The pungent smell of charred flesh made the pack members wrinkle their noses. But they rejoiced at the fact that traitors had been punished even though they were Elders. The cunning games against the Alpha were going to get them nowhere.
Except for the families of the three, who were silently crying, no one sympathised with the traitors. Even most of the family members understood that the punishment for a traitor in the pack was death, and their crimes were heinous, to say the least.
Siroos shifted back to his human self and stood up straight. He still had some announcements to make so he called them all to attention, tearing his eyes away from burnt troublemakers.
"The Elder Council stands dissolved from today onwards. My mother and I will sit together and form a new one. The Elder Council’s role was to advise me and keep the peace within the pack, not betray the Alpha. I promised to keep my oath, and I have done that so far and will continue to do so in the future as well. I will not permit anyone to come between me and my mate, this should be understood by every pack member."
The consensus was passed with nodding of heads and chants of approval. Siroos turned to his mother who had walked over to him and placed a reassuring hand on his back, understanding the turmoil he had gone through. Her eyes held tears for the suffering her son had gone through.
"We will build it up together. I never wished for you to clash with them but what they did was unforgivable. I stand by your actions." She provided her support and Siroos firmly nodded at her while still trying to mask his emotions.
"Ranon, hand over their bodies to their families so they can have their burials. Their families deserve this much," Siroos announced and Ranon was quick to obey.
Faris joined his brother while the crowd began to thin.
"You alright?" Faris asked, seeing the immense pressure his brother was under. It was crushing him.
"I just burnt three pack members and I hurt my mate. I don’t think I will be near stable any time soon." Siroos had this haunting feeling in his gut. He still had to face his mate.
"Let me know if I can do anything. Take your time," Faris patted his brother’s back, providing him with his brotherly solace.
Siroos snatched in a much-needed air and turned towards Faris. Placing his hands on his shoulders he began, ignoring the pain coursing through because of his broken hand.
"Take care of Cassandra. I wish I could see her, but with the hurt that has been caused, it will be wiser for me to stay away from her for now. Can you do that? She is comfortable with you." The anguish had slithered up in his voice and curled up on his face. Faris’s heart brutally ached to see his brother in such a state.
"I always will, you know that. And none of this is your fault, don’t drown yourself in guilt. SIL will understand when you will explain that you had been drugged by them. She is strong and reasonable, not stupid."
"I don’t know, Faris; I can’t forgive myself for what has happened. How will I ask her to do it? I shouldn’t have fallen for their schemes," Siroos lamented, his hold tightening on Faris’s shoulder. His eyes had glazed over with an unbearable ache his heart was trying to process.
"They were supposed to be your trusted advisors not backstabbing cunts. They got what they deserved." Faris wasn’t going to let his brother wallow in the pain of his decision.
"I will try to return by nightfall, for now I need to spend some time alone and clear my mind."
Faris nodded at his brother’s words and watched him shift into his dragon and fly away. His spirit animals hadn’t recovered from the effects of that damning potion they had given him.
Faris walked away to ensure everything was in order in the absence of his brother.
***
Haylia went up to see Cassandra. Taking permission, she opened the door and entered. Lana was sitting beside her, softly combing her hair with her fingers. Cassandra was lying down, deep in thought and staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Luna Cassandra, if I may?" Haylia softly asked and Cassandra turned her head to watch her.
The pain etched over her sharp features. For now, Cassandra had no clue who was involved in what. She hadn’t even asked Lana what had been happening outside. She had no strength to speak. The broken mate bond in her chest was like that dying remnant of ember about to turn into ash.
"Have you come to gloat, Very Haylia? You got what you wanted, I hope it was worth it," Cassandra snapped, trying to keep her voice from breaking.
Haylia froze in her steps, realising Cassandra had no clue what had happened. Due to their former encounters, she could understand where Cassandra was coming from. She had been the one who had asked her to let Siroos keep a concubine or a breeder.
Haylia frantically moved both her hands in front of her and abruptly spoke out.
"No, no, it wasn’t my doing. I didn’t even know about it. I stopped going down that path the last time Siroos asked me to. You have to believe me, Luna."
Cassandra closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears contained which were threatening to slip out of her eyes.
"Forgive me, but I find it hard to believe, and I don’t want you here. Please, leave." With these words, Cassandra turned her face away and shifted her body to lie onto her side giving Haylia her back.
The older woman’s shoulders sagged as she tried to speak again but Lana slowly shook her head and spoke through their mindlink.
’Give her time, Vera Haylia. She has been through a lot, we will speak to her once her emotions stabilise a little.’ Haylia nodded at Lana and left the chamber with a heart drowning in pain.
Ranon had conveyed everything to Lana through his mindlink, but Cassandra was not ready to hear. She thought they all were going to make excuses for the behaviour of their Alpha.
The door opened again after a few hours and Faris walked inside. Cassandra had finally drifted off to sleep lying in Lana’s lap.
"How is she?" Faris asked in a whisper, trying not to wake her up.
"Not good, she is not eating or speaking. Just drifted off to sleep," Lana informed him with a shake of her head.
"You must be tired too, go rest, Lana. Stress is not good for you. I will keep watch," Faris offered, flicking his hair back from his forehead.
"No, she needs me. I will stay with her until she feels better. You should sleep after all the stress you have been through. We need you fresh and it’s the middle of the night."
Are you sure?" Faris asked again and Lana nodded. His disturbed gaze went to his sister-in-law once again before he took his leave.
Heading over to his chamber, he opened the door and found Ara waiting for him, sitting on his mattress. Their eyes met and she offered him a sad smile.
He quietly closed the door behind him and dragged himself over to her, she stood up. Exhausted from all the rippling tension, he snatched her into his arms, burying his face into her soft curls.
"Let me make you feel better," Ara softly uttered, her hands rubbing his back in comfort.