RAFE
Jaxon steps in front of me, putting himself between me and Corvin, who's strolling toward us slowly. Every head in the hall is glued to him, and my brain decides now is a great time to throw me back twelve years, to when they dragged him off to Rasted prison.
"When I see you again… I'll kill you!" he'd shouted at me back then. Me. Frail little me, one leg half-broken from his beatings, and neck bruised from his… creative attempts to strangle me.
Father had knelt beside me, his eyes clouded with pain and promised me I'd always be safe. That Corvin would never leave Rasted prison and that the pack would be safe.
And now… here he is. Standing in front of me, a cold smirk stretching across his face, and I can't help wondering if I've somehow died and gone to hell.
It's my Beta who steps forward first.
"How dare you show your face here?" he growls. "You were banished to Rasted prison. What the hell are you trying to do?"
I know this is the moment I'm supposed to show strength as Alpha, to step forward, to defend the pack and myself since after all, he's here for my head.
Only… I can't feel my legs. My breath comes out shaky, and my hands tremble at my sides.
Fighting has never been my thing because my bones are too weak and break easily. Father called it a rare disorder for wolves, some genetic fluke but no wolf is born this soft. No wolf has weak bones.
Corvin takes a slow step toward my Beta, and they lock eyes. My brother has never been much of a talker and I should've remembered that but before I even have a chance to blink, his hand shoots out, and before my Beta can dodge, his claws dig deep into his neck.
Gasps ripple through the hall, and my wolf presses back into a corner of my mind, his own fear radiating through me, and making it impossible to think straight or even lift a foot.
I watch in horror, along with everyone else, as Corvin ends my Beta's life, and then just like that, his body crumples to the ground. Corvin wipes his blood-stained hands on his clothes and turns to face me again.
"Hello, brother," he says, and the sound of his voice sends goosebumps across my skin, making my heart threaten to leap right out of my chest. "It's been a very long time."
"If you take one step closer, I'll kill you," Jaxon warns, pushing me behind him. "You have no place here."
Corvin's face goes colder, and he scoffs. "This is my home," he says. "And I decide who has a place in it."
He starts climbing the stage, and everyone instinctively backs away as he settles into the throne I had been sitting on not minutes ago. His gaze lands on me, and that awful smile creeps back across his face.
"It's a shame I didn't get to see Father die," he sneers, tilting his head. "I heard the old man was almost blind… and losing his memories. Such a shame."
My hands curl into fists at my sides, heat flooding my chest at the way he talks about Father.
Before I can stop myself, I step away from Jaxon despite his grip tightening on my arm, and I move closer until I'm standing right in front of Corvin.
I don't know where the courage comes from, maybe it's anger, maybe it's grief, maybe it's just the fact that I'm tired of being afraid but it's enough to make me meet his gaze and glare back.
"You're in my seat," I say.
His one eye twitches, and slowly, he rises to his feet, towering over me by a good few inches.
This is the time to run, my wolf hisses in my head, we can't die today.
"I was wondering if you'd be less pathetic when we met again," Corvin's gaze crawls over me from head to toe. "You're even worse now, bastard."
Bastard.
As cliché as it sounds, that single word is enough to knock every ounce of reason straight out of my head. Maybe he knew exactly what it would do to me, maybe this was the outcome he'd already planned, but a man who's already half-dead has no business being a coward.
I move before I can think, my fist slamming into his neck as I lunge for his face, my hands reaching blindly for his remaining eye, but he swats me aside like I'm nothing.
The impact comes fast, knocking the air out of me and forcing my grip to break, and then his hand is on my throat, his fingers closing tight as he lifts me slightly off the ground and starts to squeeze.
"Rafe!" Jaxon yells.
"If you take another step, I'll break his neck," Corvin warns, his attention never leaving me as he addresses Jaxon. "And then my soldiers will take the rest of you."
I'm struggling to breathe, my vision starting to blur, but I can still see Jaxon from the corner of my eye, frozen in place, and torn between saving me and condemning everyone else.
I pound uselessly at Corvin's hand, then try to kick him, only for him to sweep my feet out from under me. I hit the ground hard, collapsing into a kneeling position while his grip tightens, his hand still wrapped around my throat, and squeezing the life out of me.
"Fight," Corvin snaps, glaring down at me. "Defend yourself. Show them you're the Alpha of this pack."
Stars are exploding behind my eyes, and strength is leaving my body with every second that passes. My legs are too weak to lift me and my fingers slap and scratch at his skin in pure desperation.
"Let him go!" Jaxon yells, his claws extended but if he moves, Corvin will snap my neck without a second thought.
"Look at him!" Corvin's voice booms across the hall. "This is your Alpha? A fragile little thing that breaks this easily?"
My lungs are screaming, fire spreading through my chest, and my vision tunnels, the edges going black.
"Please… have mercy," Rufus cries. "Have mercy on him."
"He's dying," Jaxon adds as tears slide down my face and my hands drop weakly to my sides. "Don't do this."
"You're his friend, aren't you, Gamma?" Corvin asks, and then he loosens his grip just enough for air to hit my lungs before squeezing again. "If you want to save him… make a choice."
The pheromones rolling off Jaxon are thick with fury and protection, enough that I can feel them through the haze in my head.
"I have two ways of ending this little family reunion," Corvin declares, his thumb pressing harder into my windpipe until sparks explode behind my eyes. "Option one, I finish what I started and toss his body into the same dirt they buried our father in."
A sob breaks out somewhere in the crowd and my wolf fights to keep my eyes open, to keep me breathing.
"Option two," Corvin continues, his eyes glinting with a sick kind of satisfaction. "He gets stripped of his name, his title, and every scrap of protection this pack ever gave him. He becomes an Omega and is banished from Redmoon. And if I ever see him again, I'll skin him alive while everyone watches."
His grip tightens one last time, forcing my head back until all I can see is the ceiling above us, blurred and swimming.
"Choose, Gamma," Corvin sneers. "He's dying."
Silence follows Corvin's demand and fresh tears slip down my face as Jaxon's emotions swamp me. His agony is so overwhelming that for a second death almost feels easier because someone cares enough to hurt like this for me.
"I…" He sucks in a sharp breath. "Keep him alive. Let him live… please."
Corvin chokes out a laugh and then shoves me away like I'm nothing, and I hit the floor hard, every weak bone in my body rattling with pain. I cough, retching as air finally rushes into my bruised windpipe, each breath burning.
"A wise choice for a bastard," he sneers, straightening and striding back toward the throne.
Jaxon is at my side in a heartbeat, pulling me up and I can feel the shame and regret radiating off him as he hauls me to my feet.
"Now, crown me Alpha of this pack," Corvin snaps at Rufus. "I don't have all day."
Rufus trembles like a leaf, sneaking a glance at me before forcing himself forward. He lifts the crown and settles it on Corvin's head, then steps back quickly, bowing so low.
"T-Tod… today, the pack has witnessed the great coronation of our new Al… Alpha," Rufus stammers, his voice shaking so badly. "May the moon goddess bless Alpha Corvin Castell!"
The entire hall rises as one, their voices trembling as they echo his words: "May the moon goddess bless Alpha Corvin Castell!"