𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐑𝐀
"You cannot do this," Zeta Gavrin growled, though the sound lacked bite. His rheumy eyes pleaded up at the Lycans that surrounded him. "You know how these human scum are. She lured me. I would have never opened the vault. I didn't even know the core was that important."
He was down on his knees, chains of silver binding him and slowly corroding his skin, while the Lycans paid him no mind. Reuben and Caspian were forced to join him, the Lycans encircling all three men.
I knew what would happen next because my father had told me stories of their power—of what they could rip from you. The hall we stood in was expansive, yet I choked on the dread that pulsed in the air.
Today, there were witnesses to the punishment for their transgression. The other Zetas were present, one from every other pack in the realm. Sonya was the only one sitting, dressed in black, tears streaming down her sallow face. Caspian looked to her, hope flaring every time he had the chance, but his twin sister did not budge.
But Reuben's eyes had not strayed from me once. Fear was written into every line of his face, yet he said not a word. I was no better off than him. If not for the Core, I would have just been body parts in some landfill, dogs feasting on my bones. Despite his own situation, there was pity in his gaze, but not once did he attempt to disprove Sonya's lies. He went along with them, and that told me all I needed to know.
The Lycans took their positions on the four circles around the chained transgressors. My heart sputtered as their eyes ignited—violet, crimson, gold, hazel—and the temperature in the hall plummeted.
Zeta Gavrin still struggled, but when Kaleb grabbed his face, he froze. His body went slack, his mouth hanging open as he was pulled into a daze. It was the same with the rest. Zayne took Reuben, while Cyrus and Rafayel flanked Caspian.
I couldn't look away. The Lycans tore their wolves out—not killing them, but stripping them down to nothing but omegas. Sonya sobbed louder, her body shuddering under the weight of her own pretense.
It was over before my second blink. The Lycans let them go, and the three of them collapsed like dominoes. Caspian was no longer Alpha. Reuben was no longer Beta. Gavrin was nothing but an old man. All were now as powerless as humans.
Gammas filed forward, taking the men without a word, just as the Lycans turned to me where I stood in chains. Sonya only cried harder, her voice grating on my ears like a meat shredder, but Cyrus came to her rescue, offering a hand. She took it and he pulled her to him. She snuggled closer.
It unnerved me. They were meant to be demigods, but here they were, falling for the oldest trick in the book—a woman's tears. Yet, I had to admit that Sonya had spun a web of lies so intricate that I would have fallen for it myself.
They all towered over me, looming like executioners, when a low growl rumbled from behind.
The wolf.
His green eyes blazed as he positioned himself between me and the Lycans, hackles raised, teeth bared. All four Lycans grimaced. Jaws tightened in irritation, expressions souring with annoyance. But they didn't acknowledge him beyond that or try to move him. They just stood there, staring down at me as if the wolf were nothing more than a persistent fly.
The spectacled one, Zayne, spoke first. His tone lacked inflection, vibrating with a cold stoicism that chilled me to the core. "Aurora Vale. You stand accused of theft of a Moon Core, conspiracy with a Zeta, and manipulation of pack hierarchy. The evidence is conclusive."
I did not bother reacting, even if I stank of fear. There was no point in begging, especially without a voice.
"For your crimes, you should be annihilated," Kaleb stepped forward, his voice gravelly, his stare nailing me to the spot.
"Yet, the core which you purposefully stole and absorbed like the parasite you have proven to be," Rafayel continued, his amber eyes holding mine without blinking, "has made your execution impossible. For now."
No one moved. The hall seemed to contract around his words.
"The core has bonded to your biology," Kaleb's voice was like grinding stone. "Extracting it prematurely destroys it along with you, and we will not suffer that loss on your account. So you live, because we are not yet finished with what you carry inside you."
"Our scholars and Zetas are already working," Zayne said. "When they find the method—and they will—the extraction will be performed regardless of what it costs you. The core is divine. Reclaiming it from a human body will not be a gentle process."
The implication was clear; I would die from the extraction. My neck began to itch.
Cyrus had not moved from Sonya's side, his red eyes simmering with wicked intent. "Until that day, you belong to this estate. The staff has been dismissed. Every last one of them."
The estate—from what I had seen of it—was of an unfathomable size. To dismiss the staff was insane.
Two gammas emerged from the corridor. One carried a folded uniform. They stopped before me and extended it without a word.
"Sonya Vale spent years being your slave," Kaleb said. "It's time the tables are turned, as that labor is now yours. You will work until your hands are raw, and when they are, you will keep working. Any resistance will be met with punishment that does not require us to touch you directly."
Sonya's sobbing had gone quiet, and I caught the glint of satisfaction in her dark eyes. The gamma holding the uniform gave it a small shake.
I took it.
Contrary to what they believed, I was not a stranger to slavery. Sonya had made sure of that after my father disappeared; still, I couldn't help but dread what Sonya had in store for me. Because if she made my life hell before—I hated to imagine what she could do with the backing of Lycans.