Chapter 10
Let The High one's Judge Her
Adolfa POV
Adolfa's body floated weightless in the darkness.
She didn't know where she was—only that the pain had left her, and in its place, silence.
Then came the rumble.
Heavy footsteps.
Deep, guttural snarls.
Her lashes fluttered weakly. A light pierced the darkness, too blinding for her to fully open her eyes. But she could feel it—the cold, gnarly fingers curling around her ankles.
Something—or someone—was dragging her.
She was unconscious, yet her soul stirred.
The creatures that held her weren't human. Their claws scraped stone, their breath reeked of sulfur and rot. They were massive—beasts of the Underrealm, formed from shadows and spirit, towering as tall as castles.
"She is not one of ours," one hissed.
"But her blood sings of ancient sins," another replied.
"Let the High Ones judge her," said a third.
They hauled her through a shimmering veil—a rippling portal carved from stardust and bone. The Spirit World was not what stories made it seem. It was not heaven. Nor was it quite hell.
It was a kingdom, vast and layered, ruled by celestial balance. Where the sins of the soul were weighed not by mercy, but by truth.
Adolfa landed hard on marble, gasping.
The ground beneath her was glowing, etched in ancient runes that burned silver.
She blinked, dazed. Her body was whole again, but weightless, like she wasn't truly flesh.
A voice thundered from above. "Bring her forward."
The giant creatures kneeled and bowed, pushing her to her knees before a throne of obsidian. There sat a being draped in veils of stars. Neither male nor female. Both terrifying and beautiful.
"The Accused," the being said.
Adolfa looked up. Her lips trembled, but she didn't speak.
"The child of the Lycans. The blood of war. The curse reborn."
A second throne to the left leaned forward—a Queen in golden chains, her eyes like molten amber. "She carries the scream of a thousand wolves trapped in one body. She devoured her mate's soul."
A third Beast, cloaked in mist and crow feathers, sneered. "We know what you did, Adolfa of the Greko Pack. We know the chaos your heart invites."
"I—" she finally croaked, her throat dry. "I didn't mean to…"
"Lies," the Queen snapped. "You chose violence."
"She is cursed," another King said, his eyes hollow, voice echoing like the wind in tombs. "But even curses have roots."
The beings leaned closer.
They began listing her crimes.
"You betrayed your Alpha."
"You consumed sacred blood."
"You brought war to the border realms."
"You wounded the veil between life and death."
Adolfa's body shivered under the weight of their words.
"I tried to stop it," she said softly. "I never wanted to be this."
The Queen of Chains rose from her throne. Her steps rang like judgment.
"You say you never wanted this," she hissed. "Yet you embraced the bond. You fed on it. You made a contract with blood and shadow."
Adolfa clutched her chest. Her heart pulsed unnaturally—too loud, too raw.
"Please…" she begged. "If I could change it—if I could go back—"
"There is no going back," the veil-draped being said coldly. "Only forward. Only truth."
Another throne glowed. A young King stood, his skin glowing with light, his voice softer.
"Should we not also weigh her suffering?" he asked. "Her soul was fractured long before she drew first blood."
The Queen scoffed. "Compassion weakens judgment."
"No," he said. "It completes it."
He turned to Adolfa. "Child, speak your truth. Not your excuse. Not your guilt. Your truth."
Adolfa closed her eyes.
Memories surged.
The night her mother died.
The night Calamity embraces her.
She was reborn.
The moment her Alpha branded her unworthy.
The first time she felt the Mate Bond break inside her.
"I never chose to be cursed," she whispered. "But I chose not to fight it, either."
"Why?" asked the crow-cloaked King.
"Because I was tired of losing."
Silence.
"You let rage guide you," said the Queen. "So we must punish you accordingly."
Then they began listing the punishments.
"Let her be flayed by her own memories for a thousand years."
"Let her be cast into the River of Regret, where the waters eat the soul."
"Let her sleep beneath the Bones of the Forgotten."
"Or let us burn her with eternal fire that devours only the heart."
Adolfa's eyes widened. "No…"
The ground trembled.
One of the creatures, still kneeling, dared to speak. "May I speak, O High Ones?"
The judges turned to him.
"She is fractured. But she is not yet lost."all these that happened is from her past lives.
"She is dangerous," the Queen spat.
"She is necessary," the creature replied.
"To whom?"
The creature met their gaze. "To balance. To fate. Her thread runs deep."
The judges considered.
Finally, the veil-draped being lifted a hand.
"We shall offer a final test."
Adolfa lifted her head, barely daring to hope.
"If you survive the Trial of Flames, you may return. If you fall, you die—not just in body, but in spirit. You will cease to exist in all realms."
Adolfa nodded. "I'll do it."
The Queen raised a brow. "Brave. Or foolish."
"Maybe both," she said.
They cast her into the Trial.
It was not fire as she knew it. It was truth, burning in flame.
The spirits of those she'd harmed stood in the blaze.
Her mother.
Her mate.
Her pack.
Each one pointed at her. Each one screamed.
"You left me."
"You failed me."
"You are death in a girl's skin."
The fire coiled around her, licking her soul.
Adolfa sobbed, but she didn't run.
She stepped forward.
She faced them.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I was weak."
The flames grew brighter.
"But I want to change."
The fire exploded.
And then—
Silence.
She was still standing.
Naked.
Burned.
But breathing.
When she opened her eyes, she was back before the thrones.
The High Ones stared at her in silence.
The Queen stepped down again, this time slower.
"You did not run."
"No," Adolfa rasped. "I'm done running."
The Queen touched her cheek. "You still bear the curse. But now you also bear choice."
Then the veil-draped being raised its hand once more.
"Let her return. Let her face her world. Let her finish what she began—not in blood, but in truth."
The ground cracked open.
A portal appeared, swirling with light and shadow.
Adolfa turned to the creature who had spoken for her.
"Why did you defend me?"
The creature bowed. "Because long ago, someone defended me."
She smiled faintly.
Then she stepped through the portal.
Back into the world of the living.
Back into her pain.
Back into her power.
Back into Greko Pack.