It had been 3 days, and Xylia had become a shadow of herself, looking pale and weak. Her stomach ached terribly and her throat was beyond dry. Just as the Alpha had ordered, no one had fed her water or food nor had she been allowed to take a bath.

Last night, a scarred guard made a mockery of her by bringing her a tray containing a bowl of horse ordure to consume and another bowl containing animal pee to drink.

Of course, she couldn't ingest any of those, so she pushed the tray out of the cell. She'd rather starve to death than down such disgusting things.

Her hair was bedraggled and a fetid odour exuded from her body and merged with the rancid smell of the damp, squalid and depressing cell. Her monthly flow just started today and it came with the most painful of cramps, adding to the pangs she was already eating.

She hugged her knees, weeping silently and wishing for death to just take her away.

She suddenly heard footsteps heading in her cell's direction. She quickly wiped her tears with her sleeves and adopted a look of defiance; She couldn't let anyone see her looking vulnerable.

The owner of the footsteps soon came into view. It was the person who threw her in here to suffer for what she didn't do. The man she had loved for the past ten years. The man who had been her beloved husband for 6 years.

"So you're still alive?" he asked her, his tone devoid of sympathy.

She didn't reply to him but focused rather on maintaining her bold look.

"Because of you, I lost my twin sons. Now, my dear mate is struggling to live. Lily is a woman like you, how could you do that to her? How could you be so wicked?"

"Wicked?" Xylia was forced to speak but her voice was hoarse and it even hurt to speak, however, she just couldn't accept what she hadn't do.

"I didn't push your mate. I wanted to be banished, why would I do stuff that would jeopardize my chance of leaving this pack and starting afresh elsewhere? Do you think I'm that stupid or you just never trusted me? If you never found your true mate, were you planning to ditch me someday?" she raged.

He sneered, "If I didn't find Lily, I would still go for a more prettier woman. Xylia, can't you see yourself? You have no curves, your chest and butt are like a washboard. Tell me, if you're a man like me, would you desire a shapeless woman like yourself? I've been managing you and I've already achieved what I wanted. Since you hurt my mate and killed my innocent children, then you must suffer,"

"I didn't do it!" Xylia wished she could shout but her voice couldn't go any higher.

"Guards!" the Alpha called and two guards quickly rushed over and bowed their heads.

"Yes, Alpha?" they chorused.

"Bring her out to the centre of the pack. Strip her and have her drink enough vinegar." He ordered.

Xylia shook her head in disagreement, "No. You can't do this. Frederick..."

"It's Alpha," he corrected.

"S-Sorry, Alpha. I'm on my period. Please, don't do this to me," she pleaded.

"Lily was seen bleeding, was that not discomfiting?" he growled.

The guards opened the cell's gate and dragged Xylia out.

"Please, you can whip me however you want, just don't strip me, I beg you," she cried.

However, her pleas fell on deaf ears.

The guards dragged her towards the centre of the pack. Her cries got the attention of many pack members who followed along with the guards, curiosity getting the best of them.

They eventually formed a circle watching a miserable Xylia who was being forced to drink vinegar. If she vomited, then a guard would hit her with a whip. If she refused to drink, she'd get a harsh from from the other guard.

The Alpha soon arrived with a long thorny whip. On seeing it, Xylia's face paled further and her eyes held great fear. That whip's power, she knew the damage it could cause to a werewolf's body. It was laced with silver, except for the handle. A hit not only tears the victim's skin but also gifts it numerous burns.

"Drink it," one of the guards raged and she drank the cup containing vinegar.

"Why is she still clothed?" Alpha Frederick questioned with fiery eyes and directly hit both guards.

They fell to the ground and writhed for a short while before forcing themselves to stand, lest they receive another hit.

"We're sorry Alpha,"

"Please, have mercy, Your Majesty!" they cried, with their palms pressed together.

The Alpha harrumphed before telling them to scram. Like someone who saw an oasis in a desert, they fled from the Alpha's presence.

"Are you going to strip or you let my whip do the honours?" he questioned.

Xylia shook her head and began to fall back, tears flowing down her cheeks with liberty like it was no one's business.

"Please..."

"You are supposed to be a role model for women. But what did you do? You caused your Alpha's mate to get hurt and lose two sons because you are selfish and wicked. Your soul is shrouded with cruelty, you couldn't see her as a woman, say less of a mother."

"Alpha... I didn't push her," Xylia insisted.

At that, someone threw a stone which hit Xylia's neck. "Liar, Liar!" Many in the crowd began to chant, expressing their dissatisfaction and disgust for this woman, the former Luna.

"You deserve to die!"

"Feed her to snakes!"

"A wicked woman like you is a stain on our name. Die!"

"Liar! Liar!"

Xylia looked at them as they spewed all sorts of words from their mouths. These were the people whom she'd been kind to for years. Even her personal maid, Laura was actively shouting for her to be killed. How nice of her!

Without a heads-up, Alpha Frederick lashed at her with the whip. It immediately created holes in her dress and connected with her skin, even scorching it. He repeated that action countless more times and she was almost naked. Her skin was burnt and injured in several parts. The only thing she could protect was her face while crying bitterly.

'Moon Goddess... if I could go back in time, then I'd definitely not choose this bastard.' She thought sorrowfully. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret.

At a point, she stopped protecting her face and grabbed the whip with both hands. The thorny edges sunk into her palms, causing blood to flow out.

Her actions silenced the crowd immediately.

"I said stop! Are you deaf? I said I didn't do it. I didn't push her!"

Her words riled the crowd and they began to throw things at her. Still, she didn't let go of the whip.

The Alpha stared at her for a while and then let go of the whip's handle.

This act caused the crowd to become mum. What was he doing? Was he not going to whip this evil woman anymore? Was he feeling pity for her?

"You dare to hold my whip. You should also face the consequences." The Alpha turned to the crowd. "Do whatever you want to her. Just make sure she doesn't die quickly."

At that, the pack members cheered while the Alpha left and met with his Beta.

"You said there was an emergency?" his cold look had become that of worry. Whatever made his Beta distressed to the point of mind linking him while he was punishing Xylia was a big deal.

"The... The Lycan king has paid a visit," his Beta and friend, Baron Woods replied.

Hearing this, Alpha Fredrick's eyes widened. "Why didn't he inform us that he was coming?"

"Rumors say that he visits whatever pack he wants and he's caused the destruction of so many packs. Since he's here, I'm not sure he came for a drink. He came with seven burly men and is currently seated on your throne. He doesn't look happy," said the Beta with a tense look.

Alpha Frederick exhaled deeply and internally hyped himself up.

'Don't be scared. You are an Alpha King, Frederick. You can do it!' he repeated to himself and then walked ahead with the Beta silently following behind.

Alpha' King's Throneroom.

Seated on the obsidian throne with golden wolf statues for armrests was a tall man wearing a black creepy wolf mask that covered most parts of his face, excluding his eyes that emitted coldness. His aura was suffocating to those in the throne room. Everyone bowed their heads, trying hard not to tremble before the scary figure, except for the seven men at the entrance of the throne room.

These seven men were not wearing masks but their stony looks added to the tension of the other perspiring ten men who were the elders of the pack.

A few minutes later, Alpha Frederick entered, followed by his Beta, Delta and Gamma. They didn't accompany him all the way, instead they joined the elders and bowed their heads.

Alpha Frederick saw the arrogant figure seated on his throne. As much as he hated it, there was nothing he could do about it.

He adopted a phoney smile and greeted the Lycan King, "Greeting, Your Majesty. May you live long. What brings you to my shack? You didn't inform us. I kind of feel ashamed to meet you like this without any gifts prepared. Please, forgive me, Your Majesty."

Minutes passed but there was no reply from the man on the throne. Instead, the atmosphere got more tense and Alpha Frederick began to sweat.

"Kneel," the Lycan King finally said and Alpha Frederick along with the other 13 people immediately dropped to their knees.

"You know why I ask you to kneel, Frederick?"

"I..." the Alpha was finding it difficult to breathe. It was as if the oxygen in this room was disappearing at a fast rate.

"I... don't... know," he managed to say, resisting the urge to clutch his neck.

"You ask why I didn't inform you of my visit. Since when were you, a nameless fly, worthy of knowing? And you're so proud that you didn't kneel the moment you entered this room."

"Please... forgive me... Your Majesty," the Alpha pleaded with difficulty.

"I'll forgive you only if you kill all the men in here. I want to talk to you alone,"

Hearing this, the Alpha began to bang his head on the floor, along with the others who looked extremely frightened.

"Please have mercy, Your Supreme Majesty," they pleaded.

"I can't do that to my people," Alpha Frederick beseeched.

"It is true then. You're a spineless coward. I wonder how you remained Alpha for this long. I think I should wipe out the Grey Moon pack,"

"N-No, please. I'll do anything you want other than killing my people," the Alpha begged.

"Oh? If you don't want to kill your people, then just choose just one of them and show his head to me. You have five seconds to do that. Starting now,"

Immediately, the Alpha sprang to his feet, his fingers lengthened and became very sharp.

Seeing that the Alpha was bent on carrying out the Lycan King's order, many of them began to retreat, except the Beta.

He had a smile on his face, "It's fine if you take mine. As long as everyone survives," he said in a low voice.

However, the Alpha walked past him and swiped his claws twice. In seconds, he went back to the Lycan King, holding two heads- that of the Gamma and Delta.

"Oh? You killed one more?" the Lycan sounded amused.

"They are a disgrace to their position. They need not see the light of day," Alpha Frederick said, trying his best to maintain a calm look.

"Well, your Beta shouldn't be spared then, he asked for death and you skipped him. Isn't that partial?"

"You..." As much as he'd like to talk back to the vicious Lycan, Alpha Frederick knew better. Talking back meant the Grey Moon Pack would exist no more. He could only put up with this devil for now. "Your Majesty, our motto is courage but these two who should show a good example fell back upon hearing your order."

"Your motto is courage you say,"

"Yes, my king," Alpha Frederick's hands were slightly trembling at this juncture.

"Your Beta was courageous and wanted to die. Why did you spare him? An Alpha doesn't just need to be ruthless for the sake of greater benefits. He also needs to be kind. Drop those heads you're holding and go help out your Beta. Send him to hell, he'll never forget your kindness,"

Alpha Frederick's hands began to quiver so much that he dropped the two heads.

"I don't have all day, Frederick. You have only five seconds," the Lycan said in a bored tone.

"H-How about..."

"If you treasure your Beta that much, just kill off the others," the Lycan's heartless words spelt doom for the others.

"Alpha, please don't kill us,"

"Alpha, please don't be partial anymore."

"How will you explain to our families?"

"Alpha, spare our lives, I beg you,"

"Alpha, I've served your father for years and then you. I've been loyal. Spare me!"

The ten elders started retreating as they frantically pleaded.

"Spineless cowards!" the Alpha king spat with clenched teeth as he advanced.

"Alpha, it's okay. Please, just take my life," said the Beta with a resolute look.

But the Alpha had already decided. He charged at the ten elders with lengthened, sharp nails and swiped several times. There was no more cry from the frightened elders. Each of them now had to deep cut on the neck and one by one they fell to the floor, lifeless.

The Alpha headed back to where he was standing previously and went down to his knees, "Your Majesty, I have... done as you said,"

"Ah, friendship! You're willing to kill everyone just for him. I'm beginning to suspect that you're more than friends. Probably behind closed doors, away from everyone's eyes including that of your women, you two secretly do each other?" the Lycan asked in amusement.

"No, that's not true, Your Majesty," the Beta quickly disputed.

The atmosphere became more suffocating as the Lycan King rose from the throne, "Are you calling me a liar, you clod?"

"No, my king," the Beta said, fear deeply etched on his face. "Please, forgive me for offending you,"

"It's okay, I forgive you,"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the two friends said in unison.

"So, who amongst you is the bottom?"

The friends looked at each other, not knowing how to answer this psycho of a Lycan. If only they were strong enough to cut him to pieces!

"Alpha Frederick, are you the bottom?"

"He is," the Beta replied since the Alpha was hesitating.

"I see. Does he moan well?"

The Beta looked at his friend who had an ugly expression but still went ahead to reply, "Yes, my king,"

"Okay then. You two can stand up," the Lycan sat on the throne again and crossed his legs.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the two friends said in sync.

"Alright, you said you regret not preparing any gifts to welcome my visit. Don't be bothered. Just hand me the moonstone on your neck,"

"That..." Alpha Frederick wore a look of deep reluctance.

The moonstone pendant he often wore served as a power booster to him during rogue attacks and also made the pack's shifting into their wolf forms almost painless, even for first-timers. And now, this despicable man wanted to take it away?

"George," the Lycan king called.

One of the seven ripped men at the entrance with black hair and a long scar on his face answered, "My King!"

"You and your men, slaughter every soul in this pack, not even a fly should be spared,"

"Yes, My King!" Yelled George.

"No," Alpha Frederick fell to his knees, "Please, don't kill them. I'll give it, I'll give it!" he pleaded.

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! You like upsetting me, why?"

"I'm sorry. Please have mercy on us," the Alpha quickly took off the moonstone pendant.

The pendant flew from his hand to the Lycan. He wasn't that surprised, it was rumoured that those of Lycan bloodline have special abilities in addition to great strength.

The Lycan King rose from the throne and descended the stairs. Reaching where the trembling Alpha King was, he sneered before heading towards his men.

"Let's leave. We have other nice places to visit," he said cheerfully to his men. With a flick of George's hand, a portal appeared and all of them entered, then it vanished.

It was as if the Lycans were never there. But there was much evidence in the throne room. Out of 14 people, only the two friends survived.

That day, the thousands of pack members mourned the deaths of the 12 men who were allegedly slaughtered by the psycho Lycan King.

Meanwhile, on the Alpha's orders, Xylia after being beaten to the point of keeling over, was put in a sack and thrown into a lake in the woods that was half a day's journey from Grey Moon pack.

The assigned guard quickly made his way back to the pack and reported to the Alpha that the mission was successful. However, that did nothing to cheer him up. The images of his frightened elders and that of the Gamma and Delta kept playing in his head.

"I'm a murderer," he kept repeating in his head.

"Alpha, may I..."

"Get out, you mutt!" the angered ruler growled, startling the guard who immediately left.

Alpha Frederick hit the desk without restraint and it immediately got ruined. Still, that wasn't enough. He rose and started throwing things.

"Alpha..." The worried Beta who had just come in called out softly to him.

"You too, get lost. Just... go away. I want to be alone,"

"Okay," Baron turned to leave with a defeated sigh.

"Kyle Norman, what you did today, I won't forget it. Even if I die in the end, as long as I can get rid of you and all your despicable kin, it'll be worth it! Curse you, Lycan King!" he growled, punching a hole through the wall.

"No, I need to go for a run, right now," he muttered to himself, quickly stripping and crouching. His bones began to snap and crack as he shifted. Unlike before, shifting this time was very painful as there was the absence of the moon pendant on his neck. It would also be the same for everyone in this pack.

Alpha Frederick's resentment reached new heights with every bolt of pain that coursed through his body as he shifted.

Minutes later, after enduring the agonizing pain of shifting into his wolf form, he let out a terrifying howl before scaling the window and heading for the forest.

***

Meanwhile, a portal suddenly opened at the stream where Xylia was. A tall man with shoulder-length silver hair and grey eyes stepped out and surveyed the area, holding a glowing red gemstone in hand.

"The stone's bright glow shows that she's here, but where exactly is she?" he muttered in puzzlement.

His gaze suddenly fixed on the water, and he stretched out his hand at the water body. Immediately, the water rose high and soon he saw a huge sack.

He caused it to fly out of the water towards him and then let the water fall back in place. Subsequently, he let the sack drop gently on the ground and stooped to untie it.

He gently brought out the unclad figure inside and frowned. Every visible part of her body was filled with degrees of injuries and burns; Her face was unrecognizable even.

He took off his long coat and covered the unconscious female with it.

"Who dared to do this?" his voice was laden with great anger. His exuding aura turned chilly and the lake was getting frozen bit by bit. The figure in his arms seemed to shiver and he quickly retracted his aura.

"Sorry, my dear," he soothed, stroking her hair, "Hold on for me, okay? I finally found you after all these years. I won't let you die," with that, he rose with Xylia scooped in his arms. Then he rushed into the portal which immediately closed up. The lake immediately returned to normal.

"No, don't!" Xylia suddenly shot up to a seated position on the bed, drawing the attention of the raven-haired maid who had just entered the room with a tray full of several bottles which most likely contained ointments or medicine.

Seeing that the young woman was now conscious the maid became excited and rushed towards the bed, quickly dropping the tray on the bedside cabinet.

"Princess, you're awake. Thank the goddess," she exclaimed, her face enveloped by sheer joy.

Xylia, who was still taking time to register her situation, was stunned to see this unknown maid acting so familiar towards her.

And why was the latter calling her a princess? She was no longer royalty after being deposed as Luna by her solipsistic former chosen Alpha mate, Frederick.

"Princess, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?" the maid asked, holding Xylia's hand.

"Em... I'm not. I feel fine. Thanks for asking," Xylia responded.

"Who are you?" she felt obliged to ask, and this room was extra spacious and tastefully furnished. Her room when she was Luna back then wasn't even like this.

Her clothing, even though it was a nightgown, was made of a special fabric that even her ex couldn't lay his hands on.

"I'm your personal maid, Jazzlyn," the maid disclosed with a sunny smile, her hers even forming crescent moons. It made her look adorable, almost like a doll.

"I see." Xylia nodded sagely before making an introduction, "I'm Xylia Wilther. Did your master save me?"

"Yes, he did," the maid nodded in response.

"Well... How long have I been unconscious for?" she felt inclined to ask.

"Why don't you guess, your highness?" Jazzlyn proposed smilingly.

"Just tell me. I'm bad at guessing, and also, why are you referring to me with royal titles? I'm not royalty. Although I was in the past, I'm now an ordinary werewolf, just like most people,"

"No, you're not," the maid however shook her head, "You are someone important. You are Princess Xylia,"

"Are you mistaking me with someone else?" Xylia felt muddled. What was wrong with this Jazzlyn? Did she have a screw loose?

"My mind is quite clear,"

"Huh? You can read my mind?" this puzzled the former Luna even more.

"No, I can't. Even if I do have that ability, for instance, I wouldn't dare use it on my master. That's an insult, a taboo even! You have that bewildered look on your face, it's not hard to know what you're thinking. So I simply thought of replying in order to clear your doubts. I am very sound in mind, your highness. And forgive my lack of manners, I was just too excited to be the first one to know of you being awake." With that, the maid retreated a few steps and then went down on one knee, placing her hands across her chest and bowing her head slightly, "Greetings, Princess Xylia,"

Her actions further befuddled Xylia even more. This girl's dress was different from what she'd seen all her life, even her hairstyle was in a complicated hairdo. If not for her maid uniform, it would be hard to associate this doll-like beauty with a maid of a big household.

She also kept calling her royal titles, does that mean she was in a sort of palace? Considering how this room was, the possibility was high.

The big question was, where exactly was she? And the person who saved her, was he an Alpha?

At that moment, a green-eyed man garbed in pricey regal attire entered the room. His shoulder-length silver hair was braided with several golden beads fastened at the tips. A kobicha-colored necklace hung around his neck with a red gemstone embedded in the middle.

Although his face looked stoic, his eyes were telling a different tale altogether. Just when Xylia was wondering what to say to him, he spoke first.

"Xylia my child, you're finally awake! Thank heavens!"

"Huh?" She was dumbfounded to hear him say that with a loving tone. Was there a mix-up somewhere?

Her parents, Roselle and Linden Wilther were already late. Why was this man calling her his daughter? Or could it be she bore some resemblance to his child, whether late or missing, so he decided to call her his child?

"Your Majesty," Xylia got out of bed and bowed with her right hand across her chest, "please pardon me if I offend you, but I'm not your daughter. My parents who raised me are no more,"

"They aren't your biological parents," said the king with certainty in his tone.

"Why do you say so, Your Majesty?" she was pushed to ask, her brows knitted.

"Come, let me show you something," he beckoned.

Xylia looked towards the maid who smilingly nodded.

Though uncertain and quite wary, she also realized that she was in her saviour's abode and couldn't really fight back. Besides, he wasn't going to kill her for not agreeing to what she didn't know about right?

So with no other option, she followed the king out of the room. They passed through several hallways and corridors, eventually stopping at a giant black door made of fine wood.

The engraved designs of a red phoenix breathing out fire seemed quite vivid as if it was alive. It sent chills down her body merely by looking at it.

"We're here," the king revealed.

She expected him to push the door open since there wasn't even a doorknob on it. To her surprise, he did something else that got her perplexed.

He made several fast gestures with his hands that her eyes couldn't keep up with while muttering inaudible words. In a matter of seconds, he stretched out his right hand and placed it on the door.

Immediately, the eyes of the vivid phoenix shone and Xylia felt the temperature of the surroundings become hot.

Whether it was her eyes playing tricks on her, she didn't know, but she could have sworn she saw the phoenix's wings flap once. Wasn't it a carving? Was she the one going crazy here?

"Maybe, I'm dreaming," she decided to pinch herself. She wouldn't feel pain in a dream.

However, the resulting pain after she acted on her thoughts made her wince and she gritted her teeth to avoid making a sound. She'd been quite ruthless to herself, pinching way too hard.

The king turned to look at her, "It's not a dream, my dear. Follow me," he said tenderly as the door opened on its own. The temperature had returned to normal after the king went inside.

"Did he read my mind?" after witnessing something this bizarre in front of her, she wouldn't doubt it if the king said he could read minds.

She looked around, hesitating for a few seconds before deciding to bite the bullet.

As she took a step into the room, her eyes widened.

She felt as if she was carrying a gigantic load. Taking another step forward or even backwards had immediately become an arduous task.

"Oh, I forgot. A non-wiz blood can't enter easily," the king was by her side in no time. Taking hold of her hand, the pressure she felt immediately disappeared.

Instead, a wave of relief washed over her, and she felt familiar with this man, as if she'd held his hand a lot in the past.

"That's weird," she couldn't help but say in her mind.

She allowed him to take her deeper into the room that was brightly lit with levitating pearls of different colours that were glowing.

Several designs of mythical creatures were on the wall, making her feel chills in her spine.

They both headed to the bed and the king made her lie on it.

"Close your eyes and I'll help you remember," he softly said to her.

Though confused, she did as he said and soon felt somnolent. Maybe she should just drift off into sleep...