Chapter 13 The Gods Have Turned Away
Chapter 13
Jax’s POV
I had hardly stepped into the palace when pandemonium swallowed me whole hall. The air was thick with the sound of cries, loud, broken, and haunting.
Women filled the grand hall, kneeling and wailing. I watched as they clutched the lifeless bodies of their loved ones in their arms. The scent of sweat, blood, and fear filled every corner. Some of them beat their chests; others roll on the floor, their tears soaking the marble.
I stood frozen at the doorway, watching.
It was chaos, nothing but pure, unfiltered chaos.
A mother rocked her child who didn’t move. Another woman screamed at the top of her lungs, “Wake up, please! Wake up!” Her voice cracked until it faded into sobs.
My stomach turned.
It was like the palace itself was crying with them.
Some of the dead lay still, their faces peaceful as though they were asleep. Others were not so lucky. Some were half-torn, claw marks deep in their skin. I could see a man’s leg bent in an unnatural way, his face pale and drained of life.
I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.
“They were fine last night,” a woman shouted, her hair messy, her eyes red. “My husband just closed his eyes, and… he never opened them again!”
Another wailed, clutching the arm of her son. “A beast! A beast ate my little one while he went to fetch water! It dragged him into the woods,oh, goddess help us!”
The sound made my bones tremble.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to count. Thirty-six. Thirty-six bodies. Young and old. Male and female. All gone, just like that.
And I, king of Stormfang. I stood there, useless.
I clenched my fists, trying to breathe through the horror. My eyes darted toward the council seats along the hall. Empty. Every single one.
“Where are the elders?” I asked sharply. My voice echoed against the walls.
A servant, a young girl with trembling hands, stepped forward and bowed low. “They are on their way, my lord.”
“On their way?” I repeated, my voice rising. “When people are dying before my eyes?”
She flinched, her shoulders shaking. “Yes, my lord,” she whispered.
I sighed heavily and rubbed my temple. “Send me Elder Vexhood,” I said. “Now.”
“Yes, my lord,” she stammered and hurried off, her feet slipping on the marble floor.
I turned back to the crowd of mourners. My heart twisted at the sight.
“Everyone, listen to me,” I said, raising my voice. “I will make a full inquiry into what happened here. I promise you that whoever caused this, whatever caused this, will face the wrath of the throne.”
No one answered. They just cried harder.
“If there is anything I can do to ease your grief,” I continued softly, “I will make sure it is done before the end of today.”
A few lifted their heads. Some nodded faintly, tears still streaming down their faces.
I checked the clock hanging on the far wall. One A.M.
But there was no moon outside. No darkness either. The world was still blindingly white, glowing like daylight. The air shimmered as if covered in frost. Even a pin dropped on the floor would be seen from across the hall.
I couldn’t explain it. None of it made sense.
A few hours later, the sound of wooden steps echoed from the corridor. The crowd grew quiet.
Elder Vexhood entered the palace.
He walked slowly but with great weight, like a storm was following him. His totem, tall, black, carved with strange symbols,rested in his right hand. Every tap of it against the floor made a faint metallic ring.
The sight of him sent a shiver through the air.
Everyone knew what his presence meant. He wasn’t just a man. He was the voice of the gods, the one who spoke where the heavens were silent.
I straightened in my seat, trying to hide my unease.
He was dressed in his reddish regalia, layered with bones, human, reptile, and beast. It looked like something alive, breathing with him as he moved. The bones clinked softly, like they whispered secrets to him.
The sight alone could make even the bravest man bow.
He was the second most powerful man in the pack, after me. But even I, at times, felt small beside him.
Vexhood stopped a few paces before me. His eyes, dark and ancient, swept across the hall. He sniffed the air once, then twice, like a wolf scenting danger.
Everyone fell silent.
Then he began to move, back and forth, pacing in front of me. His totem thudded against the floor rhythmically. Thud. Thud. Thud.
He muttered something under his breath, words I couldn’t understand. His lips moved quickly, forming sounds that didn’t belong to any mortal tongue.
The air shifted.
Then, without warning, he slammed the totem against the marble three times. BANG! BANG! BANG!
A bright spark shot from the top, white and silver, like lightning in a storm.
The women gasped. A few fell to their knees, whispering prayers.
Alpha Vexhood’s eyes snapped up to meet mine. They glowed faintly.
“Tragedy, my king,” he said, his voice trembling. “Real tragedy.”
The room went dead silent.
He sniffed again, slowly, his expression twisting in disgust. “The scent of death is thick here. You can feel it, can’t you? Something rotten. Something cursed.”
“What are you saying?” I asked, my heart beating faster. “What does this mean?”
He took a long, slow breath. “It means, my king,” he said gravely, “that more of it is on the way.”
I rose from my throne. “More?”
“Yes.” His gaze burned into me. “You have violated the seat of your ancestors.”
The hall seemed to tilt under me. “What? I didn’t do anything!”
He slammed his totem again, and sparks scattered across the floor. “You did, my king. You did by dipping your hands into terrible sin.”
My throat felt dry. “I have always obeyed the gods,” I said quickly. “I followed every ritual when I was crowned. I kept every law. Even when you, ” I hesitated. “Even when you told me to sleep with Mila.”
The air froze.
Vexhood’s head jerked up, his eyes flashing.
“Do not speak that name!” he roared. His voice filled the hall like thunder. Several of the women covered their ears. “The gods forbid it! That name is cursed.”
I clenched my fists, anger and confusion twisting inside me. “I did what you asked,” I said through my teeth. “You said it was the gods’ will!”
He glared at me, breathing hard. Then suddenly, his tone dropped, quiet, almost pitying. “It is too late for words.”
I felt my pulse racing. “What do you mean, too late?”
Vexhood looked around the hall. “The gods are angry. The ground itself is rejecting your reign. And now…” He pointed his totem toward the white sky outside the palace window. “Now, they show their displeasure.”
I looked outside again. The sky still blazed like a furnace of light. The same unnatural white. No sun. No moon. No stars. Just… nothingness.
“What do they want?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer right away. He walked closer, his eyes fixed on the marble floor as if reading something written there. His mouth moved, chanting again in that same strange language.
Then he raised his head.
“You should go and appease the gods,” he said finally.
He lifted his totem high and struck the floor one last time. The spark was brighter than before, silver and alive, like a piece of lightning had been trapped inside the palace.
Everyone gasped and bowed low.
“Where? How? Will you and all the elders accompany me?”
Elder Vexhood giggled for a moment and kept and paused for a moment. That action alone carries a lot of meaning.
His eyes glowed faintly in the light as he spoke again, his voice echoing through the hall.
“Go and appease the seven gods on the seven mountains.”
He said it again, firmer this time, each word heavy with meaning.
“It's your mess my King, go and clean it up.”
Then silence.
The hall waited. The people watched.
And I, King Jax of the Stormfang pack, stood there, heart pounding, wondering if I had just seen the beginning of the end.