CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24: WHAT MAKES US MONSTERS

Kael’s Pov

The room fell into an eerie silence the moment Selene was dragged away. The warriors had roared with approval, their bloodthirsty cheers still echoing in my ears like an aftershock, but now there was nothing, just the sound of a few scraping chairs and boots leaving the room.

One by one, the crowd dispersed. Even my brothers left, each with different expressions. Lucian smirked, soaking up the attention like a damn peacock. Luca walked out without a single word, like none of this had touched him at all. And Aeron... I didn’t dare look too closely at Aeron during the spectacle. I didn’t want to know what he really felt. I dont know why...but I am afraid to look in his eyes.

Most of the warriors were probably already on their way to the quarters...to enjoy the show, as they called it. It should’ve satisfied me. It should’ve felt like justice.

But it didn’t.

Instead, something thick and burning settled beneath my ribcage, like my own body was rebelling against me. My wolf, usually silent and obedient, suddenly clawed at the edges of my mind. He was snarling at me with restlessness. Go to her. Help her. The voice was primal, filled with urgency.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I growled to myself, shaking my head like I could knock the thoughts loose. "She’s nothing. A tyrant’s daughter. Why do you want to protect her?"

But my wolf slammed harder, vicious, almost panicked.

I gritted my teeth. Not again. Not this shit again.

The last time I’d felt this twisted, this torn, was when I saw her in chains for the first time, she was silent, wounded. Even then, my wolf had stirred uncomfortably. And now? It was worse. Furious, I tried to shove him down, to bury him under rage and reason.

She’s done something to you, I thought bitterly. That bitch has bewitched you. Even my own wolf turns against me.

The thought made my blood boil. My fists clenched, jaw tight as I paced near the long table.

"This is punishment," I muttered aloud, the words a lifeline. "She deserves this. After what her father did...to our mother...and what after she did."

But my wolf didn’t back off.

Instead, he growled low in my mind, cold and accusing.

And what makes you different from her father now?

I froze.

The air in my lungs turned to lead.

What makes you different...

The words cut deeper than I expected. I didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to admit the truth buried in that question. But the harder I tried to ignore it, the harder my wolf fought back—like a battle raging inside me, all claws and growls and jagged memories.

"She’s not innocent," I hissed with rage, my voice cracking with something dangerously close to desperation. "She had power. She could’ve stopped it. She let those she-wolves suffer while she watched from behind her father’s throne. She’s no better than him."

But then...like a dagger straight to the gut, her face from moments ago suddenly flashed before my eyes.

It wasn’t when she screamed or cried.

It was the moment she was being dragged toward the door... her eyes—They were hollow and lifeless.

Like she’d already died before they even touched her.

It hit me like a punch to the chest.

Before I could think, my legs moved. The chair screeched as I shoved it back, and I stormed out the door, my heart thundering like war drums in my ears. I followed the scent trail—the sweat, the booze, the sick anticipation staining the air. As I neared the Warrior Quarters, I heard it: hooting, whistling, laughter—and then—

Silence.

Not the right kind.

Something was wrong.

I didn’t think. I didn’t hesitate.

I kicked the door open with one powerful slam.

And there she was.

Naked. Curled on the cold ground like a broken doll. Her arms wrapped around her body as if she could vanish into herself. Her skin was bruised, smeared with dirt. Her hair tangled and hiding half her face. Her lips trembled, but no sound came. Her eyes were clenched shut—like she wasn’t here anymore.

Like she had already given up.

The warriors around her froze. Caught mid-jeer, mid-grin. A few of them had already started unbuckling their belts.

The sight turned my stomach.

And I stopped thinking.

I saw my mother.

The same empty eyes. The same silence before the end.

My wolf let out a savage growl the moment we saw her. It wasn’t anger at the warriors—it was rage at me. At us. And as I stood there, surrounded by the bastards who dared to touch her, my wolf didn’t ask for control...he demanded it.

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" I roared, my voice splitting the room, full of fury and something darker—something I didn’t want to name.

No one moved.

My claws shot out with a snap. I didn’t hesitate. I lunged at the nearest bastard, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall so hard the windows rattled.

"I SAID OUT!"

This time, they scattered like rats.

All but Selene.

She hadn’t flinched. Not even once. She didn’t give a damn reaction, not even when I came here.

I stood there, panting, heart slamming in my chest like it was trying to break free. I looked down at her—and a shiver ran down my spine.

What had I done?

What the hell had we done?

And why, despite everything, did the sight of her like this make me feel like the monster now?

I moved forward slowly, kneeling beside her.

I didn’t know what I was doing.

I didn’t even know why.

"Selene..." I whispered, my voice hoarse and trembling.

My hand hovered near her, but I couldn’t bring myself to touch her. My wolf, once howling with rage, now whimpered low in my mind. She was breathing—But she didn’t respond.

She just lay there, eyes closed, body still.

Like nothing I could say would ever reach her again.