Chapter 7- Damned Without Proof
Selene~~
Pain was my only reality.
It surrounded me, seeped into my bones, and drowned out everything else.
I was dragged across the cold stone floor, my body too weak to fight back. My wrists were bound so tightly behind me that I couldn't feel my hands anymore. The rough rope had torn through my skin, leaving deep, stinging cuts that burned with every movement. Dried blood coated my arms, the metallic scent thick in the air.
A warrior yanked me upright, my knees scraping against the stone. I bit down on my lip, refusing to cry out.
"Look at her," one of them sneered. "Still acting proud."
Proud?
I was barely holding on.
But I wouldn't beg.
I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
A hard slap snapped my head to the side. Pain exploded across my cheek, the force so strong that I saw stars. My vision blurred, a sharp ringing in my ears. The taste of blood filled my mouth, coppery and warm.
"Did you think you'd get away with it?" another warrior hissed. His boot slammed into my stomach, and all the air rushed from my lungs. My body curled in on itself as agony shot through me.
I gasped, choking on nothing, struggling to breathe.
Another kick—this time to my ribs.
.
A sharp, unbearable pain shot through my side. I couldn't hold back my cry this time.
Laughter echoed around me.
"She's just a weak little omega," someone spat.
"She deserves worse."
Rough hands grabbed my hair, yanking my head up.
I met Damian's cold eyes.
For a brief second, I searched his face for something—anything.
A flicker of hesitation. A moment of doubt.
But there was nothing.
No warmth. No mercy.
Only hatred.
"You disgust me," he said, his voice low, dangerous. "You killed my child."
"I—" My voice was barely a whisper, raw and broken. "I didn't…"
He didn't care.
His grip tightened in my hair, forcing me to look up at him.
"You were my mate, Selene," he murmured. "You could have had everything. But now…" He let go, and I collapsed onto the floor, too weak to hold myself up. "You will burn."
Someone grabbed my arm and twisted it sharply behind me. A scream tore from my throat as white-hot pain exploded through my shoulder.
Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall.
I wouldn't break.
I wouldn't—
A blade pressed against my arm.
Cold. Sharp.
Then—slice.
A deep, searing pain followed. Blood dripped onto the floor.
I sucked in a ragged breath, my body convulsing.
"She's not screaming enough," a voice said.
Someone grabbed a bucket. A moment later, ice-cold water slammed into my skin.
The shock sent my body into a violent shiver. My wounds burned even more as the water mixed with blood, the sting unbearable.
I slumped forward, gasping, my body trembling.
A warrior grabbed my ankle and twisted it sharply.
Pain. So much pain.
I felt something snap.
I sobbed, unable to stop myself this time.
More laughter.
More voices.
"She's pathetic."
"Not for long."
They dragged me forward.
Through the haze of pain, I saw it.
The fire.
The flames flickered hungrily, their heat already licking at my skin, teasing the edges of my dress, waiting for the moment it would consume me whole.
The scent of burning wood filled the air.
This was it.
This was how I would die.
I lifted my gaze, searching the crowd. The faces that once smiled at me now looked upon me with disgust. Women I had comforted in their grief, warriors I had tended to after battles, Elders I had respected—they all stood there, watching, waiting for my end.
I tried to speak, but my throat was dry, hoarse from screaming. "Please…" My voice was barely a whisper. "Please, listen to me."
No one moved.
No one cared.
Damian stood at the front, his expression carved from stone. His eyes held nothing but cold hatred.
I had loved him.
I had trusted him.
And now he was going to burn me alive.
I struggled, using what little strength I had left, but it was useless. The warriors holding me were too strong. I was too weak.
A warrior stepped forward, a torch in hand. He hesitated, glancing at Damian for the final order. My breath caught in my throat.
This is it.
But before the flames could claim me, the grand doors of the hall burst open.
A deafening boom echoed through the chamber, silencing the murmuring crowd.
A figure stormed inside, his aura rippling with power.
"STOP THIS AT ONCE!"
My heart clenched.
Father…
My father, the beta of the Silver crest pack—stood in the doorway, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
His sharp blue eyes burned with fury as he took in the scene.
The bloodied state of my dress, the rope digging into my wrists, the towering flames behind me—his entire body went rigid.
He looked at me, and I saw something in his eyes that shattered me completely.
Rage.
Desperation.
And pain.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" His voice thundered across the hall, shaking the very walls. He stepped forward, his boots echoing on the marble floor.
"You would burn my daughter alive without a trial?! Have you all lost your damn minds?!"
The silence was thick. No one dared to speak.
Except for Damian.
His jaw clenched as he turned to my father, his expression cold and unreadable. "Your daughter has committed an unforgivable crime." His voice was calm.
"She poisoned Lilith and the heir of this pack."
"Lies." My father's voice was sharp, cutting through him off.
He took another step forward, his hands curled into fists. "My daughter would never harm an innocent child. And you damn well know it."
The hall was silent again.
Then, a soft sniffle.
I turned my head, and my stomach twisted as I saw Lilith step forward.
Tears ran down her pale face, her hands trembling as she clutched her stomach protectively. She looked so small, so weak—a perfect image of a grieving mother.
"She… she hated me," Lilith whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "She always did." Her tear-filled eyes met mine, full of sorrow. "I tried to be her friend. I wanted us to get along. But Selene… she—she couldn't stand that I carried your child, Damian."
A fresh wave of murmurs filled the hall.
I felt the stares pressing against me like knives.
"She wanted me dead," Lilith continued, her voice shaking. "She wanted my baby gone."
I shook my head, my throat burning. "That's not true!"
But no one listened.
Lilith let out a broken sob, her body trembling as she turned to the Elders. "And her father… he knew."
My heart stopped.
No.
No, no, no.
Lilith turned to face them fully, her hands gripping her chest as if she were in unbearable pain. "Selene and Gregor planned this together," she said. "They conspired to kill my child—to end Damian's bloodline."
The room erupted in gasps.
I felt the floor disappear beneath me.
"No!" My father stepped forward, his voice thunderous. "That's a lie! I would never—"
"She's right."
A warrior stepped forward from the crowd, his face dark and serious. My blood ran cold.
"I overheard them," the warrior continued. "Beta Gregor and Selene. I heard them speaking in hushed voices near the training grounds, discussing how to get rid of the unborn heir."
His words sealed our fate.
Damian's body stiffened, his eyes burning with unfiltered rage. He turned to my father.
"Beta Gregor," he said, his voice sharp, final. "You are guilty of treason against the Alpha and this pack."
My father growled, his canines elongating. "You're making a mistake, Damian."
Damian's hands curled into fists. "For your crimes… you will be executed."
The world tilted.
Everything blurred.
I couldn't breathe.
"No," I gasped, struggling against the warriors holding me. "No, please!"
The warriors seized my father, forcing him to his knees.
He didn't resist.
He met my eyes instead.
There was no fear in them. No hatred. Only love.
And pride.
Tears streamed down my face as I thrashed against my restraints. "Please, please, don't do this!" I screamed, my voice raw with agony.
But Damian didn't hesitate.
The executioner stepped forward, his massive sword gleaming under the candlelight.
No.
No, no, no!
I sobbed, my body trembling violently.
"Father!"
His gaze softened. He gave me the smallest of smiles.
Then the sword came down.
SCHLICK.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
His head rolled.
The hall was silent.
I couldn't move. I couldn't think.
I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
My father—my protector—was gone.
Dead.
And the world didn't stop.
The warriors grabbed me again, dragging me toward the pyre.
But I felt nothing.
Not the hands gripping me.
Not the bruises forming on my skin.
Not even the heat of the fire waiting for me.
Because my heart was already burning.
Burning with rage.
Burning with hatred.