Page 94 of Moon Cursed

Chapter Eight

“...start the preparations...”

“...unwise...”

“...have no choice...”

“...turn the public against us.”

Voices hit my sensitive ears first and dragged me from unconsciousness. I blinked awake and found myself staring up at a familiar ceiling.

The mess hall? How did I get here?

Something wet was on my forehead. I reached to wipe it away and found I couldn’t. My arm wouldn’t move. I turned my head to see why... and my heart stopped.

My throne sat tall, regal, and proud on the dais as did the six more fanned out on either side of it.

Sunella, Liliya, Denis, Elijah, Jabari, Hakim and the one sitting taller and smirking wider, leader of the alpha council—Cygnus Tahan.

That evil grinning bastard would’ve been what stole my attention, but it was the men kneeling at his feet that stopped my breath in its tracks.

Nyx, Edric, and Paxton knelt on the floor—backs bowed and heads straining to stay up under the heavy chains wrapped around their arms, legs, and necks. Standing on either side of them, whole and free, were Orion and Badr.

“What is this!” I shrieked. “What have you done? Let them go!”

Cygnus scowled, baring his teeth at me.

“I said let them go!” Wrenching my head up, I discovered someone had changed me out of my forest dress and put me in a sheer black gown—revealing every part of my body for all to see. It wasn’t horrible just for my nakedness, but because I’d worn this same dress once before.

The night of the ceremony.

“What the—” Terrible realization crashed into my head. “No!” I shot up, easily phasing through the chains. “I won’t do this, you disgusting bastards! How dare—?”

“Hold that thought, High Priestess,” said Liliya, the water councilwoman, “and look behind you.”

I turned around, and bile rose in my throat. Edric, Paxton, and Nyx weren’t the only ones bound in chains.

All the tables and chairs had been cleared out of the mess hall, leaving more than enough room for the secret police to dominate the space, and keep hard, steady glares on their captives.

Ava, Melisent, and all of my epsilon sisters held still against the swords pressed against their necks. Battered, bruised, bandaged, and chained, every one of them maintained their defiance—staring down all who looked down on them—including death.

Most wolves preferred to bite a head off to deliver a last and brutal point to their enemy. But cutting it off worked just as well, and it was clear, the secret police intended to do just that to the epsilons, Nia, Tracy, two women I didn’t recognize, and a young man who looked faintly familiar, but I was sure I’d never met.

One thing I did recognize all too clearly were the cameras beaming down on me from every corner in the room. I had no doubt they were on... and recording live.

“What are you doing?” I rasped, shock lowering my voice. “Who are they? Are you just dragging innocent, random people off the street now!” Suddenly I was screaming. “What the fuck is wrong with you! You don’t have to do this. Youneverhave to do these horrible things, but every time you get a choice between right and wrong, you choose wrong!”

Liliya sniffed. “That is quite enough, High Priestess. We will not be lectured to by the likes of you when it’s your actions that brought us to these extremes. I’ll have you know that these individuals are neither innocent nor random. They are all charged with either inciting rebellion and treason against Wolf Nation, or aiding and abetting the traitors who did.”

She pointed at the young woman who was barely older than me. “Idalia Blaze.”

I stilled.Edric’s sister.

“Miriam Clarke.”

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