The Wolf In Me

Prologue | Execution

Ayesha *

I never wanted him to die.

But my opinion didn't matter. No one's did.

As soon as he had done it I knew he would get punished. My brothers would find out sooner or later. They always did.

I had tried to delay the time between the actual event and the discovery of it.
I managed to keep it secret for four months.
But then one day, when I came home from school my seven brothers had been waiting for me in the hall.

I understood that rumours must've spread. People talked, and then it was just a matter of time before the news reached the Alpha.

Robin had wanted to call an execution-ceremony almost immediately, but I had asked him to move it forward a couple of days.
And as the kind big brother he was, he had agreed to it. But on one condition.

That I would be the bait.

I had to agree to it.

So I was pretty nervous when I stood outside of Caleb's house.

When I had been there before I was a little girl there to play with my only and best friend. This wasn't the case this time. This was different.

I didn't have a plan. That was literally the first thing I should've figured out as soon as the ceremony had been delayed.
Luckily, my brothers had one. And their plans never failed.

I would lead him to the pack's place of execution.

Not more simple than that.

Yet, I was still nervous.

I had avoided Caleb ever since he had done that thing.

It would be weird if I showed up now, for no particular reason. Therefore, Victor and Frederick had prepared a fake story for me as to why I had to visit.

I sighed deeply as I knocked on the old door, as I had done so many times before.

I heard steps from the hallway and then Caleb appeared in the door. "Ayesha," he greeted me, a little surprised over my appearance. "What are you doing here?"

As he stood there in front of me with a big smile on his lips I froze, became paralyzed.
I forgot what I was meant to say and just stood there.

"Do you want to come in?" Caleb then asked me, but instead of answering him, I took a steady grip of his arm, pressing my nails into his skin.

"Follow me."

❂ ❂ ❂

I was used to being bait.

Even though I wasn't one of them I got to be a part of the process sometimes. This was the way. Who doesn't love the sweet, innocent little girl who turns out to only be a bribe, lure them to their death? Robin said as an explanation every time I tried to fight against his will.

I had stopped thinking, stopped thinking about how it must feel for the boys, how shocked they must be when death came.

It was better that way.

When I attended my earliest execution-ceremonies, I had looked away just as Victor, my second oldest brother, chopped off the victim's head.

This time though, was different. More emotional. This was my best friend. Or yeah, ex-best friend. I had to remind myself of that.

I didn't say a thing as I led him through the endless tunnels that led to the execution-cave.

He has no idea.