Chapter 166: The judgement

Chapter 166: The judgement
~Third POV~

ONE WEEK AFTER LYRA WOKE UP

The throne room was full of light and laughter, it was a rare occasion when the nobles and commoners in the lands mingled together.

Salvatore had finally known peace and tonight they were celebrating. Music played from the corner where musicians had set up.

Tables were filled with food and blood wine. Underworldlians danced and laughed and drank, grateful to be alive after everything they had survived.

Lyra sat on her seat beside Ragel, watching the people celebrate. Arianna was sleeping in her arms.

Tivel stood nearby with Vavous, with Vavous that was glowering any one that tried to come too close to her, especially the males.

One couldn't blame them because Tivel was exceptionally beautiful in the purple gown that Lyra had bought for her.

Her purple was beautiful singly with two curly strands left at the front to shape her face.

Seraffim and Darius were dancing, with Darius whispering in her ears and she laughing, who have ever thought the always gloomy lord could ever laugh and smile like these a year ago, no one.

And people couldn't help but laugh and point this out, even Garius and Sarai were laughing at something across the room.

Sarai dark skin glowed and shone, just like Tivel, she was stunning, men looked at all the women wishing they were theirs but none of their mates would let anyone survive if they dared.

For the first time in months, everyone was happy but happiness suddenly became short-lived when the doors of the banquet hall swung open.

The god-like guards dragged in prisoners and the celebration paused as people recognized who they were.

Stephen, the werewolf king, Alvira, the ex-wife of the beast king, and Zehran, the divines priest.

Selene appeared in a burst of silver light, standing before the throne.

"Tonight you celebrate your survival," the moon goddess said. "But before the celebration can truly begin, justice must be served. It is the way of life and how it must be done, for the ones that have taken lives must pay for the lives they had wrongly taken.”

She looked at the prisoners with cold eyes.

"These are the ones who tried to destroy you," Selene said, coldly, rage rolled off her in waves. "And they will answer for it."

She turned to Zehran first.

"Zehran," Selene called. "Cousin of the beast king. You are judged for your greed, you wanted the throne so badly that you made a deal with Hades. Do you want to tell them what you traded?"

Zehran said nothing, he just glared. He wasn't remorseful, to him he hasn't done anything wrong for wanting the best for himself.

"I will tell you, he traded his mate's bond," Selene announced to the room. "He gave away his fated mate, the one person created just for him, in exchange for power. He severed the sacred bond and handed it to Hades."

Gasps echoed through the throne room. Trading a mate bond was the worst thing a beast could do.

It was sacred, especially when it was a fated one. It means it was eternal and life without that particular person becomes misery for the person.

And yet, Zehran, who is a priest that should know this well, had thrown it away for greed.

"Your mate could have died the moment you severed the bond," Selene continued. "Her beast would feel you rejected her because it wasn't good enough. I hate beings like you!” Selene sputtered out, her eyes glowing blue. “ When I gave you a bond, it's because I know what's best for your beast! When you stand creating your own bonds, you corrupt your beast and your mate's beast.”

For the first time, Zehran's face cracked. It showed an expression.

"I didn't know she could die, I asked Hades and he assured she would be safe but my heart would be blackened,” he defended.

His words seem to annoy Selene more. "You didn't care, do not lie, you stand before a god that sees all. You only cared about the throne. About power and beating your brothers. Because of you an entire kingdom was wiped, the same kingdom which belonged to your mate, or have you forgotten?"

The entire hall broke into whispers as they looked at Seraffim, her mind was adding two and two together.

So Zehran was supposed to be her mate? No wonder she felt awfully close to him and wanted to be around him when she newly came to Salvatore, at first she didn't think too much about it but before she could process that reason as time went on, the urge died just as quickly.

For a weird reason after she saw him again, all she felt was sadness and then disgust from Kitsune so that was the reason she thought.

Then again, she was glad for whatever he did, breaking off the bond or whatever because that choice of his gave her a better beast that loves and would do anything that he could never do for her.

Selene raised her hand.

"For trading something sacred, for causing the death of your own mate's kingdom, you will spend eternity feeling that broken bond. You will feel the emptiness she should have felt. You will feel the rejection. Over and over, forever, with no relief and no one to save or rescue you from that anguish. For every scream her people screamed, you will scream it, you see the horror everyday of your life, you will beg for death but won't find it and your powers both the divines one and the Hades gave are forever gone!"

Zehran screamed as the punishment took hold. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest where the bond had once been, feeling the agony of everyone that he had killed all once.

He saw thousands of people all at once, as a sword plunged into them and they fell down and died, until they stood up again in his mind, the circle continuing.

Zehran screamed again, bundling himself in the fetus' position to hide. “ And oh, before I forget, I will take away your beast as well.”

Selene stretched her hand in his direction again and he screamed in pain as she ripped his beast from him. Zehran fell to the ground when she was done, screaming again and again in his torment.

Selene turned to Alvira with a cold smile. Alvira was shaking, she wished she had died at the hands of Zehran, it would have been painless rather than looking into the eyes of the angry god before her.

"You betrayed your chosen mate and King," she said. "You worked with Zehran. You tried to destroy this kingdom, the same kingdom you were once a queen over. Less I forget, you killed Sephora while she was pregnant and threw her body in your room to impersonate you. For your treachery, you will lose your hands and serve in the lowest territories of humans for the rest of your days that are going to be very long. You will know what it means to be powerless, no beast and none to protect you."

Golden chains wrapped around Alvira and her hands fell to the ground. She screamed in pure horror, losing consciousness but Selene sealed the wounds immediately and woke her. She would not escape through death.

Finally, Selene turned to Stephen. But before the goddess could speak, Lyra stood up.

"Stop," Lyra shouted. She handed Arianna to Tivel. "This one is mine,” she said to Selene who let her do whatever she wanted.

Lyra walked down from her seat and stood before Stephen.

"You sold your own mother and sister," Lyra hissed, Lauren showing herself. "For power and after Zehran made you an offer, you sold them out. And you killed your own brothers. Was it worth it? Tell me!”

Instead of answering her, Stephen laughed. Lyra, hurt beyond words, struck her brother for the first time in her life.

She didn't know what she had been expecting, remorse maybe but her brother didn’t have it. He looked smug.

"You killed our mother and our brothers for power!" she screamed. "Why? Why would you kill your own brothers? Tell me! I want to know!"

The last part sounded like she was begging him to know his reasons but Stephen spat blood and laughed harder.

"Because they always took me as a loser," he said. " How could they? I had so much. Power. Position. But everyone always preferred Josh. Even my chosen mate fell for Josh just because of one random mistake of mine. It was just one night of folly that I slept with a maid in the palace and suddenly everyone loved him more than me."

"You are the worst thing to ever happen to us," Lyra said, disgust filling her voice.

Stephen smiled at her through the blood.

"At least you're going to be catering for my son…"

He never finished, anger got the best of Selene as she struck him with lightning.

"You will die the worst death," she said, her voice cold. "For the deaths of the wolves you used for your own personal greed."

She struck him again. “ For the death of my dear friend, Arianna.”

And again. “ For the death of the woman you killed while she was pregnant because of your greed.”

The lightning poured from her hands as Stephen screamed and burned.

She struck him again and again until there was nothing left but ash scattered across the floor.

The room went silent. Lyra stood there breathing hard, trying her best not to feel sorry for his death and cry for him but it was so hard as she stared at the ash that had been Stephen.

Selene went to her and stood beside her.

"That was justice," the moon goddess said softly, making sure Lyra heard her. "He used his position to cause death and suffering. He killed his own blood for power. What I did was right. It was justice. And I am being kind to you by letting you see it done."

Lyra nodded slowly. But felt if he deserved to die, then so did the others.

"And the others?" she asked. "Lewis and Allora?"

Siofra appeared then, golden light spilling everywhere and blinding eyes a little.

"Already dead," Siofra said. "Hades' power corruption ate them. They took too much darkness into themselves and it burned them from the inside, just as the blessing burned you. They are going to face their own judgment now in the afterlife."

She looked around the throne room at all the people. When her eyes met Ragel she spoke.

"This is the last time," Siofra said. "The gods will not intervene in your affairs again. We have done what we came to do. Justice has been served. The balance has been restored and our debts repaid.

She looked at Lyra and Ragel.

"From now on, your kingdom is yours to rule," Siofra said. "Your choices are yours to make. We will return to the god realm and we will not interfere again."

"Thank you," Ragel said from where he was sitting. "For everything."

Siofra nodded. "Take care of each other," she said. "That is what mortals do best."

Then the gods began to fade. Even after they were gone, the throne room was still quiet for a while.

Ragel stood up to reassure his people. "The threat is gone," he announced them. "The traitors have been judged. Our kingdom is safe. Tonight we celebrate not just survival but freedom."

The room erupted into cheers.

The music started again. The dancing resumed. The laughter returned, louder and freer than before.

Lyra walked back to her seat, she took Arianna from Tivel, whispered a thank you and then sat down beside Ragel and watched the people celebrate.

"It's over," Ragel said, taking her hand.

"Yes," Lyra said. She looked at her daughter sleeping peacefully. At her mate beside her. And at her people dancing and laughing and finally, truly free. "It's finally over."

THE END

BUT THERE WILL BE FOUR BONUS CHAPTERS FOR MY LOVELY READERS. THANK YOU, GUYS, Y’ALL ARE THE BEST.