Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Txälina

His blood on my hands was warm, and his body lay splayed on the ground, eyes wide open. I stared at his face, at the scars that marred his skin, at his petrified expression.

A tear ran down my cheek, but not with regret. The tear carried the truth of what I was capable of. Of the power I had revealed inside me.

I wiped his blood from my gown and took a step back. My head pounded, an ache building in my chest. I realized the ramifications of murdering an Alpha. It was treason, and they would execute me for it. I shuddered.

You have the power to command them all to obey you.

A knock sounded on the door, and I turned around, horror written across my face.

"Alpha Mätxin," the voice called.

My eyes widened in panic.

I couldn't hide his body not when the evidence was clear on my body and clothes.

You have the voice.

"Alpha Mätxin, is everything alright in there?"

The warrior outside muttered an expletive words under his breath and began pounding on the door.

I took a step back.

With a loud kick, the door flung open, and the warrior strode in. His eyes changed, the deep gold darkened as they dragged over my blood-soaked gown to Alpha Mätxin's lifeless form on the bed. His face turned red, veins protruding as he stormed toward me.

"What did you do?!" he bellowed, fury swirling in his eyes.

"He groped me."

"And you fucking killed him, bitch?!" His eyes flashed with viciousness as he closed the distance between us.

My head throbbed heavily. I felt drained, as though I had expended too much energy. My knees threatened to give out.

"If you don't start talking, I'll beat you right now, and not even Beta Kaluen can help you."

"You will not touch me," I commanded with the voice, and he halted, his eyes widening.

"You have the voice."

Before I could say anything, a cold, deep voice cut through the air.

"What's the matter here?"

"Beta Kaluen," the warrior bowed. "She killed him."

"What?" Kaluen twisted his head to me.

"She killed Alpha Mätxin," the warrior said, his eyes filled with fear. "She has the voice... She has Säli's voice."

My heart galloped.

"Dead…" Kaluen narrowed his eyes at Mätxin's corpse.

"Yes, and—"

Kaluen waved a hand, silencing the warrior. He stepped closer to me. "What did you do?"

"He groped me."

"Is that an answer to my question?"

I stared at him in silence.

"Wasn't that the reason he brought you here? To fuck you as he pleased?"

I flinched at his words. The voice within me itched, urging me to use it on him.

"But…"

"How did you kill him?"

"With the dagger."

He gave me an incredulous look, his gaze trailing to Mätxin's neck. The dagger had sliced deep.

"Liar," the warrior spat. "She has the voice."

"No."

"Admit it, bitch. You used your voice on Alpha Mätxin."

"Tell me the truth, Txälina," Kaluen said. "And don't lie to me. You know the consequences of lying."

An avalanche of emotions came rippling through me. "Alpha Mätxin is dead because I killed him."

Kaluen's eyes widened, darkness slowly bracketing them. His face split into a smouldering fury that felt like it slashed into my skin.

"You could not have killed him," he snarled, darkness imbuing his voice.

"I did indeed kill him," I said.

If I had not been so transfixed by the rage smeared across Kaluen's face, I would have noticed the throng of warriors filling the room.

"She has the voice," one of the warriors spat.

"Alpha Mätxin is dead," Kaluen said as he rose from the ground. "And that makes me the Alpha of the Säli pack."

"I proclaim myself the new Alpha of the Säli pack. From this day forward, you will address me as your Alpha."

Then he slowly turned to me, and in that split second, I opened my lips, preparing to utilize the voice buzzing at the back of my throat.

"Kneel," I commanded, but nothing happened.

It was then I felt the cold metal cinch around my neck. It was taut, and the pain it sent through my body was agonizing. I fell to the ground, swallowing gulps of air into my lungs.

Breath.

I didn't think about the pain. There was only one thing that encroached upon my mind:

I couldn't feel Säli anymore. I couldn't hear her voice.

My eyes found the women standing just out of plain sight, their faces stoic, obscuring any dregs of emotion.

I would not let this happen. I would not end like this. But before I could think, something struck my back, and my body lurched to the ground.

Kaluen's boot collided with my spine, and I curled up on the floor. I felt a viscous, eviscerating pain scorch through my back as he continued to slam his boots on my back and ribs.

He crouched down, locking his eyes with mine. "Get up. Use your voice on me," he said with a fake smile.

Painful tears slowly ran down my cheeks.

He grabbed my head, his fingernails digging into my chin. "But the collar will stave off the voice from having any effect on anyone."

I avoided his eyes, even though he clearly wanted me to meet his gaze. I loathed him. I resented him.

"You killed Mätxin. Albeit, you made me Alpha along the way. I thank you for it, but that doesn't mean I won't punish," he said, then dragged me through the crowd of people, down the hallway, and into the dungeon.