118

118


MAGNUS

His eyes were already blazing at this point. 

"Why? Why are you doing this? This has always been you and me. That's the way it has always been. That's the tradition. And now what? You've twisted it into your sick game because you're bored? You want to throw an innocent boy into the fire just to see him burn? Every time you do something horrible, I try to tell myself that it was impulsive or maybe it was just a mistake but you keep proving me wrong every damn time. Every time you keep telling me that every single one of those decisions were calculated and you're doing them despite knowing fully well how these things will affect us. Why?" 

I stood slowly, pushing the chair back across the stone floor and causing it to scrape the floor in the process. 

"I gave my word before the gathering, before every Alpha who was present and before every Pack member. In case you don't know this yet, I do not go back on my word. The decision has already been made and I am not changing it. The only way it would have been possible was if she had died. But she's not. And thankfully, she'll be in good health soon. Once she recovers, the Moonlit Hunt Games begins. My word is my word, Callan." 

"Your word?" Callan barked out a hollow, disappointed laugh. "You talk about your word like it's some holy book. It's bullshit, Magnus. Mealy-mouthed nonsense. You hid behind it so you don't have to admit what you're doing. You've lost yourself." 

I turned around and started for the hearth. Stopping there, I fed the glowing embers some sticks as I spoke to Callan. 

"Words are power, Callan. Words bind. And once spoken, a virtuous man, one with integrity, cannot take it back. Only the weak ones take their words back, and because of that their words lose conviction. Nobody takes them seriously because they are fickle. I gave my word. Ariadne will fight. And he will survive. You talk like she's going in there to be executed." 

Callan shook his head, clearly not agreeing with anything that I had just said. "You're not a leader anymore. You're a monster hiding behind promises that no one asked for. What's going to happen if you tell everyone that your partner who was supposed to fight beside you in the games was poisoned? What are they gonna do? Call you weak? I'm convinced you are either losing your mind or you're a monster. Or maybe even both."  

I allowed the insults to hang without reacting still. It didn't move me. Because as much as I couldn't change my word, I could better the situation by at least rewarding Ariadne for saving our lives. It would be utterly cruel to just give her nothing despite all she did for us. Callan was about to turn and leave the room when I spoke. 

"Ariadne will be given a chance. After the competition ends, and he survives, he will be given one wish to make. Whatever he asks for, I will give it to him. As long as it doesn't put anyone in danger. That's my word." 

Callan's clenched jaw lessened a bit but the anger was still there, burning like the hearth behind his eyes. 

"You mean," he said bitterly. "After the competition. When he's already dead." 

I did not care to respond to that and he didn't make it any harder than it was supposed to be. He turned around immediately and started for the door, slamming it on his way out. 

All this reminded me that I had failed to bring him up as my brother. 

Maybe when the competition was over and Ariadne was gone (because she was obviously going to choose leaving this Pack as her wish), I would tell him the truth about our past. 

Maybe then, he would start to appreciate my cruelty. 



The next morning as soon as it was midday I was already standing on the balcony of my chambers, staring down at the courtyard below. 

It was crowded because every Pack citizen had been asked to attend. The crowd stretched as far as the gates of the Packhouse. It wasn't a problem for me because this meant they knew better than disobeying my order. 

And it wasn't just them who had gathered here. The Alphas from the neighboring Packs were here too. In fact they were in the front row of the gathering, surrounded by their guards. 

Every single person here was here to see blood. To see what would happen when someone dared to betray me. Hands rested on the railing, I sipped on my coffee as I watched what was going on on the elevated platform where the execution was going to be carried out. 

Mira and Rob were both tied to poles at the center of the platform, naked. 

Rob looked nothing like himself anymore. He was almost dead, but I had instructed the guards to make sure they didn't kill him while torturing him. But they'd done a good job of pulling his guts out of his ass. 

His entrails were hanging out like a tail now, emitting foul odor as they were already rotting. 

Mira, on the other hand, was shaking. She was crying, head bent and her hair falling over her face. I could hear her sobs even from up here. 

Rob, on the other hand, despite his imminent death was trying to maintain what was left of his dignity. He didn't shake. He just stood there, staring at the ground. But I knew better. No man stood before his death without being afraid. 

The crowd continued to wait and chatter as they did. Some of them were too nervous to talk about it. But the most important thing was sending a message. It was reminding them about me in case they had forgotten. 

As soon as the executioner took out the vial and waited beside the duo, I cleared my throat and chugged down the hot coffee before dropping it off on the saucer that the maid behind me was holding out with both hands. 

Then I turned fully to the crowd, straightening my shoulders before I spoke to them. 

"Look at them." I shouted so everyone could hear me. The silence now was graveyard-like. 

Heads snapped towards me too. "Mira. Rob. These were once loyal Pack members. But for some reason turned against their Alpha like a mad dog and decided that rebelling against would be a good idea. These two would have killed me and my brother and would have gotten away with it." 

I allowed the words to hang for a moment. Mira was already sobbing even harder but Rob didn't move. He just kept glaring at the ground as his entrails continued to dangle behind him. I cleared my throat before I continued. 

"Listen very carefully now. This is what happens when you betray me. Not exactly this, but this is just a picture of what it might look like. It might even be worse. But this is what happens when you think you can take my life. Any man, any woman who tries it to take the life of another unjustly will meet a fate worse than this. It will be worse than what you are seeing here today. I promise you that." 

As soon as I finished, another set of murmurs began to spread through the courtyard like wind in dead grass. I could already feel the fear rippling through them and I relished every bit of it. Sometimes the only way people learned or were reminded of things was the hard way. 

They never listen when you try to tell them, but when backed up with actions, people would respect and fear you. Fear was power. Fear kept order. But I wasn't finished. I had another plan up my sleeve. Looking at Mira, I announced. 

"Mira is guilty. She was the one who had poisoned the wine. She was part of this scheme but from everything I've heard she was forced and blackmailed to do this. She was used." 

I allowed the words to settle as I looked over at her family. They were sitting just two rows behind the Alphas. I had instructed the guards to make sure the families of both culprits were given seats in front of the gathering so they could watch their loved ones die. It would snuff out any thought of revelling against me. Mira lifted her head. 

The tears were already streaming down her face and her lips trembled as if she wanted to speak, or beg, but no words came out. Then I announced my verdict on her. 

"I will not kill her. Her blood will not stain this Pack because I do not condone threatening someone's family. Mira did what she did to save her family. And I understand that. I would do anything to save the people I love. Because of this, she and her family will be exiled. She will be given to another Pack. And so I ask," 

I looked across the Alphas who were staring up at me now, most of them wearing annoyed looks on their faces probably because I'd made it clear nobody was leaving this Pack. 

"Which one of you will take her?" Another gasp ran through the crowd. 

My eyes flitted to the third row where Mira’s relieved family were celebrating, all of them in tears. Then I looked back at the Alphas. The silence was very long and heavy. The Alphas were exchanging glances now. 

Some were even consulting with their Betas. And after a few minutes, they still hadn't made a decision. Mira continued her raw sobs, and at this point I couldn't tell if it was because she was relieved she wasn't going to be killed any longer or if it was because of the shock. One of the Alphas finally spoke up. 

"I will." It was Alpha Reid. 

But just almost instantly, another voice followed. 

"And I will as well." 

That came from Alpha Alex. He was younger than Red, and less seasoned too but he had been bold enough to stand and make his claim. 

But why did he sound like Reid was taking what belonged to him? 

I didn't know, but I would find out soon. 

Hopefully it would give me the answers that I needed about finding who the culprit behind this whole mess was. I smiled now as I looked down at both of them. 

"Good. Very good. Both of you will come to my office later on and stake your claim to her family. The Alpha with a better reason wins." 

Then I raised my hand to the guards who were standing  behind the execution platform, waiting for my command and said. 

"Take her away." 

Three men climbed the stairs up to her and untied the ropes before yanking her by the arm. 

She let out a cry, stumbling as she was being dragged down the steps and into the Packhouse. Her cries kept getting increasingly loud. 

That left Rob as the only one on the platform. His fate was sealed and he knew it. There was no way out of this. 

"Get him on his knees!" I ordered, jaw clenched tight as the fury burned through me.