Women were condemned to unspeakable fates—forced into servitude, subjected to heinous acts, and treated as nothing more than breeding stock or playthings for cruel entertainment. Men were worked to the bone, their bodies discarded like useless scraps once they were no longer of any use. The Night Walker Pack knew no mercy, only endless, inescapable suffering.
No one spoke of them lightly. No one dared cross their borders. And no one, no matter how powerful, ever returned alive.
“No… no, please…” My voice trembled as tears blurred my vision, my entire body locking up in terror.
One of the council members hesitated, casting a wary glance at Alpha Owen. “Alpha, surely this punishment is excessive, even for her crimes. Perhaps we should reconsider—”
“Let me remind you,” Owen interrupted smoothly, his voice cold as steel, “that Ariana James is a murderer. She deserves no leniency, no kindness. And the Night Walker Pack…” He smirked. “They know exactly how to deal with creatures like her.”
A tense silence followed, and then, one by one, the elders nodded in agreement. Even Alpha Marcus, who had remained visibly uncomfortable, eventually relented. I noticed the slight tremor in his hands as he signed the decree, but he still signed it nonetheless.
Then, as if ignited by a spark, the crowd erupted.
Shouts of triumph rang through the air, cheers and laughter blending into a sickening symphony of hatred and celebration. They reveled in my fate as though it were some grand festival, their voices cutting through me like a thousand blades.
“Send the murderer away!” “Let the Night Walker Pack have her!” “Justice for Mara!”
Owen turned to me then, his piercing blue eyes gleaming with victory. There was no trace of the man I had once loved, no flicker of remorse. Only satisfaction.
In that moment, I understood. Death would have been a mercy. This… this was far worse.
Rough hands seized me, dragging me to my feet. I thrashed, desperation giving me strength. “No! Please! Someone—anyone—help me!” But no one did.
A heavy metal cage was dragged into the courtyard, rusted and worn, its bars lined with dried blood from past occupants. My heart pounded wildly as they forced me inside, slamming the door shut behind me. The clang of metal rang out like a death knell.