stretched again, but this time it wasn’t suffocating. It was strangely gentle. Like the quiet that follows a storm, when all that’s left is the sound of your own heartbeat reminding you that you’re still alive.

After a long moment, Ciel pushed off the wall and straightened. “Come on,” he said quietly. “We should head back. Elara’s probably calmed down by now.”

I hesitated. “Do you think she’ll want to see me?”

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “It should be fine now.” The tone with which he spoke was firm and kind, one my feelings couldn’t argue against.

I nodded slowly, pushing myself to move. The floorboards creaked beneath our feet as we started toward the door. I could still feel the weight of everything we’d just talked about pressing down on me, but now it felt… shared. Not lighter, but bearable.

When we almost reached the door, a thought crossed my mind. I felt the need to tell him something. “Ciel?” I called softly.

He stopped, looking over with a raised brow.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He looked at me for a long moment, and then gave a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes but still managed to soften the edges of his well-pronounced face.

“Just promise me one thing,” he said quietly.

I tilted my head. “What?”

“Don’t lose yourself in all of this,” he said. “We’ve already lost enough people.”

I swallowed, then nodded. “I’ll try.”

And with that, he opened the door.