Chapter 5
The infirmary was quiet, smelling of antiseptic and dried sage. I didn't need stealth to enter; the guards were too busy celebrating the "future Alpha" in the mess hall to watch the medical wing. In the shadows of the supply room, two figures waited for me.
One was Dr. Elena Cross, her hands trembling as she clutched a manila folder to her chest. The other was Commander Rex Blackwood, a mountain of a man leaning against the metal shelving, his arms crossed and a predatory grin on his face.
"Your Highness," Rex rumbled, bowing his head.
"Drop the titles, Rex. Not yet," I whispered, turning my gaze to the doctor. "Elena. Do you have it?"
Elena swallowed hard, her eyes darting between me and the door. She had been the pack doctor for fifteen years. She knew where the bodies were buried—and more importantly, she knew why there weren't more of them.
"Sienna... if Henrik finds out I gave you this..."
"If you don't give it to me, Henrik destroys the pack with a lie," I said, my voice soft but unyielding. "You took an oath to the Moon Goddess to preserve life and truth. Which is heavier, Elena? Your fear of an insecure Alpha, or your duty to the bloodline?"
She let out a shaky breath and extended the folder. I took it, flipping it open. There, in stark black ink, was the genetic analysis from a decade ago.
*Subject: Alpha Henrik Andrews. Diagnosis: Complete chromosomal infertility. Cause: Ancestral curse (Grade 4).*
"He never let me tell him," Elena whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "Every time I tried to bring up the fertility tests, he would fly into a rage, claiming his blood was pure, that the lack of pups was... was your fault."
"He needed a scapegoat," I said, closing the file. "And now he has a miracle baby. A miracle that defies biology."
Rex chuckled darkly. "So the pup is a bastard. And the mother is a traitor. We have everything we need to bury them."
"Not yet," I said, tucking the file into the lining of my jacket. "We need the Elders to see it. We need the pack to hear it. Tomorrow, the Council arrives for the seasonal inspection. That is when the curtain falls."
I didn't get until tomorrow.
Two hours later, chaos erupted. I was in the guest wing, packing the few belongings that actually mattered to me, when a high-pitched scream shattered the morning air. It came from the Alpha's quarters below.
"My baby! Help! She's killing my baby!"
My blood ran cold. I moved to the window just as the heavy oak door to my room splintered inward. Henrik stood there, his chest heaving, his eyes wild with a manic fury I had never seen before. Behind him were three of his Delta warriors.
"Seize her!" Henrik roared, pointing a shaking finger at me. "She tried to poison the Luna!"
I didn't fight as the Deltas rushed me. I could have snapped their necks before they crossed the threshold, but that wasn't the play. I let them grab my arms, twisting them behind my back.
"What lies is she spinning now, Henrik?" I asked, my voice calm amidst the storm.
"Don't speak to me, witch!" Henrik spat, stepping forward to backhand me across the face. My head snapped to the side, the taste of copper filling my mouth. I didn't flinch. I slowly turned my gaze back to him, and for a second, he faltered, seeing the golden fire burning beneath my brown irises.
"Violette drank water from the pitcher you prepared!" he screamed, trying to convince himself as much as his men. "She's convulsing! You tried to kill my heir because you're jealous of her womb!"
"I haven't been in the kitchen in days," I stated coldly. "And if I wanted her dead, I wouldn't use poison. I'd use my teeth."
"Drag her to the Training Field!" Henrik commanded, ignoring my logic. "Chain her up! The Elders are arriving within the hour. They will witness her execution for treason!"
They dragged me through the pack grounds like a criminal. Rain had begun to fall, turning the dirt paths to mud, soaking my gray dress until it clung to my skin. The pack gathered, whispering, pointing, their faces a mix of fear and confusion. They had known me as their healer, their strategist, their quiet strength for ten years. Now, they watched me being hauled to the slaughter.
In the center of the Training Field, two heavy wooden posts had been erected. The Deltas shoved me to my knees in the mud.
"Bring the silver!" Henrik ordered.
A heavy chain, gleaming with the dull luster of pure silver, was brought forward. For a normal werewolf, silver was agonizing—it burned the skin on contact and suppressed the wolf's ability to shift. As they wound it around my wrists and torso, I hissed as the metal seared my flesh.
But Henrik didn't know. He didn't know that Lycan blood was older than the silver curse. It hurt, yes. It felt like holding a hot coal. But it wouldn't hold me. When the time came, these chains would snap like thread.
I knelt in the mud, the rain plastering my hair to my face. Across the field, a convoy of black SUVs pulled up. The Elders.
Henrik stood over me, puffing out his chest, playing the role of the grieving, righteous king. He turned to the gathering crowd, his voice booming over the sound of the rain.
"Brothers and sisters!" he shouted. "Today, we cleanse this pack of a rot that has festered for too long! This woman, Sienna Burke, has attempted to murder your future Alpha! She has betrayed her vows, betrayed her pack, and betrayed me!"
He looked down at me, a cruel smile touching his lips.
"The punishment for treason is death," he declared. "And I intend to carry it out."
I looked past him, locking eyes with Elder Marcus as he stepped out of the lead vehicle. The old wolf's eyes widened as he saw me in chains.
*Let them speak, Henrik,* I thought, feeling the power of the White Wolf uncoil in my chest, heating the silver chains until they began to smoke. *Dig your grave a little deeper.*
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