INTO THE ASHES

8. His Chaperone

The dry leaves made a crunching sound as several pairs of feet walked over them. The forest seemed quiet but distant noise could be heard from afar. It was the sound of instruments and people cheering for the pack warriors as they took part in the tournament.

Zelda found it strange that the tournament had already commenced but was glad that she did not have to face anyone. It was not her fault that John died but she wasn't ready to face anyone from the pack.

She wondered where they were being taken as everyone was at the tournament. According to her, James would want to kill her himself, get her blood on his hands. So why were these guards escorting them to the pack house? And not just any guards, they were from the royal pack, the King's guards.

Her potentially bruised abdomen made it difficult to walk without cringing in pain. Watching her struggle Daniel who was walking beside her offered, "You want me to carry you?" He just wanted to help his friend but instead received a glare in return.

Zelda mentally face palmed herself at the idiocy of this man. If only he was tad bit quicker, they would've successfully escaped or at least had the chance. Instead, this dumb excuse of a man had wasted their time trying to break the cell door with a freaking torch light!

The man leading them stopped in front of the King's chamber and signalled one of the guards standing in front to open the door. The guard wasted no time in opening the door and stepped aside.

Zelda watched as the man with snowy white hair stepped inside. She looked over at Daniel who looked back at her with a frown on his face. "Why do you think we are here?" She whispered leaning towards him.

"I don't know, maybe the King wants to award you for your bravery." Daniel himself had no idea what came out of his mouth as he was just as nervous as Zelda if not more.

Zelda did not have strength to argue with him and imagined worst scenarios about what was going to happen. She suspected she would even be able to put up a fight if they decided to execute her in there. She was worried more about Daniel than herself. He was now an accomplice and James would not let him go unharmed.

Before she could make up her mind to make a run for it with Daniel, the man from earlier came back and ushered them inside.

As they stepped inside, they were greeted by James' voice talking about some matters of the pack. He stood facing King Sebastian with his hands clasped in front of him. His back had a slight bend as if he was bowing, making him look small as compared to the two other men standing behind him. The two men were none other than her father and the gamma, Zelda noted.

"Your Highness," Zachariah intervened James' banter and gestured towards the two newcomers in the room. This made everyone turn their heads towards Zelda and Daniel. Zelda ignored the look on her father's face and moved her eyes away from him.

Her heart thudded inside her chest when her eyes fell on the man sitting on the couch. Her throat went dry as she immediately recognised him from the dungeon. He was the one who tortured the man in there. She could still hear his blood curling screams and it made goosebumps rise on her neck.

If she was worried earlier, right now she was scared for her life. She was reminded of the blank look on his face as he walked past her cell as if he had not just tortured someone to death. It was not even a few hours and here she was standing in front of him.

"You! What do you think you are doing here? Why is she out of-" James forgot who he was standing in front of and needed to be reminded again and again. Zach cleared his throat making him pause and turn to look at him in confusion.

Zelda had not heard him as her eyes were trained on the man who was sitting leisurely on the couch and could kill her just for staring at him long enough. But she stood there, unable to take her eyes off of him.