30. WHO IS SKYLER

DAEMON

Whispers were still rippling through the crowd as I stood there, the guards grabbed Beta Axel, dragging him away despite his pleas and cries for mercy.

Maybe on a different day I would have spared him, but I was too angry to think rationally right now.

I faced the other direction as he was whisked towards his doom. The sound of someone sniffling met my ears, reminding me of Cassandra's treacherous presence.

I lowered my gaze to find her on the floor, her eyes were puffy red as wave and wave of sobs racked through her being.

“On your feet” I commanded, my voice void of emotion. Her crying suddenly seized, she wiped her tears with her palms and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.

“Because of our previous bond, and because you were once Luna of this very pack. I will extend to you, an olive branch,” I started.

“T- thank you so much, thank you-”

“Silence!” I said cutting her off mid speech. She flinched but remained silent. My nostrils flared as I stood there, trying to steady my uneasy breath.

“Run” I stated.

“What?” She whispered, blinking repeatedly, confusion morphed on her features.

“You will gather all of your belongings and leave the west, running as fast as your legs can carry. In an hour's time I will send hunters after you, if you are still within the western region, you will meet the same fate as your lover, and perhaps join him in hell”

She shook her head and I could see her eyes widen in disbelief. It wasn't until we locked eyes that she realized that I was serious.

She gasped and spun around on her heels, dashing towards her quarters. The onlooking crowd parted to grant her an exit route as their heads turned, following her as she ran.

I watched her go farther and farther until she was no longer within my vision. I was glad that she'd left, and hopefully it would stay that way, for her own good.

When I returned to the pack house, the atmosphere was tense, everything and everyone around me seemed to be holding their breaths.

Cassandra's room was a mess, things toppled over on the floor. It looked almost as disheveled as the time when Jayda had attacked her.

I pushed open the door and stepped in fully only to find Freya perched by the far end of the bed, face buried into her cupped palms.

Her shoulders shook as she let out soft sobs. She raised her head when she noticed my presence. Her eyes were glistening with tears.

I felt a twinge of guilt in my chest seeing her in this state, I recalled how close she and Cassandra were so it was definitely going to hurt, but it was necessary.

Cassandra couldn't stay in this pack, not after what she did. I opened my mouth to speak, but I decided against it. I retreated and made my way out, giving her the much needed space to grief the loss of her friend.

My footsteps were echoing in the hallway as I strutted down, it wasn't long before a guard joined me, informing me that Axel was prepped and ready for his execution.

We headed to the courtyard, where the sentence was to be passed. People were gathered from vendors who left their shops unattended to mothers who covered their children's eyes as they stood there.

Axel stared lifelessly into the air as the executor walked up to the stage, covering his face with a brown sack.

They secured the noose around his neck and fastened it. “Today we execute Axel, who was once a Beta” the man addressed in an all black apparel stated as he swirled around, his cloak bellowing.

The stool which Axel was standing upon was yanked away and he dropped, almost touching the ground, but the rope suspended him just above the ground, snapping his head backwards.

His struggle was short lived before he became a lifeless dangling meat bag. After the execution, people began to disperse.

I returned to the pack house. I headed straight for the throne room where I found Freya, with arms folded across her chest. Our eyes met and she already knew why I was here.

“You already killed Axel, just leave Cassandra alone” she negotiated.

I ignored her and faced the guards. “One hour has passed, and her period of grace has elapsed. Go, find her. If she's still within the western territories. Kill her”

The guard nodded and spun around, making his exit.

Freya stepped forward, jaws clenched. “What you're doing is unfair!” She yelled.

I let out a sigh and then made my way towards the exit. “Cassandra was your mate!” She screamed.

“You're ordering the killing of your own mate because you know there's no way she would have left the west in her state by now, but when it was that witch, you defended her blindly!”

I froze in my steps, tightening my fists. “Why should Jayda be given a second chance and not Cassandra?” She barked.

My nostrils flared as I puffed out a harsh breath and left the throne room.

****************

Her legs were wobbly and threatening to give way under her weight. The last hour has been a blur of running, fast walking, but even that wasn't enough to get her out of the western land at the stipulated time. But at least she had made good progress.

The sun was hammering down in her, causing her to squint her eyes as beads of sweat began to form on her forehead

She clutched her duffel bag tightly as she made her way uphill. For every step she took it was as if gravity was fighting against it.

Her mouth was dry and her breath ragged. She looked back at the western territory which was beginning to shrink as she moved forward.

She heaved a sigh of relief, she was going to make it. She didn't know what to do or what the north had in store for her, but she knew it was going to be a stark contrast to the life she was used to here in the west.

The sound of rushing water met her ears and for a moment, she contemplated taking a detour to go drink some water. As she was still standing there, the rustling of leaves met her ears, making her pause.

She might have been tired and suffering from dehydration, but her senses were still sharp.

She knew for a fact that this path was usually lonely, only travelers and guards usually patrolled this route.

Guards.

Her eyes widened as she took to her heels. She wasn't fast, but she tried her best, even though she was on the outskirts, she was still on western soil and Daemon's punishment would still apply.

However, she didn't manage to get too far before she was slammed to the ground.

Her bag was cut and all its contents were sprawled on the floor. She tumbled a few times, raising dust. Three figures were looming over her with a deadly glint in their eyes.

“Please! Just let me go, I promise I'll never return, not tell anyone about this, just let me reach the northern borders, I beg of you” she croaked. Her voice was void of the usual arrogance it usually harbored.

Life had humbled her so quickly within the space of barely two hours.

The guards however, paid no heed to her pleas. One of them drove his foot into her sides, making her grunt in pain as he sent her sliding across the abrasive ground.

She struggled to get on her feet but was quickly knocked back down to the ground. She looked ahead, she was almost at the end of the western border, she stretched out her hands against the path ahead.

She tanked another fatal blow to the head, making her feel dizzy. Her vision instantly grew hazy as her muscles loosened.

With each attempt they made to break her, she kept struggling to crawl towards the north. One of the men kicked her face and she fell on her back.

He began to flicker in and out of her vision as she struggled to maintain consciousness. Her breaths were slower and her movements were haggard.

She was laying dangerously close to a large gully.

He grabbed her by the neck and pushed her down the ravine. She plopped into the water and sunk to the bottom.

The guards turned around and left, they had completed their job. “It's kind of sad that things had to end that way for her” one of them said.

“We're following orders, nothing more” the much taller one responded.

They began to trudge back to the pack house in silence.

“I wanna take a piss,” one of the guards whispered. The other two in front were indifferent and didn't bother to turn around, they just continued walking.

He stopped behind a tree to relieve himself.

Meanwhile, from the top of the tree a figure was glaring down at him with an almost predatory gaze.

Before the man could notice anything, the figure had dropped from the tree and snapped his head on impact.

His lifeless body slumped to the ground and he was snatched into a thicket instantly.

Skyler stepped forward, raking his eyes over the scenery before him. Suddenly his body began to morph as he took the form of the guard he'd just killed.

He took slow steps forward as his face cracked and twisted, making a sickening crunch. But by the time the other two guards turned around, he had already completely taken the form of the guard.

“What took you so long?”

“Nothing” Skyler replied.