39
I bounded toward the Sacred Line, horrified to find no wolves there waiting for me.
That was until I saw the black smoke that billowed above the trees.
What were they doing?
Shaking my head, I vaulted across the Sacred Line, racing toward the ceremonial clearing. Obviously when I didn't run after Tegan last night they would be worried, but as I neared the clearing, I realized just how foolish I was indeed, running into the eyes of the snake who would kill me, hoping to reason with it. I pushed aside that thought as I burst into the clearing...
And had the fright of my life.
The entire Pack, men, women, children, even the elders were seated on the concrete courtyard, watching my father and his men who stood in the middle. They kept a cacophony of noise, but all fell silent when their eyes fell upon me.
My father spun around to find the cause of the Pack's silence.
And his eyes widened as he took me in.
But in a few moments, it was all gone.
He snarled loudly, and pointed at me.
"Seize her."
At that moment I had never felt so disowned in my life. But I kept a high head, controlling my temper and refusing to let the tears that wanted to drip from my eyes slide down my cheeks. But I kept my chin up, the hard expression on my face refusing to stray. I would survive this.
I let the two men—my uncles, who held such passive expressions on their faces that I could hardly look them in the eye—grab me by the tops of my arms and drag me into the middle of the courtyard. The smell of ashes and smoke was thick in the air, almost suffocating me. But it was coming from the Sacred Pillars upon entrance to the ceremonial clearing, and they had not been lit for at least a thousand years.
Only to be lit now.
"You've betrayed us." my father said in a cold, almost disbelieving voice.
The Pack broke into a roar of agreement. Never had I seen them so full of anger and disdain. Their jeers unsettled me. Where were the peaceful people I'd grown to know and love? The people I'd turned away from Liam for? Was this how my people chose to treat me? Upon hearsay and not the truth?
"Have you nothing to say?" my father asked when the noise died down. The cackle of the embers in the Pillars were the perfect musical accompaniment to his cold voice. "After you betrayed us to a Shadow Wolf?"
"I prefer not to call it a betrayal." I said boldy, and heard the gasps of the Pack around me. "He is my Mate, and I love him, just as you love my mother." I lowered my voice so only my father would hear. "Do you remember when we spoke about this at the celebration? I was never meant for Randel. My heart lies with a Shadow."
"If you think that way, then you are no daughter of mine." My father said, trying to choke back the bitterness in his voice. "I am so sorry Misha." He turned back to the people, putting on his mask again. "Let the trial commence!"
A growl of approval rumbled through the wolves and I was lifted to my feet, hands shackling my wrists. It seemed so taboo that my own people would turn against me. Turn their backs on me, just because I loved someone they hated.
It was then that I saw the small pedestal in the middle of the courtyard, and my family sitting around it. Tegan refused to look at me as they shackled cuffs around my wrists and ankles. Her face was passive and she tried to focus on the stone tiled of the courtyard she was currently sitting on. Beside her, my mother sat crying on my brother's shoulder. He was the only one who offered me a smile. Even closer to them sat Randel, with the most daunting expression of black fury on his face. His mother sat beside him, rubbing his shoulders and glaring at me. I did my utmost best to ignore her crude gaze.
Grandma Tafferty stood up from where the elders were sitting and strode over to where I stood on the pedestal—as best as she could with her walking stick. She gave me a wary look before she fished a crumpled piece of parchment from her pocket and began to read.
"Misha Devor Grant, you are made to understand that we, as a Pack, summon you before us to answer to the crime of Betrayal, to the Shadow Pack. You will be stripped of your honor and your title and witnesses will testify against you. You are permitted to speak only when asked until the proper verdict had been achieved by the Elders." Grandma Tafferty cleared her throat and hobbled back to where she'd come from.
"Who will be the first witness?" my father called.
Tegan stood up.
A pang of heart break shot through me like a live wire.
"Please relay the version of events Miss Tafferty," Grandma Tafferty issued from her spot with the elders.
"Forgive me," Tegan said, looking up at me briefly. "But it is my duty, Misha, even though you were once like a sister to me." I tried not to cry as she took a deep breath. "I found Misha in the clearing today with the Shadow boy. I'm not sure how, or by what cause, but she had crossed over the Sacred Line, onto Shadow land."
"Witch!" someone in the crowd yelled.
"Spell breaker!" another shrilled.
"Betraying scum!" a next roared.
"That is all I have to witness with." Tegan bowed and returned to her spot on the courtyard, burying her head in her hands as she began to cry.
My mother refused to witness against me, Hayden refused to witness against me, even Randel refused to witness against me—even though he gave me a rather crude glare, which I probably deserved after smashing his heart. It didn't matter if sometimes I wanted to cheerfully beat him with a shoe, he was one of the many people in my life that helped carve the woman I was today, and I would be forever indebted, just not in love with him.
But would you know, Simone King decided she wanted to witness against me.
She stood up, in all of her horrible glory and strut across the courtyard until she was where she was supposed to be. She smiled cheekily at me, building up the anticipation for the lies that would eventually weave out her mouth.
"I knew Misha wanted nothing to do with my boy after he came home lamenting about his strifes with her. She is too bold, you see. Nary a man can calm such a woman. But just one man did this child seek to find bond with, and that was a Shadow. As we all know, Shadows are notorious for their control over women—they beat them, they imprison them. And being her bold, outright little self, she sought to fall in love with a Shadow wolf. I'd realized it from the beginning, but I said nothing, not wanting to start a scandal." Simone King grinned.
I frowned at her. That little...
"Mrs. King, if you would kindly get on with the tale." Grandma Tafferty said, sounding admonishing, yet serenely bored. And the way the old woman put an emphasis on the word, 'tale' she didn't believe a word coming out of the woman's mouth.
Frowning, Simone tried to come up with another thread to weave into her story, but it seemed her time was drawing to a close.
Suddenly, the woman sniffed the air.
Then once again.
Her eyes widened as she walked up to me, sniffing all over my body. I wrinkled my nose and aimed a kick in her direction, but doing so in shackles wasn't exactly the smartest idea in the book. I almost fell, but I quickly righted myself, just in time to find that the liar had her blackmail against me.
"She Mated him!" Simone exclaimed, with no cause for seclusion and a voice laden with surprised disgust. "She's Mated with the Shadow! She's got his nasty scent smeared all into her! Disgusting little thing you are! Filthy little wench! And you were going to marry my dear Randel—"
One of my father's wolves grabbed her by the creases of her elbows and tugged her out of sight, but that didn't stop the harsh comments that filled the atmosphere. I recalled being labeled a 'whore', a 'philander', a 'dirty slut'. How could these people think so little of me? Was loving a Shadow truly so bad in their eyes?
I looked over at my family, only to find them all staring at me with wide eyes. The hurt splayed all across Randel's face at the thought of it was enough to make my heart tighten. But I kept my chin up. knowing it was for the best.
"What does the accused have to say for herself?" Grandma Tafferty asked.
"I have nothing to say," I replied proudly, lifting my head up high. "Except that I am guilty in all of your eyes. Because I admit, I Mated with him, because I knew somehow that this was how my people—people I have known since my own birth—would treat me today. I know you all want to have my head. I was expecting to die today. But I will die knowing I did it for love and honesty. I will not renounce my love for Liam in lieu of mercy. I will gladly take anything coming to me."
I heard gasps all around at my truthfulness, but no one dared to defy my statement.
"So you will die, knowing that this boy is nowhere, on no grounds to protect you. He cannot even come here to see his own Mate slain; coward." My father said acidly.
"On the contrary, old man." A voice sounded through the frightening predicament I was in.
Liam stood at the beginning of the courtyard, brandishing what looked like a sword, though I knew he had the sword for show. What was the use for weapons when we had natural weapons of our own?
"Do you know that the fine creature you have here is really a remarkable woman?" Liam asked casually, walking across the courtyard to my father, every step he took stirring the crowds. Angered titters flew threw the throngs of my people, and I saw some of them creep forward toward him. "Even when we both knew that our relationship would end like this," he gestured to the horde of people, the Pillars, and got a saddened look when he spotted me, shackled and standing on a pedestal, like a criminal at the gallows. "She was strong. She refused to run away with me, preferring her duty to this Pack. She allowed all of this Binding nonsense with a man that was not truly her own, the Binding that was very clearly against nature, all for the sake of this Pack. And look how you fools treat her." He glanced up at me, his silver eyes burning with something intense. "You hate us, yet most of you, if not all, don't really know why there is a feud between the Packs. And you're willing to murder your own, just to prove that point.
"Well this nonsense will end right now," Liam proclaimed. "Since you are about to disown her like a common piece of meat, let me have what is mine." I loved the way he said 'mine', it made my stomach flutter with gratitude that he thought of me possessively like that.
"How did you get onto our land?" my father asked in disbelief.
Liam smirked; dad bristled.
"Young man, under the circumstances, I don't think you should proclaim something so grand right now." My father said, looking at Liam, but I could tell he was afraid of my Mate. He was a Shadow after all.
"I'm giving you three seconds to hand over what is mine, or you'll regret it. Immensely." Liam growled.
"You and what army?" someone in the crowd mocked.
Liam smirked, leaning his head to the side.
It was only a few moments before we heard it. As loud as thunder, yet as frightening and ground shaking as an earthquake. A moment later, it was quiet, but then the yellow eyes of Shadow wolves appeared in the trees, their growls loud enough to wake the dead.
"That army." Liam replied.
"H-h-how?" my dad stuttered as he glanced from Liam to the yellow eyes in the forest.
Liam leaned in close to my father and whispered fiercely into his ear, "You are not the only one that has a hedge witch in your possession, dear man. Now give me Misha, or you will regret it."
My father looked from me, to the wolves in the forest.
He wasn't a man to back down so easily.
"Regret it?" my father laughed effortlessly. "She is not yours to have, young man."
Liam growled. "I told you you'd regret that."
He snarled, and immediatley the Shadow wolves were upon us; shrill screams filled the atmosphere and the smell of ashes in the Pillars only intoxicated the air further. We didn't stand a chance against the Shadow wolves.
My father immediately dove out of the way, Shifting to protect my family.
My mother cowered on the stone tiles, fear embedded in her eyes. I honestly felt bad about betraying her, and putting her through all of this. I looked across at Tegan who had dove for cover under my brother, her hair in a fiery, pink halo around her head. It felt horrible, doing this to them, leaving them behind. But I really couldn't blame them; in fact, I didn't blame them at all. They were only doing what they knew.
Liam rushed over to me and broke my shackles, pulling me down off the pedestal and planting a joyful kiss on my mouth before setting me down on my feet.
"That scared the absolute shit out of me." He admitted, weilding the sword over his shoulder and pulling me along the outskirts of the forest.
"What?" I asked curiously, picking up speed as I walked behind him.
"Thinking you were dead," he said, gripping my hand even tighter in his own.
I felt bubbly inside at his words, rejoicing in the fact that he still loved me, even though I was, quite frankly, putting him through hell—but not for long as I watched a Leaf wolf fall to her knees. "Don't kill them Liam. They're still my family."
He looked back at me and offered me a smile. "I knew you would do this. So I specifically instructed the Pack, no matter how much their blood lust calls to them, they're only knocking them out. No one will die."
I smiled at him and relief passed through me. "So what do we do now?"
"Wait until your father surrenders." He said wisely. "When he realizes that we are not here to hurt them, he will come around. I won't lose you again."
"You hope too high, Liam. Carmen said this will end in blood and ashes. In destruction. Her fortune has already come true. It will end as she predicted it." I reminded him.
Liam opened his mouth to say something, but words never came out.
"Wait!" anxious voices came from behind us.
I turned to find Hayden, Tegan and Mamma Rowan scurrying toward us, just as one of the Sacred Pillars fell to the courtyard stones with a resounding 'boom'.
Liam narrowed his eyes at Tegan and pulled me behind him. "What do you want?"
"Take us with you," Hayden panted. "It's not safe here."
"And who says I'll let you come along with us," he asked, glancing pointedly at Tegan .
She shot me a look. I wasn't angry with her for betraying me, but I wasn't so sure that after she'd witnessed against me she'd want to cross onto Shadow land.
"Liam, it's fine." I said, soothing him by running my palm up and down his arm. "Let he go with us."
Reluctantly, he nodded and we took off into the forest, to find Shadow Land.
Author's Note
This book might actually have more chapters than I'd originally planned. I don't really like those books with 50+ chapters, so it won't reach that sort of level, but I know it might be a little past 43? Idk, I didn't get to write a lot with school going on...
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