Chapter 3. A Great Loss

Snow’s POV

I wake up to the feel of cold water splashing on my wounded face. My face stings as the cold liquid comes in contact with it. Strong and aggressive hands grab me and drag me out of my cell.

“Let go of me!” I scream as the man chains me up. He chains up my neck and arms as if I were an animal. I haven’t recovered from all the slaps I received yesterday. My head still throbs with pain at the slightest movement.

“Quiet, peasant!” The guard screams in my face, and I almost gag at how bad his breath smells.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask him in fear as I remember all that happened yesterday. The Alpha said I was to be beheaded today, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. I should be offered the mercy of saying goodbye to my loved ones. I can’t die without talking to my mother. I have to tell her how sorry I am.

“Move!” The man says as he pulls me by the chains around my neck. I wince and yelp in pain as he drags me all the way to the throne room.

The King is seated on his throne, and as usual, his advisers stand beside him. I hope the lot of them burn in hell. As I’m pulled further into the throne room, I notice a woman kneeling in front of the Alpha. As I get closer, I realize it’s my mother. My heart falls into my stomach as soon as I spot her.

“Mother!” I scream as I try to break free from my chains and run toward her, but the guard who has me chained up pushes me to the ground, and I fall with a loud yelp, meters away from my mother. She looks like she’s been crying, and her head is bruised, probably from the fall she had when the guards came to get me from our cabin yesterday.

She doesn’t look at me even once as she kneels in front of the Alpha. I want to break free from these chains and run toward her. I want to wrap my hands around her and tell her how much I love her and how sorry I am for all of this.

“Mother! Mother, look at me, please,” I cry out to her desperately, but she just ignores me as tears fall from her face. She looks at the Alpha. Why won’t she answer me? What is going on?

“Today is your lucky day, peasant. You have a kind mother who respects her Alpha and the rules of this nation. If only you weren’t so poorly raised, maybe your mother wouldn’t be in this situation today.” The Alpha’s voice resonates in the room as he addresses me.

“What are you talking about? What’s going on, Mother?” I ask desperately as tears fall from my eyes. Did my mom come here to plead for me? Are they going to give me a different punishment?

That’s impossible. I know the Alpha of our pack awfully well, and I know once he makes a decision, nothing will change his mind. The only thing that would stop him from killing me is if someone offered to die in my place.

As the thought crosses my mind, realization washes over me, and I look at my mom wide-eyed as the Alpha’s words start making more sense to me. Tears fall uncontrollably from my eyes, and I try to run toward my mom, but I’m held down by chains and strong hands.

No. This can’t happen. My mother can’t die for my mistakes. I won’t let this happen to her.

“Your mother came here this morning to plead for me to let you go, but we all know I can’t do such a thing. Bad habits need to be punished in order for me to maintain order in the pack I rule.”

According to law, a member of our pack can volunteer to take up punishment for someone else, considering that person is a relative. This law only works for crimes that aren’t too serious, like the one I was accused of committing.

“Mother, please. Whatever it is you proposed, take it back! Please, Alpha! Let her go. She did nothing wrong. This was my crime, and I should be punished for it,” I say helplessly as tears fall uncontrollably from my eyes.

“Snow,” my mother calls out to me as she finally turns her gaze in my direction. I stare at her in shock. Words fail me as I sob helplessly.

“I love you so much, honey. You haven’t lived even half of your life yet. I have lived enough. I’m ready to die, but it is out of the question that you get killed while I’m still alive. So please, just let it go. You’ll be fine, my sweet daughter. You’re strong, and you have a great future ahead of you. Remember, just because you can’t see me doesn’t mean I’m not there. Even after I’m gone, I’ll always be watching over you. I’m sorry I wasn’t capable of giving you the life you deserve.”

I hear the words coming out of my mother’s mouth, but I refuse to believe them. I refuse to believe my mother is about to die for me. I can’t believe I’m about to lose my mom for such a stupid reason, and it’s all my fault. At the end of the day, I can only blame myself.

“Mother..” I say breathlessly as I cry.

I quickly turn my gaze toward the Alpha. He and his advisers stare at my mom and me nonchalantly with bored expressions as if they aren’t about to murder someone.

“Please, Alpha. I’ll do anything! I’ll work as a slave for free. I’ll admit to my crime. Just please, let my mom go. Please, I beg of you. I can’t lose my mother. Please spare us, Alpha, please!” I beg as I fall to the floor bowing in front of the evil man. I’ll say and do anything right now if it means my mom won’t be killed. Tears keep falling from my eyes, blinding my vision.

“What a touching sight, isn’t it?” The Alpha says with a chuckle as the other nobles beside him erupt with laughter.

“I’m afraid you are not in any position to make requests, girl. I offered you a chance yesterday, and you refused, did you not? I am not a patient man, and I don’t believe in second chances,” the Alpha says to me in a wicked tone.

“It’s okay, Snow,” my mother says softly to me. Even in the face of death, her gentleness is intact. How is she able to stay so calm? This isn’t fair.

“No, Mother! It is not okay! You can’t leave me. We were supposed to spend my eighteenth birthday together, remember? You were supposed to watch me get my wolf. We were supposed to bake a cake that day and eat it together. Who’s going to spend my birthday with me now, Mother? Who’s going to sing me sweet lullabies and brush my hair before I go to sleep? I won’t be able to survive this world without you, Mother. Please don’t leave me. I have no one else,” I say as I cry uncontrollably.

I don’t know what to do anymore. My heart feels like it is being ripped out of my chest.

“Please, don’t make this harder than it already is, sweetheart,” my mother says, sobbing as tears flow like a waterfall from her eyes.

“That’s enough!” The Alpha roars, startling my mom and me. “Both of you are giving me a headache. Just shut up already. Crying won’t change your mother’s fate. Guards! Take this woman to the execution ground and have her beheaded in front of everyone. And be sure to make her daughter watch. This will send a lesson to each and every subject out there. This way, no one will ever disrespect a noble or their Alpha ever again!” The Alpha orders and leaves the throne room. God, if you exist, then I need you the most right now. The only thing that can save me now is a miracle.

My mom and I are dragged out of the throne room aggressively by the King’s guards. I try to reach out to my mom for just one hug before she is drifted to oblivion, but the guards don’t let me.

My mom and I both cry out to each other, desperate for just a touch.

“Are you seriously going to kill her without letting me say goodbye first? Let go of me, you monster!” I say to the guard holding me as I try to fight him off. He curses under his breath and, in a quick motion, offers me a slap. I feel the taste of blood in my mouth.

“Shut up! She’s dying, and hugging her won’t change a thing,” the guard speaks with a hoarse voice and lets out a menacing chuckle.

As we reach the execution ground, it doesn’t take long for a crowd to surround us. The Alpha stands on a high stage as he stares at the crowd.

“Wolves of the Rising Sun!” The Alpha calls out, addressing the crowd and commanding them instinctively to be silent. The only sounds are from me as I cry uncontrollably. My mother stays calm as she is led to the stage where the executioner waits for her.

I try to turn my face away, but the guard holding me holds my head forward as he forces me to watch my mother get killed.

“This woman’s daughter has been proven guilty of attempted murder against the man she serves and blasphemy against the throne! Her mother has volunteered to take her punishment upon herself. So today, her head will be cut off as a lesson to the young girl. She is about to lose a parent, and the only person she has to blame is herself. Let this be a lesson to you all!” The Alpha announces, and the crowd, which is made mostly of peasants, offers me and my mom sad looks.

They stay silent in fear as my mother’s head is placed on the chopping board. The executioner sharpens his big sword as my mother awaits her punishment. The punishment I should have received. This is all my fault. I will never be able to forgive myself for this.

How did everything get so messed up? Just the other day, I went out for my daily duties, and in a matter of seconds, my life was ruined. This is all that pervert’s fault. He caused all of this, and he didn’t even have the guts to come here and watch what he did.

My mother’s gaze meets my eyes, and she smiles at me one last time before I hear a loud sound of metal against flesh and bone.

“Mother! NO!” I let out an agonizing scream and sob uncontrollably as my mother’s head and body fall to the ground.

The guard holding me down finally lets me go, and I rush desperately toward my mom. I’m shocked and traumatized by the sight in front of me. This has to be a dream. This can’t be happening to me.

I fall to my knees in front of her unresponsive body, a pool of blood oozing out of her. I have no one now. My life is ruined. My father, my mother, I have no one.