86. Calla

86. Calla
The sounds of our rushed footsteps echoed through the empty hallways of the castle, as we hurried to the throne room after being summoned by the king himself. We hadn't received a reason why, but I had a rough idea. I'd sensed that unrest last night in him upon my departure. I'd felt his pain, his desperation. I'd lost my sleep because of it. I'd turned and tossed in that bed for the remainder of the night, unable to calm even in between my creator's arms. And I could feel that it was affecting him too.
He was holding my hand in his gently, trying his best to remain calm for my sake. Be my support, as always. But I could sense that hint of anxiousness, and his grief, no matter how hard he was trying to hide them from me. He was equally affected by this, as much as Leonidas was. And it was making me hurt for them too.
Alisha was an important member of this pack, which made all this all the more difficult.
We finally reached those doors, and I turned to Athos, not surprised to notice that stony expression on his features. That mask of impassiveness. He opened the doors and I entered first, looking warily around the fairly empty room. It wasn't filled with lycans, unlike the last time I had witnessed a trial here. There were only two of Leonidas' guards, flanking the sides, and in the middle, stood Alisha. Tall. Proud. Ramrod straight. Wearing her usual fighting gear. She was facing the throne, with her back turned to me, but I immediately felt the nausea that hit me. The uneasiness of being around her, now that I knew the full, sickening truth. It made me think about her reasons; why she had chosen to go against her own Alpha.
Weakling. You will never be a part of this pack... Those words echoed from the back of my mind. It sickened me, forcing me to remember all the times I've been rejected in my lifetime. For simply being wolfless. Slower. Fragile. Worthless.
Athos' hand wrapped a little tighter around my own, as if having sensed the train of my thoughts, and I looked at him again, noticing that fierceness in his glowing eyes.
"You are strong, my little wolf. You have our blood running through your veins. You are a survivor. And you are special. You have been blessed by the Holy Mother herself..." That rough and growly voice echoed in my mind, and my eyes grew a little wider, staring up at Athos with astonishment.
"H-how..."
"You are Moon-touched, Calla. Which makes you the most special wolf in this kingdom. Our rightful Queen," he answered out loud this time, offering me one of his mild, heart-melting smiles. My wolf pushed at the front again, and I could feel her trying to reach out to him through my skin. She was literally obsessed with him. She loved the sound of his voice, his smell, his powerful presence. She was addicted to him entirely. I only blushed a little, casting my gaze aside bashfully.
We reached the dais, and my gaze met Leonidas'. He sat in his rightful throne, his posture imposing. Determined. Assertive. He looked me up and down, an appreciative glint appearing in his eyes.
"My Queen," he uttered in acknowledgement. I grew tense, eyeing that smaller, second throne with apprehension. I did not want to sit in it. I couldn't. Not while the memory of what happened the last time I did was still so fresh, so raw, and painful in my mind.
He looked between me and the throne, and his features immediately displayed guilt. Regret. He only offered me a small nod of understanding, and I blew a small breath of relief. I climbed those few steps and then turned, choosing to stand by his side. Straight. Still. Athos did the same, standing by mine.
I swallowed thickly, daring a peek at Alisha. She was motionless. Impassive. Her back was straight, her chin up. She only had eyes for her king. Not once did she avert her eyes to me, or even Athos. She continued to look at him with reverence. Adoration. I forced myself to act calm and unaffected, but my wolf did not like it. She was angry. Territorial. She yearned to maul the she-lycan for having touched what was ours. She wanted to gouge her eyes out, for looking at him like she was right now.
Leonidas did not speak for a while. He only looked at her. But I could feel that tremor in his body. The turmoil. The unrest.
He rose at last. Descending those few steps. The whole throne room went dead silent. I watched him advance until he was standing right in front of her. She stood prouder. Taller.
His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, the veins popping. My heart started to beat faster. He exhaled a shaky breath, and then he circled her. Moving to stand behind her. I peered at his face, and my heart clenched so painfully at the sight of that look in his eyes. He was...devastated. Stricken with grief.
"Why?" he uttered softly next to her ear, his voice shaky. My eyes filled with unshed tears. She did not answer.
"Please, I need to know why," he pleaded, and his voice shook harder. My wolf whined inside of me.
"Why did you do it?" he questioned her. I struggled to swallow that boulder, my gaze turning blurry.
"For the pack. For my King," she answered at last, with a fist across her heart. Keeping her stony expression.
Leonidas let out a pained sound, and my eyes widened with horror as I saw his claws extend, placing his hand around her slender throat. I choked on my tears.
But she did not flinch, and did not move. She continued to stand proud. Tall. Brave. Like a true warrior.
"Duty, above all else..." was the last thing that she said.
"Forgive me," he uttered shakily in reply, his own eyes filling with tears.
I did not get to see what happened next, as suddenly, I was whirled around by my creator, meeting his light blue shirt. He placed a hand at the nape of my neck, keeping me there firmly.
And then I heard it. That wet slashing sound, followed by a few gurgles and choking. My breath caught in my throat, my eyes wide. I felt those tears spill. Heard the sounds of my wheezing breaths as silence followed.
I stood there for another few moments, held by Athos' strong arms as my body trembled. And then, Leonidas' mighty roar filled the throne hall, bouncing off the walls. My knees weakened. I crumbled in Athos' embrace, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt as I wept so breathlessly. Fighting to regain my strength, and contain myself. I let out tiny and strangled sounds, my wolf writhing inside of me as I could feel their suffering. Both my mate's and my creator's. And it was heart-wrenching. Unbearable. I could see flashes of their time with her. Their memories. The same way I somehow managed to do with Athos.
They were memories of the three of them when they were younger. Together. Sharing a tiny piece of food. Huddled together in a pit, in the cold. In the blistering heat. In the rain. Enduring pain. Loss. Torture. Cruelty.
The sound of those doors parting open once again resounded in the background. Footsteps followed. I continued to cling to Athos' shirt, supported by his arms around me. Tormented by what was flashing before my eyes.
The sounds grew, indicating people gathering.
I made an effort to turn around. Face the gathering crowd. Many lycans were occupying the throne room now. But my gaze fell on the body lying on the marble floor. In a pool of blood. My own body recoiled, and I fought not to empty my stomach right then and there.
She was facing away from me. But I could see a fraction of those gaping wounds across her neck. The blood that stuck to her black hair.
Athos' arms wrapped around me tighter, supporting my weight as my knees continued to disobey me.
Leonidas climbed two of those steps before he turned around, facing the crowd. His claws were coated in blood, which was still dripping on the floor. My head swam at the sight, forcing flashes of the day that he killed River.
I let out a tiny gasp as suddenly, I could remember everything about the night of my eighteenth birthday. What River almost did to me, and how I had evaded him with the help of that gift from Leonidas. The silver bracelet.
I stared at his broad back, suddenly seeing him in a new light. A different way.
He stood straighter, looking at his pack members. His subjects.
"I have given you my heart," His voice rang loud. Powerful. "My blood. My loyalty."
No one breathed. No one made a single sound. They all stared at him. Frozen. Entranced.
"I have fought for you, killed for you, and spilled my blood for you," he said, his voice wavering just a tiny bit at the end.
"I have spilled the blood of my kin, freeing you from his reign of terror,"
"I've always put this pack above all else. My duty, above all else," he said, his voice ringing louder. Fiercer.
"But there is one thing that I will never allow you to take away from me. One being, that will always come before any of you,"
"My soulmate. Your rightful Queen. My Callanthea."