The ceremonial chamber had been transformed for the trial. Ancient forches lined the stone walls, their flames casting long. dancing shadows across the assembly. The normal furnishings had been cleared away, replaced by a semi–circle of seven ornately carved chairs–thrones, really–for the elders.
I stood behind the gathered crowd, Frost’s steady presence at my side. The pack members parted as Kaius entered, his steps measured and unhurried. He wore simple black clothing rather than is usual finery, no Alpha insignia in sight. Despite this, he radiated authority, his back straight, his amber eyes clear and unafraid.
The oldest of the elders rose from his seat, his voice carrying across the hushed room. “Kaius Valerian, Alpha of Ravenhollow Pack, you stand accused of the murder of Alpha King Alaric, your father and our sovereign.”
Kaius merely inclined his head slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
“By your mother’s testimony and evidence found at the scene, you appear responsible for this most grievous crime against werewolf law and nature itself.” The elder’s voice hardened. “What say you to these charges?”
Kaius’s expression remained impassive. I found myself holding my breath, remembering his promise to take the blame for his mother’s actions. Would he confess now, in front of the entire pack?
“I have nothing to say,” Kaius replied, his voice carrying easily through the chamber without him raising it.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. The elder’s. eyebrows rose slightly. “You offer no defense?”
“None.”
The elders exchanged glances. A female elder with silver–streaked auburn hair leaned forward, her dark eyes narrowing. “There is a question of uncertainty, Alpha Kaius. You were reported to be here in this pack at the time your father was found dead. We wonder
if you could shed some light on how you managed to kill your father
“No. I will not shed light on that.”
The tension in the chamber thickened. I glanced at Frost, whose face remained carefully neutral despite the growing hostility. “What is he doing?” I whispered.
Frost gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, his hand closing around my wrist–a warning to stay silent, to remain
unnoticed.
The female elder’s voice cut through the murmurs. “We could get the truth out of you whichever way.”
A cold smile touched Kaius’s lips. “You know well that you can’t. Is it a pity that your mind sorcery does not affect me?”
Mind sorcery? I’d heard rumors that the elders possessed abilities beyond normal wolves, but to hear it confirmed so casually…
The oldest elder rose again, his face grave. “We have decided on your judgment for murdering the Alpha King. An eye for an eye,
blood for blood, a life for another. You would face death.”
My heart nearly stopped. Death. They would execute Kaius. The room spun around me as panic clawed at my throat.
“No! The word burst from me before I could stop it, Frost’s grip on my wrist tightened painfully, but I barely noticed.
Kaius didn’t even glance in my direction. “I am disappointed,” he said, his tone almost conversational. “I would have expected the elders to come up with better judgments than this.”
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The female elder rose now, her face flushed with anger. “You dare mork us, boy? Perhaps death is indeed too simple a fate for one
so arrogant.”
She exchanged glances with the others, some silent communication passing between them. After a moment, she spoke again.
“Alpha Kaius of the Ravenhollow Pack, your punishment is due. Let others learn from your mistakes. Since death is too little a punishment for you, then you will be stripped of your title as Alpha also your wolf would be no more; you will for the rest of your life live like a mere human, perhaps this punishment soothes you better.”
My blood ran cold. To take away a werewolf’s ability to shift, to sever the connection to their wolf–it was a fate worse than death in our world. A living death, an eternal half–existence.
Kaius didn’t react, his posture relaxed as the elders rose from their seats, forming a circle around him. They began chanting in an ancient language I didn’t recognize, their voices blending into an cele harmony that raised the hair on my arms.
One of them produced a wicked–looking dagger, its blade etched with strange symbols that seemed to writhe and move in the torchlight. I recognized it immediately–the cursed blade, meant to strip a werewolf of their power.
“Do something!” I turned to Frost, fighting against his grip. “They are going to kill him; please do something,
“I am on orders,” Frost replied, his voice low and strained
“Then I order you to let me go.” I tried to invoke my authority as Luna, desperate to help Kaius.
“I cannot do that, Luna,” he replied, his grip unyielding.
The elders‘ chanting grew louder, the air in the chamber becoming thick and charged with power. The elder with the dagger stepped toward Kaius, who remained unnaturally still.
“Let this be your curse,” they intoned together, the dagger raised high.
What happened next unfolded so quickly I could barely comprehend it. Just as the dagger began its downward arc, Kaius moved–a blur of speed that seemed impossible even for an Alpha. His hand caught the elder’s wrist, stopping the blade inches from his chest.
For a heartbeat, everything froze. Then Kaius twisted, a sickening crack echoing through the chamber as the elder’s arm broke. Before anyone could react, Kaius had wrested the dagger free and plunged it into the elder’s chest.
The elder’s mouth opened in a silent scream, his eyes widening in shock. The other elders broke their circle, backing away, their faces masks of horror and disbelief.
Chaos erupted. Pack members scattered, some fleeing, others frozen in shock. The remaining elders began another chant, this one harsher, more urgent. The air crackled with power as they attempted to subdue Kaius.
Blood streamed from his nose, evidence that their magic was affecting him despite his earlier claim of impunity. Yet he remained standing the cursed dagger still in his hand, his eyes burning with a cold fire I’d never seen before.
“Frost, take her away!” Kaius shouted, his voice cutting through the pandemonium.
Without hesitation, Frost lifted me bodily, ignoring my struggles as he carried me toward the exit.
“You cannot leave him…” I fought against Frost’s iron grip, desperate to stay, to help somehow.
“Those are my orders, Luna.” His voice brooked no argument as he pushed through the crowd, carrying me away from the violence erupting behind us.
The last glimpse I had of Kaius was him standing amid the chaos, bloodied but unbowed, facing down the remaining elders with the
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cursed dagger held ready.
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