I was still half-asleep when the heavy thud of boots echoed outside the Alpha’s quarters. My heart stuttered before I even knew why. Every knock in this place meant something dark, something cruel. The door opened and a guard stepped in, head bowed, voice sharp with reverence.
"Alpha, everything is ready."
The Alpha was already awake. He didn’t stir like a man roused from sleep no, he moved like he had been waiting for this exact moment, as if his mind had been humming with anticipation long before dawn. He sat up slowly, deliberately, and that was enough to make my stomach twist.
Without even glancing at me, he ordered,
"Elie. Get up. You’re coming with me."
A chill raced down my spine. My throat worked, but I didn’t dare speak. I scrambled to my feet and followed him, the guard falling into step behind us.
The morning air outside was damp, filled with mist that clung to my skin. At first, all I saw was the blur of trees and the hazy shapes of pack members gathered in a circle. Then my eyes adjusted, and I froze. She was there. The girl from the dungeon. Only now she wasn’t in the shadows of stone walls. She was dangling upside down from a thick branch of an oak tree just outside the pack’s grounds, her ankles bound so tightly that blood had run down her calves and dried in streaks. Her hair hung toward the earth, matted with dirt and sweat. Her face was swollen, her lips cracked, but her chest still moved in shallow, pitiful breaths. My legs almost gave out beneath me. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. The image seared itself into me, sickening and sharp, like it had carved itself into my skull.
The pack surrounded her in a wide ring, some with their eyes cast low, others sneaking uneasy glances at the Alpha as he approached. They parted immediately, as if he were a force of nature sweeping through them. Heads bowed, shoulders stiff, breaths held. He stopped beneath the girl and tilted his head back, studying her the way someone might study a painting. Then, slowly, that cruel smile of his spread across his lips.
"Good morning," he said, his voice cutting through the mist like a blade. "Today, you will all witness a lesson."
The girl made a weak sound, a muffled whimper that barely carried. The Alpha reached up and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head upward even though she was hanging upside down. Blood rushed to her face, turning her skin blotchy and red.
"This one," he announced, his gaze sweeping across his pack, this bitch told her father that she’s in love with me and she wants to be my mate.
A murmur rippled through the crowd. I could hear the forced outrage in some voices, the hesitant growls from others. But beneath it all was fear. Fear so thick I could taste it in the air.
My stomach knotted tighter. He wanted them to be afraid. He wanted me to be afraid.
"Tell me," the Alpha said suddenly, his eyes snapping to a young warrior in the front row. "What happens to traitors?"
The boy stiffened, panic flickering in his eyes. He swallowed hard. "They... they die, Alpha."
"Wrong."
The word cracked like a whip. The Alpha’s hand shot forward, gripping the boy’s jaw so tightly his teeth ground together. The boy whimpered, his knees buckling.
"Death," the Alpha snarled, "is mercy. Traitors deserve worse. They suffer. They are unmade until nothing remains."
He shoved the boy back into the dirt, and the pack recoiled as one.
My breath hitched. He didn’t just want obedience. He wanted devotion born of terror.
The crazy Alpha turned his attention back to the girl. He raised his hand, and one of the guards stepped forward instantly, placing a whip of braided leather into his palm. The sight of it made bile burn the back of my throat.
The girl’s weak whimper turned into a sob, muffled against her swollen lips.
The first crack split the morning air. I flinched so hard my teeth clacked together. The sound was louder than it had any right to be, echoing through the mist, followed by the girl’s muffled scream. Blood streaked down her side where the whip bit into her flesh. Another crack. Another scream. I pressed a trembling hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit. I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. If I did, I would still hear it, still imagine it, and maybe that would be even worse.
The pack stood in rigid silence. Some looked eager, almost proud, as though witnessing their Alpha’s cruelty proved their loyalty. Others looked pale, eyes darting nervously, hands clenched at their sides. None moved. None spoke.
Because this was the price of survival. The Alpha’s strikes were steady, unhurried. He wasn’t trying to kill her quickly. He was unraveling her, piece by piece, savoring the way her sobs grew weaker. Each lash was deliberate, each scream music to him. I dug my nails into my arms, grounding myself against the wave of nausea that threatened to drown me. My mind screamed at me to look away, but my body betrayed me. I watched. I listened. I endured.
Finally, when the girl’s body hung limp, her cries reduced to faint gasps, the Alpha tossed the whip aside. His chest rose and fell steadily, not even out of breath.
He turned to his pack, his eyes alight with cold fire. "This," he said, gesturing to the broken girl, "is what happens when you fall in love with me.
A chorus of growls answered him, forced, practiced, but loud enough to satisfy.
He smiled, a predator pleased with his pack’s submission. Then his gaze slid to me.
I froze. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to just his eyes and mine. He didn’t need to say a word. The message was clear. You see this? This is your reminder. You are mine, and you will obey, or you will hang where she hangs. I swallowed hard, my throat burning, and dropped my gaze to the ground. My body trembled so violently I could barely keep my legs steady.
The Alpha’s voice thundered again, turning away from me and back to his pack. "Let no one here forget. I am not merciful. I am not forgiving. And I am always watching."
The pack answered with a unified roar, their voices echoing through the trees.
I pressed my arms tighter around myself, wishing desperately that I could vanish into the mist. But I couldn’t. I was here, and I had seen, and I would never forget. The lesson wasn’t just for the pack. It was for me. And I understood it all too well. The moment the screaming stopped and silence blanketed the pack grounds, I thought maybe just maybe the nightmare would end. The body swayed gently from the tree, and the pack members who had gathered to witness the punishment stood frozen, staring at the ground, their shoulders trembling as if afraid to even breathe.
I tried to steady my own breathing, though my lungs felt tight, as if invisible ropes had been tied around my chest. My palms were slick, fingers curling into fists at my side. I didn’t want to cry, but my eyes burned anyway.
I dared not lift my gaze to him. The psycho Alpha. He stood just a few feet away, broad shoulders unmoving, his cold aura pressing down heavier than the morning fog. His eyes weren’t on the punished girl anymore. They were on me. And then I hear his inner voice. It was deeper, sharper, crawling into my mind with a mocking echo that made my knees weaken.
I swallowed hard, willing my body not to react, willing my face to stay blank.
"Inner Voice: Look at her, the Alpha’s inner voice chuckled, dark amusement dripping from every word. Her hands shake like a newborn pup. Should I tell her to stop? Or would she cry harder if I point it out?
My fingers curled tighter, nails digging into my palms. My chest rose and fell too quickly, betraying me. Pathetic, the voice sneered, low and cruel. I haven’t even touched her, and she looks ready to collapse. What would happen if I did? If I leaned close, brushed a finger along her neck—would she scream? Would she faint?
I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper. My knees threatened to buckle, but I forced myself to stay upright. I couldn’t breathe. As he continues.
"Inner voice: She pretends she’s brave, but I can hear the way her heart hammers. Poor little thing does she think she can hide it from me?
My throat tightened. I wanted to scream at him to stop, to shut out the voice, but if I moved, I will be the next victim.
No. No. I couldn’t let that happen.
"Inner voice: What’s wrong, little rabbit? The words slithered through my head, venomous, playful. You’re trembling so much, I can see it from here. Afraid I’ll break you too? Afraid you’ll end up hanging beside her?
My vision blurred at the edges. My chest burned as if I’d been running for miles. My body was betraying me, every nerve screaming in panic while I tried to hold myself together.
The crazy psycho didn’t move. Not an inch. He just stood there, hands clasped behind his back, a faint smile tugging at his lips the kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
But in his mind, the laughter grew louder.
"Inner voice: Hahaha... look at her. So pale. So weak. She thinks I don’t notice. I notice everything. Every twitch, every flicker of fear, every shallow breath she takes.
I staggered back a step, but my heel caught on the dirt. The world tilted. My ears rang.
Yes, that’s it, the inner voice hissed, delighted. Fall for me, little one. Show me how fear tastes when it consumes you whole.
My throat made a strangled sound I couldn’t hold back. The ground spun beneath me, black spots clouding my sight.
The crazy psycho’s inner voice softened suddenly, mock-gentle, as if he were leaning down to whisper just for me.
"Inner voice: Shhh... don’t fight it. Just break.
And I did. The last thing I felt was the cold bite of the earth against my knees before darkness swallowed me whole.