Chapter 98 Forgive me
forgive me
Damon pov
The words felt like acid, but I swallowed it down.
I heard a broken whimper that made my heart coil painfully, but the deed has been done already, and there is no going back. Else, I would become a laughing stock in the whole inner circle.
My eyes slid to Milo for the first time since we came to the party.
His jaw was tight clenched together, his eyes looked sunken and defeated, and he bowed his head in defeat, I could see the fear trembling beneath his skin. My throat tightened.
The room erupted in a shout of excitement, as the branding furnace was wheeled inside.
I wanted to tear them apart, especially the culprit, but I wouldn't dare start a war in this period of time. He was right about one thing, the council authority and power have grown recently, mainly because of their new acquisition of power. It would be unwise to start a pack war, especially with alpha kael.
Not like I was scared of him, hell no, it was far from that… the Gathering of the inner circle was just around the corner. I can't accept any oversight, no matter how small it is. Else, my reputation and standing would be in jeopardy.
That was why I had immediately arranged for the branding furnace. The first day, Alpha kael stepped foot in my pack. And now, seeing how his once smiling face was now twisted into an ugly expression, I knew that my carefulness had paid off.
Milo's eyes locked on mine, wide and filled with a lot of words he couldn't say. His lips parted “please don't…”
Branding Milo meant more than marking flesh. It meant caging him forever. It meant destroying any shred of trust he has in me.
I closed my eyes, blocking my ears from hearing his, please. I wished he would understand why I was doing this, I desperately wished he would.
“You don't need to do this, old friend” Alpha kael suddenly said, his eyes twinkling with a mysterious dark light. “Just give him to me, two nights, and we would call everything that happened here a farce.”
My fists clenched beneath the table so hard I heard the crackling sound of my bones. “The hell i am handling you, my milo… In your dreams” Dax growled angrily inside my head, begging to be let out
I nodded to two of my soldiers, who rounded up Milo, keeping him in place for the ritual. My heart bled at the way they held Milo. The glowing iron on my hands suddenly felt too heavy.
I could feel the weight of every gaze that was trained on me. Everybody was waiting to see if I would prove my ruthlessness… or reveal a weakness they could easily exploit.
The furnace roared like a wild beast that was awakening, red hot flames dancing greedily as the iron continued to glow red. My soldiers held Milo down, his small frame trembling against their grip. His eyes found mine for the final time, but he neither pleased nor cried, just a silent stare that carried a lot of weight too heavy to handle
My chest ached, and for a brief, dangerous second, I considered ending everything here and now.
“Forgive me, Milo.”
I pressed the iron down on his delicate skin.
The air shattered like glass, from the raw and agonizing scream that tore through Milo’s mouth. It was the type of scream that would send chills down, even the most heartless man's heart. I clenched my jaw so tightly I thought my teeth would shatter. With a subtle shift, I came closer to Milo, using my body as a shield to protect him from the outside people. The scent of burned flesh filled the room.
Every bit of his scream was real and painful, carrying with it the agony of pain, but that was the price of saving him from something even worse. My hand trembled as I pulled the iron away as quickly as possible, but the damage had been done.
I have branded Milo.
Milo collapsed, unconscious, his body limp as if the last of his strength had drained into that scream. My soldiers released him instantly. Before he could hit the floor, I moved, my hands wrapping around him as I cradled him against me. His scent was sharp, scorched, but he was still alive. Still mine.
I lifted my gaze to Kael. His smirk that had hung on his face was no longer there. Rather, it was replaced with a scowl. My sister Selene had an unreadable expression, like she was observing something important.
“Try to touch him again…” I paused, barely not to allow my anger to take control of me, my voice was low, dangerous, and filled with the promise of blood “...I will carve your name into your own skin and hang your headless body in front of my pack for all to see.”
There was a collective gasp of breath. But I didn't care anymore. I didn't wait to see their reaction…
I moved, carrying the unconscious Milo bridal style out of the hall.