Chapter 2.

Nine years. That’s how long my brother and I have been hiding in the Shadow Moon Pack, keeping our heads down. My parents risked their lives to make sure we escaped the kingdom before the final blow. They even had our wings, fangs, the most obvious signs of being Fae, removed. Our ears were also clipped. And now, one mistake—my mistake—has ruined everything for me and Kyle. I feel like dying.

A sharp gasp escapes my lips as the Alpha King drags me by my hair, the pain in my hand long forgotten. His dark green eyes pierce through me, still narrowed in cold disdain. All I can feel is fear. There’s something dark, something powerful emanating from him. I know he can easily kill me on the spot.

“Alpha Coleman Katz, a Fae in our midst. How is that possible?” His voice is calm, controlled, as he stands, hauling me up with my hair like a dog on a leash. I think about Kyle, my brother, and how I've ruined all our efforts to stay hidden. “You and your family should be killed for harboring a Fae.”

“My king!” Alpha Coleman rises shakily to his feet, trembling like everyone else around the table. I don’t miss the sharp glare Eliana throws my way. “I swear by the moon goddess, we didn’t know. We thought she was an Omega. She even has a brother.”

“A brother?” King Sven’s growl is sharp, his words dripping with hatred. His grip on my hair tightens, the burn spreading across my scalp as I fight back tears. “Two Fae in the pack?” He yanks me closer and I wince in pain. “Call your guards. Bring me the boy.”

Before Alpha Coleman can act, Carter stands abruptly. “I’ll bring him, my king,” he says quickly. “It’s better not to arouse suspicion by sending the guards.” Without waiting for permission, he leaves the room.

Now that I’ve been caught, I know what’s coming. I’ll either be decapitated in the market square, my head left to rot on a stake, or burned alive for all to see. Maybe stoned to death by the very people I’ve lived among. I’m not afraid of death, but the thought of my brother sharing my fate tears me apart. All because of me Kyle will die.

“She deceived us, Alpha King Sven,” Eliana says as she stands, stepping forward with a slight bow, her voice thick with fake tears. If I weren’t in this predicament, I’d roll my eyes at her performance. “We took her in, believing she was an Omega. And as tradition dictates, we accepted her and her brother into the pack. We’ve shown them nothing but kindness, unaware they were Fae. Please, punish us for our mistake, but don’t condemn us for doing what we thought was right. We promise to handle the situation. We’ll see to her and her brother’s public execution.”

Kindness? More like slaves.

The others quickly fall to their knees, bowing low before King Sven. “Your mercy precedes us, Alpha King Sven,” they chant in unison.

King Sven laughs darkly as though everything that's happening now is nothing but a grim comedy play. While the others remain bowing, he squats at my front, hands still gripping tightly to my hair as he lifts up my chin so I'm looking him in the eyes. Those green eyes that took my parents' lives and my kingdom.

Staring at him now, I realize I'm not only filled with fear for him, but also hatred towards him. After all, he deprived me of my childhood and a place to call home.

“A Fae,” he says again, running a finger over my face. I clench my teeth tightly, willing myself to remain unfazed by his presence. There's a glint in his eyes as he looks at me, and I can tell he's imagining the different ways he could end mine and my brother's life. “It's been a long time since I've seen one. Cunny and foolish, that's exactly what your kind are.”

“Just kill me,” I say through gritted teeth. I don't even know where I got the confidence to say those words.

King Sven eyes widen at my words, an amused smile playing on his face as though he's fascinated by me. “A foolish Fae?”

My heart races. I can’t show fear. Not now. But his eyes—they hold my fate. Death. How long before he decides to snap my neck? But no. I can't remain a coward. I decide to give a response while my whole body trembles with fear. “Might as well take you as my role model.”

He smirks. “You've got guts, I'll give you that.”

“Preying on the weak, I'll give you that.”

I don't know why, but I just keep talking with a new found courage. I expect him to hit me for talking back, however, it doesn't come. Instead he laughs, “You'll serve a purpose before I decide what kind of death I will offer you. I want something gruesome and new, but right now I'm out of ideas,” he says. “I will have to go back to my million ways to kill handbook.”

Wait, what? Does such a handbook really exist? It’s common knowledge that Alpha King Sven is a sadist. At least hundreds of people are killed in the Kingdom of Māui by his orders every week. And not simple deaths—each one is a brutal display, each more horrific than the last. All public executions in order to instill fear. It's said that his method of killing is pulled straight from his ‘million-ways-to-kill handbook’ which he started working on a year prior to the fall of Eris wall.

The last I heard, he had a prisoner buried alive in a cow’s stomach through the rear end. The cow was later burned alive with the man inside, and while the cow bellowed in pain, you could hear the man screaming too.

King Sven treats killing as an art. To him taking a life is art, and I'm his next canvas.

Just then, heavy footsteps echo down the hall, and the door swings open. Carter enters, his face a mask of calm, though I can see the tension beneath. He strides toward King Sven and bows slightly as though to shield his face.

“My king,” Carter says steadily, “the boy has escaped.”

King Sven’s entire body stills. His grip on my hair tightens as he turns slowly to face Carter, while I feel an iota of hope burn within me. “What do you mean escaped?” His voice is ice-cold.

Carter doesn’t flinch, standing firm even under the oppressive atmosphere of the room. “Yes, my king. I believe he sensed something was wrong and fled before we could capture him. I’ve already sent some of the best guards to track him down.”

The room becomes charged with an ominous aura. I can tell it's coming from King Sven’s as his green eyes flash with golden fury. His jaw clenches, but instead of unleashing his wrath, he smiles.

A cruel, calculating smile.

“It doesn't matter,” his tone is maddingly calm. “Let him run. I enjoy a good chase. If your guards don't find him…” he trails off, eyes flickering back to me, dark. “As for you, you’ll be coming with me. Packs dungeons are no place for a Fae. The palace might suffice until your death.”

I swallow hard, a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. The palace. I’m being dragged into his personal domain, where no one will be able to help me. I won't even be able to escape. I can’t stop the shiver that runs through me as my eyes get even more cloudy with tears.

“Alpha Coleman,” King Sven snarls, and the Alpha immediately rushes to his feet while the rest remain on the floor. “Send word to the other packs. I want the boy found alive or dead. But if you fail…” His voice drops, a deadly threat lingering. “I will show you first hand what is in my handbook and what I'm capable of.”

Alpha Coleman nods and disappears. King Sven doesn't say anything more as he releases my hair and begins pulling me toward the exit, his grip on my arm unforgiving. His guards close behind us. Panic rises in my chest, but I force myself to stay calm. At least Kyle has managed to escape, hopefully safe, and I need to believe he’ll find a way to stay safe.

The morning air hits me like a slap as King Sven drags me outside. I can hear murmurs and whispers from guards and pack members as we pass, but I don't pay any attention.

However, something strange stirs deep within me as we reach the front of his enormous carriage. An unfamiliar pull tugs at my chest, making my heart race. I glance up at him, confused by the sudden intensity of his presence.

King Sven's body tenses as he stills, and I know he feels it too. His hand tightens on my arm as his gaze locks with mine, shock flashing in his dark green eyes. For a moment, neither of us speaks, both frozen by the undeniable connection pulsing between us.

No. It can’t be.

It should be impossible.

But I feel it—just as he does.

Then he smiles. A blood-curdling smile that only makes me know my life is just about to get worse. “The moon goddess is one hell of a bitch.” He says, opening the carriage door before shoving me inside. I land hard on the seat, my arm throbbing. King Sven joins me, binding my wrists with a spell that numbs my hands. “Now, what was the moon goddess thinking, making a Fae my mate?”

Yeah, someone kill me now.