Chapter 65 CHAPTER 65

Chapter 65 CHAPTER 65
ALINA

"Are you sure you do not know anything about this?" I asked Aunt Arya while we were on our way to the court where we were going to be on trial. They had gotten the witch hunter who was going to come and check if any of us was associated with magic. I honestly did not know that this was such a big thing for him.

"Yes, I do not." She shook her head. She looked over at Maria and Lily, and they were both scared. I did not want to tell them that I knew why this was happening. It was a witch, but it was not what they expected. If I told them Kai was related to a witch I do not know if they would be able to forgive him.

When we reached it, I stood there, heart pounding in my chest. My mind was racing, every step feeling heavier than the last as we approached the great throne that Jamie was sitting on, his face in a tight frown. Aunt Arya, Nina, Maria, and I were surrounded by Jamie's guards, their faces cold and merciless. We were trapped, and every glance exchanged between us was filled with unspoken terror.

"Do you know what they would do to us if they find out anything, if someone tried to incriminate us?" I whispered, the bile rising in my throat.

"Death." Aunt Arya said under her breath.

"Of course," I muttered, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. Jamie was desperate to find someone to blame for something this tiny and unimportant, and now he was turning to his scapegoats. But deep down, I knew d it wasn't just about Lily's escape. There was something personal in the way he was trying to be harsh. Maybe he wanted to do this to make everyone fear him, and he did not know that it only made him look like a damn fool.

The elders of the council were seated in their high chairs, their eyes fixed on us with judgment and suspicion. A few of the more powerful pack members stood behind them, whispering among themselves, no doubt enjoying the spectacle. I swallowed the lump in my throat, my palms sweating as we were lined up before them like prisoners on trial.

Jamie stepped forward, his smirk sending shivers down my spine. " Do you know why you're here?" he asked, his voice dripping with false authority.

I clenched my fists at my sides. "Why don't you enlighten us?" I was being sarcastic to him even though my entire being was warning me not to. It was not going to end well for me. But I doubted if he could kill me. He wouldn't risk killing his luna... or would he? He could get any other woman now that he was alpha.

He raised a brow, clearly annoyed by my defiance. "You're here because someone, or something, has been helping you undermine my authority. And I have reason to believe it's witchcraft."

A murmur spread through the room. I could feel the council's eyes burning into me, as if they were already convinced of my guilt. They did not even freaking know me. I wondered how they were able to enjoy it when an innocent person was torn to shreds in front of everyone.

"This is ridiculous!" Aunt Arya snapped. "None of us have anything to do with witchcraft!"

Jamie ignored her, waving over a cloaked figure that emerged from the shadows. The witch hunter. His face was gaunt, with sunken eyes that gleamed with malice. He stalked toward us slowly, like a predator assessing its prey. The witch hunter approached Aunt Arya first, sniffing the air around her as though he could sense magic just by being near it. Aunt Arya stood tall, her chin raised in defiance, though I could see the flicker of fear in her eyes.

"She's clean," the witch hunter muttered after a long pause, moving on to Maria.

Maria held her breath, trembling slightly as he circled her. I wanted to reach out, to comfort her, but my feet were glued to the floor. I couldn't move. My heart hammered in my chest, waiting for him to get to me.

"Clean," he grumbled again, though it sounded like he wasn't satisfied with his findings.

Finally, he stopped in front of me. His cold, dead eyes scanned my face, and I felt his scrutiny like a knife at my throat. He hovered there for a moment, and I forced myself to meet his gaze, refusing to let him see my fear.

"You're wasting your time," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "There's nothing to find here."

The witch hunter sneered, and suddenly, his eyes widened as if something invisible had gripped him. His finger shot out, pointing directly at me. "Witch!" he screamed. "She is a witch!"

The accusation hit me like a punch in the stomach. Gasps echoed through the room, and I saw Aunt Arya step forward, but a guard blocked her from intervening. I could barely process what was happening. My body froze in place as the witch hunter raised his staff, prepared to strike me down. What was this? Was it some joke? I wanted to run away, to save myself because I knew there was no one that was going to save me but the guards were surrounded all over the pack. If I ran they could hurt me.

"You're wrong!" I shouted, trying to move, but my legs felt like lead. I could not even get myself to run because of the stress.

"Silence!" Jamie barked, his face twisted in glee. "She's been caught. The evidence is clear!"

Before I could defend myself further using words, a commotion erupted from the back of the room. The doors burst open with a deafening crash, and suddenly, there was Kai. He stormed in, his sword gleaming, his eyes burning with rage.

"Kai!" I cried out, relief flooding through me.

The entire room erupted into chaos. Jamie's guards rushed toward Kai, but he cut through them like they were nothing. Blood stained the floor as the bodies of the guards fell, but Kai didn't hesitate. His focus was singular, his movements sharp and precise.

"Stop him!" Jamie screamed, his face turning red with fury.

But no one could stop him. Kai was unstoppable. He fought with a fury I had never seen before, and within moments, he had cleared a path to Jamie. Aunt Arya was shocked for a moment, seeing her dead nephew alive but she knew she had to do something to protect the two innocent girls in front of her so she closed their eyes as they cried out, seeing this much blood being shed.

I wanted to run away too but the witch hunter got me by my dress and I stumbled to the ground, hitting my head and the pain radiated in me. He was a witch hunter. If he indeed was convinced that I was one, he was going to kill me before anyone saved me. Suddenly, I felt pain in my back that radiated through out my body and I let out a yell.

"Kai, no!" I shouted, struggling to stand as the witch hunter's staff struck me in the side again. Pain exploded in my ribs, sending me crashing to the ground. My vision blurred, and the room started to spin. I could barely make out the sounds of the battle around me, but I saw Kai by the great throne.

He roared, shifted into a beast that scared everyone on the high table, and then, plunged his sword into Jamie's chest with a force that shook the ground. Jamie's scream pierced the air, and his body fell lifelessly to the floor. He just killed him and he did not waste time as he killed the other people around, Jamie's friends that he had while he and his family were in exile.

I gasped, clutching my side as I tried to sit up. Kai stood over Jamie and his comrade's bodies, his chest heaving, his face contorted with rage. The room was once loud when he was killing but when he killed the alpha, everyone turned deathly silent as they watched in shock.

But the witch hunter wasn't finished. I felt a sharp pain shoot through my head as the witch hunter struck me again, this time knocking me fully to the ground. My head hit the cold stone floor with a sickening thud, and my vision darkened.

"Kai..." I tried to call out, but my voice was weak, barely a whisper.

I saw him through the haze, turning toward me. His eyes met mine, and for a moment, everything else faded away. I saw the pain in his face, the desperation. He was coming for me, moving toward me with his hand outstretched. But it was too late. My body gave out, and everything went black.