6: Facing Death

Chapter 6

POV: Tamara

Death is one of the inevitable things in this world – you couldn’t run from it even if you wanted to. Once it knocks on your door, no matter if you’re ready or not, whether you accept it or not, it would eventually reclaim your life.

“Hey, you, stand up,” a loud adenoidal voice snapped her eyes wide open.

It was already a sultry late afternoon – well, she guessed it. Tamara was still sitting on the cold floor as her upper body was leaning against the brick wall.

Her mouth was dry as she tried to swallow the bile lump on her throat.

She couldn’t find any strength to stand up for the hopelessness she felt, knowing that she would be facing her miserable death tomorrow.

Will she be gun fired? Or hanged? Or put into a deep sleep and would never wake up?

She shook her head swiftly as she pressed her eyes shut tightly, then opened it again – trying to erase the negative thinking that had crossed her mind.

“Can I go out now?” Her voice was just about above whisper with a hint of slight tremor.

Two guards were standing in front of her prison cell – one of them was unlocking it. They were both stoic while looking at her.

“You’ll face a court trial now,” the guard with ginger hair answered her as his forehead creased.

“Court trial?” She desperately asked, and immediately stood up – a little light crossed her soul.

“Yes. You will undergo a series of interrogations – to prove your innocence – and they will give you a judgement after. Just pray to the moon that it will guide you. From what I’ve heard, the Dark Wood Pack will be one of the judges.” The other guard explained as a matter of fact – trying to frighten her but she wasn’t scared at all.

Tamara sighed – this was her chance to finally regain herself. She was totally desperate to know what had happened to her parents.

Dark Wood Pack – whoever that was – she would certainly prove her innocence at once!

She noticed that the handcuff shackles weren’t metal but silver, “I’m allergic to anything silver,” she informed them, but they just looked at her as if she’s some kind of alien or something.

Tamara heaved another deep disappointed sigh – she’s a prisoner, of course they wouldn’t give her the VIP treatment. She just hoped so, though – but her words will all be futile. She needed to compose herself and prove those people in the court trial her innocence.

Her wrist started to turn red as an immediate reaction to silver – sending her millions of stings and soreness – she clenched her jaw and tried to contain herself.

She raised her both handcuffed hands when she was dazzled by the light coming from the almost setting sun. She blinked many times as her eyes tried to adjust to the brightness.

And when she was completely accustomed to it, and looked around, her mouth almost dropped to the floor.

An ancient and elegant castle was standing in front of her!

She couldn’t believe that she would see a huge castle in the middle of nowhere. Her mouth still agape as one of the guards slightly pushed here to continue in her tracks. She kept walking to the pathway as her eyes roamed at the brick walled castle.

“Where am I? Who owns that castle,” Tamara asked – her eyes were glued to the vines that started to crept into the huge castle walls with astonishment.

She didn’t notice how the guards widened their eyes while looking at her, then exchanged their weird looks at each other.

“You wouldn’t wanna know.” The guard with ginger hair answered her hoarsely.

Tamara’s brows furrowed with their sudden reaction while her hands turned cold as she felt shiver down her spine fearfully just by hearing those words.

What did they mean by that?

The guards opened a wooden huge door in front of them. Her eyes immediately turned to the muscular man – far too huge than a typical average man – sitting in the middle – on his own golden chair. Her legs started to tremble when her eyes met his.

The man was wearing a black shirt – one that perfectly emphasized his bulky biceps and toned body – and black pants. He must be the king, judging by the golden crown that fits impeccably to his head. His face was tilted sideways as it was supported on the back of his balled fist – his elbows placed on the armrest of his golden chair.

She could smell an addicting scent in the air, making her toes curled involuntarily. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it was so addicting that she wanted to sniff it more.

Tamara’s heart beat increased in speed as her deep brown eyes turned into an insanely lighter shade. Something inside her ticked and she felt a sudden scorching urge churning inside her.

Her hands clasped tightly to hold herself – she blinked, and her eyes turned into a darker shade once again. She was pushed gently to make her move forward until she reached the open space in the middle of the room.

She never gave any attention to the people around her – for her eyes were glued only to the man sitting highly in his golden chair.

A man wearing a combination of white and black overall dashiki-type shirt stood up and cleared his throat, trying to catch her attention – or more of trying to stop her insolence by looking directly at the king.

“State your name and your case.” A loud and booming voice filled the entire room – it was from the tall man with tan skin who was standing.

Tamara blinked and flinched a bit – her eyes were torn apart from the King and roamed around the room.

She looked at the man who had just spoken and her forehead creased as she opened her mouth to say a word – but someone caught her attention before he could do so.

He was standing in the left corner of the room – her eyes turned into slits and her lips pressed together – before she returned her gaze towards the man who was asking her.

“I am Ta-”

She took an abrupt stop – an immediate decision she contemplated in her mind – to change her name for the mean time. So those who were running after her – whoever they were – wouldn’t find her that easily.

“I am Tyra, and I don’t know why I am imprisoned, so I don’t know what my case is.” She furiously answered – something inside her started to tear her apart – reacting to someone plus the silver cutting her skin.

Tamara gritted her teeth to compose herself. Her stomach churned and the unbearable burning feeling started to creep within her.

“Start the interrogations.” The man who just spoke ordered.

“You don’t need to interrogate me.” She immediately butted in – her voice came out almost breathless and unsteady.

She cleared her throat and looked directly at the king – ignoring the gasp of horror from the other person in the room for her rude behavior.

“I was in the barn-”

“Stop your insolence at once!” The woman in the red dress cut her in and Tamara gritted her jaw.

Tamara shot her a dagger look. She couldn’t control her intensifying emotions now – and she didn’t know why.

“You were in the barn that we owned, right? What are you doing there? It is our territory and you’re not a member of our pack. If it wouldn’t be the Ki-” the woman added using her seductive voice but abruptly stopped by the King, who leered at her intensely.

The woman cleared her throat and continued talking – her tempting voice lessened and change to a slightly shaken one. “Anyway, according to the law-”

“I was in the barn to help someone.” She immediately interrupted her as she gently bit her bottom lip, for her breathing was becoming uneven.

She’s trying to tolerate what was agitating inside her – she needed to – to prove her innocence and to stop this injustice towards her.

“Help someone? Why would someone in their pack be at the barn? Everyone must be in Dark Wood Pack Meeting Room to meet Arlan, right? That was according to your report, Lamina.” A man wearing a black polo shirt and sitting on the couch calmly said, then intently stared at the woman who was sitting in the right corner of the room – the woman in the red dress and seductive voice.

The man who was standing beside the wicked woman named Lamina, bowed his head – Tamara intently narrowed her eyes while looking at him. He was the same man she had helped and had just left without her knowing. The man who she just tended to and the reason for her imprisonment.

The man who just kept his silence now despite of her being interrogated.

She clenched her fists so hard that it almost turned pale white.

Lamina just chuckled sarcastically while looking at the man with viciousness. “Oh, Lorenzo, we are all there. Maybe that girl was just trying to escape away from crossing our border.”

“I am not lying. I swear,” Tamara desperately exclaimed – both trying to explain and to calm her nerves to the sizzling sensation within her.

“Enough! You despicable creature must pay for your actions-” Lamina annoyingly said while her frows burrowed.

“I am not lying!” Tamara repeatedly shouted – her heart looked like it was about to explode from the excruciating madness she felt.

“Then, do you have proof or a witness? Because crossing the borders that you don’t belong to without any permission was an act of erroneous impudence.” Lamina still pushed her reasons, and a smug smirk crossed her face – mocking her.

Something inside her ticked and she gritted her teeth more – everyone’s eyes darted at her, even the King’s bored face.

“Well then, I have a witness. He was the one I treated and saved. I don’t know how the hell would he be healed in a day given that he was badly beaten, but I swear I wasn’t lying.” Tamara answered, holding her head up high.

“Then, where is your witness? Maybe we can find him for you to-” a tender voice from the woman beside the man called Lorenzo, queried.

“Look Rania, we don’t have all da-”

“Actually, he is here,” she interjected the old hag Lamina, who felt offended and shot her a dagger look, “and he was standing beside you,” Tamara confidently said as she pointed her index finger towards the familiar man – he looked at her with his mouth and eyes slightly ajar.

Lamina’s eyes widened in shock as she glanced at his son beside him and chuckled sarcastically.

“Oh, well fine. I will ask. Do you know this girl?” Her voice was laced with unmasked wickedness.

The familiar man swallowed hard.

“I-I don’t k-know her. I d-don’t even s-seen her. It was the f-first time, Mother.” He uttered nervously bowing his head down – never wanting to make her mother mad at him.

“See? So, you are really a disgraceful lying bi-”

“Then who owns this tag then? Who is the man named ‘Aeron’? Maybe he can clear this out.” She irately yelled, showing the golden tag necklace she had in her pocket – good thing she forgot to give it though.

“I picked it up near him when I saw him with scratches and bruises. I saved his life from those men, and you’re accusing me now of lying and impudence? Why don’t you try to interrogate him, too, and lecture him about honesty and gratitude? Because I know I am not the one who’s lying here!”

Tamara was fuming mad – her face turning red. Her dark brown eyes turned crimson red as she cried out loudly. She was unable to control the unbearable pain anymore – the burning sensation was slowly consuming her.

She was forcefully down on her knees and eventually lied on the floor. Everyone in the room was incredibly shock – except for the King, who had a concealed brutal smirk on his face while intently staring at her without changing his original position.

She lied on the carpeted floor with her knees bend towards her chest. She can hear her fast beating in her ears – almost terribly deafening her.

Her eyes became blurry with the unshed tears tugging at her crimson red hair. Tamara cried out loud banging on the entire room – her ankle twisted, and a bone pop out of its place as the other parts of her body followed.

A creature covered with ruby fusion-colored fur appeared in front of them. A pink tongue stuck out of his mouth as its breath still unevenly fastened.

The whole room was now embraced with a booming silence as they witness Tamara’s first forced shift into a wolf form!

King Hades’ eyes – on the other hand – were filled with immeasurable pleasure, seeing her into her new state.