an army of brute men led by Tyler entered the closed quarters. Their armed shoulders straight and diligent with orders to escort us back to the arena. The sound of their boots on the tiles was loud, confident and haste. The energy of it all demanded my attention until I heard Tyler greet. "Brady, man."

The two embraced in a hug; the one they used to give each other in school. One pat on the back, a second long shoulder graze ended with a carefree knuckle bump. "The insistence for the traitor's penance garnered, ninety two percent red ribbon signatures. I'm sure you saw?" Tyler asked with raised eyebrows, the very second he came out of their elaborate greeting.

"I approve," Brady declared with a serious tone sitting on his tongue and a delegating nod to Mr. Hannez the council member who'd entered closely behind Tyler. "One change though."

The man gave a slight bow and Tyler nodded for Brady to continue.

"She will atone for her treason but instead of chopping her head and feeding her dignity to the pride. Assemble all frontline troops on probation, each will release a bullet to her heart on the count of three. That way she'll die humanly."

Why kill her at all was the question and my face showed it.

"It's kind to our troops. Who will benefit from never knowing whose bullet hit her to death." He he explained to me and faced his delegate. "Prepare the racket. I will be sending her off in a proper wolf burial."

"What about her!" with every work, I was breaking. "How is that kind to her?"

He looked at me, "I'm giving her a proper wolf burial."

My heart tore open, all my muscles went rigid and just when I was going to protest, Tyler spoke too quickly, "That's too kind, think of the message this will send to the traitors amongst us?" his jaw locked, he cracked his neck and his Beta scent suffocated the room. The tangy scent of it was beyond tinged with anger. It also riffled with rage and the need to kill for his Alpha, any other time, I may have been cowered away with my tail between my legs.

"It's what I have decided," Brady replied.

"She shouldn't die for this anyway." I demanded at the same time Tyler challenged, "Based on what ground?"

"By my blood," Brady declared, then supplied his reason, "The girl is my mate's best friend, I'm doing it for him."

I chocked.

Tyler didn't even pretend to honour that decree. His eyes bore wildly into his Alpha's and best friend as he spoke again. "Well by my faith, I beg the blue in your blood to reconsider. What that girl did was not only an act of violence against you but the entire Blue Bloodline, and the gods. How you handle this especially as you begin your reign as Alpha extends far beyond your mate and this pack." he lowered his voice but his tone grew even heavier with a grave warning. "They are watching, all of them."

Mr. Hannez had remained calm throughout the entire exchange, it was only at this point he drew nearer with a couple of sure steps. "My apologies Alpha." he gave a bow, "I understand you think giving her a kind execution and a werewolf's burial is a way to work your way into your mate's good graces. I shouldn't have to mention this but I think it's in your best interests to remember. That your mate rejected you was his decision and the girl chose him over her Alpha. The law is the law."

My blood ran cold, and with my lips shut I tried to deliver a prayer to the gods. It was in vain and I was in fear. A heavy incessant throb mastered itself in my chest telling me to apologize. I wasn't sure it would ever stop even after the apology because either way, my best friend was still going to get a punishment. One that required her to die, and I knew my fate was going to be worse than death. The throb made me hot all over and not in a nice way, I couldn't concentrate on anything knowing they wanted her dead. "I am so sorry," I blurted, surprising even myself by the tears that sprang. "I am so sorry. I will do anything. I didn't mean what I said earlier. I will willingly let you mark me if you..."

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up!" Tyler snarled me shut, "You have some nerve."

Brady spared me a glance. "Both of you, walk with me. We'll talk on our way there."

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling all of the torture straight to my heart.

Despite his order, Mr. Hannez made no effort to move, instead his back hunched in that same way he and many elders stood whenever they gave their two cents. "There's nothing to talk about my Alpha. All there is to do is put into action the inevitable. The law requires for it and below in the arena your people have spoken. We are still a democracy aren't we?" brows furrowed into his wrinkles and head tilted to the left in wait for an answer. "The pride wants blood for blood and they want it now."

Brady's jaw locked with strain and in the silence was his greenlight.

I whimpered, finally relenting to more tears and sending one silent prayer begging for the gods intervention.

"Excellent." Mr. Hannez nodded with the energy of a young suit that had accomplished much. He motioned for the army to work their way out through the door, most took their assumed positions of guarding the heir to our pack. One of them lowered his arms to pull out the wheelchair in Brady's direction. Once he reached him he bowed, head tilted to bare his neck, a hand on his left chest in a gesture of respect, service and subservience.

"There's no need for that." he dismissed the wheelchair, then he teetered on himself on his way to the door. My gaze had been fixed on him, so I saw it happen in slow motion. Surprisingly enough my first instinct was to go save him from falling on himself. I barely managed the attempt because my speed was human normal. I felt confused in myself and started to wonder if the gods were already running their punishment on me. I prayed again hoping they would strike me dead before I was to witness my best friend's execution.

After the prayer I felt nothing but unease, then the hairs on my back stood and my skin stung as if I was being watched. I looked to my right then left and indeed I was. Mr. Hannez's watchful eyes were fixed on me in this peculiar way I couldn't figure out. He was just staring, so I stared back at the elder in a trance, trying to figure him out. Then to my surprise, he became the first to look away, though he wore a smirk on his face and gave a satisfied nod. When Brady teetered on himself again, Tyler caught him on the last breath before the floor got him.

My chest ached and my stomach dropped...I felt territorial.

Eek.

I willed my mind to ignore the cool that was seeping into my heart. Then paid attention to the bickering that had started between Tyler and Brady.

"No! You there, wheel it back over here he will sit in it." Tyler commanded, "How are you still un-coordinated anyway, when you were alone with him?" He asked pointing a firearm accusingly at me.

Brady rubbed his eyes, "Not now Ty we'll talk later."

"Your eyes?" Tyler asked and when Brady didn't reply right away he added "...Bruh you know we can't have a rejected blind Alpha right?" he finished his question by casting me a deathly glare that had me take two steps back. "Come here," he demanded.

I took two more steps back, afraid of the raging storm behind the Beta's eyes.

"Leave him. I said we'll talk Ty ok? Now let's Find Mateo and hit it," Brady asserted already heading for the door.

Tyler moved around Brady and before I had time to even consider his intention he'd gotten to me fist first. On my left eye, which landed my ass on the floor. "What the fuck is wrong with you!" his demanding tone held no will to listen for an answer. His voice was a rough, unforgiving rave of desperation. I wanted to ask him, Brady and their whole posse the same. Didn't they think it - to get it! I hadn't rejected Brady because I felt like it or enjoyed it.

What and how I felt for him was deeper than any ocean, wider than any planet and came from the core of my entire spirit. I had very few good memories of him to which when I thought of, the heavenly bliss of them proved that I could have loved him. Truly and really so much but when I thought of all the other bad memories, which there were many of, and had become a part of me. Because like salt in a sea, they'd refused to leave my bones and illustrated that I could hate too. Truly and really so much, that is why by the entirety of my spirit I had to fight. Against the grain of the tether for every single minute of my life ever since I turned sixteen.

Whatever pain he felt, I bet I felt it harder.

Under and inside my bones, I felt it deeper.

It's just that all my wounds were on the inside and none of them cared. None of them saw that I'd been forced to reject their precious Brady Victrolli. I didn't want a mate who made me feel like absolute trash outside of an obligated bond. The gods knew I begged them every day for years to reconsider but I'd been forsaken. That is why at the ripe age of sixteen, I understood the meaning of the term living dead.

Tyler violently pulled me back up by my shirt and gave me another fist at the same damn painful point. "Answer me coward!!" spit landed on my face, pain flared everywhere so did shame but I fought back tears. My head rang out the sound of a sharp straight line from the painful impact of punches thrust upon me by an angry Beta, with a settle to score. He raised his battle trained fist again in anticipation of more pain and perhaps a blackout or hopefully death. I closed my eyes for a punch that never came.

"Tyler, stop it!" I heard Brady, and when I opened my eyes I saw him clasping his pale fingers around Tyler's fist "I'll seat in the fucking wheelchair ok?"

Tyler didn't look the least bit relieved his whole face featured venomous facial expressions as he growled a fierce sound. He yanked back his hand, it was bloodied and trembling. He ran it through his dark locks and cast me a cutting glare. "Alright. Fine. Fine. Fine, let's go." He said to his friend still glaring at me as they walked out.

"You're coming with us." Towering over me, one of the guards told me.

"Where to?" I asked unaffected by the possibility. "Am I going to some secret dungeon?"

"It's alright gents, I'll take it over from here." a familiar baritone sang from the open doors. "I understand you can't let him out of your sight. So as I'll be escorting him, you'll be a few steps behind us."

"Yes sir."

"Mateo?" I whispered out my brother's name as he helped me to my feet. "Where am I going?"

"The law requires you not to be present at the scene directly so you'll watch from the Luna quarters." He said as he pulled me into a tight long hug, one that made me feel like crying. I hugged him back pulling him into the familiar embrace. It had been long since I'd last seen him, the barbecue didn't count. He was my brother, our family's Nevanji basically my second father. One who treated me like a best friend and a mentee.

I'd even been primarily inspired by him to get into medicine, I owed him my career. One more look at him and I finally broke down in tears. It felt like I was in high school again when he would be my refuge. From all the kids at school, especially Brady and his friends. I broke down for what felt like ages before we both pulled out of the embrace.

Mateo's face was amassed with sympathy and kind understanding. He placed a hand on the middle of my back and was kind enough not to rush me as we walked off to the Luna quarters. When we reached them we stood on the apex of the building. Where we could see the beautiful view of the artificially made garden of nature. One made to please the needs of were-people aesthetics, however, it looked like anything but a place of serenity and love.

It was filled with over eager animals, most on their all fours and some on all two's yelling out hateful and violent slogans that were free of any mercy for my best friend's soul. I looked down at the were-people below. I glanced back at Mateo and pointed at a group of people below who had strained the veins on their faces as they yelled the beheading chant. "Dani was friends with them in high school, when she won her Grammy they all tweeted their congratulations. Yet...I understand honouring the wolf law, but do they have to be so excited for her execution?"

Mateo followed my gaze but I don't think he heard me. Suddenly his pupils dilated turning into a shade of gold, his claws wheezed out seemingly involuntarily as he sniffed the air "Can you smell that?" he asked.

I gestured to my neck pointing at the neck chain that held Oleander flower ashes in one of its pearls. I'd been made to wear it hours ago because werewolves' abilities were stunted when in direct contact with the ashes of that flower.

Mateo's face fell looking downright apologetic.

Then he was distracted again, nose lifting to scent the air around us, face scrunched in an ugly expression I was too tired to take offence to. No second later, Greg appeared seemingly out of nowhere, sharp claws hanging out, pupils honey golden and dilated. "Witches!" he announced to Mateo. "Can you smell them?"