Rory
"It'll hurt a lot less if you just gave in, traitor," Beta Ansel hissed against my ear, his grip tightening around my wrist as he roughly shoved me into the ground. "For fleeing, the Alpha has decided your punishment will be much, much worse. You will be paraded in front of the pack and stoned to death like a murderer like you truly deserves."
A ragged exhale escaped me as I felt the cuffs clip around my wrist. "I didn't do it. I have worked in the pack since I was a child. You know I am not a murderer, Ansel," I said, even if I knew he wouldn't listen.
Beta Ansel was Alpha Darren's closest confidant. Short of Alpha Darren coming back to life, there was no way he'd listen to me.
"It is Beta to you now," Beta Ansel said. He nodded towards the guards. "Get her up."
I never should have left the cave. I had been too riled up to think, eager to put any kind of distance between myself and that man. And I had walked right into the hands of my pursuers.
If I was gifted a dollar for every time I did something incredibly stupid, I would be filthy rich.
Rough hands yanked me to my feet, dragging me through the muddied snow as I fought hard against their grip to no avail.
"Unhand her."
An oppressive aura, worse than anything I'd ever felt, filled the air, and though I could've done without seeing him again, I nearly sobbed with relief when I glanced up and found Alpha Darren's look alike standing menacingly ahead of us.
The red moonlight casted his face and silver eyes in an eerie glow that sent shivers skittering down my spine. He was as beautiful as he was terrifying. Alpha Darren had never pulled that kind of reaction from me.
But then again, Alpha Darren had never pinned me to the wall and kissed me until I couldn't breathe.
The lead guard's grip on my arm went slack.
Beta Ansel released a choked sound, rushing forward with wide eyes. "A-Alpha Darren…"
He fell to his knees.
And so did the guards around me.
Beta Ansel trembled. "We thought… we saw your body on the pyre. We saw you burn. How are you alive?"
I stood in the middle of five kneeling men with my mouth open, wondering if they were blind. That man was clearly not Alpha Darren.
But the resemblance was uncanny enough that five guards Alpha Darren had trained himself had just dropped to their knees without questioning it. Even Beta Ansel, his closest friend, had tears in his eyes.
The gears in my mind began to turn and click as an idea so devious began to form in my mind.
If I corrected the misunderstanding, I would be immediately arrested and executed.
If I did not correct the misunderstanding, I wouldn't have a case to begin with, because the Alpha would miraculously turn up alive.
I was not a dishonest person. I had, in fact, spent most of my life being aggressively honest, because I didn't even know how to tell a lie. But right now, it would seem dishonesty was my survival strategy, for long enough to expose Asher.
The caveman levelled a cold stare at Ansel, the lack of recognition and confusion in his eyes stark enough that I could predict what he would say next.
"Darren?" the caveman questioned. "Do you not know who lords over you? I am no Darren–"
I ran in front of him, swallowing, as I began to cook up the most outrageous lie I had ever told in my life. "The Alpha was kidnapped."
Every eye swiveled to me.
"Four months ago, Alpha Darren left to the Eastern borders to seal off the alliance with the Lunar Moon Pack," I continued.
Beta Ansel stood abruptly. "Yes. He returned from that journey two days ago for his wedding–"
"It wasn't Alpha Darren who returned. It was a spy."
I sounded mad. The men stared at me like I was mad, the caveman included.
"Yesterday, while collecting ingredients for the kitchens, I found him injured and bleeding out on the snow. I wanted to alert Alpha Asher, but he told me no one could know he was here. There was a spy in the pack, sent by the enemy to steal vital information. And if they discovered he had escaped from where he was being held captive, they would alter their plans to seize the pack or kill him."
Liar, liar pants on fire.
"I brought him to the one place I knew no one would look for him. The Dark Reach. I tended his wounds and saved his life."
The caveman was staring at me intently. I could feel his eyes bearing holes into the back of my head.
"What–" He started to speak, but I felt behind me, fingers grazing his arm.
And pinched him. Please be quiet. Just for a couple more minutes.
To cover up his sharp hiss of pain, I continued, "He told me I had to find Asher and tell him the truth, but I couldn't find Asher anywhere. I received a summon shortly from the Alpha and upon arriving at his study, I found the body of the spy. I'd been trying to explain all of this, but no one would listen to the words of a lowly maid."
Beta Ansel's expression had gone pale as he looked at Alpha Darren's look alike. "Alpha Darren, is this true?"
"I am not–"
I stepped on the caveman's foot.
"Yes, it is," he hissed, glaring daggers at me. "I have been… held captive."
The expression of the guards shifted.
Ansel's jaw clenched. "It would explain why he refused any visitors when he returned." He walked forward, snatching up the caveman's hand. "I should've known sooner, Darren. We must return to the pack at once. The succession is currently taking place with Asher none the wiser."