Chapter 5: Why you?

CAMILLA

The harrowing pain caused by Caden's claws infiltrated me entirely, stirring every organ and senses of my body. My hearing is gradually fading, my muscles uncontrollably shaking, I can feel the tightening pressure and throbbing in my eyes, breathing become struggle and my strength is draining. 

It feel like I'm on the cliff of death. 

But Caden kept his claws buried on my neck. 

But I can also see the wound forming on his neck as blood coming out from there. 

"Listen," he spat out while enduring the pain. 

"Moon goddess saw all my suffering..." He seemed to want to remind me of what he had been through. "S-She knows...I do nothing wrong. Don't I have the right to take revenge?" 

He groaned but the anger was evident in his wrathful teary eyes as he hisses directly to my face. "Your family...treated my mother like an animal in this pack. Your father...tortured me in the dungeon and only providing me...food like an animalistic manner once a day!" he growled and went on, "B-But moon goddess—fúck her—she remained blind. The Gaurdian wolf of Devine flame..." He closed his eyes to endured the pain. That's made me in tears even more. "He is the one who saved me. Treating me like...his child!"

I shook my head as my tears cascaded down my face , trying to convey that he was wrong to believe. I can't utter any words, I'm dying as blood spurting out of my mouth. And he is too. 

But he keep hissing while, gulping down his suffering. "H-He gave me power..." He swallowed, while his eyes is watering, his face is shaking. "...allowing me to fight for myself." He gulped down. 

"I have rights to seek revenge, mutt! To your family, to you! You, who used to do nothing but humiliated me, calling me...mutt! S-Son...son of a bitch and a demon...and everyone believed your fúcking lies! Now, that I have this power, that...that I can fight for myself and I already eliminated you, but that fúcking Moon goddess has brought you back to your damn life! T-To punish me! I am also her son!"

I felt the trembling of his hand on my neck causing me to feel the pain even more. "But she shows that damn favoritism! She loves you more, you bîtch! The one who first created many mistakes! It's you, but she still chose you, fúck you! How dare you tormented me like this?! How dare she ruined my life like this?!"

Letting out his furious scream out of anger and frustration, he pulled his claws out of me. "Why I can't kill you?!" 

We both coughed. He held his neck. I gasped for air, trying to fight death. He is too.

He also fell to his knees. His gaze fixed upon the wall, slowly, and using his power he freed the chain that was hanging there, left and right. I fell to the floor. 

The sizzling sound of my burning skin filled the room. He crawled to find the key among the dead bodies of his warriors.

He came back to me when he got it and swiftly removed the chain from my hands. A little relief washed over me as I was freed from that silver chain. I held my neck to stop bleeding. Despite that, the running footsteps reach my ears drawing towards my cell. 

No...they can't see Caden in this situation, his pack members can't know this secret.

Despite his struggle to move, his trembling hand gently placed to my neck and managed to heal me. As the pain gradually faded, his wounds gradually disappearing too. Just as his pack members arrived, calling him, "Alpha!"  

He rose to his feet causing me to avoid seeing something inappropriate. Yes, of course, he completely naked, but he pays no attention to my discomfort and just waiting the report from his warriors. "Our pack is under attack!" The warrior panting. "Witches...and rival packs. Some of our camp facilities in the west are on fire!" 

He growled, "Witches...how dare they to disrespect me...." My eyes followed him as he strode towards the door and ordered the warrior who reported, "Lock this cell."

The warrior nodded, while panting. 

He obeyed to what his Alpha said. While closing the door, he cast a puzzled look first at the bloody room, then at the lifeless bodies of the warriors on the floor, he also noticed the scattered silver chains and observed that I showed no signs of injuries until he finally closed the door and locked it.

I heard their footsteps fading away but there are also set coming closer and then I heard the opening of the cell opposite to mine.

"Kill her," a male voice ordered.

I immediately heard the omega's panicked voice; crying and begging for her life, "Please no! Please! Believe me, I was just framed! I don't want to kill the Alpha!"

It wasn't long before I heard the terrifying growl of the wolff filled the air followed by the woman's scream and the sound of claws digging into her flesh and her final groaned proving that she's dead. "Clean this place."

My fist clenched as my eyes welled up in tears. After a while the sound of the footsteps getting closer to my cell. "Open it." 

"B-But...the Alpha killed the three warriors who came in here to punish that omega. What if he does the same to us?" the male voice hesitated.

"He'll only know if you sing. Open it!" That's the growl command. "I'll do what he can't," he insisted.

It seemed that warrior being ordered had run out of choices, and I heard the sound of a padlock against the iron door. I had no choice but to prevent the padlock from clicking inside using my magic. 

"W-What..." whispered the man in perplexity.

"Why?"

"The key doesn't work."

"That's impossible. Hand it to me."

I imagined the key being transferred to the other hand and the man who gave the order trying to unlock the padlock but he failed.

"Told you..."

"Bullshit!"

The sound of frustration growl reached my ears.

 "Whatever, follow me." Soon, the footsteps away dominated which makes me to breathe a sigh of relief.

Fear feasted on me scanning the situation of the cell. The three lifeless body mercilessly killed by Caden chills down my spine. Unknowingly, my eyes fell upon my hands painted with crimson blood and a wave of discouragement washed over me. Sobbing, I whispered, "I'm sorry Moon goddess' people." 

Tears welled up in my eyes, and the weight of my title as a moonlight princess bore down on me. I failed to protect their lives, I just watched and did nothing. 

How useless, Elara....

And this things before my eyes, bloodstains, torn fleshes, crushed hearts, driving me of losing my sanity  to become crazy. Witnessing these scenery was beyond anything that I can never imagined. Lost in my despair, the sudden light illuminated the darkness. In front of me, Valen showed up wearing a devine attire. "I told you, let me to undertake this task."

I shook my head. "His spiritual heart is inside me. No one else will do this duty but me."

"But he keep tormenting you like this."

"I was the one who tormented him first...I deserve this punishment," I reasoned.

He grasped his face out of frustration. "I can't stand seeing you like this, Elara!"

"I'm just experiencing the life here in the world of mortal Wolves, it wasn't easy, and for them that's the rule of life. At least I had a chance to understand this hardship. I consider it as luck that I have this as a Gaurdian." I smiled halfway.

"This is the influence of demons," Valen clarified, gritting his teeth. 

I shook my head. "This is just a lesson that we have to cultivate to understand." 

"No. Caden must die—"

"He will resurrect as a Demon Alpha God. You can't stop him. This is our only chance," I said, frustration creeping into my voice. 

His eyes waters in tears. "But, I can't lose you," his voice cracked. "Why you?"

Shaking my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. "You know, I regret betraying him. There is no bond between us, Valen."

He shook his head. "That's not true—"

"He's my mate, you know this! There's no bond between us. It's impossible for that to happen—"

"But why do I feel this? What is this?" He punched his chest.

I shook my head in disbelief at what he said. "That's not love, Valen."

"It is, Elara!"

"Just go," I just said. "This betrayal is punishing.  Ascend, Valen."

He shook his head. "No!"

"If you insist, I will use power." I glared. 

He just shook his head in disbelief, and then he suddenly disappeared as he run out of options.

I leaned against the wall, and burst into tears. How does the mate bond work with my non-mate? I was just mated to Caden, that's why I was able to betray so easily with Valen because Valen was never important to me. I didn't realize in myself that I was so indifferent to the feelings of others.