CHAPTER 42: When Screams Fade into Silence: A Cry for Help That Never Came"~

CHAPTER 42: When Screams Fade into Silence: A Cry for Help That Never Came"~


“Come in,” Selena  instructed, her voice calm yet firm. “See that he is given something to drink.”

The maid curtsied and left the room.

Selena  turned her gaze back to Cedric. “I am inclined to believe you—not because of the Alpha’s name, but because you have shown some measure of truth. Yet I remain doubtful because of your claim to hail from the Ravenwood Pack . My Alpha considers your kind an enemy, and I see no reason to trust that he would send you here. Speak plainly—how did you truly come to possess this seal?”

Cedric gave a low chuckle just as the maid returned with a cup of wine.

“Leave us,” Selena  ordered.

The maid obeyed without question, bowing deeply before departing.

Alone now, Selena  folded her hands in her lap, her eyes never leaving Cedric’s face.

“You live up to your reputation,” Cedric said with a dry smile.

She allowed herself a faint smile. “You’ve yet to see what I’m capable of. I’ve learned from the finest.”

He shrugged. “Then I shall waste no time. The hour grows late, and my business is urgent.”

For a moment, silence lingered.

Cedric took a deliberate sip of wine before speaking. “I had been observing your pack when I uncovered much about the power struggles within. The way your Luna carries on with men without shame. How her mother wields power as though she herself were the Alpha.”

Selena’s  smile turned thin. “Yes... and that is what I intend to put an end to once I take my rightful place as Luna.”

He regarded her with mild amusement. “You speak as though your victory is certain.”

Selena leaned forward, her gaze unwavering. “I have invested much in this—and I do not lose. Even your spy knows that.”

Cedric’s brow lifted slightly.

“Oh yes,” Selena  went on with quiet satisfaction. “Who do you suppose has been feeding you information about the pack?”

He stiffened, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

“It was me.”

For a moment, he said nothing.

“Remarkable,” he muttered at last. “So you’ve known my purpose all along.”

“Yes,” she said smoothly. “And I will aid you—but only if you tell me how you came to possess that seal.”

“Rest assured,” Cedric said, setting down his cup. “I did not slay your Alpha to obtain it.”

Relief swept across Selena’s face, though she concealed it well.

“I overheard Lydia fang conspiring with her men,” Cedric continued. “She sent them after you, claiming the Alpha’s seal would lure you out of hiding. I intercepted them, took the seal, and came here before they could reach you. I knew it was the only way you would grant me an audience.”

Selena  clenched her teeth at the mention of Lydia’s name. That wretched woman’s scheme would have succeeded had this man not interfered.

“Lydia is a serpent,” Selena  muttered. “I’ll see her downfall soon enough.”

“Let it go,” Cedric advised. “We have more pressing matters.”

“Oh, yes.” Selena ’s smile returned, sharper than before. “I will help you draw Aurora out. I’ll place myself as bait—and you can corner her yourself.”

Cedric’s grin was slow and wicked.

“Perfect.”

\---

“Where is Selena ?”

A guard rushed toward him, breathless, a sealed letter clutched tightly in his hand.

“Alpha Solen bade me deliver this to you,” the guard said.

Ethan’s brow furrowed. Strange. Too many things were unfolding this night — too many...

He knew Lydia was on the hunt for his son’s mother — the first woman who had ever carried his heir. Now she sought his throne as well. What more could this cursed night bring?

Breaking the wax seal, Ethan unfolded the letter and read:

~

To Alpha Ethan, a trusted ally and friend,

I write with urgency and in grave concern. The one you hold dear — the imposter within the Shadow Fang Pack — is no longer safe. Alpha Demetrius has learned of the deception. To erase her presence and destroy the evidence, Lydia has dispatched her men to end her life.

Go to her at once, before they do.

Alpha Solen

~

“By the gods!” Ethan muttered, crushing the parchment in his fist. He turned swiftly, prepared to ride when a voice called out behind him.

He halted and turned to see Lydia Fang  stepping from his castle, flanked by several pack lords.

They halted before him and bowed.

“My Alpha,” Lydia began, her voice silk and steel. “There is something we must discuss.”

“There is no need,” Ethan snapped, striding toward his horse.

“You’ll want to reconsider,” Lydia called after him, her voice cold and sharp. “If you leave now, you abandon your place as Alpha. The pack will choose a new leader before your return.”

Ethan said nothing. He mounted his horse with a single motion, seized the reins, and rode out into the night without looking back.

\---

Those men struck her, again and again, until Aria's body felt numb. Pain faded into something distant — a dull ache swallowed by exhaustion. 

Her vision blurred, yet she could still make out Milicent's trembling form. The girl thrashed, screamed, and sobbed, but they only held her back, forcing her to watch.

"I'm so sorry, my Luna. I'm so sorry," Milicent cried, her voice breaking.

Aria's heart ached more than her battered body. She tried to move, but her limbs felt like stone. Her lips parted to speak, yet no words came.

"This is boring to watch," one of the guards yawned, his eyes fixed on Milicent. "My little man is bulging in my pants to have her." He began to approach Aria, but the leader of the group stopped him with a firm hand on his chest. "She's mine," he growled. "You can have the other slave."

"No," Aria cried out, her voice choked with tears. "Do not touch her. Please."

The leader of the group smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes. "She begs," he mused, grabbing a handful of Aria's hair and forcing her to watch as one of his men approached Milicent.

"No..." She drew back, "Don't come close. Get away from me!!"

Milicent's screams filled the air as the man tore her skirt, revealing her naked body. He paused, his fingers tracing the soft skin of her inner one. "Good gods!" he exclaimed. "A virgin."

Aria's heart pounded in her chest as she watched the scene unfold. 

Milicent let out a sob, her body shaking as the man's hands moved further up. Aria could see the fear in her eyes, the plea for it to stop. But the man showed no mercy. He pushed her legs apart, his fingers finding her most intimate parts.

Milicent let out a gasp.

"You animal! Don't you touch her, you animal!!" Aria screamed, her voice echoing through the forest. But none listened. They never did. 

The man entered Milicent, forcing himself to accommodate into her as he began to ride her roughly.

"Close your eyes, Mili," Aria urged, her voice trembling. "Think of somewhere safe... somewhere you want to be right now."

The man holding her snarled and yanked her hair hard, wrenching a sharp cry from her lips. "Stop talking!" he barked.

But Aria refused to listen.

"Picture it," she whispered, her voice softer but unwavering. "Think of how beautiful it is... think of what you'd be doing there right now."

Aria watched in horror as the man finished himself in Milicent and got up, leaving her lying there, her body trembling with shock and pain. 

Aria saw her — silent, trembling, her eyes shut tight.

Guilt weighed heavy in Aria’s chest. If not for her, Milicent would never have been forced to endure such shame.

And all Aria could do was watch.

"Did you see that, wench?" the vile man holding her sneered, his breath foul against her neck. "That's exactly how I'll take you."

Aria tensed as the men turned to face her. She braced herself, eyes shot.

Then, suddenly — a hand shot out, striking the man and sending him sprawling away from her.