Her Decision.

Chapter 6

Her Decision.

Lilian.

Right there in the warm arms of my mate, I felt my blood run cold when that statement was made.

"D-dead?"I asked, my voice shaky with disbelief.

My family was already dead? A sudden cold draft spread across the room, and I knew it was my mate's doing. It affected me too, but I didn't care much. My body was numbed by the sudden revelation.

"Deservedly so," The Alpha King spat out menacingly in fury. "Do you understand what it means to lose a pure bloodline of Alphas in a pack? The continuous bloodline helped to keep this pack in place and her miserable parents took their lives!"

"Took their lives?" I heard a deep scoff from my mate. "Is the bloodline of the former Alpha so weak that he can be killed by lowborn werewolves?" He taunted.

The Alpha King growled in anger, while having the sense to keep his distance from my mate as his eyes were blazing. "How dare you?!"

"The previous Alpha of this pack was already a weak one if he could be killed by the lowest ranking of his pack members," Daemon deadpanned. I could feel the heat radiating off him in waves as he pulled me even closer into his arms. "How many pack Alphas have lost their lives to the cruelty of their Betas? Huh?" Daemon's breaths now came deeply, washing my face with his misty cologne.

"None! But somehow, the Hawthorns who have come from a long line of farmers were able to end the life of an Alpha who came from a pure and royal bloodline."

"What are you insinuating?" The Alpha King's voice came in hoarsely, his voice a little edgy as my mate continued to speak.

"The former Alpha was supposed to be next in line to the throne, to be the next Alpha King, and somehow, low born wolves were able to beat him when the only people capable of killing him was his family." My mate paused for a few seconds before he put his next words in a calculative manner. "He was your brother, wasn't he?"

There was a sudden uproar in the pack hall as people gasped and murmured in disbelief of the truth that seemed to be unfolding. Now that Daemon put it that way, I began to realize how everyone –including myself– had been stupid enough to believe that my parents were capable of killing the late Alpha.

"That's where you're wrong!" My mind was suddenly and harshly broken into, even the crowd hushed immediately. Alpha Blackthorn was speaking. "There wasn't any fight between them, the house was set ablaze by the Hawthorns and everyone in the fire died" Alpha Blackthorn's voice was stronger this time in our minds. "They were burned to death, just like I burned her family to death." He spoke with no form of remorse in his eyes, like he was proud of what he did.

A soft laugh seemed to escape my mate's lips which caused a slight confusion to everyone who had their eyes fixated on him.

"What is funny?" The Alpha King was suddenly defensive. "You know what? Both of you deserve each other." He motioned to me in Daemon's arms. "Both of you have blood running in your hands. You killed my mate! Her parents killed my brother and his family!"

"No." My mate said a hard voice. "I killed your brother and your wife, and you know it. Yet you want to put the blame on the Hawthorns."

"What?" I didn't know when the words escaped my lips as I looked at my mate. My vision was still a little blurry, but I could see the outline of his face as he turned to me with a neutral expression on his face.

The murmurs had gone up a notch once more as people began feeling uneasy about what was going to happen next.

The Alpha King knew who killed his family? And he blamed it on the Hawthorns?

I struggled from my mate's grip as he gently put me down, staring at my face and searching my eyes. I couldn't even look at him, there was a dull ache in my heart anytime I remembered that he was the reason my parents were blamed and killed for his actions.

"I knew something was off about the death of the Alpha." Someone said from the crowd. "I just couldn't piece it together."

"The Alpha King would have done something more than killing her parents if they were really responsible for the death of his family."

"Yeah. He was so calm throughout the whole ordeal and ascended the throne before the sands of the grave dried up."

The murmurs and observations kept piling over and over until the Alpha King snapped in fury.

"Yes!" His voice was sharper than before. "Yes! I'm aware he killed them, but what was I supposed to do? No one can kill a Predator! How would I have made my revenge against him? That would mean giving up my pack to be slaughtered..."

"But you paid me to do it." Daemon's voice was calmer this time and every single murmur ceased as everyone stopped to stare. "Even four out of the five council elders are aware of it, but they still let you live, while sitting and watching you punish the innocent for something they are not aware of."

"He is the last living wolf of the royal bloodline." An elder of the council said, his eyes fixed on Daemon's.

"And that is enough reason to do what you did?"

"The decision to coronate a king lies solely in the hands of the elders of the council, and we give the position to someone who is deemed worthy."

"And you found him worthy?" Daemon's eyes turned pitch black as he pointed at the Alpha King whose nose had started to bleed.

The podium we stood on started vibrating, sending shocks to the walls of the pack hall. I felt my heart begin to race as my chest tightened in fear. My mate was about to ruin this place with his mood.

"She is yet to make her decision, Daemon. I'm sure you would also want to hear it." The calmest elder said softly as he clutched his chest and tightened his eyes which had started streaming with blood.

Daemon turned his huge frame to give me a sideways glance and my heart dropped to my stomach– what looked at me was not Daemon.

No. He was something totally different now.

His eyes had gotten even darker than the pitch black colour it was. There were black veins popping under his eyelids, and somehow, all his teeth were elongating slowly and his hands seemed to draw out long claws. The shirt on his body was getting ripped into shreds as his body size slowly increased.

"Make a choice, Lilian! Do you want pack protection or do you want the rest of your life to be influenced by that demon in front of you?"

"Reject him already, he will leave!"

I turned to the sight in front of me and watched in horror as every single person was on their hands and knees struggling to breathe.

My eyes caught Hailey's as she looked at me with so much hidden pain in her eyes. She was struggling to survive and she looked like she would give up anytime.

I closed my eyes and let the angry tears spill out before I made my choice.

"I chose the Pack.”