~Zayne~

I dropped Thorn's corpse on the floor. Blood flooded out of it.


'What the fuck!!" I heard Luther's yell. His voice was tinged with a certain shock and disbelief as he saw Thorns corpse.

I turned towards him, my eyes filled with a burning rage to tear him apart.

I gently walked closer to him, safely putting one foot in front of the other.


And with a roar that split the night air I lunged, my massive from crashing toward Luther like a freight train. Luther barely managed to sidestep, but my claws still scraped across his shoulder, leaving a bloody streak.

Luther's lip curled into a snarl as he spun, his own beastly strength propelling him forward. We clashed again, a whirlwind of claws and teeth, rolling through the dirt in a tangle of fur and flesh.


As we separated, both panting, Luther's eyes burned with the fire of unrestrained fury. He was younger, faster, but it was me who had the patience to control the beast within.

With a deep, guttural growl, I let the beast inside me fully take control. My form grew larger, my fur darkening to midnight black, my teeth sharp as jagged stone. The power surged through me, filling my veins with the strength of the hunt, the need to survive. Luther hesitated for a split second, confusion flickering in his wild eyes. That hesitation would be his undoing.

In one fluid motion, I slammed into Luther, knocking him off his feet. The younger Lycan's body hit the ground with a deafening thud.

I didn't relent for even a second, I'll be punished if I do so with someone like Luther.

Before he could recover, I was on him, my claws sinking deep into his brother's chest. Luther roared in pain, his claws flailing, but my grip was unrelenting.

'I never wanted this…" I growled, with the last consciousness left in me, my voice hoarse with grief and rage. My eyes burned with sorrow as my claws tightened, ending the battle with a single, brutal strike. Luther's body went limp in my grasp, the once-thrashing beast now still beneath me.

His body was lifeless, as I gave him a deep cold glare.

The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of what had just transpired pressing down on my chest like a stone. My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart pounding in my chest.

I stood over my fallen brother, the cold moonlight bathing us both in a cruel, indifferent glow.

And then, my eyes began to flutter, I struggled to keep them open.

Suddenly, my body crashed down onto the floor, as my consciousness departed from him.

'What now?"

'I don't know, we have to wait for Zayne."

I hear faint voices. My vision slowly returned.

'What happened?" I rose up from my bed at once.

In the room with me was Rowan and Steph, both of their gazes fixed on me.

'You're awake!"

Rowan yelled out before coming to me.

I tried to recall what happened, but my mind was as if there was a doorway blocking my memory.

I also felt a sharp pain at the side of my head.

'What happened?" I asked again, struggling to remember a single thing from this past night.

'Well, you killed both Thorn and Luther, and we disposed of their corpses."

'What?" I couldn't believe my ears. I killed my brother.

Although he was a menace and wanted to kill me so badly, I'm not him, and I couldn't have wished death upon him. That's not me, the worst I could do for him, was lock him up in a cell.

My memory began to slowly flow through, bits and pieces of it.

'Steph!!" I thundered her name from the bed I was in.

She stood at the door, quietly to herself. But she immediately walked up to me on hearing my call.

'You poisoned me!"

'I'm so sorry, Zayne. I was-"

'Stop!" I stopped her. The last thing I wanted to hear with this throbbing headache was her explanation.

'You should be in jail. Poisoning the king is a serious offence, warranting at least twenty five to a lifetime in jail."

I said in a husky voice. I saw the shock on Steph's face.

'Okay. I'll serve my time in jail. I deserve it." Steph said.

'But for you, I'll make an exemption. I understand why you joined Luther. You were under the impression I hated humans and wanted to kill them.

I won't blame you, we've all made rash decisions in anger, doesn't mean you should get punished for it.

And also you helped save me as well as redeeming your mistake.

So, I won't be jailing you!"

'Yes! Thank you so much!" a bright smile appeared on her face.

She leaned closer to him and gave me a tight hug in excitement.

'But as for the rest of the crew involved. I need you guys to get them arrested and brought to jail."

I ordered turning towards Rowan.

'Yes. I'm on it." Rowan answered his voice firmly.

And the two of them left my room at once.

~Steph~

My eyes gently opened. I was stunned by the mess in Zayne's room.

Chairs and tables overturned. Windows cracked.

'Steph."

I heard Rowan's voice. I turned to my left to see his figure slowly approaching me.

'What happened?" I asked in deep confusion.

'Well, I found Luther's and Thorns corpses on the floor.

So I'm guessing Zayne killed them…"

'And what about Zayne?" I asked, barely letting Rowan finish.

'Well, I found him unconscious so l laid him on his bed."

Rowan pointed to Zayne's body carefully laid across the bed.

We had to clear out the room before morning at least.

So Rowan went to dispose of the corpse taking it one at a time.

I tried my best to arrange the chairs and tables to the best I could.

Soon, it was morning. We waited in Zayne's room for him to wake up.

And a few hours into the bright morning, Zayne finally woke up.

He seemed to not remember much. Rowan walked closer to him and carefully explained to him the events of last night.

'Steph!"

Suddenly I heard Zayne call me out in a stern voice.

My heart skipped a beat. I gently approached him.

'You poisoned me!"

'I'm so sorry, Zayne. I was-"

'Stop!" Zayne stopped him before I could even explain myself.

'You should be in jail. Poisoning the king is a serious offence, warranting at least twenty five to a lifetime in jail."

My mind went blank for a moment, as Zayne's words reached my ears.

I was really going to prison.

'Okay. I'll serve my time in jail. I deserve it." I said.

I was ready to serve my time. I fully deserve it.

'But for you, I'll make an exemption. I understand why you joined Luther. You were under the impression I hated humans and wanted to kill them.

I won't blame you, we've all made rash decisions in anger, doesn't mean you should get punished for it.

And also you helped save me as well as redeeming your mistake.

So, I won't be jailing you!"

And after a brief talk, Zayne seemed to understand my reason and decided to pardon me, making me exempt.

And I was immensely grateful.

'But as for the rest of the crew involved. I need you guys to get them arrested and brought to jail."

Zayne ordered turning to Rowan.

'Yes. I'm on it."

And with that Rowan marched out of Zayne's room and I followed behind.


'Crystal is always in the kitchen, so you can get her there."

I stood at a distance, as Rowan and two more guards barged into the kitchen with brute force.

And after some minutes, they retreated from the kitchen.

Crystal was in their custody. Her hands were cuffed behind her back.

She didn't bother struggling as they walked her to the castle dungeon.

But she didn't pass me without giving me a piercing stare.

Supervised by Rowan, the two guards took Crystal to jail.

And when they finished, Rowan returned back to me.

'So that leaves Reta. Where could she be?"

'Let's start with her room." Knowing how cunning she can be, my best guess was Reta might have heard of Crystal's arrest and she's now probably planning her escape. We have to act fast.

So with great urgency, we approached Reta's room.

The heavy oak door of Reta's room burst open with a violent crash, splintering the silence in the room. Two well built guards stormed in their boots thudding against the stone floor as they scanned the room with practiced precision.

The first man, tall and broad-shouldered, glanced over the cluttered desk, the bed, the window, his hand already reaching for the cuffs at his belt.

"She's here," he muttered, his voice rough with authority. "Search the closet, check under the bed."

His companion, shorter but equally intense, moved toward the window, eyes narrowing as he swept the room.

"She's gone," I said sharply as I entered the room, my gaze catching on the darkened silhouette outside.

I froze for a moment, heart skipping in my chest. "Look."

The guards whipped around including Rowan, their eyes following the line of sight, just in time to see a fleeting figure—small, lithe, and unmistakably hers—dashing across the courtyard below, her cloak billowing behind her like a shadow in flight.

"Dammit!" Rowan cursed in frustration, his hand already reaching for the door. "Get to the stables. I'll take the eastern exit."

But as they turned to leave, I paused, my eyes fixed on the window. The girl was fast, her form barely visible in the pale moonlight, but her escape was clear now.

She got on a black horse's back, she was already heading for the distant gates of the castle, barely a silhouette against the dark sky. There was no mistaking it.

Her horse rode as fast as it could.

We rushed to the stables, doubt lingering in my mind, if we could truly catch up to her.

The two guards got on two horses for each, and Rowan got on his Milkshake.

I sat just behind him, as we rode out of the castle gates.

Milkshake was the fastest horse in the castle. And could outpace any other horse.

So it created some distance between us and the guards and Reta was getting closer to our sight.

What?

Suddenly, an arrow from the skies met Reta straight through her back. She fell off her horse to the ground. Her body fell right in front us.

Panic instantly grabbed me. I twisted my head frantically trying to spot the shooter.

'What happened?"

I couldn't believe my ears. Who could have possibly done this.

Rowan stopped the horse once we were a bit close to her and then we ran to check up on her.

She was bleeding thoroughly through her mouth and nose.

Her breathing was getting heavy. And soon her eyes shut close.

It was no use, taking her to the clinic at this point.

She would have been long gone.

'She deserved death!"

Suddenly I heard a stern voice. I turned to its direction to see a figure, covered in the shadows.

I stepped forward a little, squinting my eyes tightly.

'Scarlett?"

I was shocked by Scarlett's sudden appearance and her decision to kill Reta.

'Why did you kill her?"

'Because of what she did to my parents. My parents were poor.

I came from a poor home. But they did all they could to make sure me and my sister were well fed and taken care of no matter what.

But then Reta, she publicly disgraced them for their status.

And because of the shame we had to leave the kingdom.

But that day I promised to return and get my revenge on Reta no matter how long it took. And today that weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Goodbye Steph."

And with that Scarlett suddenly vanished into the looming shadows.