Chapter 1 Death Sentence

• The folded note with the Alpha’s seal had been a death warrant disguised as a summons.
• I stood in the center of the courtyard, the stones biting into my bare soles. My thin sleep clothes offered no protection against the dawn chill or the heavy silence of the senior wolves encircling me. They didn’t look like my pack anymore; they looked like a firing squad.
• Harlan, Caspian’s second-in-command, stepped forward. He didn't offer a greeting. He simply read from a book, his voice like grinding gravel.
• "Theresa Williams. You are charged with betrayal of pack intelligence. Conspiracy against the Alpha bloodline. The penalty is death."
• Each word hit like physical blows.
• "That's a lie," I snapped. My voice sounded thin in the open air, but I forced my legs to stay steady. I looked toward Mira, the only person I’d called a friend. "Mira, tell them. I was in the archives with you that night. I couldn't have…"
• Mira didn't just look away; she stepped back, physically putting space between my guilt and her safety. The rejection stung worse than the accusation.
• Desperation clawed at my throat. I turned toward Donal, the man who had taught me the ways of silent hunting in the deep woods, the one who had told me I had the heart of a tracker. But as I shifted toward him, he raised his hands as if to ward off a monster.
• “I don’t know you," he barked, his voice cracking with a convincing bite. "Leave me out of this.” He moved out of the way with a frantic shuffle, treating me like I was carrying a terminal plague.
• "The evidence has been reviewed," Harlan countered, his shadow falling over me.
• "Review it with me present!" I lunged toward the book in his hand, but two guards caught my arms, their grip bruising. "I have the right to speak! Under pack law…"
• "Pack law is whatever the Alpha decides it is."
• The circle parted. The silence deepened into something suffocating.
• Caspian Draven descended the stone steps of the estate. He moved with a lethal, controlled grace that made the air feel thin. He didn't look at the guards. He didn't look at Harlan. His gold eyes were fixed entirely on me, not with anger, but with the chilling indifference of a man disposing of broken furniture.
• He stopped an arm's length away. I could see the faint scar along his jaw, a mark earned in a war I had once prayed he’d survive.
• "Alpha," I hissed, struggling against the guards' hold. "Look at me. Look at the person you’re killing and tell me you actually believe this."
• Caspian didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He simply reached out and gripped my chin, forcing my head back. His touch was lightning and cold… the bond screaming a connection that his heart clearly didn't feel.
• "The verdict is signed, Theresa," he said, his voice a low, hollow sound. "Don't make this undignified."
• "Undignified?" I let out a jagged laugh, spitting the word back at him. "You’re murdering your mate on a whim. There is no dignity in this court."
• His expression didn't shift, but his grip tightened for a fraction of a second. Then, his hand moved… a blur of steel and speed.
• I didn't scream.
• As the blade found its mark, I didn't fall back into thoughts of the past. I grabbed his forearm, my fingers slick with my own blood, anchoring myself to him. I wanted him to feel the heat of my life leaving. I wanted him to see the lack of fear in my eyes.
• The world began to tilt, the gray sky swirling into black. The voices of the pack faded into a dull hum, but I didn't let go of his arm until my muscles literally failed.
• I didn't spend my last breath wondering why. I spent it looking at the man who had traded my life for a lie.
• If I ever live again, I promise the darkness, I will make sure you’re the one who bleeds.
• Then, the cold took everything.