Chapter 6

Sera POV

The dungeon was dark and damp, the air thick with the musty stench of years of neglect and the faint, metallic tang of old blood.

When I was thrown into the deepest cell like a piece of garbage, my wet clothes clung to my skin, the cold biting into my bones.

"Bah! Acting all high and mighty!"

The two low-ranking werewolf guards who had dragged me here didn't leave immediately. They circled the iron bars like visitors at a zoo, their eyes crawling over me with a mixture of lechery and contempt.

"Heard you used to be a 'young lady,' huh? How'd you end up looking like a drowned rat?"

One of the guards sneered, jabbing the shaft of his spear through the bars and slamming it into my shoulder. "Strip! Take off those wet clothes! We need to check if you're hiding any weapons!"

I curled up in the pile of straw, slowly raising my head. The eyes that met theirs glowed with a faint silver light in the darkness, cold and unwavering.

The moment our gazes locked, I felt something inside me stir.

Though I had no wolf spirit, my hearing had become extraordinarily acute. I could hear the excited thump-thump-thump of his heart as it accelerated, could smell the nauseating mixture of cheap tobacco and stale food that clung to his unwashed skin.

"Get out."

My voice was hoarse, yet carried a coldness that felt alien even to me.

The guard flinched, taking an involuntary half-step backward. But his embarrassment quickly morphed into rage, and he raised his spear as if to thrust it through the bars. "You filthy bitch! You're asking for death!"

"Enough." The other guard grabbed his companion's arm. "Don't kill her. They still need to interrogate her upstairs. She's not going anywhere anyway. There'll be plenty of time to play with her after she comes out."

The two of them left, muttering curses under their breath. I let out a shaky breath, my body trembling violently from exhaustion.

I flexed my fingers experimentally, feeling the faint but undeniable warmth that pulsed through my veins.

Was this what the sacred spring had given me?

My senses had been amplified a hundredfold—I could hear the distant scratching of rats gnawing on bones in the cracks of the walls, could see every tremor of the spider webs hanging from the ceiling of my cell.

But I still hadn't awakened.

Inside, there was still only silence, no response from a wolf soul.

Not enough.

This power was too weak. But I could feel it—my body was growing stronger, adapting to the pain.

I clutched at the straw beneath me, my nails digging into the dirt.

Just give me time. As long as I don't die.

I'll settle this debt, slowly and thoroughly.

The next morning, harsh sunlight streamed through the narrow window. Two burly maids hauled me up from the floor.

"Wash her properly. Don't let her bring any bad luck to the square." They stripped off my tattered prison dress with rough hands, then doused me with icy well water.

The wind cut through me like knives, but I bit down hard and made no sound.

They forced me into an even more ragged sackcloth garment, the kind reserved only for slaves. Then they clamped heavy iron chains around my wrists and ankles—silver alloy specifically designed to suppress a werewolf's strength.

The cold metal pressed against my skin, radiating a searing, burning pain.

When I was dragged onto the execution platform in the square, a crowd of pack members had already gathered.

Countless eyes pierced into me like needles. There was scorn, mockery, and in some cases—like Vera's—a hatred so intense they wished I would simply vanish.

I straightened my spine. Despite the shackles, despite my ragged appearance, I did not lower my head. My gaze cut through the crowd and locked onto Elena on the high platform.

Elena was dressed like a true queen today, her golden gown shimmering in the sunlight. She felt my stare and turned to meet it, her face arranged in that signature expression of sorrowful benevolence, about to say something.

But in the instant before she could speak, I let my mouth curve into a slow, deliberate, utterly contemptuous smile.

I know it was you who poisoned her. I know you killed Lily.

For just a heartbeat, Elena's smile froze. A flicker of panic flashed through her eyes, and her fingers tightened involuntarily around the armrest.

Caden noticed her reaction immediately. He followed my gaze, his brow furrowing. He placed a reassuring hand on Elena's shoulder and barked out a command.

"Push her head down!"

Two executioners immediately seized my shoulders with brutal force, trying to shove my head toward the ground.

But even through the curtain of my hair, I kept my eyes fixed on them.

"Silence!" Elder Victor rose to his feet, his staff striking the ground with a resounding thud. "Sera! As a member of this pack, not only have you failed to show gratitude, but on the night of our Luna's coronation, you attempted suicide to disrupt morale and desecrated the sacred spring! This is a capital offense!"

"Death penalty!" the crowd roared in response.

"Behead her!"

"Hang her!"

As far as I knew, the Iron Moon Pack hadn't executed anyone in decades, and these bloodthirsty wolves were practically salivating at the prospect of watching me be torn apart.

"I do not accept this."

I said suddenly, my voice not loud but clear enough to carry across the entire square.

The executioners tried to cover my mouth, but I jerked my head up violently, breaking free of their grip.

I looked up at Caden on the high platform, at Victor, and my voice trembled but held firm:

"My father died in battle saving Alpha Victor! He was a hero of this pack! And now, is this how you treat the daughter of a warrior who bled his last drop of blood for you?!"

The square fell into an abrupt silence.

Many of the pack members' faces shifted, embarrassment and unease flickering across their features.

"She's right, Sera's father…"

"Our old Alpha did owe him his life."

Victor's face turned an ugly shade of red.

"One thing has nothing to do with the other!" He snapped, slamming his staff against the ground. "Your father's contributions are his contributions, and your crimes are your crimes! Not only do you refuse to repent, but you dare to use your father to blackmail me here?!"

"Blackmail?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Have your hearts all been eaten by dogs?"

"Enough!" Elena suddenly stood.

She walked to the front of the platform, her face glowing with an almost ethereal radiance, as if she were an angel descending to save me.

"Elder, Alpha." Elena's voice was soft and sweet. "Sera has indeed committed a grave error, but she has just lost her beloved sister. It's understandable that she might be temporarily unable to think clearly. If we execute her now, outsiders will say that the Iron Moon Pack is cold-blooded and merciless, unable to even tolerate the descendants of our heroes."

She paused, her gaze shifting to me, and for just a moment, I saw the vicious satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.

"Why not… change the sentence to thirty lashes instead? Let her work as a laborer within the pack to atone for her sins. This way, we give her a chance to reform, don't we?"

"Good!"

"Luna Elena is so merciful! She's practically the Moon Goddess incarnate!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and praise, as if the punishment she'd just proposed wasn't a complete humiliation designed to break me.

I understood immediately. Elena didn't want me to die quickly. She wanted me to live and suffer, to grovel in the dirt like a dog while I watched them flaunt their love and rule over the pack.

"I don't accept." I said coldly, meeting her gaze. "I want to leave the pack. According to ancient law, any member has the right to choose exile. I'm willing to renounce my Iron Moon identity and leave this place."

If I could just leave, I would be free.

"Leave?" Victor let out a derisive snort. "You think this is some kind of restaurant? Come and go as you please? Caden, give the order."

Caden was silent.

He looked at me, and his expression was complicated. There was anger, impatience, and something else—a hesitation he probably didn't even realize himself.