Nevaeh felt the world tilt as the last of her strength gave out. The tears she had been fighting finally broke, streaming down her cheeks, hot and bitter against her skin. A jagged hole opened in her chest where her heart used to be. Now, more than anything, she wished Axel could have stayed indifferent. She wished he had kept his walls up as he always had, rather than tearing her down like this.
"I didn't want blood on your hands, Father. At least, not cursed blood. It's messy." The words played on an agonizing loop in her head. It was too cruel.
This must be some kind of joke, Nevaeh thought, her mind fracturing. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Had the boy in the cell been the lie, or was this the lie?
Vexton took in his son, his eyes narrowed as he weighed the boy's sudden shift. "So you are saying you aren't trying to break her free?" he asked, his voice laced with a lingering suspicion.
"Of course not," Axel replied, his posture straightening into a rigid, arrogant line.
Vexton searched his son's face, looking for a tremor or a lie. "You actually want me to believe that?"
"Believe what you want, Father," Axel said, waving a hand dismissively toward Nevaeh. "I just thought it would be a waste to let her die so easily when she could entertain us before her demise."
Vexton let out a short, sharp grunt. "Entertain us?"
"Exactly, Father."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Vexton asked, a slow, dark smile spreading across his face.
Nevaeh couldn't believe her eyes; they were talking about her like she wasn't even there. Like she was a piece of discarded equipment.
"Well," Axel said, a dark glint appearing in his eyes. "I was planning to put the newly Ashen wolves to good use. After all, she is the reason we have more Ashen than we have ever had in history."
"What do you have in mind, son?" Vexton asked, his interest clearly piqued by the mention of the pack's new, pale-furred burden.
"I wanted to play a game of tag with her," Axel said, his voice flat.
The Alpha's frown appeared instantly. "A game of tag?"
"Yes," Axel said. "The newly Ashen wolves will chase her. Whoever catches her gets rewarded. She can be killed after they have had their fun."
Vexton's smile widened, becoming a jagged, terrifying thing. "That is my boy. Let's make this very entertaining, then."
I hate you, Axel! Nevaeh screamed internally. The betrayal felt heavy, like a physical weight pressing down on her chest and making it hard to breathe. If there was a way to survive this, she would never, ever forgive him. She had already known she might not make it out alive tonight, but she desperately wished something could happen, anything to get her out of this nightmare. If by some rare chance I survive tonight, I will make sure I pay them back for every single thing they have put me through. A broken sob escaped her.
Vexton looked over his shoulder at the guards standing a bit away behind them. "Tell everyone to make their way back to the clearing. We are going to have the best Awakening celebration ever."
One of the guards nodded and hurried away into the night.
Nevaeh watched Axel, her mind reeling from the sheer cruelty of his suggestion. He was even worse than the twins. At least the twins were honest about their hatred. Axel had given her a glimpse of heaven just so the fall to hell would hurt more.
By the time Nevaeh was dragged back to the clearing, the pack was already gathered in a loose, restless ring. The families of the newly awakened Ashen wolves were the loudest, their faces twisted with a mix of grief and fury. Their eyes were blazing with the hunger for a scapegoat.
Nevaeh stood in the center, surrounded by a ring of people who despised her. She felt like a wounded animal exposed before a hungry pack.
"My son has come up with a brilliant idea, a perfect plan for our little… malfunction!" Vexton announced to the crowd, his voice booming over the shouts. "A game of tag!"
Confusion rippled through the pack. "A game of tag?" someone shouted from the back.
"Oh yes," Vexton responded, looking genuinely happy for the first time that night. He gestured to his son. "Tell them about it, son."
Axel stepped forward, his eyes scanning the crowd with a cold authority. "It is simple. The Ashen wolves need to prove they aren't completely useless. Since it was Nevaeh's taint that caused this pack to have more Ashen wolves than we have ever seen, it is only right for them to exert their revenge on her."
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"They are to hunt Nevaeh, but for a prize," Axel continued. "Whoever catches her will earn high status in this pack. No labor roles, regardless of their status as Ashen wolves."
"Oh yeah!" someone shouted, and the energy in the clearing shifted into something feral. No low-class wolf would pass on a miracle like that.
Vexton stepped in, his voice dropping into a more sinister tone. "I have a better idea. I think it will be better if they aim to kill. It will be more fun that way."
Axel's jaw tightened. He swallowed hard, his gaze momentarily glancing at Nevaeh. She was standing there, shivering, her eyes wide with terror.
"Don't you think hunting to kill will be more fun than a simple game of tag, son?" Vexton asked, leaning in.
"It will certainly be more efficient," Axel replied, his voice barely audible.
"Good, good. Let's begin then."
Nevaeh flicked her gaze toward Axel, and for a second, their eyes collided. His jaw tightened and a flicker of something unreadable crossed his face, but he quickly smoothed it into a jagged, mocking grin.
"Are you alright, son?" Vexton asked, leaning closer to inspect him. "You look tense."
"Yeah," Axel replied, his voice flat. "I'm fine"
"You sure?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Axel replied, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the fence line. "I just hope they do a good job and not let her escape."
"How will she do that?" Vexton asked with a dry chuckle. "They are within the estate and all the gates are locked."
"One can never be too careful," Axel said, letting out a hollow chuckle.
"Hmmm," Vexton hummed.
"Can we start already?" Axel asked.
Vexton's smile grew wide, satisfied by the venom in his son's voice. "Why not? It is your game, after all, so we are ready when you are."
Axel turned toward the line and ordered the newly awakened Ashen wolves to shift. The clearing was suddenly filled with the wet, sickening crack of bones rearranging, followed by the unsettling sight of pale fur in varying shades as the wolves took their true forms.
"The rules are simple," Axel said, his voice carrying over the low snarling of the wolves. "At the count of ten, chase her. Catch her. Wound her. Do whatever you can, but the killer wins." He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Just don't let her escape."
He turned his head slightly toward Nevaeh, his eyes cold and distant. "And Nevaeh? Don't die too early. Put everything into this. Run faster than you ever have, or the game won't be fun at all. We wouldn't want you caught before the game even gets to the best part."
Laughter burst from the pack members. Alpha Vexton laughed louder than the rest. Nevaeh stared up at Axel, the color draining from her face as her lips trembled.
You're a monster, she thought.
"One... two..." Axel began to count, his voice steady and cold as a winter wind. "Three..."
Nevaeh didn't wait for him to count to ten. She turned and bolted toward the dark perimeter of the lot, shocking the crowd into a momentary silence.
"What are you waiting for?!" Alpha Vexton roared. "After her!"
The Ashen wolves lunged forward in a blur of pale fur, their paws thundering as they chased after her.