There was a law created by the current Alpha's grandfather, Alpha Luther, a law that guided how to deal with the execution of criminals.
To make the execution more personal, the closest blood relation to said criminal was forced into choosing whether or not to grant mercy to said prisoner.
However, many who were given this option always chose the death sentence. To shifters outside Darkclaw pack, the family members seemed heartless. But, only the members of the pack understood the implication of that choice.
And now, Aleric was about to choose his hell, and he was well prepared to face its consequences.
Phillip took out the keys from his inner pocket, "Don't try anything foolish, you aren't the warrior you used to be." He cautioned with an all-knowing look in his eye.
"I know that damnit, stop wasting time. It sounds like they've breached the interior already, if they capture the Alpha, the battle is lost." Aleric snapped at him, "Hurry up!"
Phillip could see that despite his condition, Aleric was still very much a gruesome warrior, even after getting pumped with heavy doses of wolfsbane, his intimidating aura never dwindled.
"I understand, you're the one at my mercy. So start acting like it." Phillip said and then took off the chains on his wrists. He reached out to pull out the nails, but Aleric beat him to it, forcefully freeing his arms.
Phillip watched in wonder as the hole in Aleric's palm started to heal itself, despite the poison spreading throughout his body.
Aleric reached for the chains on his ankles and ripped them apart, showcasing just how strong he was. He turned to his wife, but Phillip yanked on the chain still attached to the collar around his neck.
"Don't go forgetting our deal, you're coming with me!" Phillip reminded him, pulling hard on his neck like he was trying to tame a wild dog.
"And what about their safety?"
"I'll have my men evacuate them to one of our safe houses. They'll live. Amelia was always good at adapting, she was always too good for a brute like you." He said, in a tone that suggested it was something he thought often but had never said out loud.
"Now hurry up, let's go!"
Phillip tried leading him towards the exit, but Olivia got off her feet and rushed over to them.
"Father, don't go with him! Please! What about mother?!" She pleaded with her dainty hands spread out.
Phillip hissed and raised his foot, "Damned kid-!" He tried to kick Olivia out of the way, but Aleric was swifter and crouched down, enveloping his daughter in a tight embrace.
"Father…"
"Listen carefully to what I'm about to say." He groaned into her ear, out of breath "You have to escape no matter what, don't stop running, don't give in, no matter what. Survive. Olivia, you are Daddy's little warrior."
Tears trickled down her dirtied cheeks forming a straight clear line across her face. "But what about you and…" Before she could ask that question, her father released her from his embrace and pushed her out of the dungeon room!
"Father!" She screamed and landed on her behind, she reached out to touch him, but the door was shut, and she heard the handle break from the inside.
In a hurry, she staggered to her feet and banged on the door. "Father! Why did you close the door?! What's going on? Father! Father!" She banged her little fists against the metal door, bruising them until it drew blood.
But her voice never reached the inside, nor did she hear anything back.
"This way! I heard some banging!"
"Slaughter them all!"
Olivia gasped and covered her mouth, they were headed her way already, the people her father had told her to run away from. Her feet planted themselves on the floor, she got so weak in the knees she couldn't run.
'SURVIVE!'
Her father's command resonated in her head, and in that instant, her legs drew strength to sprint away from the door. Crystalline drops of water fell through her eyes as she ran as fast as she could, wiping her tears with the back of her palms.
Inside, Phillip looked pissed, he glared at the broken door handle sitting next to the shut door.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" He demanded angrily, wrapping the chain around his knuckles, and pulling Aleric towards him.
In a low grunt, Aleric seized his gaze and declared, "Protecting the future of this generation!" And then he ripped the collar off his neck, not caring it scratched into his skin.
"You're a fool! You're going to die here!"
"A fate I've been prepared for!" He yelled over Phillip's voice, he straightened his back and took a fighting stance, shifting his eyes to a brown hue.
"Now, are you going to bitch about it? Or are you going to be a man and fight me?!" He challenged, buying time for Olivia's escape.
Phillip scoffed and rolled his sleeves up, "It's insulting, that you think you can take me on in that state. I applaud your futile effort to try and save your daughter, but it's futile, I'm going to kill you both, and then I'll have Olivia become my conquest!"
Aleric's eyes turned deadly, and in no time at all he bridged the distance between them, landing a forceful punch on Phillip. His speed and raw power sent Phillip flying halfway across the room, and crashing into the table of torture weapons.
"Over my dead body." He growled.
Phillip spat out blood and grinned, "Then so be it."
Olivia continued to run without looking back, she had cried so much that tears no longer fell from her eyes. She continued running until the covering of the tunnels had disappeared and in it's place was a grey sky, and the pungent stench of blood, and corpses.
There was death everywhere she turned, mothers were separated from their children and dragged away in like cattle going to be slaughtered.
Olivia covered her mouth and ran into one of the houses in the large estate. She carefully hid behind the stairs where a good number of corpses were stashed, men, women and children included. The sight was frightening and nearly made Olivia scream out.
She closed her eyes and paved a small space for her to blend in with the corpses to hide. The stench was sickening, and their skin against hers almost made her throw up.
'I'll wait, wait until it's over and find mother and father. Then we'll all leave together.' Olivia chanted repeatedly in her head, forcing herself to put up with everything happening.
Whereas, she couldn't shake off the voice in her head that whispered her family was gone, and she was all alone. That voice however, was drowned out by the sound of heavy footsteps marching down the stairs.
With each step, Olivia's heart clenched, until the person with such heavy feet reached the base of the stairs. Olivia covered her mouth and inched closer to the corpses, hoping they wouldn't find her.
Her eyes followed the back of the adult man, who firmly held six decapitated heads in both hands, three in each. He was draped in a warriors garment, his wild locks of black hair were swayed by the cold wind that flooded the halls.
And, despite how gruesome the battle was, she couldn't find a single scratch on his arms.
He marched forward with the heads in his hands, unbothered. Olivia let out a relived sigh as she watched him leave, but her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the head of Alpha Cain, the one who had caused all this!
She gasped loudly, causing him to abruptly halt in his steps and turn around!