Chapter 209

ALPHA PARTHE.

Tervan was forced to his knees before me, chains clinking around his wrists like the music of retribution.

The crowd fell deathly silent, the atmosphere filled with anticipation.

He dared not lift his head.

The coward couldn't even meet my gaze.

I took a slow step forward, the earth seeming to still beneath my feet. My voice curled out like the edge of a blade.

"Tervan… my beloved Beta," I sneered, each word I spoke dipped in venom. "Look at you."

I circled him, taking in the gaunt hollows of his cheeks, the grime clinging to his skin, and the tattered remains of the arrogance he used to wear like a crown.

"You look… ruined." I crouched before him, my face just inches from his. "What happened, old friend? Where did all that fire go? What went wrong?"

I reached out, my fingers brushing his bruised cheek with mockery. He flinched and turned his face away.

"Ah," I breathed, a dark smile tugging at my lips. "That's right. You only know how to face someone when they're unarmed. When they trust you."

I stood again, towering over him, my voice rising just enough for the crowd to hear.

"This is the face of betrayal," I said coldly. "The man who wormed his way into my trust and spat on everything it meant to serve under me."

Tervan trembled, but I had no pity to offer.

Not anymore.

He would serve his purpose now.

A willing sacrifice for the one he tried to destroy.

And the gods would bear witness.

The hush that hovered over the crowd was unnatural—like the world itself was holding its breath. Even the wind dared not stir.

"Shall we tell them, Tervan?" I asked softly, almost kindly. "Shall we peel the rot from the truth?"

He said nothing. His head remained bowed, shame clinging to him like armor. I didn't mind. I had waited long enough to speak.

"You didn't just betray me, did you?" I began. My voice was extremely calm but deadly. "You conspired with Rorden—fed him secrets from within these walls while pretending to stand at my side."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Gasps. Disbelief. Rage.

I kept my gaze locked on him, my voice rising like a slow-building storm.

"You let rogues attack your people. You led Luxuria right into their claws." I chuckled, "And how cleverly you played the part, hm?" I continued, stalking around him now, the predator circling its prey. "making me think you were the one who saved Luxuria's life. Whereas you were the one planning to destroy it. And I didn't know who to blame but myself."

I looked at him, disgust heavy in my stare.

"You kept nudging me toward every wrong decision. Making me second-guess my instincts. My bond. My mate. Everything. And I listened, thinking you were a brother."

I paused behind him, watching his shoulders quake. My voice dropped to a growl. "You didn't just want to see me fail… You wanted to become the Alpha in my place."

I moved again, stopping before him. "And now look at you."

I reached down and grabbed his chin, forcing his face up to mine. His eyes finally met mine—bloodshot, brimming with regret, but it was far too late for that.

"You thought your punishment would be chains and humiliation?" I asked, "No, old friend. Today… you will suffer something deeper. Something far worse."

I turned to the crowd now, raising my voice for all to hear.

"Today, Tervan will carry the curse that had plagued me for years. Today, he will wear the skin of the monster that has haunted me—feel its hunger, its torment, its rage."

I looked back at Tervan, whose eyes had widened in horror, the color draining from his face.

"You wanted my place, didn't you?" I whispered, stepping in close. "Then take it."

I turned toward Luxuria, meeting her gaze. "Your sacrifice, my love… has been chosen. Let the ritual begin."

Tervan let out a strangled sound, shaking his head violently. "N-no. No, you can't. You can't!"

I faced him once more.

"But I can."

He tried to crawl backward, chains rattling uselessly. Dirt kicked up beneath his knees as he crawled like the rat he was, face pale with dread, lips trembling. "Please, Alpha, please—don't do this—don't give me the curse—please, please, not the curse—"

"Enough!" I raised my voice, unleashing my Alpha command on him.

"You will take the sacrifice willingly."

He froze.

"Taste the monster that's plagued me for years," I went on, smoke and steel curling in my every word. "Let it eat your insides. Let it tear at your soul the way it tore at mine."

He shook his head, eyes wet, lips forming soundless pleas. I crouched to meet his eyes, letting him see the hollowness the curse had carved into me over the years.

"You'll die a monster, Tervan. Not with honor. Not with dignity. But stripped. Bare. Ravaged of the humanity you so skillfully hid behind."

He whimpered. He looked pathetic. Not like the Tervan I used to know.

What happened to dying honorably with pride? I guess he had forgotten all about that.

"You tried to take from me what mattered most," I whispered. "And you'll burn from the inside out until your last breath tastes like ash."

I let out a smirk, "You will submit and take your punishment willingly, old friend."

And just like that, his will snapped like a twig underfoot. The chains stilled. His spine bowed. His lips parted on a soundless breath of surrender.

He was mine now.

I watched as the last flicker of resistance bled out of him.

I stood up. "Prepare the altar. Light the sacred flame. Today, the gods will drink from the veins of the traitor. And justice will be done."