EMPIRE

18. Damnation

A hush falls over the crowd that has gathered, no one dares to make a sound. Talon clenches his jaw and tilts his chin upwards, an act of confidence in the face of shame, betrayal, and deceit. I, on the other hand, cannot breathe. It feels as if the Alpha had just turned and punched me directly in the stomach rather than announce the name of my best friend. The man I had grown up with, trained side by side with and trusted to have my back in battle, saving my hide countless times.

I exhale a shaky breath, my knees wobbling slightly as I take a step back. I feel Moonstreak's presence draw closer to mine, standing by my side without touching me, supporting my vulnerability. I glance at her and her mouth is pressed into a thin line with brows furrowed. Her eyes sought out Talon's rather than mine and when he finally turns to face her she simply nods at him.

She knew.

Moonstreak had known his name long before I had.

I feel a hurricane of feelings beating against the confines of my chest, fighting for dominance with each other; betrayal, fury, shock and fear- I detest them all. I reach out to his mind, but Talon refuses to spare me a second glance. The coward couldn't even look me in the eyes. Instead, he bows his head at the Alpha and strides over to the weapon casings.

I take the opportunity to turn my gaze to my Mate. Roman's sights are set on the ground, a slight frown marring his features. He swallows before tilting his chin upwards and leveling his collected gaze with Alpha Aeyrgon's. I want to call out to him, I crave comfort as if it were an insatiable need. I know that the only person who can quell the storm of emotions within me is him; as unbearable as the fact may seem, it is the truth. There's too much happening over the course of one day and I don't have the capacity to process it. Everything I thought I knew has revealed itself to be untrue and the people I thought I protected were the ones sheltering me.

I want to fucking scream.

As if in response to my inner turmoil, Roman's gaze snaps to meet mine; piercing and, at first, unsettling. The intensity of his gaze softens after a split second, eyes roaming over my features as if committing it to memory. The churning nausea in the pit of my stomach slowly disappears, soothed by the sudden gentleness in Roman's expression. He turns away after a brief moment and though I no longer feel sick, the feeling is replaced by a sudden emptiness. I'm not sure which feeling is preferred.

"Choose your weapon, challenger."

Talon grits his teeth and moves towards the weapons rack, his shoulders squared and a dangerously confident sway in his step. He barely allows a moment to consider his choices before reaching for a pair of butterfly swords, a lethal dual wield weapon to match Roman's sais. These are the same weapons I would have chosen for myself; not surprising as both Talon and I specialize in close combat, often training with each other to sharpen our skills.

My second-in-command twirls the blades in his hands as if testing the weight. His gaze flicks upwards to meet his opponent with a narrow-eyed glare. If Roman is bothered by Talon's confidence he doesn't show it, with a neutral expression he simply shifts into his starting position. My heart begins to hammer in my chest as I realize that I have no jurisdiction over this fight; nothing I do can or will stop either of these men from murdering each other.

Moonstreak's shoulder gently brushes against mine, an indication that I am not alone throughout this ordeal. Alpha Aeyrgon appraises both men facing each other before clearing his throat and tilting his chin upwards with finality.

"The first to submit to their opponent is the victor," Aeyrgon begins, "Death is justified should the fighter refuse to submit."

I hadn't even realized I'd been watching Roman until his eyes flicker upwards to briefly make contact with mine.