Chapter 2 Your worst nightmare
The guards standing on either side of the hall moved as if they had been waiting for the command.
They grabbed Rue's arm and forced her to her knees.
"Let me go!" Rue yelled. "Get your hands off me!"
She tried to break free, but it was futile. She looked around the hall, noticing how no one came to her rescue. The pack members all stared at her with cold expressions and looks of disdain.
She turned back to Helsing, prepared to demand for an explanation, but she saw him standing before the council. Her eyes widened when she saw Algernon hand him the staff of leadership.
When he started to recite the Alpha oath, she lost it.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed. When Helsing ignored her, she started to thrash. "No! You can't do this, uncle! That's my throne! My pack!"
"Silence her!" Helsing snapped suddenly.
One of the guards standing beside her pulled out a piece of cloth from his armour and shoved it into her mouth.
Rue's eyes watered as she choked. Her rage increased as she listened to Helsing recite the oath in a strong, emotionless voice. The council did nothing to stop him. The pack members all watched, almost like they knew this would happen.
Then it dawned on her. Helsing had betrayed her. He had taken over her pack. Tears of rage spilled out of her eyes as Algernon raised his head and faced the crowd.
"By the will of the moon goddess, I crown you Helsing Sparrow, Alpha of Bloodhound Pack."
To Rue's utter shock, the crowd cheered loudly. Helsing rose to his feet and turned around. There was a triumphant smile on his face.
He raised the staff, making the crowd cheer louder.
"Hail to the Alpha!" The shifters chanted repeatedly, until the words threatened to make Rue explode.
The chants drowned her screams, which were muffled with the gag in her mouth. A while later, Helsing finally turned his attention to her.
"Take off the gag." He ordered.
Rue's eyes burned with fury as the guard shoved his hand into her mouth and ripped out the piece of cloth.
"How dare you!" She screamed the moment she found her voice. "You betrayed me! You took what is mine!"
Slap!
Her face jerked backwards as Helsing slapped her.
"You will address your Alpha with respect!" He snarled.
"You are not my Alpha!"
He slapped her again and she collapsed to the floor. Then he raised his head and addressed the crowd.
"Shifters of Bloodhound Pack." His voice rang out, loud and strong. "Rue is responsible for the death of the late Alpha and Luna."
Rue looked up in shock as the crowd yelled angrily. What the hell was he talking about? She? Killer of her parents?
"I hereby strip her of her position as princess of the pack." Helsing continued. "Her crimes are punishable by death, but the law forbids me from taking the life of my own blood. Instead, she will meet a fate worse than death!"
He walked up to Rue and leaned down. Then he whispered in her ear. "You're going to be sold to the King of Beasts. And if you're lucky, he will give you an easy death!"
"You're lying!" Rue cried out. "I am innocent! I didn't kill my parents!"
As she struggled with Helsing, she spotted two other guards dragging Genee into the hall. Realization dawned on her.
"No! No, let her go! Don't hurt her!"
But all her pleas were ignored. She locked eyes with Genee, and the latter mouthed, 'I'm sorry, princess'."
She then realized what Genee had been trying to tell her in the bedroom. She must have heard whatever Helsing was planning to do.
Helsing stopped beside Genee and whipped out his claws. Without hesitation, he plunged his hand into Genee's chest and ripped out her heart.
Rue watched as Genee's eyes turned lifeless before she collapsed on the floor, surrounded by her own blood.
A loud ringing sound echoed in her head and she let out a terrifying scream, born from the pain and rage within her.
The windows in the hall shattered under the intensity of her scream, sending glass shards everywhere.
Everyone pressed their hands over their ears as Rue's screams intensified. Helsing groaned as blood spilled out of his ears. In a fit of rage, he raised the staff and smashed Rue's head.
The hit silenced her scream and she dropped to the floor, dazed, blood trickling down her face.
Helsing then turned to the guards standing beside her. "Tie her up and drag her out. The Lycan King is probably close."
The moment the words left his mouth, an earth shattering roar split the silent night.
Everyone tensed up as the atmosphere turned dark and choking. The roar sounded again, and fear creeped into Helsing's eyes.
"He's here." He whispered in a shaky voice.
Black fog spilled into the hall, sending a cold, deathly feeling into everyone present. The air turned chilly, and one could feel the terror in the atmosphere.
The doors to the temple opened suddenly with a loud bang. A dark figure stood at the entrance, shrouded in black fog and darkness.
The other shifters immediately fell to their knees and bowed their heads, keeping their faces hidden.
From where Rue lay, she forced her eyes open. She felt the coldness, the choking aura, the unmistakable presence of someone extremely powerful.
She looked towards the entrance, noticing the thick black fog. In the midst of the fog, her gaze fell on two glowing red eyes.
Those eyes were liquid fire, filled with coldness and death even from that distance.
Who was he? Helsing called him the King of Beasts, and as she stared at the figure, fear seized her.
Then he moved. From the midst of the fog, he emerged, dressed in black regal wear and dark boots. A red pendant around a silver chain hung from his neck, pulsing with energy.
He stopped beside her and paused. She couldn't see his face, but the aura exuding off him was choking.
She heard a ruffle, then he threw a bag filled with gold coins at Helsing who had his head lowered to the floor.
"A thousand gold pieces." He spoke, and Rue was awed at the deep timbre of his voice, a voice wrapped in ice and steel.
Suddenly he turned around and she caught a glimpse of him. That strong jawline, high cheekbones, straight nose... before she could see his face, he turned away.
He leaned down and lifted her, throwing her over his shoulders like she weighed nothing.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the hall.
Rue struggled to keep her eyes open as he took her away. The last thing she saw was Helsing's face as he smirked viciously at her.
Then the doors slammed shut.
He carried her silently out of the pack and into the forest, his strides long and relaxed, his grip tight around the back of her thighs.
After walking for several minutes, he stopped at a carriage and lowered her into it.
Rue teetered on the brink of unconsciousness as she landed on a hard surface. Her vision blurred, and she let out a soft moan from the pain in her head.
Through her blurry vision, she noticed him staring at her silently. His eyes, those bright red orbs, were pinned on her, watchful, observant.
"Who are you?" She whispered faintly. Dark spots appeared in the corners of her vision, and as she passed out, she heard him speak.
"Your worst nightmare."