Chapter 3
Txälina
I held my gown in my hand as I bolted down the hallway. There was nowhere I could run to hide. Anyone who saw me now would raise suspicious.
I remembered the deep, ancient voice that spoke through me. My head pounded hard. It felt like I had just woken from a dream, a dream that felt too real.
I killed him. I killed Mätxin. And I enjoyed it.
Tears stung my eyes. Bile rose in my throat. I was heaving as I ran through the quiet hallway, feeling all the horrid sensations: the thrill of revenge against the Säli men, the joy of killing Mätxin.
It was reckoning.
No. I shook my head. That was the dark power. That wasn't me.
But still, I was overjoyed that Mätxin had felt the pain Säli women had suffered for so many years.
Sometimes, I had wished for the same powers the men had, the right to fight back when we were abused.
Moments ago, I had that power.
I alone had killed one of the most powerful werewolves in the Säli pack. And only now was I beginning to see the ugliness of it. My heart pounded as I recalled the voice that had spoken in my head:
Sali men will pay with their blood.
Oh, Säli! I was in trouble.
Stepping outside the building, I saw a young cub, no older than five,running around the camp. I thought of Mätlitu. He should be somewhere here, in the camp. I needed to find him, and then i could figure out how to escape before someone found Mätxin's body.
But what if he doesn't recognize me?
Oh, Säli, was I really expecting him to recognize me? Of course he wouldn't. He would see me as a stranger.
The boy took a step backward and screamed at the sight of my bloody gown. I cursed under my breath and turned around, looking for a place to run. I sprinted, hearing footsteps and male voices asking the boy what was wrong.
I ran into a field where young boys were playing around a bonfire. Their heads turned to me, and they snarled as I passed. These boys had been trained to hate women, so I shouldn't have been surprised.
Mätlitu had to be somewhere around here. Even though I hadn't seen him, the soul bond we shared would help me recognize him as my own.
I kept running, until I came across a young cub running on his own. I instantly felt the bond between us. He turned toward me. He already had his wolf at such an early age. Because of the manipulation the men did with the moon, Säli males gained their wolves early.
I came to a halt, staring at him. He watched me for a moment, then growled.
My heart sank.
He growled again, and I took a step backward.
"Halt! Step anymore closer and you'll bleed where you stand."
I was surrounded by warriors.
One of the warriors walked toward Mätlitu, scooping him into his arms and walking away.
"No… no… no… please don't take him away, " my feet moved before i could think and the warriors grabbed me. They bound my hands, and dragged me out of there.
…..
When I was young, I dreamed about visiting the training camp. I fantasized about growing up to be a powerful werewolf warrior.
I wondered why the men were never around us. I wondered why my brother never came to visit. My mother never gave me a reasonable answer.
Then I grew up, and my daydreams changed.
I realized the only time we were treated well was when the King paid us a visit. We were threatened with the lives of our families, told that if we didn't act like we were treated well, we'd be killed once the King left.
We wore fine dresses and was allowed to eat good food. But once the King left the pack, the men turned into savages.
Every night before I fell asleep, I fantasized about the Alpha's death. And when my mother was caught stealing food for us to survive, she was ordered to be hanged, and left there to rot for days. My hatred for the Alpha grew strong.
The warriors had tossed me into a dark dungeon to wait for Alpha Wyränkla.
The place was pitch-black, and I was the only one here. I didn't know how much time had passed, or whether it was day or night. I slept and woke with my stomach growling, but food was the last thing I needed right now.
When I heard footsteps, I sat up on the ground.
A tall male warrior with brown skin and dark hair stood there with a lamp.
He frowned. "Who the hell taught you how to fight?"
I stared at him in silence.
"Who taught you?" He asked again.
I blinked. My throat was raw and dry.
"Answer me!"
My voice came out croaked and weak. "Are you going to come in here and kill me?"
His eyebrows furrowed. "Is that what you think? So you can get another chance to gut someone like you did Beta Mätxin?"
"I'll ask you one last time. Who taught you how to fight?"
"You want answers? I'll give you answers if you tell me where my son is."
"That lad isn't yours" he snapped. "He's the Alpha's now. And he'll be present when you are judged in front of everyone."
"Why not just kill me now?" I asked. The thought of my son witnessing the Alpha judge me made me feel sick.
"Tonight, you'll face Alpha Wyränkla. Whatever he decides... you'll wish you never killed the Beta."
Then he left.