Zana's POV
I open my eyes, and the first rays of sun have not yet appeared through the window. A few seconds later, the pain on my body reminds me of the beating that Father gave me last night, and I suppress a moan of pain in my throat.
If only I had already gained my Lycan, I could heal faster, and my suffering would be just a bad memory. But, until that happens, I have to endure and cry in silence. Many times, I've felt surrendered to the pain while Lina tended to my wounds; she is the only good thing I have left. The quadruplets have been sent away with the excuse of taking care of their territories, and Huitz, well; he is almost never here, Father has taken it upon himself to always keep him busy, away from home, 'away from the traitor.'
I couldn't sleep thinking about Dad wanting to get rid of me; only the thought of being away from the valley makes my stomach knot. I can't, I don't want to! I can’t go. I have to catch whoever was behind Mom's death, and I'll never be able to do that if they kick me out of here. “Think, Zana, think!” I said to myself, trying to find a solution.
Huitz! Yes! Surely, he has already arrived to be prepared for the pack’s banquet! Maybe he can talk to Dad and convince him not to send me away from here. But, how do I get to meet him, how do I get to his side of the castle? Dad has forbidden me from leaving here. “I got it!”, leaving my bed I almost drag myself out of bed to take a bath with salts and herbs to heal my wounds and finish putting together what could be my last chance to remain in my pack.
“Lina, I need your help. It's very risky, but I need to see my brother, I need to see him, I have to talk to him,” I tell Lina with pleading eyes.
“But Zana, your father has forbidden you...”
“Technically, he forbade me from going out, but he never said that no one could come in, and he hasn't forbidden you either.”
“Zana, I don't think that logic applies to Alpha Yowalli, and if someone discovers it, not only us will be in danger, Huitz also could put his future at risk.”
My heart plummets to the floor, “You're right, I don't know what I was thinking,” I respond to Lina with a feeling of defeat, frustration, and absolute sadness.
“Okay, I'll do it, but I don't know what can change. You know that when your father makes a decision, there is no one who can make him change his mind.”
“Yes, I know, only Mom had that power. Since she's gone, a part of Dad died with her,” I say between quiet tears, without realizing I was already crying. Lina leaves the room with her body covered with a shawl. As she crosses the door, the guard posted at the entrance immediately begins to question her:
“Who are you, identify yourself!”
“It's me, Lina,” she answers, adjusting her shawl a little to show her face.
“Where are you going, woman?”
“I need to go to the healer. The princess needs more ointments to treat her wounds.”
“Hurry up, it is forbidden for you to wander around freely.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Lina walks away, and I let out the air I didn't know I was holding in my chest. Now, I wait.
While I'm waiting, hoping for good news, I decide to continue practicing for the banquet. If I still have the chance to make Dad proud of me, even if it's just a facade for the visitors, this might be the only time I can be treated like that again, like the daughter of the respected and feared Alpha of the Nahual pack.
This will be the first time that leaders of other packs will set foot on our lands since Mama's funeral rituals.
After that day, it is an open secret that Dad hates anyone who does not belong to the pack and maintains all relations with foreign packs to the slightest.
Bartering and business between merchants have decreased, and that has greatly affected our pack, but Dad refuses to listen to anyone other than Xali... that witch has him under a spell.
I look for my wooden chest, where I assume my anklets are, but for some reason, there is only one of them. I frantically search through the room without finding it; I wonder if it has fallen somewhere in the garden.
Carefully, I peek my face through a crack between the barricades that have been placed on the windows. It's useless; I can't see practically anything around here; I'll have to send Lina to look for it when she returns.
How long has passed? It feels like an eternity since she left the room. Why is it taking so long? She should have returned by now. The nerves are overwhelming me. Feeling useless, I pin myself to a corner, curling down and hugging my knees, trying to contain my trembling body.
I don't know how much time has passed, but suddenly I start hearing noises from the other side of the door, and after a few brief moments, I see Lina, and behind her, my brother.
My brother! Here!
As I quickly get up from the floor and throw myself into his arms, my words drown in my crying, unable to come to the surface.
Huitz hugs me and gently caresses my hair, trying to comfort me.
“Shh, shh, calm down, don't cry; tell me what happened? Why are you locked up, again?”
"It's Dad and Xali. They want to send me away, to get rid of me," I say through tears.
"I need your help, please. I know I have no right to ask you for anything, but I'm begging you. I don't want to leave. I need to stay here. I need to find out who is behind Mom's murder, and I would prefer to die before leaving home as a traitor."
My words resonate louder than I intended, but my desperation pushes them out from my mouth almost defiantly.
"Zana, are you still dwelling on that? It's been five years; nothing you can do will bring her back to us. Not even I could find the damned murderer.
You were the only one present, yet, you could never provide an explanation about what happened. And me? Well, even though I was there too, I was the first target. Even now, I can’t recall how it happened. I just remember you being by my side…”
“Huitz, I swear by my blood, I didn’t do it. I swear by all my ancestors. Why does everyone refuse to believe me?” I cry out in despair.
Without any shame, I fall to my baby brother’s feet, and in my desperation, I kneel at his feet, asking for mercy and compassion. He, surprised, tries to pull me back to my feet; however, I refuse his hands; I hug myself to his feet with my forehead pressed to the floor.
“What are you doing? Did you lose your mind? Get up! You are the first daughter of the Alpha; you should not kneel before anyone other than him.”
“I don't care; nothing matters anymore; you will be the heir, you, my brother, the youngest, will be the new leader, so I am not ashamed. Please help me, and I swear by the Moon Goddess that I will always be grateful to you, help me so that Father does not give me away to another pack just to keep me away from here.”
“You know that he is never going to change his mind, right? It doesn't matter if the entire pack asks him to; if it's already decided, there will be nothing I can do. But I will try; I will go to speak with him, on your behalf. After all, you are my only sister.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
I repeat incessantly. Suddenly, I feel a little dazed and dizzy, my sight getting darker, voices sounding far, as if I was entering a deep tunnel.
I can feel Huitz taking me in his arms and placing me on my bed. I hear him speak briefly with Lina before leaving. When we are left alone, Lina is crying silently while she tries to make me react, but I feel that my mind is falling further and further away from reality, and I am plunged into darkness.
Huitz’s POV
I ordered Xali to leave us as I approached my father, who sat slumped in front of a half-eaten tray of food; a view that I have seen so many times in the past few years. Xali remained silent, merely turning to meet my father's gaze, seeking his response to my request. To my surprise, without a word, he waves her away with a dismissive flick of his hand.
“Father, I've come to speak about Zana,” I say quickly, cutting off any chance to forbid me to speak, fully aware that he already knows the reason of my visit to his chambers. I brace myself for whatever's coming next.
His face flushes. His expression transforms into something almost demonic. His eyes flash black for an instant before returning to their original brown. With a growl, he slams his fist onto the wooden table, leaving a visible dent beneath his knuckles.
I bend to my knees in a sign of respect; after all, he is still the rightful alpha of the pack, despite naming me his successor.
“Please, Father, just listen to what I want to say.”
My father interrupts me. His head is still bowed, but he slowly lifts his eyes to meet mine, raising a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. For a fraction of a second, I could swear I see a small grin. Then he speaks,
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I don’t want to hear anything about that filthy snake. I have forbidden you and everyone to mention her name in my presence!”
“I know, but I didn’t come to speak about forgiving her. Just hear me out.”
My father snarls dismissively and gets close to me, watching me from my kneeling position in front of him.
“You think I don’t know you visited her last night? That she begged you to plead on her behalf?”
“I know, Father. But I didn’t promise to fulfill her request. I have a plan to ease your anger and restore your health. If you let this hatred consume you, the Moon Goddess may take you from us forever.”
“You fool boy, if only the Moon Goddess could do that; She would be doing me a favor,” he says.
“Father, you cannot kill Zana. If you kill her, the gods will punish the entire pack, and we will be cursed for eternity. That is against our pack’s sacred oath.”
“She broke it. She ended innocent lives. She killed your mother. She almost killed you too!” My father’s outburst is almost painful to my ears.
“I know! I know. It was my fault. I should have stopped her, but—”
“Enough! You were her first victim. She knew you were the only one who could thwart her plan, and she played her cards perfectly, never expecting me to return to my Mate.”
“Father, please. Dwelling on these memories will only make you sicker. I was thinking, Zana might find her mate at the banquet tomorrow night. She’s of age now. All the unmated alphas and betas will be there. Even if she doesn’t find her destined mate, one might take her as their chosen mate.”
“Damn it, Xali was saying the same thing last night. But why should I allow her that privilege?”
“She is still a princess. She is still your daughter, the only daughter of the Alpha of the biggest pack of our era.”
“SHE MURDERED MY MATE, YOUR MOTHER. SHE WILL NEVER BE WORTHY OF ANYTHING!”
My father’s roars are so loud I can see the glass of the windows shaking, threatening to burst into a million pieces.
“I KNOW! I know, but still, our laws are very clear. She cannot die by your hand, but you can send her away. Far, far away. You can cut her ties to these lands, make her a rogue to us once she leaves our territory. The shamans can cast the spell.”
“Get out. I’m tired. Go to your place. I don’t want to discuss this anymore. I need to think. Tell Xali to bring my medicines. Leave, and child, I forbid you to see her or speak to her ever again. That is an order. If you disobey me one more time, I will lock you in the dungeons until you learn your lesson.”
I exit my father’s room, hoping that I could have persuaded him. I meet with Xali halfway to the kitchens; she already has my father’s medicines.
“The alpha is waiting for his medicines; make sure to take care of him. He’s getting older and sicker each passing day. Make sure he is strong enough to be present for the ceremony tomorrow night.” She bows at me, bearing her neck as a sign of respect.
I planted a seed in his head that I hope grows big and fast. Now everything depends on the gods. It's not what Zana wanted, but it is the only way, I tell myself on the way to my place.
Xali’s POV
Entering in complete silence to the room, I feel the dense and heavy air of the old Lycan Emperor's angered aura.
“Here, my Alpha, please drink your medicine while it is still hot,” I say, placing the concoction on the side table. He sits in a defeated position, with both hands holding his tired face.
“Do you believe she can be innocent? Is there any evidence that could say she didn't kill Kini, her mother? Is it not a nightmare that the once apple of my eye was willing to betray me, her own father, her own blood, her own Alpha?” asks the old wolf, taking a glance at the moon appearing through the clouds.
“Shh, shh, my Alpha, listen to your son’s advice. He is wise and fair. Exiling her will show everyone that you are not only merciful but magnanimous and just. All the people opposing you because of her will fall to your feet once more.”
“Damn it, hundred times damn it; I will kill her with my own hands if she dares to share a seat at the same table with me. I cannot stand it.”
“It doesn’t need to be like that, my alpha!”
“Then how the hell do you think all the pack’s visitors are going to see her, eh? Walk them to the dungeons to show her to them like a freak show?” Yowalli snarls, his annoyance growing.
“Why don’t you let her lead the ceremonial part of the banquet? That way, all eyes will be on her while she is far enough from you. After all, she is the best dancer in the pack.”
“Fine, call the wise man and the chief shaman to meet me in my office,” he ends our conversation.
“Yes, my alpha.”
I descend the stairs, mind-linking the council to meet in Yowalli’s office. If all goes according to plan, tomorrow that wretched girl will no longer be a problem. I will finally be pulling that thorn from my feet, and I’ll be closer to fulfilling my revenge.
Alpha Yowalli’s POV
I can feel how my lycan is abandoning me; for years, it has been angry at me for punishing the murderer of my beloved Kini, my only true love, my Luna, my empress. With that, I almost died of pain and sorrow. My lycan wanted to kill everyone and destroy everything when we felt the mate bond breaking.
The warriors started hitting the drums, alerting everyone to wake up; an attack was taking place in the middle of the night. Turning to my side, I see my little mate awakening, her long black mane falling like rain over her shoulders, covering her bosom, and reaching her exposed belly button. Her beautiful doe eyes and her glowy skin absorb the moonlight coming through the window. She was afraid, worried, thinking of our pups; even though all of them were sharp warriors, to her, they would always be her babies.
I mind-linked Zana and Huitz; I asked them to take all the kids and non-warrior women to the castle fortress and to take care of their mother. Zana wanted to fight with me; as always, she didn’t want to leave my side, so I had to remind her that her responsibility was to take care of the weak and to protect her mother.
Running to the castle’s gates, in a matter of seconds, my lycan was taking control of our body. I took the ‘Soul's Hunter’, my loyal friend, the greatest sword. It has passed from generation to generation of Aztlan’s Alphas until reaching my hands. Everyone that meets the Soul's Hunter won’t live to see another day. Only handled by Alpha lycans by blood, its beauty and strength have been unmatched by any other weapon. Carved in the strongest wood and filled with sharp obsidian blades, the Soul's Hunter has been the last thing thousands of lycans have met.
I met with my Beta, Yao, and the four hundred Biznagas, my four poles. They were already waiting for me at the entrance of the castle.
“Alpha, they are coming through the west gate. It’s a group of rogues, maybe 30 of them,” reports Yao.
“Who the hell is stupid enough to dare try an invasion with a poor excuse of an army!” Wace says with a sarcastic, surprised tone.
“Do they know who they are encountering?” adds Zonhu.
“I want them all dead. No, wait! I want to know who is leading them. Bring them to me, kill the rest,” I end the conversation.
“Yes, Alpha.”
I decided to go to find my Luna and the rest of the people. Thirty rogues are not even a reason for me to join the battle; Yao will handle it with the warriors in turn.
It is so weird that thirty rogues feel brave enough to fight a pack of 500 defense warriors. Something is not right...
I walked through the tunnel that goes to the fortress; I can’t mind-link anyone, as it is protected with thick rock walls inlaid with silver. It was constructed this way on purpose, so that no one can use their strength to break in. Only the people that know the password can open it from the outside.
As I got closer, my Lycan sterted to feel uneasy and urging me to go faster. I walked quicker, and a few meters from the gate to the fortress, I felt a sharp pain, a pain that I have never felt before.
It was as if my body was set on fire from the inside out, an excruciating pain that made me fall to my knees while my Lycan whimpered and howled in pain. Then I knew it, something awful had happened.
I stood up, trying to combat the pain, and I ran to the fortress. I recite the password, and the locks opened. I scrutinized the place with my eyes until I saw an image that I couldn’t fathom.
My dear mate, the mother of my pups, the Luna of our empire, laying on the floor, her delicate white nightgown covered in blood; and standing right next to her, my only daughter, my firstborn, holding a bloodied dagger. She was the only one standing; that scene was a carnage. At least twenty lifeless bodies were covering the floor piling on a reddish slimy pool of fresh blood.
I ran to rescue my mate, without understanding what happened. I took her delicate body in my arms, and I tried to wake her up. I shook her warm body carefully, I posed my hand on her cheek and I gave her soft claps trying to make her open her beautiful hazel eyes, but I knew it, it was too late.
A horrific howl left my body, in a mix of pain and anger. I saw red, and I turned to Zana.
“What happened? What the hell happened?”
“I, I, I don’t know!” said Zana.
Carefully, I left my beloved Luna on the floor, and grabbing Zana by the neck, I lifted her as high as my arm allowed me. I was possessed by rage, hatred and pain; I wanted to kill and die.
“Tell me what the hell happened, or I will kill you with my own hands.” I yelled at her, but she didn’t answer.
She was looking at me with big surprised eyes, and then she droped the bloodied dagger to the floor, with metallic sound of the sharp blade hitting the rocks. I am applying such force on my grip that Zana’s eyes are becoming red, and her face swollen and purple. I am going to kill this traitor right there, right then.
“Fa- father,” I hear the voice of my youngest. the sound of his voice took me out from my stupor, I dropped the motionless body I was holding in my hand; she fell to the floor like a ragdoll.
Running to my child, to check his wounds, he had a deep cut between the neck and the shoulder, but he was alive. Thank to the Moon, he was alive!
Warriors ran into the fortress after hearing my lament. One by one, they froze in their steps after seeing the gory scene in front of them.
“Take the prince to his chambers; bring shamans and witch doctors to tend to his injuries. Take this filthy snake to the dungeons; do not let anyone near her. I want the most powerful witches and shamans at the moon’s altar. Now.”
Taking my little mate in my arms, and shifting midair into my Lycan, I ran to the moon’s altar faster than I ever had. I ordered the shamans and sorcerers to do whatever they needed to do to bring her back to me.
“Your Highness, there is nothing we can do; the Luna has parted to the kingdom of death.” A voice filled with fear and sadness dared to fill the silence that invaded the night.
Turning to look at the terrified head shaman, and with an almost demonic voice, I slowly told him, “DO IT!”
It takes me my whole strength to control my Lycan, and everyone there is in fear for their lives.
I don’t know how much time passes, but the Moon starts disappearing on the horizon, giving way to the sun.
She is gone.
“I have called you because I might have found a solution to get rid of the traitor,” I say to a room filled with wise men, shamans, and high-ranked warriors. I see them shifting uncomfortably on their chairs because of the bitterness of my words. Half of them want her gone; the other half still fights against the idea of her being the culprit.
After exposing the idea of her being mated to another Alpha or Beta, they seem to calm down, and feeling more ok with the idea. But then questions arise about who will inherit the throne if that snake is not going to. They fear a foreigner coming to take possession of it.
“No one will dare to attack Aztlan while I’m still sitting on the throne and Huitz is in charge of the gates' safety. As you know, my successor will be announced once I die, and I’m still far from it.”
I have kept that snake alive only because our rules forbid alphas from killing their offspring, but now that she is of age, I can give her away.
“If her mate is not among the guests at the ceremony, I will offer her to the highest bidder as a chosen mate. After that, I want you to cast a law that forbids her to step foot on these lands for eternity. If any of you refuses, I will make sure that your heads are part of the decorations at tomorrow's banquet.”
After a few seconds, one by one, they agree.
Finally, the day to rid myself of that filthy snake has come. Finally, I will be able to rest.