The silence that followed was deafening. It was as if the entire courtyard had forgotten how to breathe.
I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped my lips. Even I, who had been shunned and hated my entire life felt the claws of terror dig into my chest at the mention of that name.
The Night walker Pack.
A kingdom ruled by the Lycan King, a tyrant whose cruelty was legendary. It was said that the skulls of those who dared defy him lined the borders of his territory as a warning.
His warriors were monsters in both strength and spirit, and his slaves—well, those who were unfortunate enough to become his slaves rarely lasted long. The stories that escaped those borders were enough to make even the bravest warriors shudder.
Women were often forced into unspeakable roles like breeding, entertainment, sex slaves in cruel games. Men were worked to death, their bodies discarded like trash. There was no mercy within those borders, only endless suffering.
No one spoke of the Night Walker Pack lightly, and no one ever left its borders alive.
“No… no, please…” I whispered, my voice trembled as tears began to blur my vision.
One of the council members shook his head. “Alpha Owen, surely this is a cruel sentence, even for her crimes. Perhaps we should….”
“Let me remind you all,” Owen cut in smoothly, “that Ariana James is a murderer. She deserves no mercy, no kindness. And the Night Walker Pack… well, they know how to handle creatures like her.”
The council fell silent. Slowly, one by one the elders began nodding their heads in agreement. Even Alpha Marcus gave his reluctant approval, though I noticed his hands trembling slightly as he signed the decree.
And then, the crowd erupted in cheers. They were shouting, clapping, laughing and celebrating my fate as if it were some grand festival. Their voices of hatred seemed to pierce through my very soul.
"Send the murderer away!"
"Let the Night Walker Pack have her!"
"Justice for Mara!"
Owen turned back to me, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. His blue eyes shone with victory, and in them I saw not a trace of the man I had once loved.
I understood now what he said. Death would have been a kindness. This… this was something else entirely.
The guards pulled me up from the ground, pushing me backward while they brought a rusty metal cage into the open area. I tried to get away from them as I yelled, "No! Please someone should help me!"