---- Chapter 9 The smell of blood filled the temple. With trembling hands, the Alphas took the silver- laced daggers and carved the "Betrayer" mark into their own left arms. The silver poison burned their flesh. The air was thick with their moans of pain. But no one dared to stop. They knew this was the lightest possible punishment. Soon, only two people remained before the platform. Damon and Lyla. I slowly walked over to them. "Now, it's time to settle the score between us." Lyla was a trembling heap on the floor, her disguise completely gone, revealing her true, ugly self. ''Please ... lwas wrong... I was so wrong..." she cried. ---- "Wrong?" I crouched down to meet her gaze. "What exactly do you think you did wrong?" "J... [shouldn't have offended you... I shouldn't have pretended to be noble..." "No," I shook my head. "Your biggest mistake was touching my mother." The color drained from her face, leaving it a dead, ashen gray. "I don't know what you're talking about... Inever..." "Still lying?" I stood up. "Did you really think stealing her bloodline with dark magic could make you true royalty?" Gasps came from the crowd. Even the Alphas who had just been punished looked up in shock. Stealing a bloodline was the most evil of all dark magic. "Tell me," my voice grew colder, ''where is my mother now?" ---- Lyla's lips trembled, but she couldn't speak. "Speak!" I commanded. A crushing wave of power slammed down on her. "In... in the Blood Moon dungeons..." she finally confessed. "But I didn't kill her! I swear I didn't kill her!" "You just used dark magic to slowly drain her life force, didn't you?" "LL At that moment, a clap of thunder echoed from the heavens. The Moon Goddess's wrath had arrived. A pillar of silver light descended from the sky, engulfing Lyla. "Aaaargh!" she screamed in agony. In the pillar of divine judgment, her wolf soul was unraveled, shredded piece by agonizing piece.