Zane:
I'm going to miss Natalie a lot, and seeing her die because of me is heart-wrenching. What I hate most is the fact that I can't bring myself to deal with Kiara. I want to rip her heart out too, but I may end up hurting myself, and I don't want that.
Seeing Rufus hit her would have been glorious if it didn't hurt to see your mate hurt.
"Sir, I'm sorry," Rufus says with a bow, and he turns to leave. I stare at Ariana, who hurries away too, then I face Kiara.
She lets out a short laugh that pierces my soul in multiple ways.
"Have you come to take the last blow?" she asks, and I stare at her without a word.
I try to fight my emotions because I can't let her see the hold she has on me. I have to be tough.
"How do you feel about what you've done?" I ask, and she chuckles.
"You mean how I feel after saving my life?" She asks. "I feel good, Zane."
I slam my hand on the wall at once, causing her to sit up with the chains clanking.
"You know, I feel bad for killing a human because I do not believe in that, but she was a threat to my existence. I mean, I could have easily run away if I wasn't a prisoner here and also if you didn't mess with things that you know nothing about," she says, and I curl my hands into a fist.
"You are biting more than you can chew, Kiara!" I yell, and she scoffs.
"Says someone who messed with a Luna. You belittle me because I am female. I can bet that you wouldn't mishandle an alpha this way."
"It took you years to plot against my packs because our men are renowned warriors, and even on the day of execution, you all were too chicken to carry out the plan."
Her words sting deep.
"I won't be doing this with you, Kiara. Make up your mind to render a heartfelt apology or you face my wrath!" I yell, and I turn to leave. Then she spits on the floor.
"Over my dead body, will I apologize to you," she says, and I stop in my tracks.
"Then get ready, because tomorrow you'll face every member of this household, and you will be punished squarely."
"I Kiara Blackwood, accept your punishment," she says, and then I walk out of the room, slamming the door real hard.
As I walk out of the room, I cannot contain my anger, and I can't do anything. I didn't even have a punishment in mind. I couldn't punish her sexually because I can't risk any lives anymore.
"Sir," Rufus called out, and I come to a halt in the middle of the hallway.
"What is it?" I yell.
"I contacted Ms. Natalie's family, and they want to speak with you," he says, and I turn around and take the phone from him.
I place the phone in my ear, and I hear her mom sobbing.
"I do not care who or what you think you are, my sister better not be dead!" A lady yells over the phone.
My brows become wrinkled because I know this is just an act. The first time I met Natalie, she mentioned how her mother and sister didn't care about her. Her dad loved her so much, but he was no more.
"Natalie told me everything, so drop the act," I say to them, and the woman stops sobbing instantly. "I only called to let you know she is gone, and I'm compensating you as her mother even though you are undeserving." I say, and then I end the call.
"Send some money to them, and I need to be left alone," I say to Rufus, then I march to my room and shut the door.
I throw myself on the bed and give off a loud scream. My actions were haunting me, and I couldn't blame anyone. I had a lot to do, and I hadn't even told the godfather about it.
He didn't like Natalie, so he would be glad she was gone, and since her family were terrible people, I would have to do the funeral on my own.
"Be careful what you wish for," my wolf said.
"If you are not here to help, then I do not want you. I never did!" I growl, and he keeps mute.
I pace around the room, thinking of the best way to punish Kiara for being a bitch. I pause for a while in front of my mirror, and an idea pops up.
Hurriedly, I grab the key card in my drawer and I rush out of my room to the room of artifacts. How could I have forgotten? I had a lot of things to use against Kiara.
My hunt for wolves didn't start today, and I had a room where I stashed each artifact I had collected. My hunt began when I had my wolf. I wanted to silence it forever, but I never figured out how to do so.
I slide the card over the lock on the large metallic door, then I push it open, clicking the light switch by the right on the wall.
The room exhales a musty breath, its air thick with the lingering scent of fur. The werewolf instruments lay scattered. I step over a gnarled wooden staff, its runes etched in crimson. A silvered claw hangs from a hook, glinting like a crescent moon. And there, half-buried beneath a moth-eaten pelt, rests a tarnished brass bell.
My footsteps echo as I navigate the clutter. I brush aside a wolf-skin cloak, its fibers still holding the warmth of a thousand moonlit hunts. A row of glass vials stands sentinel on a rickety shelf-each containing a unique essence: wolfsbane, moonflower, etc.
But my purpose lies beyond these trinkets. I seek the "Mirror of Truth," a fabled artifact said to reveal the soul's darkest depths. It is wrapped in a red cloth, hidden beneath a stack of yellowed parchments. The cloth bears stains-perhaps blood, perhaps tears. I unwind it carefully, revealing the mirror's polished surface. Its edges are jagged, as if it has been shattered and painstakingly pieced back together.
As I gaze into the mirror, my reflection wavers. The room behind me blurs, replaced by a moonlit forest. The mirror does not merely reflect; it conjures memories. I see Kiara's eyes-the defiance, and the guilt burned deep.
"Speak the truth," the mirror murmurs. "Confess your sin."
I drop the mirror at once and look away, with tears flooding my eyes. It is real and its power is underrated.
As I make my way out of the room, I spot the Argentum stake, which lies carelessly-a weapon forged from silver and moonlight. It is said to pierce a werewolf's heart, severing the bond between flesh and spirit.
I pick up the stake and make my way out of the room. Then I march to the dungeon. When I open the door, I hear Kiara's chains clanging together. I don't bother going in because I know she is going to get the worst punishment tomorrow.
"Have you come back for more ego bruising?" She asks.
"I came to inform you that for your punishment, you'll be facing the mirror of truth tomorrow," I say to her, and she gasps.