Hesha lied awake on the bed. The sun had begun to rise, but the beta had yet to fall asleep. Hesha watched the light creep into the room she was given to prepare for departure until the sun was well above the horizon. The team was set to depart for White Fang at midday, so the beta slipped out of the bed an hour before the appointed time.
Hesha was quiet as she changed into the set of clothes that had been provided and braided her long brown hair before exiting the room. The beta had not seen her teammates ever since they had been given separate rooms, but Ganz had not said a word since they had been interrogated by Crimson Night's prince.
The beta walked down the corridor slowly as she made her way to the place of departure. She did not run into any of her teammates as they had already set off for the eastern gate. Several maids and servants passed the beta as they made their way to clean the five rooms that were now vacant.
"Did you hear about the prince being flogged this morning?" One of the servants said lowly to a maid as they walked passed the beta. Hesha found herself stopping in her tracks at the servant's words.
"What? No! What happened?" The maid returned as the beta turned around.
"Apparently he was sentenced to seventy lashes."
"Seventy?!!" The gasp from the maid was the last word that Hesha was able to hear as the two disappeared into a room.
'Seventy lashes?!' Hesha's heart pounded as she thought of the caring true blood receiving a deadly amount of lashes. A lump formed in the beta's throat as she continued on her way.
A small smile formed on the beta's lips when she saw her teammates gathered at the eastern gate. One member turned when they heard the beta approaching and waved.
"Hesha!" Another member called in greeting with a smile.
As soon as Ganz heard the beta's name, the alpha whirled around to face the approaching female. The alpha did not waste a second in storming over to the beta.
"Ganz," Hesha voiced in greeting only to be met with a hand around her throat. Hesha let out a gasp as Ganz tightened his hold. The beta's eyes widened as she looked up at the team leader.
"Did you betray me?" Ganz questioned in a growl.
The alpha used his dominance in the question, so the beta was forced to answer truthfully. "I did it to save you, to save everyone."
Ganz bared his claws at Hesha's answer and threw the beta to the ground. "Then you shall pay for it with your life, beta. Black Moon has no need for traitors."
Hesha held her throat as she coughed and struggled to catch her breath only for the alpha to begin slashing her body with his claws. Ganz's eyes were hard as he ruthlessly slashed his second-in-command. The three remaining members stayed frozen in shock and fear. Being Ganz's subordinates, they could not intervene. And being wolves from Black Moon, no wolf of Crimson Night dared interfere.
"Ganz...please," Hesha pleaded as a pool of blood began to gather at her feet.
"How dare you beg for your life. You have no right," Ganz snarled in response before lifting his hand and aiming it at Hesha's chest. Hesha watched with wide eyes as Ganz's claw-bared hand fell toward her heart. A blur of blue flashed in front of Hesha as a blow to the head knocked the alpha unconscious.
Hesha gasped in surprise as Ganz fell on his face incapacitated. The beta let her eyes trail up to see a tall man standing before her. A mask covered the lower portion of his face, but his blue eyes shone through the dark strands of hair as he kneeled in front of the beta. Hesha held her breath as the man checked her wounds. A sadness filled his dark blue eyes as he looked over the beta's cut body. A crowd had gathered due to the beta's cries of pain, and several guards had appeared by the time the masked man intervened.
Hesha did not resist when the man placed his hands behind her back and under her knees and lifted the beta into his arms. Hesha immediately felt a sense of safety she had never known as she rested against the man's chest. The beta looked up at the man as he turned from her team and began toward the castle.
"Send them on their way," the man commanded the guards, who bowed in response before lifting Ganz and setting him on a cart pulled by a donkey. The man's voice was deep and soothing, and Hesha felt as if she could listen to it for the rest of her life.
The beta leaned her head back on the man's arm and looked at her team. The three were given sacks of food and supplies that were placed in the cart with the incapacitated alpha. Her teammates did not turn to check on the beta even once as the gates were opened, and they set out for Black Moon. A single tear rolled down Hesha's face as she realized she would never see them again. She had become their enemy to save them and must now live in a different world. The beta placed her head back against the man's chest and let her tears fall silently as the man carried her into the castle.
Hesha was nearly unconscious by the time she was set on a bed in the clinic. A physician-in-training entered from the office and immediately began tending to the beta. Hesha looked at her surroundings once more before closing her eyes and letting darkness overtake her. The man was gone.