Chapter 3
I was trapped in the Frostfang Cavern, my aura shattered, my limbs numb as if submerged in ice. Outside, voices clashed in argument.
“Alpha King! Please speak up for Arya! She defended the pack with her life—”
It was Leo, his voice trembling with desperation.
The Alpha King, Taylor Bell, coughed heavily before his roar echoed. “Damon! How can you be so blind? If Arya had betrayed us, would any of us still be standing here?”
“Blind?” Damon’s voice was low, colder than the winter winds. “She’s reckless, using forbidden rituals to reverse her lineage! Her ambition hasn’t changed. She needs to be broken.”
I couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation, only the Alpha King’s coughs and the gasps of those around him. “Alpha King, be careful of your heart!”
Night deepened, and footsteps approached softly. I was wracked with pain, my body convulsing from the aftereffects of the Phoenix Flame’s burn on my soul.
Damon stood outside, a vial of healing potion in his hand, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Arya, you were born with five bloodlines, and you’ve already passed the trials. I gave you a small punishment, and now you’re acting like this?”
I was too weak to speak, but he frowned and tossed the vial outside, shattering it against the cavern wall. “If you’re so unrepentant, I have no reason to care for you anymore.”
He turned and left without another word.
Moments later, Monroe entered the cavern, her smile laced with malice. “Arya.”
She bent down to look at me, her voice dripping with mock pity. “What a shame. You gave up your lineage for him, but he thinks it was me who saved him, who stayed by his side.”
I froze. She knew about my lineage sacrifice. “Don’t worry, I’ve seen all your efforts,” Monroe whispered, her hand gripping my shoulder tightly.
A sharp crack echoed as my bone broke. Pain shot through me, darkening my vision.
“Don’t be sad,” Monroe said sweetly, her tone sharp as needles. “No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be enough. A lone wolf from the outskirts, climbing this high with brute strength—do you really think you’re worthy of him? He’s a Lycan Prince, the future heir of the Silverfang Pack. What are you?”
A Lycan Prince… I knew he had Lycan blood, but he was the future heir of the pack? No wonder he ignored the Alpha King’s orders and sealed me here with a single word.
Just then, the barrier outside rippled. Leo crashed against it, a package of food in his hands. “Arya, I brought—”
He stopped, seeing me pale and bloodied, Monroe standing over me. “What did you do?!” Monroe widened her eyes, feigning shock. “I was only trying to help her, but she suddenly—”
Before I could explain, Leo dashed out. Soon, a familiar aura approached.
Damon was back.
His gaze first landed on Monroe, his brow furrowed, then shifted to me. His first glance was always for her. “What’s going on?” he asked coldly.
Monroe sobbed softly. “I brought her medicine, but she tried to destroy my lineage and ended up hurting herself.”
I forced myself to stand, swaying unsteadily, blood staining my lips. “Why would I destroy her lineage?”
His eyes flickered with something like anger, but he avoided my question, instead glancing at the charm on Leo’s wrist. It was one of my creations. Once, I had only crafted charms for him, as I was the most skilled in the pack. But now, I had given them to my packmates to protect them.
“You couldn’t sway me, so now you’re targeting Leo?” he sneered.
Sway him? He’d never worn the charms I made for him, and now he mocked me for giving them to others. “How much shame do you even have left?”
His voice was low, simmering with anger. I looked up at him, catching a fleeting moment of hesitation in his eyes. But it was gone in an instant.
“From today, Arya is stripped of her rank as Delta. She’ll remain confined in the Frostfang Cavern, forbidden to leave the barrier, and will receive thirty lashes of the Soulvine daily.”
Monroe’s eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected such a harsh command. I laughed softly. “Go ahead. It’s all the same in the end.”
The first lash nearly brought me to my knees. The Soulvine burned like fire, each strike tearing through my body. The second, the third… I didn’t cry out, only bit my lip, staring at him beyond the barrier.
He didn’t move, didn’t leave. But his gaze, for some reason, hurt more than the lashes.
At the tenth strike, he raised his hand. “Enough for today.”
In that moment, I remembered something with painful clarity: In my past life, I died with an empty heart. This time, it felt the same.
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