I turned around and looked at the red shadow above me. My breath caught when I saw it had taken the shape of a dragon. Its tail was long, but its body was slim, too slim, like it was still a baby. If not for the small wings flapping weakly at its sides, I would have sworn it looked more like a snake than a dragon.
The guards were too scared to come close, staring at me as if I would tear them apart at any moment. If only they knew the truth. I was just as scared, maybe even more scared than they were. I did not understand what was happening to me, and that terrified me.
I stepped back, my foot slipping as I almost lost my balance. I should have fallen, but I did not. Something held me up, a strange force keeping me on my feet. Someone in the room was helping me. I wondered which of the elders it was, and why they were doing it.
Before I could apologize or beg for my life, the dragon vanished into thin air. All that remained was a little smoke, fading slowly as if it had never been there at all.
"She has to die. This is an abomination, and I will not let her see another day," the oldest among them shouted. His voice was sharp with anger as he ordered the guards to move.
They rushed at me, gripping my arms tightly and forcing me down on my knees. Pain shot through my right foot, but no one cared. In their eyes, I was no longer a person. I was a threat, and they had already decided my fate.
"She is just a young girl. We should think before acting. I know what the prophecy says, but I cannot bring myself to kill her," Lady Delihah said. Her voice was calm, but firm. She was standing up for me, and it was clear the others did not like it.
"What are you saying, Delihah?" another elder snapped as he stood up. His face twisted with disgust as he looked at me. I could not meet his eyes. I kept my gaze on the floor, ashamed and afraid. "The prophecy is clear. The female dragon will be the end of us all. I will not throw the pack and the kingdom into chaos just to save a crippled and useless girl. No one even knows where she came from."
My chest burned at his words. They cut into me deeply, reminding me that they did not see me as human, not as someone with feelings. Each word felt like a blade, tearing me apart from the inside.
I clenched my teeth and struggled against the guards, trying to pull free, but they were much stronger than I was.
"You see? She is already charging at me," he said, pointing with hatred in his eyes. "If we do not act tonight, that monster will destroy us all."
Delihah looked at me for a brief moment. I saw something like pain in her eyes before she turned back to them. "You insulted her and reopened wounds she has carried for years. Did you truly expect her not to react?"
"I do not care about what you think," the elder insisted. His eyes moved to the others seated around him. "She should be killed, right?"
"Yes. This should be done now," the second elder replied, and the third quickly agreed with him.
I was doomed. I knew it in that moment. I never thought I would walk into this temple and never walk out alive. The fear of death wrapped around me as my body began to shake. My lips parted as I searched for words, any words, to beg for my life.
Delihah kept staring at me while one of the guards standing behind her stepped forward and pulled out his sword. My heart sank.
She was trying to tell me something, using only her eyes, but I could not understand it. Panic clouded my mind, and I could not grasp what she meant. All I could focus on was the guard.
He walked toward me like a man ready to cut off my head. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, racing so fast it felt like it would burst.
I thought the sword would land on my neck when he raised it high and brought it down. Instead, it plunged straight between the guard beside me and my body.
Silence swallowed the room as the guard's head fell to the floor.
Shock froze everyone in place. I could not breathe. I could not move. The elders stared in horror while the other guard released his grip on me and hurriedly drew his sword.
Delihah nodded at me, and I scrambled up from the floor, confused and terrified, unsure of what to do next.
"Run, girl," she said urgently. "Do not stop until you get help."
"What?" one of the elders shouted, still stunned. "You betrayed us, Delihah?"
Fear gripped me at the thought of what they might do to her. There were too many of them. She drew her sword and began to fight the guards who tried to chase after me.
"I have no choice," she said.
I did not wait to hear another word. I turned and ran with all the strength I had, moving as if I did not even have a club foot. I rushed down the stairs, nearly falling flat on my face when I lost my balance.
Luck was on my side. Outside, there were only two guards, and they had no idea what had just happened inside. When I ran past them, they only watched me with mocking smiles on their faces.
I did not care.
All that mattered to me at that moment was staying alive.
I raced down the hills and headed straight home. If there was anyone who could help me survive the night, it was Thane. He knew where I could hide and how to stay unseen until morning. I was sure he would help me because I was his fiancée.
He proposed to me last week without telling his family. We had been together for almost three years, and now that I was nineteen, he said he wanted a family. I agreed to marry him because I loved him and trusted him.
Besides, who would reject Thane? He was the next Alpha of the Crescent pack.
"She went that way," I heard the guards shouting behind me. The same ones I had passed earlier. They were coming after me, and I could see the light from their torches pointing toward the path I had taken.
Without thinking, I dropped to my knees and pressed my hands against the ground. I began to run like an animal, my body moving on instinct.
I was faster this way. I moved smoothly, without limping, without pain slowing me down.
The house was dark and quiet when I arrived. I did not go to my room. It would be the first place they searched. Instead, I went straight to the Shadowborn main building, but it was empty. It seemed everyone was out.
A female servant I met outside told me Thane had not returned since he left earlier.
I knew exactly where to find him.
I ran past several houses until I reached the edge of the forest, where a small cabin stood hidden among the trees.
It was his favorite place. Thane had brought me there a few times. It was also the place where I lost my virginity. Even though it happened only once, I held that cabin close to my heart. To me, it was our place.
I knocked on the door quickly, my eyes darting behind me. There was no answer. I pushed the door harder, and it opened.
What I saw inside stole my breath.
Thane's bare body was between a woman's legs. The sight crushed me, but what hurt even more was recognizing those pale legs wrapped around his waist and the familiar sounds coming from her mouth.
It was Kaida.
"W what?" I whispered, clapping my hand over my mouth. If the guards heard me, I would be finished. Still, I could not stop the tears pouring down my face.
My best friend and my fiancée were together, lost in each other, while I was outside fighting for my life.
"Roxa?" Thane looked shocked when he saw me. He jumped to his feet without even pulling on his trousers or grabbing anything to cover his naked body.
Instead of feeling shy like before, irritation washed over me. The betrayal hit harder than I expected. Kaida did not look sorry at all. From the way she stared at me, it was clear she had no plans to apologize.
Thane opened his mouth to explain, but the noise outside pulled all our attention away. The guards had arrived. I could hear them calling my name, ordering me to surrender.
"What is going on?" Thane asked as he hurriedly picked his trousers from the floor and pulled them on.
I dropped to my knees and begged him instead. "Please save me, Thane. I can explain everything later. Just let me hide here."
"S sure," he said, still confused, staring at me like he did not understand anything. Then there was a loud knock on the door. "Come to the back."
He walked past me and went behind the bed, opening a small door hidden there. It was dark inside, and I had no idea where it led, but I stepped in without hesitation. I hid inside, praying I would not be found by the guards.
From where I stood, I could hear Kaida questioning him, asking why he was helping me. I bit my lower lip hard, my hands clenching into fists as my nails dug into my palms. That snake still had the nerve to ask such questions.
As much as I wanted to rush out there and attack her, I stayed on the floor, holding my breath and wishing for a miracle.
If I survived this night, she would feel my anger. As for Thane, he would regret ever hurting me. I just needed to live through this first.
Or maybe I was foolish to trust them at all.
I heard the guards speaking outside. They must have been standing right at the door, demanding answers.
I believed that since Thane was the Alpha's son and next in line, they would listen to him if he told them I was not there.
But he did the opposite of what I expected.
"She is in the room," Thane said, giving me away to the guards.
Son of a bitch.