Eyes wet with tears
Saviour's POV
Callum fights mid-shift, his claws tearing through flesh just before he bite down on another guard's neck.
The man screams but successfully breaks free from his hold when Damian moves swiftly, wrapping his hand around Callum's throat.
I step forward, my muscles tense with fury as Damian drops his weight, slamming Callum face-first into the hard floor.
“Get your hands off him!” I order, unsure about the extent to which my father is willing to go.
Callum roars and thrashes but Damian keeps an iron grip around his neck until he begins to choke. He doesn't stop there, and presses his knee into Callum's spine.
Five guards march directly for me, their swords drawn as they take a protective stance.
I glance in disbelief at my father. “He's your son,” I seethe.
“That's why I'm saving him.” Father shoots.
“Stop!” Damian growls, still struggling to keep Callum under control. He looks at father as though seeking permission.
The moment Father nods his head, Damian's fist comes down once, twice, against Callum’s skull but it's hard enough that Callum goes limp immediately.
“No! CALLUM!” Andy screams, struggling against the men holding his arms.
I can only watch as they pull my brother’s unconscious body from the floor, his legs sweeping the dirty ground.
The sight strikes something in me… anger? Disgust with the law? Whatever it is, it causes me to lash out.
“They are mates, father!” I shout, “It’s out of Callum’s control and you know it. This isn’t something he chose!”
Father leans back in his chair, his face twisted in annoyance. He lifts one hand to his temple, gently massaging it, as though my words are a headache to him.
“Weren't you the one preaching about mate bonds and the importance of sticking to our mate?” I grit out, glaring at him.
He lets out a long frustrated groan, raising his furious gaze at me. “It is a disgrace,” he says. “It is a shame to this pack, a shame to the throne, an abomination!”
My fists clench at my sides. “It isn’t a disgrace, it’s the bond. We don’t control it, none of us do. Not even you or you wouldn't be in this current mess you call a life.”
Father looks away from me, his eyes falling on a guard. He nods at him and the man steps forward with a sharp silver sword. Then he kneels and offers it to me without a saying a word.
Glancing beside me, I catch how Andy trembles, sweat pouring down his skin like a shower. He pants, his fearful eyes tearing up.
“Take it and kill him.” Father commands, his eyes fixed on me. “You are the next king, Saviour. This are the kind of decisions we make. You must learn to carry out justice without mercy. Now strike.”
I lock gaze with Andy again.
“No,” I mutter quietly, stepping back.
Father's eyes narrow. “What did you say to me?” he growls, his body tense with fury.
“I said no!” I thunder, my voice vibrating through the room. “I won’t do it, I will not harm my brother's mate. Because I know what it means to be mated to someone everyone thinks is wrong for you.”
Father gaps, my refusal’s surely a slap to his face.
“I know what it means to feel like the whole world is against you just because you love someone. Who are you to judge who a person can love, Father? Who are you to say it’s wrong to cherish someone with the whole of your heart?”
His face darkens, his hands curling into fists. Enraged, he pushes himself off the chair, his steps heavy as he marches down towards me.
“You dare disobey your King? Your Father?” he roars.
He draws the sword from the hand of the guard kneeling.
“Father don't do it,” I mutter, knowing exactly what he's about to do.
“Get out of my way!” He barks as I step in front of Andy, wondering how I can keep him safe.
It's hard to protect someone when everyone is against them.
“Banish them both,” I say firmly, looking into his hateful eyes. “If you must, send him far away. But don’t kill him… you don’t have to kill him.”
Andy’s breaks into a sob, “I'm so sorry, please tell Callum to forgive me. I should have stayed away…”
His broken tone pierces through the air and I see how a few guards step back, reluctant to hurt him.
Father’s face contorts in fury. “That's why today you'll pay for your sin.” He growls, thrusting his sword and aiming for the man behind me.
I swiftly grab it, the sharp ends slicing my palms open. I don't let it distract me as I pull Andy away from the guards who don't put in too much effort in keeping him down.
“Father think about this again.” I snap at him. “Please listen to me,” I beg, my voice shaking now, “You don’t understand. If you kill him, you don’t just kill Andy. They are marked.”
Father stops, his eyes wide, but his hold on the sword tightens.
“Do you hear me? They are already marked… you could kill Callum too.”
For a moment his face drops into something else, something gentler but then the furious glare returns and this time it's ten times worse. “I would rather have a dead son than a fag.”
The moment the words fall from his mouth, a trembling whisper reaches my ears from behind me.
“Forgive me, Andy.”
The guard's words are swiftly followed by the sickening sound of sword slicing through flesh and blood.
Andy gasps, his teary eyes widening in shock… a look that quickly shifts into agony.
I stagger backwards, my gaze fixed on the sword sticking out of his chest.
“I'm sorry,” the guard behind him mutters again before twisting the sword and yanking it out, drawing a pained groan from the smaller man.
I lunge forward, but it's too late, as Andy falls to the floor, jerking, his lips gasping soundless words that soon get choked with the blood that fills his mouth.
“AHHHHHHH!!” A loud roar breaks out down the hall and I glare at my father, Callum's pain undeniable.
Father steps back but he's not the only one who does.
Victor who I hadn't noticed earlier, stumbles backwards, his shaky hand on his chest as he moves out and into the hallway, his eyes wet with tears.