Chapter 2 A Life of Suffering
“Where’s this curse called a child?” Cheyenne, Luna of Lydrian Marsh, arrived at Basanistērío, a nightmarish platform of blood-soaked stone, iron maidens, and gallows, where prisoners were brutalised by guards amidst screams and the stench of blood.
She stopped, her entourage falling into place. Maids and guards at both sides, silent and poised. She glanced over her shoulder. “Go get her.”
The guards sprinted to the Hierós Klōbós, the imposing cage at Basanistērío's centre. Kaidos flipped his arrow around and jabbed it through the bars, aiming straight for Izzy’s feet.
“Ah!”
A pained gasp slipped past Izzy’s lips, and her eyes fluttered open. She jerked her legs, and the cold iron bars of the cage dug into her skin.
“Argh!”
“Get up!”
Izzy gritted her teeth, pushing the pain aside. She wanted to stand, but the cage was too small, forcing her to curl up to fit. She had to move slowly.
As she got out, she stood up, but her feet screamed in protest, and she collapsed to the ground.
“Get up!” Kaidos barked, jabbing her with the arrow's pointed tip.
“Argh!” She winced as the arrow pierced her arm, making blood rush out.
Izzy knew the beating wouldn’t cease until she knelt before the Luna. She released her arm and dredged up the strength to stand, her legs trembling. Every step was a torturous crawl.
Kaidos yanked her arm, almost dislocating her shoulder. He shoved her to the ground before the Luna, her knees cracking against stone. Pain shot through her legs, but she bit back a cry.
“I’ve been waiting for you..?” Cheyenne said.
Izzy kneeled before her, arm cradled against her side, her face downturned.
“May I know the reason you haven't woken up until now?”
Cheyenne's eyes bored into Izzy, awaiting an explanation, but Izzy stayed mute, eyes on the floor, knowing words would only fuel the fire. The silence didn't guarantee mercy, though.
Cheyenne flicked her head at Kaidos, and he obliged, slamming the arrow's flat side into Izzy's back.
“Ahn!” Izzy groaned, falling onto the floor.
“More,” Cheyenne instructed, and Kaidos continued pummeling her.
“Ohhhh!”
Izzy writhed on the floor, her face grinding into the gritty stone as sand clogged her mouth.
Cheyenne’s eyes lit up with pleasure, her smile spreading wider. Izzy’s agony was her entertainment. She raised a hand, and Kaidos froze mid-blow. With a curt nod, she ordered him to check Izzy’s condition.
He dropped knelt beside her and felt her chest. “She’s not breathing.”
Cheyenne’s gaze narrowed slightly. “Bring her back,” she said. Her voice was devoid of any concern, as if merely instructing to revive a mere object.
“Once she’s conscious, torture her, and administer the draught.”
Kaidos nodded. “Understood, Your Majesty.”
Cheyenne exhaled softly, flashing her public smile. A kind and just Luna.
Alopex stepped forward, adjusting her lace gown, settling the golden embroidery into place.
Cheyenne glided forward, guards and maids following at a distance, footsteps quiet on the floor, as they headed to the Alpha's north palace.
As Cheyenne vanished, Kaidos swept the area, beckoning Lykos, a junior guard. “Fetch hot water from the kitchen,” he barked. Watching Lykos sprint off. He turned to the others, “Restrain her.”
The guards moved swiftly, dragging Izzy to the gallows and tossing her onto the Basanistērío. They tied her down, positioning her to face the sun.
Kaidos nodded. “Good job.”
Lykos returned with the hot water and approached the pole, careful to keep his distance. Without a word, he poured the scalding water over Izzy, the water splashing against her skin.
“Argh!”
Izzy's anguished cry pierced the air as the hot water seared her skin. Her body craved a gentle touch, but her bound hands left her helpless.
No one cared to look. After all, she was just a spectacle, a tale told to cubs and visitors. Her cursed existence drew in those eager to test their dark magic and blades, as she seemed resistant to death.
That was her fate, sealed in suffering from the moment she drew breath. Born under a full moon, omega and marked, her doom was set. Spared from the slaughter that claimed her family, she was instead condemned to a life of torment with no escape.
“Drink it all!” Kaidos shouted, and Izzy’s mouth opened wide. A bitter, white liquid was poured in. Only the Luna and Kaidos knew its secrets.
Since she turned seventeen, she’d been fed this daily, but her body still refused to shift. A disappointment, a curse, a burden. She was everything they wanted to be rid of.
“Let the draught do its work before hanging her again.” Kaidos instructed. As he turned to leave, Anika, the eldest daughter of the Alpha and Cheyenne, stopped him.
“Wait. You know no one understands the task like you.”
As Anika stepped onto Basanistērío, the guards and onlookers bowed.
“Greetings, My lady.”
Anika walked past them, her gaze forward, ignoring the formalities. Unlike her mother, she didn't care about others’ opinions. Her happiness was paramount, and she derived it mostly from torturing Izzy.
“Hmm.”
Izzy’s gaze locked onto Anika, and dread pooled inside her. More agony was coming. Anika had been using her as a test subject since childhood, honing her blades, spells, and archery skills on her helpless body.
Anika’s slender figure was draped in a velvet gown with intricate gold embroidery, her piercing gaze and as she stared at Izzy on the floor, a disgusted stare on her face.
“Long time no see. Miss me?” Her voice dripped with malice. “The board.”
“Hey.” Kaidos barked an order. And Lyros hasteningly unveiled the board’s sharp, sun-kissed blades.
“Uhm.” Izzy panted, rolling on the floor, the substance still burning her throat.
Anika nodded, and Kaidos yanked Izzy up by her hair, dragging her toward the board.
Kaidos hoisted Izzy into the air, her body suspended above the board, before he slammed her down with brutal force.
“Oh!”
Izzy's scream tore through the air as blades sliced deep, her jaw clenched in a futile bid to silence the agony. The pain ebbed, her cry dissolving into ragged gasps.
Anika burst into laughter as she watched Izzy’s blood spread across the board. “I’ve missed you, Izzy. Your screams are music to my ears. Far sweeter than any bird’s song.”
Anika raised her arms, eyes locked on Izzy. She wove her fingers, summoning a chain from the ground that wrapped around Izzy, binding her arms tight.
Izzy's mouth hung open, but her scream was caught in her throat. Her eyes turned a deep shade of red.
"Perfect." Anika breathed.
Izzy’s body jerked violently, blood spilling from her mouth, nose, and ears. As she hit the ground, her chest heaved in agony. Her vision blurred. Her eyes fluttered as if begging for mercy.
‘Haven’t I suffered enough?’
