Luna Mavana took a sharp breath and strode out of the room, her mind clouded with thoughts.
” What if? ” She thought, wondering why her mind-reading skills didn’t kick in earlier.
“What should we do about the wounded warriors, Luna, and the ones we lost?” Lucas, the young warrior who had previously delivered the notice of war message, questioned, his voice tinged with sadness.
Luna Mavana sulked under her breath as she walked towards the pack house entrance; the gruesome sight made her legs tremble, her fist clenched, and her mind churning with sadness and anger.
The dead warriors were already piled high, while the wounded stood aside, groaning in pain.
“They were good warriors who fought until their last breath.” She paused, sniffing back tears that threatened to fall, “Go get all the prisoners for tilling, escort them to the pack’s grand cemetery, and have them dig their graves for them. You will do the counting.” Luna Mavana gave the order before turning around to walk into the pack house.
She turned back as she suddenly remembered something. “Before that, I need three guards,” she asked, her gaze fixed on Lucas.
With a quick bow, Lucas dashed into the pack house and returned in under a minute with the requested guards.
As they approached, she gently nodded, motioning for the guards to follow her.
Their footsteps echoed as they trailed behind her, their faces filled with curiosity and anticipation.
She strode towards the corner where she had hidden Beta Drake earlier. “Take him down to the single prison; I will be there in a minute,” she ordered.
“Okay, Luna,” they said as one and picked up Beta Drake, who was still unconscious.
*******
“What exactly are you talking about? Did you not give him the poison-I mean, the apprentice? The Civil Elder faced the quivering guard in front of him, anger in his eyes.
“I gave it to him, but..”
“But, what? I gave you a simple job, even though I did not make it a speech, and you are fucking useless.” The Civil Elder yelled, his anger boiling over, prompting him to kick the guard in the stomach.
The guard stumbled backward, clutching at his stomach. The Civil Elder grabbed his clothes and pulled on them, tightening them around his neck.
“I swear to everything I own, if he fucking survives this, I will kill you.” He sneered and yanked his grip off the guard’s clothes.
“You are so annoyed, why?” The Relation Elder scoffed, focusing his gaze on the Civil Elder, who was now breathing heavily.
“Get the fuck away!” He yelled at the guards, who rushed out immediately.
“Why will not I get annoyed? “That fucker should have been killed by now; my hand is itching for power and authority.” The Civil Elder yelled and ruffled his hair in frustration.
“Then you should have done the job yourself” The Relation Elder responded.
“Let us not bring this up again; where is Gamma Loan?” The Civil Elder mumbled, clenching his fist as he walked slowly towards the window side.
” Do you expect that scaredy cat to be here? He is probably somewhere, being the puppet that he is.” The Relation Elder scoffed.
The Civil Elder turned his head, his gaze lingering on the relation elder. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself and swiped the glass window sideways, allowing the air to slap against his skin.
“I have unhinged doubts about our plans; I feel like someone will disorganize them.” The Civil Elder finally found his voice, took a deep breath, and looked at the Relation Elder, who had a puzzled expression on his face.
“You are overthinking it!” The Relation Elder muttered, shaking his head with pity.
*******
The cell door clanged open, the dangling keys screeching in his ears.
A sudden slap stung his cheek, jolting him awake immediately. The hot breaths against his skin scared him, and he struggled to keep his eyes open.
“What am I doing here?” Beta Drake inquires, his voice barely audible and shaking, his skin turning pale from the amount of cold that has penetrated his bare skin.
Struggling, he pulled himself up and rested against the wall, trying desperately to raise his head, but the banging headache pushed it back down.
“I assumed you did not want to wake up anymore.” Luna Mavana’s voice rang out, leaving Beta Drake stunned and puzzled as he quickly raised his head, his gaze meeting Luna Mavana’s emotionless glares.
He backed away, pinning himself against the cold walls, avoiding her gaze as fear crept up his spine.
Luna Mavana smirked as she arched down to his level. She yanked his head up and locked her gaze on his.
“You look scared, Beta. Why?” Luna Mavana inquired in a mocking tone.
She turned her head and smiled at the guards, the three of them walking out of the prison room and returning in under thirty seconds, armed with whips and chains.
Luna Mavana stood on her feet and gently moved backward, her gaze never leaving his. The three guards moved closer to Beta Drake, dropping the chains beside him, smirking at each other, and straightening their whips.
” What are you attempting to do? I did nothing wrong; it was the Alpha’s and Aurora’s plan to fight, and I had no say.” Beta Drake stated, pleading for mercy.
” Wait..” She ordered, altering the guards’ actions, and they moved back slightly with a bow.
” Aurora?” Luna Mavana repeated, staring at Drake, who was shivering violently from the impact of fear and cold.
” Yes, Aurora, your stepmother. She reappeared unexpectedly after Luna Lorienta was accused of sleeping with her ex-mate,” Beta Drake revealed, moving sideways and dragging his buttocks on the rough floor.
“Do you mean The Gardener?” Luna Mavana inquired, an unbelievable expression appearing on her face, followed by a burst of laughter.
“I am very sorry.” Beta Drake bellowed as he positioned himself on his knees, rubbing his palms together with his forehead and touching the ground.
“That sneaky witch!” Luna Mavana scoffed.
“What do you know about my parents’ deaths?” Luna Mavana inquired, dismissing the bothersome mention of Aurora.
The question sent Beta Drake bolting up, his face wide with surprise, and his mind reeling, trying to process the unexpected question thrown at him.
“I am not sure what you are talking about; Beta Fae and your mother died in a war.” He stuttered, dragging his legs backward to avoid her gaze and contorting his face in fear and shock.
“That is a lie, and they made you all believe it. You guys are gullible motherfuckers; despite the obvious evidence that they were murdered, all of you still believe the ridiculous lies they fed you fools,” Luna Mavana yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I… I never got to say goodbye.”Her voice cracked as she spoke, and her lips trembled, so she bit down to steady them. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she looked away, attempting to compose herself.
She wiped her tears away with her quivering hands and returned her gaze to Beta Drake, who was drowning in emotion.
“So, if I ask you a question, respond!!” She yelled, startling him out of his reverie.
He lowered his head, embarrassed to look up.
“And I ask again: What do you know about my parents’ deaths?”
“No, no, I think I should rephrase the question.” She sniffed a forced smile on her face and threw her head backward to stop the tears from flowing.
“Who murdered my parents?” She screamed.
“I am not sure, I do not know anything.” He cried and shook his head, pleading.
“I see. Make him talk,” she ordered, taking three steps away from them.
With their whips raised, the three guards closed in on Drake.
Drake’s ribs were lashed by the first guard.
“Ah!” Drake grimaced and bit his lips.
The second guard swung the whip in the air, hitting Drake on the shoulder.
“Why are you doing this? I know nothing.” Beta Drake sobbed, unable to bear the suffering.
” They will let you know then.” “Make him bleed,” Luna Mavana commanded, turning around as she left the prison room.