"Yes, Alpha," Cedar said with a slight bow of his head.
He repeated everything that I had already overheard from the onlookers gathered at my bedroom door earlier.
Apparently, Violet had walked by Willow’s room in the middle of the night, only to find the door ajar and the room slling of blood. She peered in, curious, to see the windows had been shattered and there was blood everywhere. The clothes that Willow was last seen in were torn, and she was nowhere to be found.
Cedar was alerted right after, and with him, the rest of the pack.
"What does that have to do with ?" I asked, clenching my teeth. "I was asleep in my room this entire ti. You can ask anyone from the servants’ quarters. I’ve not left all evening!"
"Soone saw you sneaking around Willow’s room," Violet said with a choked sob.
"You have no business here," Cedar said. His eyes narrowed. "Why else would you leave the ogas’ quarters past curfew?"
"I didn’t!" I yelled, exasperated. "Like you said, I have no business here!"
"There is no need to argue," Alpha Rowan said coldly. "The blood in Willow’s room, your sudden presence, and the witness accounts are enough."
"She’s not even dead yet!" I scread. "No one’s seen a body! You’re all ready to have convicted based on what? Because you want it to be ?"
The mont those words left my lips, I regretted it. The triplet Alphas’ faces turned dark, along with Cedar’s. My heart instantly dropped to the floor.
Of course they wanted to take the bla. Why did I even need to question it?
"No," I whispered, a sick weight dropping into my stomach. "You can’t. You can’t seriously believe this."
"You are hereby sentenced to execution," Alpha Rowan announced, voice hard and unfeeling. "Midnight. For the murder of Willow Argyris."
***
"Briar Argyris, for the cri of murdering your blood sister, Luna Willow Argyris―"
I couldn’t help but tune out.
Internally, I rolled my eyes. Willow hadn’t even been crowned Luna yet. In fact, all three Alphas made sure the entire pack knew of their fervent love for my sister, but none of them had actually gone to her and asked her for her hand and to beco their chosen mate.
Cowards, if you’d asked .
Werewolves found their mates at the age of eighteen. That was when their wolves would officially awaken.
Willow was a year older than . She would’ve already had her wolf. The Alphas too, since they were twenty this year. There was no way Willow was their fated mate. Or else, she would’ve already been crowned Luna, no question about it.
On the other hand, tonight was the night I was supposed to shift for the first ti, at midnight. It was going to be my eighteenth birthday.
This was supposed to be my chance to finally et my mate and get out of the Shadowclaw Pack.
As the warriors pushed onto the wooden execution platform, I stared at the silver blade swinging ominously.
My fated mate wouldn’t even have the chance to et , and I them. The mont the fated bond was revealed, my head would already be rolling. If I were lucky―scratch that, ’unlucky’ would be the right term―maybe he would be sowhere in the crowd, watching.
Below , the onlooking crowd cheered and booed. No matter what they scread about, it was all united in its aning―they couldn’t wait to see dead for what I had ’done’ to my sister.
For almost two years, their hatred for was clear.
I had no place in Shadowclaw. In fact, it would be a miracle if they didn’t throw my body to the woods to feed the beasts once my execution was over.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Cedar asked, glaring down at as though I had murdered the masses.
There was so much contempt in his eyes. I couldn’t help but think back―had he always looked at like that? Or did it start after Willow started falling sick?
Maybe it was ever since I returned.
"I didn’t do it," I insisted, gritting my teeth. For so reason, the back of my eyes were starting to burn, but I refused to let the tears fall.
Instead, I looked up to the skies. The moon was high. It was almost midnight.
"Kill her," Alpha Cassian growled. He took a step forward, walking closer to . "She needs to pay for her cris."
"Cris?" I echoed back. If I was going to die, to hell with hierarchy! "What other cris are there? Other than the false assumption that my sister’s death had anything to do with ?"
A stinging slap landed on my cheek, striking across the face. I gasped, veering my head to the side. Pain blood on my skin.
"How dare you speak to your Alpha that way?" Cassian yelled. The crowd imdiately went quiet due to the power behind his voice.
"Cassian," Alpha Soren’s cold voice suddenly ca from behind. "Leave the girl so dignity. She is about to answer to the Moon Goddess herself very soon."
Alpha Cassian sneered. He turned to , his voice lowered. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t need the executioner’s blade on my neck. His gaze would’ve sent straight to my maker.
"You know what else you’ve done," he spat the words out like venom before returning to his brothers’ sides.
But I didn’t know what else I’d done. There was nothing else that had gained the sa amount of hatred, not even when Willow first started to get sick.
I was quiet from confusion. Maybe it was because I was about to die, but all of a sudden, I felt my entire life flash before my eyes.
Then, it hit .
Not a mory of what happened. Rather, I felt my blood rush through my veins, along with a surge of strength. The world felt clearer, and suddenly, the air was filled with an intoxicating sll.
"It’s midnight!" soone yelled in the background. "Drop the blade!"
Their words were a buzz in my ears. Even though they were heralding my death, I didn’t pay them any attention. This sweet, minty sll... It was my mate! He was in this crowd!
But who?
I desperately searched through the sea of people, wanting to catch at least a sight of him before my death. However, none of them wore the sa visceral reaction.
Following the scent, I turned my head as much as I could. Then, my eyes finally landed on the Alphas, who stood right at the edge of my vision range.
They wore matching looks of horror on their faces, their bodies so stiff that they could’ve been mistaken as statues.
"Stop the blade!"
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