Chapter 84 Judgment pt 2
Duncan
Beta George was hauled into the Alpha's office in chains.
The space still stank of old power and rot. As I crossed the threshold, flashes of the past slammed into me—James rejecting Claire, Amelia dragged away, Seren broken and bleeding. They sped past so quickly it was hard to grasp any specific part or significance. I was meant to see something; that was clear, but the images blurred together until my head throbbed. I muttered a curse as frustration built at the lack of anything concrete.
"You okay?" Julian asked.
"Flashes of memories from this place. Nothing solid," I gritted out.
Lucian shoved Beta George forward. He grunted as he hit his knees. King Cian wasted no time. "Where is Alpha James?"
Beta George shook his head violently. "I don't know."
"You're the beta, are you not? You oversaw the pack. You corralled your people for sale."
"He told me to clear out the omegas because he feared you would be coming. Then he and Tobias disappeared after Alpha Brian's men dragged Amelia and Claire away. I don't know where he went. I swear!"
Fire bloomed in King Cian's palm. He lifted it slowly, deliberately, stopping just short of George's ear. The heat made him scream. "What instructions did he leave you?"
He broke. "Sell them. Put the money in the pack accounts." He paused, breath shaky. "Clear out all the evidence." His voice cracked. "Hold the pack until he returned." He was visibly trembling now, his eyes darting between the fireball and King Cian's face. Tears gathered, little puffs of steam misting off his cheeks as quickly as they fell. "I was just doing what I was told!" King Cian's eyes narrowed, then he closed his fist, the fire vanishing.
I'd known this pack was full of cowards and bullies. Watching the man in front of me fall apart at just the slightest hint of torture and blame everything on "following orders" only cemented my opinion that they were beyond redemption.
"A Beta is supposed to stand up to the Alpha, to fight for the pack members if the Alpha is getting out of hand. Not destroy the pack from the inside out," Julian sneered at him.
"Take him back outside. We'll finish this in front of the pack." Iron laced King Cian's tone.
He was dragged back onto the training field, silver shackles still burning his skin. The freed omegas stood waiting around the edges, wrapped in blankets, flanked by my warriors. Many glared openly at the kneeling warriors, eyes burning with hatred.
King Cian stepped into the center of the field. The low murmur of the crowd around the edges quieted. "You stand accused of enslaving your own people." His voice carried, though he wasn't yelling. "Of trafficking omegas and lower-ranked warriors. Of violating pack law and crown law alike. Of treating my daughter Seren like a slave." He growled the last.
Voices erupted at that. Muttered denials, more than one "I didn't know!" Then Beta George made one last effort. "I was following orders!" I saw Julian shaking his head at his repeated words.
"Silence!" The word sliced through the dawn. King Cian let his gaze sweep over every kneeling warrior. "You chose obedience over honor. Profit over kin. Power over mercy." He looked at the former captives standing around the field, then back to the group in the center. "We've spoken with your pack members, heard their testimony. We've listened to your excuses. You are all found guilty."
Some of the kneeling warriors were sobbing openly now. "For your crimes, you're sentenced to death. What's left of Blood Moon Pack will be given new leadership and renamed. Blood Moon will cease to exist." I felt a grim sense of justice as the pronouncement was made. Gasps rippled through the field. Some of the rescued sighed in relief. I knew we couldn't erase the abuse they'd endured, but I'd be damned if we let it continue.
King Cian raised both arms, an arc of fire dancing between his palms. "We will burn the rot from this place." He flung his hands forward, the fire rolling from them in a wave, crashing over the convicted with no mercy. Beta George was the first to be hit; the force of the flames knocked him prone even as his clothes ignited. High-pitched screams pierced the air, finally fading as the fire died and left nothing but ash behind.