The sword was raised high in the air, ready to strike. The executioner was a middle-aged man judging from his physical looks; however, he was actually a werewolf over a hundred years old. He had been through this process several times—it was nothing new to him. Heads had rolled by his feet, and blood had splattered all over his face.
Human life was fickle; it could be taken in an instant. With a heavy swing downwards that would sever the head from the body, the executioner struck. The sun suddenly peeked out from behind the cloud covering it. That was when the executioner's eyes fell on something that glistened on the back of Rosaline's neck.
It was a good thing he knew how to control his strength. He instantly withheld the force of the descending sword, hurling it to the left. Instead of striking Rosaline and cutting off her head, ending her execution, it struck the wood on the side.
Rosaline flinched, awaiting pain, or blood, and the loss of feeling as her head rolled off. But she could still draw in a breath—could still feel her heart beating in her chest.
Was this how it was supposed to feel when one's head was cut off? Would one still be able to breathe? Would one's heart still beat? How long would it take before she fully died?
The executioner, however, was trembling, his whole body quaking. The man could barely stand on his two feet.
"The Dark Alpha's immunity seal... it's the Dark Alpha's immunity seal!"
Lucan, who was awaiting the sight of Rosaline's blood trailing the execution grounds, narrowed his eyes when the executioner refrained from striking her.
"What the fuck is going on down there?" Lucan called.
Serena squeezed his arm.
"Why is he stopping? Tell him to kill her already!" she urged.
The executioner, however, continued to stumble backward.
He would never execute this woman with his hands.
The decision of Rosaline's execution had been taken by the council members based on testimonies from witnesses and the confession letter signed by the accused of her own free will. Elder Norton was one of the higher council members; he was an older man who'd lived for over five hundred years. In all of history, no executioner had ever chickened out from carrying out their job. People appointed as executioners were usually rigidly trained to be strong—nothing could make them shake in the knees.
Elder Norton stepped forward and climbed the execution ground.
"Why are you shaking like a leaf in the wind? Are you deciding to go against your Alpha by sparing the criminal?" Elder Norton spoke sternly.
"This woman... has the mark of immunity," the executioner stuttered.
"A mark of immunity?" Elder Norton furrowed his brows contemplatively.
A mark of immunity was a seal imbued into a supernatural's skin as a form of protection by an Alpha. It was meant to protect that person from certain death situations. If a person carrying a mark of immunity should be killed, the killer would have invited war upon himself by the Alpha who placed the seal.
"So what if she has some mark of immunity? This is the Redthorn Pack, the largest pack in the southern continent. No Alpha will dare challenge us for going against his immunity seal. Get on with the execution and kill the criminal." Elder Norton couldn't be bothered by a so-called mark. Their pack had enough power to fight against any other pack in the entire continent.
"But... it's the Dark Alpha's mark of immunity," the executioner informed.
Elder Norton was stunned.
"What? Did you say the Dark Alpha?"
The executioner nodded repeatedly.
Those words were too unbelievable. How could an ordinary woman—a wolfless pack member at that—obtain the Dark Alpha's immunity mark?
If she even got the chance to meet the Dark Alpha once in her whole lifetime, she would be considered very fortunate.
Elder Norton couldn't swallow the ridiculous claim, hence he stepped forward himself to take a look.
Sitting right on the back of her neck was the image of a red-eyed wolf, as if tattooed into her skin. Elder Norton felt his knees go weak; he stumbled a few steps backward.
"This... is indeed the Dark Alpha's immunity mark."
But how was this possible?
How did this woman meet the Dark Alpha? What relationship did she have with him?
This mark she carried could protect her not just from Redthorn Pack's execution, but from every pack in the whole world.
Who was the Dark Alpha? Popularly known as the Dark Alpha of Gravefen, he was the supreme enforcer of supernatural law worldwide. In the battle between humans and the supernaturals nine hundred years ago, the Dark Alpha had emerged victorious. Peace was restored between humans and supernaturals—be it werewolves, vampires, or witches—everyone gained the freedom to live openly without disturbance from humans.
The Dark Alpha was a frightening force whose name could make people feel chills, and if anyone offended him even by mistake, it was said that the person would willingly walk into the burning flames of hell than face his punishment.
Killing this woman, regardless of her crimes, had become absolutely impossible!
Lucan stood up impatiently. He couldn't hear a word from the exchange happening between the executioner and one of the council elders from his high vantage point at the execution square. Hence, he stood up, about to go down and check on what was happening.
"Alpha," Elena, who was sitting next to Serena, suddenly stopped him midway. "No matter what happens today, Rosaline has to die. That girl is cursed. She has already killed someone—she will do it again."
Elena felt no motherly love whatsoever for Rosaline. When Rosaline had brought good fortune to their home by being involved with the Alpha's son, Elena had assumed that their fates would change for the better. Hence, she had ignored all of the bad parts of Rosaline's existence and accepted her. But in the end, Serena still managed to rise to the highest spot, becoming the Luna of the whole pack. That shift in position was massive—it was obvious which daughter she would choose in this situation.
"Nothing can save her. She will die today," Lucan said in a firm voice before descending the stairs, every guard bowing as he passed by.
"Executioner, are you waiting for a special invitation? Kill that woman this instant!" Lucan ordered in a rigid Alpha tone.
Elder Norton immediately rushed to his side. "Forgive me, Alpha, but this woman can't be killed."
Lucan's eyes turned disdainful. "It's unlike you to pity a criminal, Elder Norton. My father's death shall not go unpunished, and if you dare to interfere, I'll have you killed along with her."
"I'm not interfering out of pity, my Alpha. This woman has the mark of immunity... from the Dark Alpha!"
"Immunity? What the fuck are you talking about?" Lucan's voice was laced with fury as his eyes glowered at the elder council member next to him. The words were funny, but he couldn't bring himself to laugh at them as he was awaiting Rosaline's death.
Mark of immunity from the Dark Alpha? Impossible. He could swear it was nothing but a big mistake.
Rosaline, who'd been waiting for pain and death to whirl her away, suddenly opened her eyes hearing the conversation.
How did she suddenly get a mark of immunity?
Was that what she'd felt this morning?
When she'd woken up, she'd had that usual dream. She found herself in darkness, and a strange voice had spoken to her—but, as usual, she couldn't remember the contents of the dream after waking up. All she'd felt was a burning sensation at the back of her neck, but she hadn't thought too much about it.
"Yes, Alpha. This woman has the immunity mark from Gravefen. She cannot be killed... if we dare to... I fear the wrath of the Dark Alpha," Elder Norton said.
Lucan massaged his temple frustratedly before marching up the steps to see for himself.
When his eyes landed on the mark of the Dark Alpha, a shiver coursed through Lucan's spine.
How was this possible?
How could this be?
There was no way... there was just no way!
Rosaline had never left Redthorn Pack before, not to mention meeting the Dark Alpha. This mark...
He touched it, tried to forcefully scrape it off—but it was real. The mark was real.
Lucan suddenly fisted his hand so tight his knuckles turned white. Rage clenched his jaw so hard.
What was this fucking situation happening? This was the very last step of his plan—but he couldn't kill her.
He couldn't fucking kill Rosaline!