Iris's POV
"You stand accused of treason," one of the pack elders, elder Gideon declared, his voice echoing through the silent hall as I was knelt by the two pack warriors in the center, surrounded by every pack member, still wearing my maid's uniform in disgrace.
I am in the council room, and Alpha Darius is staring at me, his eyes burning with a deadly intensity that makes my stomach churn. He had just been cured by the pack healer with the sacred water. Blood stains his clothes, dark and wet, coughed up from his lungs earlier from the poison he had eaten on the meal I served him hours ago.
"Your offense is punishable by death." Beta Rowon added as ripples of agreeing murmuring of some pack members filled the room.
My lumps felt weak, my throat too. Too weak to cry, too weak to prove my innocence. Who would believe me? Absolutely no one. I had gotten used to this maltreatment. On several occasions, the chief maid would accuse me of stealing. If not the chief maid, then it's Liora, the future Luna to the triplets, Darius's sons or anyone in the pack. But being accused of poisoning the king? That was too much to bear.
My hair is in a disheveled state, my eyes already red, my face weak and pale from lack of food. I had gotten used to this too. Staying without eating for days had become my favorite thing by force. Not like other maids aren't fed well, it was just me. I was hated among all. My once perfect life as an alpha's daughter ended within the blink of an eye. Dear moon goddess, do I curse you when I pray? The pain is becoming too much, going through so much pain in my father's pack, my very own pack.
"Raise her." Alpha Darius Verek said as he approached further, now standing in front of me.
Immediately, the two pack warriors who had brought me in earlier approached again as they forcefully pulled me up, my weak legs struggling to stand but they didn't leave my both sides. Their hold is firm and painful.
"Slave…" Darius called as he held my jaw painfully, pressing it and forcing my face to look up to him.
Around me, the pack members and the elders of the pack, Beta Rowan, elder Thalia, and Gideon, sit in their high-backed chairs, their faces filled with unforgiveness.
The triplets, Cade, Kael, and Zane, stand near their father, Alpha Darius. Their slightly identical faces twisted into cold glares that pierced through me. Despite having almost similar looks, I could differentiate them.
"She deserves to die." Darius' cold voice sent shivers down my spine, his cold glare on me. The triplets Cade, Kael and Zane on the other hand said nothing. They weren't much into talking, especially in front of their father. They let him take the lead.
Just then, Darius addressed the crowd boldly. "Listen up everyone. As the tradition demands in this pack, the Blackbane Pack…" he paused, stepping closer in the center of everyone, standing tall and imposing. "She shall be buried alive." He declared.
My name is Iris Oren, and once upon a time, I lived a life many envied.
I was the daughter of Alpha Oren Roland, former alpha of the Blackbane Pack, the fiercest and most respected alpha our kind had seen in decades. My mother, Luna Selene, was the heart of our pack, her presence as healing as it was regal. Together, they led the Blackbane Pack with nothing but love. As their only child, I was their pride, their hope, their heir, future alpha to the Blackbane Pack.
Darius, my father's Beta, was like an uncle to me back then, trusted, loyal, and always by our side. He trained our warriors, advised my father, and ensured the borders were secure. Or so we thought.
Liora , only child of Alpha Trent, of the Warborn Pack, use to be everything I needed in a sister. Sweet, empathetic, always showering me with love while we were kids… love I thought was genuine and would visit my pack, the Blackbane pack frequently, where she would always state she was coming to check on me. And then there were the triplets, Cade, Kael, and Zane. Sons of Beta Darius. While growing up, my mother made me believe love existed around these triplets even when they would treat me badly intentionally in the presence of everyone while we were kids, my mother would always give an impression. "They are kids, sweetheart. With time, they will grow to love you." I only wanted to be around them. To feel loved by them since I had no other siblings. But it didn't go as I've always wanted. They annoyed me, teased me mockingly and laughed whenever I cried. Those were my heart breaking memories with them as a kid. Ever since their father, Darius became the alpha, their attitude changed towards me, even became more cruel. But that wasn't all. My life took a brutal turn that night. That fateful night that everything changed.
It was late at night. My parents and I were inside my father's chambers, watching a movie like one happy family when suddenly, a familiar set of wolves attacked. I hid as the scene unfolded. My parents tried to survive but they were outnumbered. My parents are weak and now laying unconscious on the ground as I watched the familiar wolves transform back to their human form. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the leader was no other person but Beta Darius and a few of my father's trusted men. Darius brought out his silver powder as he emptied it on my parents unconscious body, the powder burning their skin, little by little. Right in my eyes, I watched Darius chop off my parents head one after another as they foot balled the head to themselves, letting out a mocking laugh.
Tears blurred my vision. I was only a child. Terrified and scared, I covered my mouth, struggling not to let out a scream. I was hopeless. What could a little girl do to save her parents? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
After that night, nothing was the same. My world shattered in an instant. My father, the Alpha who ruled with honor and mercy, was gone. My mother too. I kept that a secret, I'll avenge their death someday, maybe not now but some day and even though I wanted revenge and wanted it badly, this accusation? I am innocent.
Darius will die by my sword and not by a mere poison!
"I'm innocent." My weak voice said out but slowly and weakly. No one could hear my pleas.
Suddenly, a loud voice delayed. "She's innocent. She didn't do it." I turned to see Amelia running towards me. Amelia is 21 years old. 3 years older than I am. She's just a maid too. She was brought into this pack at age 3and while her mother was one of the maids during my father's regime, Amelia was more than a sister. A loving kind hearted one.
She fell on her knees in front of Alpha Darius, her both hands in pleas.
"Please my alpha, she's innocent. Please spare her life."
But her cries fell on deaf ears as he stood tall.
Alpha Darius rules with cruelty, not honor. The man who once stood beside my father, swearing loyalty to our pack, now lords over Blackbane like a tyrant. Gone are the days of fairness and unity. Under Darius, his strength is worshipped, and compassion is a weakness he punishes. He replaced my father's wisdom with heartlessness, his empathy with brutality. He smiles when others suffer, especially the weak. Anyone who questions him vanishes, some dragged to the dungeons, others simply never seen again. I've seen pups tremble at the sound of his footsteps and presence. Darius Verek was a cold hearted beast. And everyday, I ask the moon goddess why he is still alive.
Just then, his voice interrupted Amelia's pleas.
"Lock her up." Darius orders coldly, his cold gaze returning to me.
Immediately, another pack warrior grabbed Amelia from behind, dragging and taking Amelia away, heading towards the pack cell as she never ceases to plead my innocence.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.
"Speak up child!" Elder Gideon barks, his face stern as he leans forward in his chair. His voice booms, echoing off the stone walls. "Confess, girl, or we'll drag the truth from you!"
"I'm innocent!" My cracked weak voice said. My eyes darted to Alpha Darius, who looms over me. "I only served Alpha his meal. I didn't poison it. I. Swear. With. My. Parent's. Name!" My tears flowed non stop.
The elders murmur among themselves, and after a while, elder Thalia broke the silence as she spoke to Alpha Darius. "Given she was the daughter of Alpha Oren Roland, former alpha of the Blackbane Pack," she says, "We propose a lesser punishment. One hundred strokes with sulfur powder. Let her suffer but live."
Weak to speak, tears streamed down my face. "Please," I beg, my voice breaking but I wasn't heard. "I didn't know anything about the poison. I only served the Alpha's meal. I swear!" My voice sounded like a whisper, more like only I could hear my own words.
No one listens.
"200 strokes." Darius declared. "Take her away." He added.
Immediately, the guards grip me as they drag me from the council room. My knees scraping against the stone as I struggle to keep up with them in a weak state.
***
The pack has gathered in the town square, their faces a blur of curiosity and condemnation as I'm hauled to the center.
"Strip her," Darius orders, his voice cold as usual. I gasp, my heart lurching as the guards tear at my clothes, leaving me bare and shivering under the cold night. The crowd gasps, some turning staring with pity, while most watch with grim fascination. The triplets stand at the front, their faces unreadable. Liora stands beside them. She was their mate now, union arranged by both parents, so following them around was her hobby.
The first lash strikes landed on my skin, and I screamed, the sulfur powder searing my skin like fire. The pain is unbearable, each stroke tearing through me, making its way to my brain as I scream at every stroke, my body jerking with every stroke. The crowd is silent, their eyes heavy on me and I could see their pity on me. But they were powerless.
Another stroke and another… I cry out but the lashes keep coming. Ten, twenty, thirty, I lost count, my vision blurring with tears as my legs were weak, about to crumble to the floor but my hands were tied around a tree and my back, facing everyone.
Then something changes. The pain shifts, deepening into a burning that's more than sulfur powder. My skin feels like it's melting and my strength ebbing away as I realize the truth. They had used silver powder on me and not sulfur. Silver? deadly to werewolves, is eating away at my skin, like acid. My body goes numb, my limbs heavy, and I can't feel my legs anymore neither could I feel the pain from the whip anymore. I look up, my eyes finding Liora's. Her smirk is gone, but her eyes are cold now and suddenly, her face and everyone's faces began to blur. My vision is going weak as the stroke keeps coming.
My body is failing, my breath is shallow now but only I could understand what's happening in my body. The crowd blurs more, their faces fading as darkness begins to cloud my vision.
Now, I think of my parents as their faces appeared in front of me, remembering the good memories with them but that was replaced by their death scene.
The strokes kept coming, again, and again and again. My body is extra weak now, not flinching to any stroke that landed on my body. And as if the time moved fast, the 200 strokes were all down on me already as the pack warriors untied me, my body falling lifeless on the floor.
"She's unconscious… She's dying." That was the faint voice I heard from one of the men.
And then Darius's cold emotionless voice. "Dispose her body." Darius's voice was the last voice I heard before everything went dark.