Chapter 5 Ch 5

_Anya's POV_

The three days before the execution felt longer than all the years I had lived in that pack.

After the trial, the guards dragged me back to the cellar and threw me inside. This time they did not even look at me. The door slammed shut and the sound echoed in the darkness like a final sentence.

Three days.

Only three days until dawn came for me.

No one brought me food and water. My throat burned with thirst and my stomach hurt until the pain became dull and heavy. My body felt weaker with each hour that passed.

On the third day, the weakness became so bad that even breathing felt like work.

I did not know if it was still night or already close to dawn. No light reached the deep part of the cellar. Time had no shape there.

I had prayed so many times during those three days that I no longer knew whether I was praying aloud or only in my heart.

"Moon Goddess," I whispered with cracked lips, "if this is truly my end, please do not let it hurt for long. And if I am innocent, then please let the truth come out one day. Even if I am not there to see it."

Maya stirred weakly. You are not going to die, she said.

I wanted to believe her but the words felt too fragile against the weight of everything around me. "How can you still say that?"

Because I can still feel something, she whispered. Something is coming.

I did not understand what she meant.

A little while later, footsteps echoed down the stone staircase.

The iron door opened. Torchlight flooded the cell so suddenly that my eyes burned. I lifted a shaky hand to shield them.

"Get her up," a guard said.

They pulled me to my feet but my legs were too weak to hold me. They dragged me up the stairs and outside. The cold morning air hit my face and I took a sharp breath. The sky was pale. Dawn was coming.

Then I saw where they were taking me.

In the open square, a raised wooden platform had been built. The whole pack had gathered around it. In the center of the platform stood a heavy wooden frame and beneath it hung a sharp blade that shone in the early light.

A guillotine.

My whole body went cold.

I had heard stories about public punishments when I was younger but I had never seen this place being used. The sight of it stole what little breath I had left. There were rows of people standing around the platform already. Faces I knew. Faces that had watched me work for years without ever really seeing me.

Today, they had all come to see me die.

The guards dragged me closer. My knees threatened to give out with every step.

"Please," I whispered. "Please, I am innocent. I did not do this."

No one answered.

At the front stood the Alpha and the Luna in dark ceremonial clothes. The elders were near them. My father and mother stood to one side. Talia was there too, wrapped in a cloak, looking weak enough to play the victim but not weak enough to miss my death. Leon stood not far from her. His face was hard and pale. His eyes met mine for only a second before he looked away.

That hurt more than anything.

The guards forced me up the wooden steps of the platform. I stumbled and almost fell but they jerked me upright again. My wrists were still locked in iron cuffs. The metal had rubbed my skin raw.

The Alpha spoke loudly so everyone could hear. "Anya Taylor, you were judged by this pack and found guilty. Your sentence will now be carried out."

"Please," I cried. "Please, Alpha. I am innocent. I did not poison Talia. Someone framed me. Please show mercy. I do not want to die."

He did not react.

I turned toward Leon. Tears blurred my vision. "Leon, please. Please say something. You know me. You know I would never do this."

His jaw clenched. For one terrible moment, I thought he might step forward. But he did not move.

One of the guards came behind me with a black cloth.

"No," I gasped, trying to pull away. "Please, no."

He yanked my head back and tied the cloth over my eyes. Darkness swallowed everything at once.

I could hear the murmurs of the crowd more sharply now. I could hear the wood creak beneath my feet. I could hear my own breathing which was ragged and uneven. Hands gripped my arms and pushed me forward. My knees hit rough wood. They were forcing me down.

"Hold her still," someone said.

Rough hands pressed down on my shoulders. Another hand forced my head lower. My cheek brushed the cold wood beneath the blade. I started shaking so badly that I could barely form words.

I tried to pray.

"Moon Goddess, please receive my soul," I whispered through tears. "Please forgive me for all the things I could not be. Please... please..."

My voice broke completely.

Then, just as the executioner moved, a strong male voice cut through the square.

"Stop."

Everything went silent.

The Alpha's angry voice echoed across the square. "Who dares interrupt this execution?"

Another male voice answered at once. "I am the Beta of the Fireblood Pack. My Alpha has ordered this execution to stop."

A wave of whispers rushed through the crowd.

Fireblood.

Even in my fear, the name struck me. Fireblood was one of the strongest packs in the region. Everyone knew that.

The Alpha sounded enraged. "Why would the Alpha of Fireblood interfere in a matter that does not involve his pack?"

Before the Beta could answer, another voice spoke. This one was deeper.

"Forgive me, Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack. I did not wish to interfere in your internal matters. But this issue now concerns my pack as well."

Something in that voice made the entire square go quiet again.

"I am Jacob, Alpha of the Fireblood Pack," the man continued. "This girl has connections to my territory. The poison she used is made from a rare plant that grows only within Fireblood land. That means someone from my pack has been in contact with her or she has been in contact with people tied to my territory. Either possibility makes this more than a simple poisoning case."

The Alpha said sharply, "She was judged by my court. She is guilty."

"And I do not dispute that you judged her according to what you knew," Alpha Jacob replied calmly. "But if this poison came from my territory, then this matter also touches my pack. There may be traitors among my own people. There may be enemy packs involved. There may be a larger conspiracy here. If you execute her now, the trail dies with her."

Silence stretched for a moment. I could hear my own heart beating beneath the cloth.

Then the Alpha spoke again. "You ask a great deal. Why should I hand over a condemned prisoner to another pack?"

Alpha Jacob answered without hesitation. "Because if she has accomplices, then those accomplices may not only threaten Fireblood. They may threaten Silvercrest too. If word of her death reaches them before we uncover the truth, they may hide, flee or strike first. Let me investigate. Let me carry out the punishment after I learn who else is involved."

The Alpha's voice hardened. "This is my prisoner."

"And this poison is from my land. That gives me cause to intervene. I will keep you informed of every development. If she is only a foolish girl who acted alone, then you lose nothing but a few days. If she is part of something larger, then executing her now could cost both our packs dearly."

There was another pause. I could hear movement in the crowd and the low murmur of uneasy voices. The men holding me had eased their grip but they had not let go.

Then the Alpha said, "You should not mistake Silvercrest for a weak pack, Alpha Jacob."

"I would never insult your strength, Alpha. But Fireblood is stronger in numbers and defense. If enemy packs are involved, I am better placed to draw them out and destroy them. Let me do this properly. I ask for the prisoner under inter-pack investigation rights. You have my word that I will send updates."

The Alpha did not answer at once. When he finally spoke, I heard his reluctance clearly. "And if I refuse?"

"Then any threat tied to my territory will remain hidden. If that danger later turns toward Silvercrest, the cost will be on all our heads. I would prefer cooperation. But I will not walk away from a matter involving my own pack."

The silence that followed felt endless.

At last, the Alpha exhaled sharply. "Very well. You will take custody of the girl for investigation. But this does not erase her sentence. If you uncover nothing, she remains condemned."

"Agreed," Alpha Jacob said at once.

The hands on my shoulders lifted. Someone untied the cloth from my eyes. Light rushed in so suddenly that I blinked hard. My vision swam for a moment, then slowly cleared.

The first thing I saw was a man standing a few steps away from the platform.

He was young but there was authority in the way he held himself. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in dark clothes that fit his powerful body. Everything about him spoke of strength.

And yet his face was calm....too calm.

His gaze settled on me and for one strange moment I saw no open cruelty there. It should have comforted me but instead, it made me uneasy in a way I could not explain.

So this was Jacob, the Alpha of Fireblood.

The man whose name I had heard in whispers before. He was supposed to be cruel, ruthless and heartless.

He stepped closer and looked at me fully. I felt filthy beneath that gaze. My clothes were torn and dirty. My hair was tangled. My wrists were bruised. My body shook from weakness.

Still, he looked at me as if I were worth seeing.

"Bring her down," he said.

One of his men moved at once but before I could understand what was happening, Alpha Jacob himself reached out, grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. His hand was strong.

I stumbled off the platform. My legs nearly gave out. He tightened his grip and dragged me forward before I could fall.

I looked back once. Leon was staring at us.

Shock was written all over his face. It was as if he could not believe what was happening right in front of him. Our eyes met for the briefest second. There were too many things in his expression for me to name. But it did not matter now.

Alpha Jacob kept pulling me toward a line of dark vehicles waiting near the square. Several armed men stood nearby. More cars waited behind them. Fireblood had not come lightly. They had come prepared.

My breath shook as I walked or rather as I was half dragged beside him.

Should I feel grateful that I had been spared? Or should I be afraid that something worse than death now waited for me?

I had heard stories about the Alpha of Fireblood. About the punishments in his territory. About how he dealt with enemies. Perhaps the blade would have been kinder.

Alpha Jacob opened the back door of one of the cars and pushed me inside. I landed awkwardly against the seat. I was too weak to resist. A moment later he slid in beside me. His Beta took the front passenger seat. Another man got behind the wheel.

Outside, engines started one after another.

As the cars began to move, I turned my head and looked out the window. Silvercrest was already falling behind us.

My throat tightened.

I did not know whether I was leaving death behind or driving straight toward it.

Then I became aware of Jacob's gaze on me. I turned slowly. He was already watching me.

Our eyes met. For a second I forgot to breathe. His expression was unreadable but then he gave me a small smile. It was not warm enough to erase my fear but it was still the first smile anyone had given me in what felt like forever.

"Do not worry," he said quietly. "I am going to get rid of those handcuffs."

Before I could react, he took my chained wrists in his large hands. His grip was steady. Then I felt the sharp pull of his strength.

The iron snapped. I stared at the broken cuffs in shock. He had broken them as if they were nothing. He had not hurt me at all.

My wrists fell free into my lap. Red marks ringed my skin. I rubbed them weakly, unable to look away from him.

He leaned back slightly. His blue eyes were still on mine.

"Do not be afraid," he said in that calm voice. "You are safe with me."

My heart gave one strange and confused beat.

Safe?

After everything that had happened, the word did not feel real.

I stared at him. Was he truly helping me? Was this kindness? Or was it only another trap waiting to close around me?

The car kept moving. And beside me sat a handsome Alpha with golden hair, blue eyes and a soft voice that made no sense at all.

Sometimes the most dangerous monsters were the ones who smiled gently before they destroyed you.