Chapter 6 Sworn Oath

Cypress POV

Finn's face shifted from shock to cold calculation, his eyes narrowing as he absorbed the scene. The maid was still frozen in the doorway, her hand over her mouth, eyes darting between the girl's mangled body and me. She looked like she might bolt at any moment, the horror of what she'd seen evident on her face.

Without missing a beat, Finn snapped his fingers at her, voice sharp. "You. Clean this up. Now."

She flinched, but Finn's voice left no room for argument. She trembled, stepping tentatively into the room. The girl's blood had soaked into the sheets, splattering across the floor and walls in a grotesque pattern that would be hard to scrub out, but the maid didn't question the order. Her steps were slow, cautious, as though she was afraid any sudden move would draw the monster back out of me.

Finn turned to me, his face taut with barely restrained disgust. I didn't say anything. My mind was a storm of fragmented memories, of flashes of violence, of the sheer feral power that had overtaken me. My hands clenched at my sides as the sickening weight of what I'd done sank deeper.

"Get a grip," he hissed under his breath, his eyes piercing. "I don't know what that was, but we can't afford any slip-ups here, Cypress."

I nodded, though my muscles were still shaking, the remnants of that brutal transformation pulsing through me. I couldn't wrap my mind around it-how had it happened, why had it happened? But Finn's gaze held a warning, a reminder that any weakness I showed would only make things worse. My pack expected strength, control; any crack in that image could unravel everything.

The maid knelt beside the bed, trying to lift the body, her hands slipping on the blood-slicked sheets. She stifled a sob, her hands shaking as she cleaned, but Finn's eyes pinned her down. There was no mercy in his gaze, no sympathy for her terror.

"I don't care what you think you saw," I said, my voice low but dangerous. "You'll scrub every inch of this room spotless, or you'll end up like her."

The maid whimpered but didn't dare argue. She moved with frantic desperation, dragging bloodied sheets and broken limbs, her breathing shallow. I watched her, the horror and loathing in her eyes as she avoided looking at me directly. She was terrified, but she didn't look away, hands moving quickly, as though speed could save her from the inevitable. Finn's words, cold and precise, hung over her like a death sentence.

After what felt like an eternity, the room began to look less like a slaughterhouse. The sheets and body were gone, carried out silently by the trembling maid. She'd scrubbed the walls and mopped the floor, though faint stains would undoubtedly remain, a memory of what I'd unleashed here tonight. She stood by the door, face pale and eyes hollow, like she'd aged years in the span of a few hours.

Finn stepped toward her, his gaze hard. "Now, look at me," he ordered.

She looked up, eyes wide and tear-streaked, and I could see her hands still shaking. Her breaths came in shallow gasps as Finn's expression turned even colder.

"I need you to understand what's going to happen next," Finn said. "You will take a blood oath, right here, right now. You will swear to the goddess and to the pack that you will never speak of what you've seen tonight-not to anyone, not ever."

The maid's eyes widened, and her lips parted in protest, but a sharp glance from Finn silenced her. She swallowed hard, her gaze flickering between us, no doubt realizing that her life depended on her obedience.

"Do you understand?" Finn asked, his voice like ice.

She nodded, but Finn didn't look satisfied. He extended his hand, producing a small, gleaming dagger from his belt. He held it out to her, the blade catching the dim light, gleaming with an ominous edge. She looked at it, her face pale, understanding dawning in her eyes. A blood oath wasn't just words. It was binding, a promise that would link her life to the secret she'd been forced to keep.

"Take it," Finn commanded.

With trembling hands, she took the dagger, her fingers white-knuckled around the hilt. Her gaze darted between us, her lips quivering, but she raised her left palm obediently. Her gaze held a flicker of defiance, but fear quickly replaced it as she made a shallow cut across her palm, wincing as the blade sliced her skin.

She held her hand out, blood welling up, and Finn nodded approvingly. "Repeat after me."

Her voice was barely a whisper as she echoed his words. "I swear on my blood, on my life, and to the goddess..."

Her voice wavered, breaking into a sob, but she forced herself to continue. "I will not speak of what I saw here, to anyone...not to my family, my friends, or even myself in solitude."

Her voice faded, a tear slipping down her cheek. She was terrified, bound by something ancient and irrevocable, something that would follow her to the grave. She knew that even the slightest hint, the smallest slip, could mean the end of her life.

As her words ended, Finn nodded in grim satisfaction. "Good. Now press your palm to the floor."

She knelt down, her bloodied hand trembling as she pressed it to the cold stone floor. I could see the last glimmers of hope leaving her eyes as she bound herself to our secret, her fate sealed with that oath. Finn's expression softened slightly, but only for a moment. He had no sympathy, only a ruthless pragmatism that had always made him an ideal beta. He had cleaned up messes like this before, though none quite as gruesome. None quite as... monstrous.

When she finally stood, wiping the blood off her palm, her head hung low, her spirit crushed. Finn's eyes stayed on her, calculating, ensuring that she was truly broken. He'd let her live, but only because he was certain she would never cross him. He was good at that-at knowing how far he could push people before they'd break completely.

Finn inclined his head toward the door, signaling her dismissal. "You can go."

The maid shuffled out without a word, her gaze fixed on the floor. Her silence was the only proof of her understanding, the resignation in her eyes was clearly because of the iron grip Finn had over her now. She'd been bound to us, to our darkness, and there was no going back.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Finn turned to me, his jaw tight. His eyes were cold, calculating, but beneath that, I could sense something else-a hint of fear, of wariness. He didn't say anything, but the weight of his stare said enough.

"What?" I finally asked, voice hoarse.

Finn's gaze hardened, but he didn't look away. "What happened here, Cypress? This wasn't normal, even for you."

I clenched my fists, still reeling from the realization myself. The shift, the feral power, the bloodlust-it had been unlike anything I'd experienced. I felt the flicker of shame and fear creep up, but I shoved it down. I was an alpha. I wasn't supposed to be weak, to lose control like that.

"It was... nothing. Just... an accident," I muttered, though the words felt hollow, even to me.

Finn didn't look convinced. His eyes searched mine, as if looking for some hint of the truth, of the monster that had broken free last night. But after a moment, he straightened, crossing his arms. He'd learned long ago not to push me too far.

"Then let's hope it doesn't happen again," he said, voice low. "Because if it does... I'm not sure even I can clean it up next time."