The Alpha's Forsaken Feisty Mate

As the carriage came to a halt, Zenna stepped down, her gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar surroundings. The buildings stood close together, their darkened facades casting long shadows under the evening sky. The silence was unsettling—there was no sign of life, not a single soul in sight.

"Why are we here?" she asked, a slight frown forming between her brows. "And what is this place? I’ve never been here before."

Radulf, standing beside her, took her hand in his. "I’ll tell you in a while," he murmured before leading her forward.

Zenna didn’t resist. She followed him in silence, though a strange unease settled in her chest. Something about this place felt heavy, as if the very air carried remnants of sorrow and pain.

They finally came to a stop before a large stone column standing tall in the middle of an open square. The moment her eyes fell upon it, an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.

"Where are we?" she asked again, her voice quieter this time.

Radulf’s gaze darkened as he turned to face her. "This is where my father was beheaded and my mother was hanged to death."

Zenna froze. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned to look at him, her heart hammering in her chest. She could hardly bring herself to imagine what had happened here—the sheer horror of it, the merciless crowd that must have gathered to watch as his parents were executed.

Radulf’s expression was unreadable, but his voice carried a quiet rage, an anger that had been buried deep within him for years. "I didn’t want to witness it," he said. "But they forced me to watch. They held me down, made sure I saw the exact moment my parents were taken from me. The entire kingdom turned against them—against us."

Zenna swallowed hard. The weight of his words settled heavily in her chest. She had known Radulf carried pain, but standing here, in the very place where his life had been shattered, she could feel the depth of his suffering.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked softly, hesitant to break the silence.

Radulf met her gaze, his eyes unwavering. "Because we are together now—to end Phillipe." His voice was calm, but beneath it lay an unshakable determination. "For years, I’ve waited for this moment. For years, I’ve dreamed of seeing him fall the way my parents did. I wanted you to know the most tragic story of my life before we take the first step toward revenge."

His eyes darkened as he turned back toward the column, memories of the past flashing through his mind. The place where his world was torn apart would soon become the place where he would rewrite history.

**Flashback Started**

Alpha Nigel and Luna Illiana were dragged through the dirt, their bare feet scraping against the ground as furious onlookers hurled insults and struck them for crimes they had never committed.

Chained in heavy shackles, Radulf sat on his knees, his head bowed. His hands curled into fists so tight that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. His body trembled—not with fear, but with fury.

His wolf roared within him, an unfamiliar power surging through his veins, his vision darkening as his eyes burned red for the first time. He wanted nothing more than to rip these people apart, to take his parents and escape far from this madness.

"Radulf, remember that you need to live. Do not speak up. Don’t do anything. Stay quiet." His mother’s words echoed in his mind, a plea which was laced with desperation.

But as he lifted his head and saw his parents shoved forward like criminals, his resolve cracked.

"Don’t touch my mother like that!" Radulf bellowed, his voice raw with rage as a soldier pushed Luna Illiana. Every fiber of his being screamed to protect her.

"Stay quiet, traitor’s son!" A soldier sneered, stepping toward him. "Your mother and father have committed treason against the Alpha King, yet you dare to defend them?" The man leaned in, voice dripping with menace. "Don’t make us hang you alongside your mother."

"Son, don’t say anything. Please." Illiana’s voice trembled, yet her eyes held firm. She was pleading not for herself, but for him.

Radulf’s heart twisted at the sight of her. Her once radiant eyes, full of warmth and joy, were now shadowed with pain. Bruises marred her delicate face, cruel reminders of the torment she had endured.

He had begged Phillipe for mercy the night before, kneeling before him for over an hour. He had pleaded for his parents’ lives, even offering his own in exchange. But Phillipe had been unmoved by his pleadings.

"Let me speak to them one last time," Radulf pleaded now, his gaze shifting to Commander Alfred, who oversaw the execution.

"Don’t do that, Commander!"

"We shouldn’t delay the process!"

Murmurs of protest rippled through the crowd, but Alfred raised a hand for silence. "Let them speak. Once it’s done, the execution will proceed without further delay."

Radulf staggered forward, but the weight of his chains kept him from reaching his mother fully. His father stood near the guillotine.

Illiana turned to Radulf. "Do what the Alpha King has asked of you." She no longer feared death, but her heart ached for the son she would leave behind. "Radulf, you must live."

Tears streaked down Radulf’s face as he shook his head. "There’s no meaning to living like this," he choked out.

"Don’t say that," she whispered. "You must live and prove that we raised you well. Go beyond our expectations. And above all, never stop loving, no matter how much pain the world brings you." A sad smile curved her lips. "Don’t ever blame yourself for this."

Before Radulf could respond, a stone came flying through the air toward Illiana.

His instincts kicked in before he could think. The chains binding his feet shattered as power surged through him. In a blur, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around his mother just as the stone struck the back of his head.

The impact barely had any effect on him. Compared to the agony in his heart, it was nothing. He clung to Illiana, his body trembling as he buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing.

Illiana stroked his back with a tender hand. "This pain will pass, my son," she murmured. "You must live for your father and me. You are the best thing that ever happened to us, and we are grateful that you got to exist. Life will be difficult, but endure it. Live well."

Radulf barely had time to breathe in her scent one last time before rough hands seized him.

Alfred yanked him back, gripping his arm with brute strength. Radulf thrashed against him, unwilling to let go, but the commander held firm.

"Let me go!" Radulf snarled with anguish.

But it was too late.

The execution had to proceed. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Radulf’s screams echoed through the square as he thrashed against the iron grip of the warriors restraining him. Desperation clawed at his chest as he watched his mother being dragged toward the execution platform. The wooden structure loomed over him, its grim presence made all the more terrifying by the noose swaying gently in the breeze.

His breath hitched as he turned to his father, Nigel, whose weary yet gentle eyes found his son one last time. He passed a last small and warm smile to his son.

Radulf’s gaze snapped back to his mother as the executioner yanked a black cloth over her face. His pulse pounded in his ears as they slipped the noose around her neck, tightening it with practiced cruelty.

"No! No!" Radulf shook his head violently, his body crumbling as he dropped to his knees. His hands clutched at his chest, his heart hammering so hard it felt as if it would burst. "Please... don’t kill them," he begged, his voice cracking under the weight of grief.

A warrior scoffed, his gauntlet-clad fingers twisting in Radulf’s hair as he yanked his head up, forcing him to witness the horror before him. "Watch, boy," the man sneered. "This is the price of committing a treason. Everyone see this clearly!"

Something inside Radulf shattered the moment he witnessed his parents tragic demise. The agony that had once coursed through him like fire turned cold. His tears ceased and his body stilled. Darkness, which was vast and merciless, swallowed him whole.

**Flashback Ended**

While telling all of this, Radulf didn’t cry but Zenna couldn’t hold them. They poured freely and she hugged him tightly.

She had always imagined Radulf looking at her with love, but now she realized how foolish that expectation was. How could she have known the depths of his suffering? How could she have understood the sheer agony of watching his parents die right before his eyes? Pia and others had spoken of that day, but no one—not even they—could truly grasp the extent of his pain.

"Let’s end the Alpha King. He should pay for his crimes," Zenna said in between her sobs.