Pain... that was all Zariah could feel as the silver whip dipped in wolfsbane was struck across her body over and over again, each strike powered by the unimaginable force of a hefty, well built werewolf,
Zariah bit her lips to keep in the screams of pain stuck in her throat... she would not scream... she would never scream.
"Are you still unwilling to confess to your crimes?" Came that taunting voice, a voice belonging to a blue eyed dashing young man, a man Zariah had once called hers.
Zariah could not believe just what a fool she had been, right from the moment he had stumbled upon her territory with those innocent looking baby blue eyes and the scent of an omega, with bruises marring every inch of his pale skin and a heart wrenching story of a painful past, Zariah should have already known something was off.
The Crimson Moon Pack had withdrawn from the supernatural society centuries ago, as the only pack of elemental wolves and the last true blooded Lycans in existence, the Crimson Moon Pack was the most powerful werewolf pack, however they had always been seclusive in nature and preferred to stay out of the limelight.
The Crimson Moon Pack only ever revealed themselves when the supernatural community was in grave danger, aside that, they had sworn to stay out of the power tussles of the supernatural world, living a nomadic and reclusive existence.
Although there was none within the supernatural committee who did not know the name of the Crimson Moon Pack, there were hardly any left who knew the exact location of the Crimson Moon territory and even if one knew the location, the entire territory was surrounded by a barrier that kept it hidden from all outsiders.
It was already too strange that a stranger had been able to get to their territory and through their barrier, Zariah recalled her pack members had warned her of this very fact, how could an omega wolf so easily by-pass a barrier that had been set by the most powerful crimson wolves? A barrier that not even Alphas could get through.
And yet he had made it through, stumbling upon Crimson Moon territory and claiming it was only a mistake, none of the crimson wolves had bought his story, none but their Alpha... Zariah herself.
The moment Zariah had caught a whiff of that enchanting scent of lavender mixed with a hint of rose, a scent so heady, Zariah could have sworn, her wolf and her both could have inhaled it to drunkenness, a scent that sent her Alpha wolf reeling with possessiveness and the urge to protect.
Zariah recalled clearly that moment she had first stared into those baby blue orbs merely a year back, how her wolf had growled a word so loudly in Zariah's mind, Zariah found herself echoing that same word the very next moment.
'Mine!' Zariah's wolf had growled in a possessive tone and at that very moment, Zariah had realized that she was gazing upon the very one the creator had made specially for her, the only one deserving to stand at her side, the other half of her own soul...her fated mate.
Zariah had immediately been overcome with joy, all caution had flown out the window and her wariness had been immediately forgotten as she leaned down and gazed into those innocent baby blue eyes, her own mismatched orbs of a fiery crimson and a glowing gold were contorted with pain as she stared at the bruised and broken body kneeling at her feet.
'You are mine precious one and from this moment on, no one shall ever hurt you again.' Zariah had vowed aloud, before him and before her pack members and within her heart, Zariah had promised to protect and love him for all eternity...oh how foolish she had been.
Zariah had taken in a spy with her own hands, she had welcomed a heartless monster into her pack, into her home, into her heart and into her bed, she had given him everything he could have ever wished for,
In all the Crimson Moon Pack, she had granted him a status second only to hers and in the end, he had betrayed her and the Crimson Moon Pack had paid for Zariah's ignorance with their lives.
Zariah released a bitter laughter thick with pain and self loathing, blood pouring out of her lips as she lifted her gaze to meet those blue orbs, those same blue orbs which had once made her heart skip now filled Zariah with hate and disgust.
"Crimes? You have already planted all the evidence of treason you need, the Crimson Moon Pack has already been annihilated on false charges of treason...of what use is my confession now?" Zariah asked in a weak tone, breaking into a coughing fit after she was done speaking, blood trailing down her lips.
"For the purpose of clearing doubts, to avoid any suspicions being raised in the future that the Crimson Moon Pack was falsely accused, only the testimony of the great Alpha Zariah is indisputable proof to convince the entire supernatural world that the Crimson Moon Pack has colluded with the forsaken for the purpose of world domination." The blue eyed young man replied with a wide smirk.
" The Crimson Moon Pack is revered by all species, the Crimson Moon Pack spearheaded the purging of the forsaken so many centuries ago, the Crimson Moon Pack is the most powerful pack in existence and none can argue this fact! World domination?!" Zariah asked in amusement.
"We do not need the help of anyone to dominate the supernatural world! The Werewolves, the merfolks, the vampires, the fairies and even the demons submit to our authority! Had we wanted to dominate the world, we would have done so centuries ago! "
"My ancestors chose to live in peace, they chose to forsake their power when they stood at the very top!... Of course you would need me to clear doubts, for you certainly know that such an unconvincing accusation against the Crimson Moon Pack will eventually fall apart, questions will be asked... answers will be demanded and justice will prevail!" Zariah promised in a weak but firm and authoritative tone.
The blue eyed young man flew into a rage and grabbed the whip from the other wolf and began whipping an already bruised Zariah furiously with a strength that could only belong to an Alpha wolf... and to think Zariah had once thought him to be an omega.
Zariah shut her eyes and bit her lip, each strike of the whip sent a wave of excruciating pain throughout her body as the wolfsbane burned through her skin, still yet Zariah did not utter even a single sound... Zariah was an Alpha, if she could do nothing else, she swore she would never give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.