059

059


Isolde

Awareness prickled Isolde’s skin with each step she took into the room. She couldn’t believe her eyes as she took in the hundreds of males in the room.

She trembled, gripped in a vise-like grip by terror.

Is this the end of her days? The thought wandered in her mind, disconcerting her.

She had never felt this way before. Afraid. Tensed.

Isolde was always bold and outspoken, but with what she was witnessing, her power of speech took flight.

She became mute.

Her feet dragged hesitantly over the floor, shaking. All the pairs of eyes were on her, eating her up.

Oh, she was about to die, her mind concluded. The tension made her stop in the middle of the hall, but the sentinels pushed her.

“Move!” They roared simultaneously.

Instead of treading forward, she fell with a gasp on the floor. The thump ricocheting over the wall. Isolde cried, craning up her head to bore watery eyes into Edrand’s.

“What are you waiting for?” Edrand shouted, making her shudder. “If your legs cannot move you, crawl, pussy!”

A cry tore from her lips when the sentinels kicked her forward. She began to crawl, shaking and weeping.

Everyone watched her with twisted, perverted delight in their gaze. She was prey in the midst of predators ready to pounce on her.

Before she reached the front, Edrand was already laughing.

“Not so bold again, are you?” He teased, marching her back with his boot.

Isolde yelped, the pain causing a million stars to sparkle behind her eyelids.

“You think you can double-cross me,” He said, leaning down to drag her face up with his hand clasping her hair. “Unfortunately for you, you got double-crossed…”

Isolde bubbled at the back of her throat. She wanted to speak, but no words made it out.

“Is your tongue cut? Gone?” He laughed, rising up as he shook his head. Looking at the elders, he roared, pointing at Isolde. “I am going to punish her my way, and you’ll watch and do nothing…”

Takoda gobbled, bucking in his seat.

“That’s right, Takoda. You can only make noise, but you can’t do anything about it. After all, I am a Rhal, the only Rhal alive,”

Edrand sucked in a monumental breath and declared.

“In our barbaric way, I declare judgment on you, breeder Isolde, for poisoning my mate, my lover, the lord of Abbator, and the future king of Bloomington…”

“YEAH!!!!” The males roared boisterously.

Edrand stepped back to the high seat and commanded, “Do with her whatever you wish,”

“No!” Was the only word Isolde could utter as hundreds of males pounced on her.

While they fussed all over her, Isolde wept, and soon she found herself in a trance, everything around her became a distant noise.

Her unseeing eyes pinned on Edrand as he laughed watching whatever the males were doing to her.

She couldn’t see them. She couldn’t feel them.

She couldn’t hear them.

She was alone in her world, lost in the chasm.

While the roar of the males thundered, rattling over the walls, the doors of the courtroom suddenly burst open.

The males were too invested at the moment to know what was happening until the earth-shattering howl echoed. Heavy wind blew into the courtroom, whispering across everyone’s hair and skin with vengeance.

A distinct aura spread across the room, bringing every living being in the hall to their knees and baring their necks.

And only one person had such power to exert dominance over others.

The very one the judgment was being carried out on his behalf.

“Dracolian,” Edrand stuttered out, barely breathing.

Draco swept his gaze all over them, growling as he marched into the courtroom. He reached the males toppling Isolde.

One by one, he grabbed them by their shirts and flung them across the room.

Bones rattled and cracked as the males fell. Their cries resounded in the room, but the lord didn’t care. He kept throwing them across the pillars until it was just Isolde’s mangled body that lay on the ground.

She wasn’t moving again, only her ragged breaths could be heard.

Edrand was horror-struck at the scene. His heart galloped. He couldn’t believe Draco was standing before them. Hale and hearty.

Though his skin was still a bit pale.

Alfos strode into the hall with his usual aloof expression; however, when he bored his eyes on Edrand, anger coursed through his veins.

Draco leaned down carefully after removing his robe and draped it over Isolde. He hungered to hold her at this moment of vulnerability, but he knew he couldn’t.

“Alfos,” He called, his voice raspy.

All Draco felt at that moment was bitterness and pain. The sight of Isolde was crushing his soul.

And to think it was his male that meted out such brutality on her. Draco doubted he’d ever pardon this.

Edrand defied him. He breached his law. And he hurt his…breeder. His luna.

Draco would never pardon this.

“Yes, my lord.” Alfos bowed.

“Take her away. To her chambers and call all the best healers in town to treat her. I want her body as pristine as fresh water.”

“Noted,” Alfos bowed.

With a mouth filled with bile, he scooted closer to Isolde’s and lifted her into his arms, carrying her away.

Draco watched with a crushed spirit as Alfos took her away. Until their shadows couldn’t be seen, Draco didn’t move.

At last, he whirled and faced everyone.

Trembling, Edrand called. “Draco? My…love…”

Edrand experienced the shock of his life as Draco stepped forward and sent a mind-crushing punch to his face.

His jaw cracked, and Edrand fell over the floor, hacking a cough. Blood spurted out of his mouth and nose.

Fuming, Draco growled. “You defied me,”

“No! My…love…,” Edrand trailed off and coughed. His eyes whirling like a vortex, blurring his vision. With blood staining his lips and jaw, he struggled to let out the words. “She…she poisoned you,”

“And you defied me.” Draco gritted out. “That’s one misdeed I can never forgive…”

“But my…love, please…” Edrand bustled and got to his knees, pleading as he bled profusely.

Draco stepped out of his reach. Edrand clearly disgusted him.

“Guards!!” Draco roared.

Tension draped across the room as about a dozen burly sentinels marched into the room, their footsteps echoing.

Breathing out, Draco ordered. “Take them all to the quarry. Except the elders. They’ll serve in the quarry under hard labor and are to be fed a chunk of bread at nightfall until I say otherwise. If anyone dies before his time, burn them.”

Draco turned to leave as Edrand yelled and clamored for mercy.

Halfway through the door, Draco paused and added.

“And oh,” All the males turned to him as he said, “Fuck any of them whichever way you choose. Show no mercy,”

“NO! MY LOVE! PLEASE!!!” Edrand hollered, but it all fell on deaf ears as Draco exited the room without looking back.

TBC.