Chapter 17 The Nameless Beta

My father’s knees hit the dirt with a wet, heavy thud.

The sky was the color of a fresh bruise. Deep orange and purple light bled over the stone walls of the palace. Sunset had come. The air near the dungeon entrance was cold and smelled like damp earth.

Two of my Rogue warriors held him by the arms. He looked small. He did not look like the big, scary Beta who used to yell at me in the attic. He looked like an old man made of paper.

"Elena," he whispered. His voice was shaking. "My Elena. You are back. It is a miracle."

I stood five feet away. I did not move. I did not smile. I kept my back straight and my face like ice. I wore my leather armor. I felt the weight of the iron crown on my head.

"The miracle died in the mist, Lord Beta," I said. My voice was low. It was a cold wind. "You are looking at the Queen of Shadows now."

He flinched. He looked at the silver 'X' on my neck. He looked at my white-violet eyes. He started to cry. Big, fat tears ran down his face and disappeared into his gray beard.

"I am so sorry," he sobbed. He tried to reach for my boots, but the warriors pulled him back. "I thought about you every day. Every single day for five years."

"Did you think about me when you voted for my death?" I asked.

He stopped crying for a second. He looked at the ground. "Valerius... he was the King. The Council wanted blood. I had to do it. I had no choice, Elena."

"No choice?" I took a step closer. The dirt crunched under my boots. "You were the Beta. You were the second most powerful man in the pack. You could have said no. You could have fought for me."

"I did it to save the family!" he yelled. He looked up at me. His eyes were wild. "If I helped a witch, Marek would have killed..us. He would have killed everyone. I did it to keep us safe!"

"You did it to keep your chair," I said.

I looked at Silas. He was standing by the heavy wooden door of the dungeon. He had his arms crossed. He looked at my father like he was a piece of trash.

"He begged the King to kill you," Silas rumbled. His voice was like a storm. "He didn't just vote. He asked for the sword to be sharp."

My heart felt like a heavy stone. I remembered the courtroom. I remembered the cold way my father looked at the floor while I screamed for him. I remembered the way he called me a disgrace.

"I did what I had to do for the pack!" my father screamed. He was shaking now. "A Beta must be loyal! You were an Omega! You were a mistake of the Goddess!"

He was showing his teeth now. The fear was turning into anger. He still thought he was better than me. He still thought I was just a small girl who cleaned the floors.

"Is that what I am?" I asked.

I let a tiny bit of my power out. The air around us turned cold. The grass at my feet began to freeze. White frost grew over the stones of the dungeon wall.

My father’s jaw dropped. He stopped yelling. He started to tremble so hard his teeth made a clicking sound. Click-click-click.

"You want to talk about loyalty?" I asked. "You want to talk about the laws of the pack? Fine. Let's talk about the law for those who betray their own blood."

"Elena, please," he moaned. He was back to begging. "I am your father. We are the same blood. You cannot kill me. It is a sin."

"I am not going to kill you," I said.

He let out a long breath. He looked happy for a second. He thought he was safe. He thought he could go back to his big house and his warm bed.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, my daughter. I knew you were still good inside."

"I am not your daughter," I said. I looked at Silas. "Bring the iron."

Silas nodded. He went into the dungeon. A minute later, he came back. He was holding a long metal rod. The tip was glowing a bright, angry red. It hissed in the cool night air.

My father’s eyes went huge. He started to scream and thrash. "No! No, not that! Anything but that! Just kill me! Elena, please!"

"You said I was a Nameless mistake," I said. I walked over and took the iron from Silas. The heat made the air shimmer. "You said I had no rank. You said I was a disgrace."

I stood over him. He was sobbing now. He was wet with sweat and tears. He looked like a dog.

"You will stay in this pack," I said. I used my Queen voice. It was a command that could not be broken. "You will not have a house. You will not have a bed. You will work in the scullery. You will scrub the greasy floors until your fingers bleed."

"Elena, no!" he shrieked.

"You will be a ghost," I said. I stepped closer. "You will be a shadow. You will watch me take this kingdom. You will watch me sit on the throne. And you will never, ever speak my name again."

I did not hesitate. I did not feel sad.

I pressed the hot iron against the side of his neck.

The scream that left his throat was long and sharp. It echoed off the palace walls. The smell of burning skin filled my nose. It was the same smell I had carried for five years.

I held it there until the mark was deep. I held it there until he was no longer a Beta.

I pulled the iron away. My father fell face-first into the dirt. He was clutching his neck, gasping and moaning. The purple 'X' on his skin was raw and ugly.

"He is a Nameless now," I said to the warriors. "Take him to the kitchens. Give him a mop. If he stops working, let him go hungry."

The warriors grabbed him by the hair and dragged him away across the gravel. Skritch. Skritch. It was the same sound I had heard when I was dragged away.

I stood there in the dark. The sun was gone now. The palace was just a big shadow against the stars.

"Are you okay?" Silas asked. He put a hand on my shoulder. His palm was warm.

"I am fine," I said. I looked at the palace windows. The lights were coming on in the King's rooms. "I have one more thing to do tonight."

"The King?" Silas asked.

"The King," I said.

I turned away from the dungeon. I walked toward the grand stairs. My heart was not heavy anymore. It felt sharp. It felt like a tooth.

Valerius was waiting in his private rooms. He was probably drinking wine and crying. He probably thought he could say sorry and make the world right again.

I walked up the stairs. The guards moved out of my way. They did not look me in the eye. They were scared of the Rogue Queen.

I reached the big gold doors of the King's bedroom. I did not knock. I pushed them open with both hands.

Valerius was sitting by the fire. He looked up.