Petrified and devasted from her core, when Gabriel had shut her eyes tight, cowering in fear before facing her tragic end, his cold declaration flinched her hard. When Zordan walked a few steps closer and placed his bloody sword on her shoulder blade, without a doubt she realized it was her dead end and her head would fall off at any second.
But instead, his twisted words baffled her a little as she blinked open her teary eyes and looked above at him. Her soft pale lips quivered, “W-What?”
Zordan retained an unusually calm expression on his face, similar to the calmness before an approaching turbulent storm. Gawking deep into her teary ocean eyes, he narrowed his brows as he remarked, “I know everything about you, Gabriel.”
“What…do you–”
“When you ran away from home after breaking your engagement with Marcus, for these three years, you had stayed with the Melhood family. The human old master and his wife are renowned physicians in the field of medicinal herbs even though they stayed far from our territory of werewolves.
And, I also know, you stayed with that childless naive human couple by hiding your real identity. If it wasn’t for your father’s illness, perhaps you would have never considered returning back to our pack and would have lived by their side. Am I wrong?” Keeping his aloof posture intact, Zordan slowly retreated the sword back from her shoulder blade.
However, his honest revelations left her jaw dropped in shock, even hitching her breath for a moment. Even for a period of long three years when she stayed far away from her pack to live with the old Melhood couple in the disguise of an ordinary human girl, she had barely hoped no one in the pack would ever find out about her whereabouts.
With the love and comfort received from them, she found a way to live a peaceful life. But the warmth didn’t last long, not until that day when she heard gossip among the locals about her father’s terminal illness. She was pushed to make the tough choice and return back to the castle to stay by her father’s side. However, she still couldn’t disclose her identity to the old couple.
But hearing Zordan accurately describe the secret she wished to hide from everyone to keep the innocent Melhood couple safe from any approaching danger, dreadful chills of horror ran down her spine. She gulped, staring frozen at his stern face as she stuttered, “Y-You…What…H-How do you k-know about all these?”
“Isn’t it natural to be aware of the whereabouts of our fated mate?” Zordan still sounded calm moving a step far from her, along with a deep exhale.
But this time, a surge of anger and fear grew inside Gabriel. Once again, she was brutally reminded about getting deceived by the kind gesture that instigated her to grit her jaws at him.
“Y-You…That means…all this time, you had your people to watch over me? The face of relief you showed me when you welcomed me wholeheartedly back to the pack, it was all just an act? You always knew everything!!” Tears rolled down her eyes along with her shivered voice minced with pain.
Keeping a stiff gaze glued on her, Zordan shoved his slick hair up from his forehead, and a little frown curved between his steep eyebrows. His tone sounded a little hoarse as he declared, “You are a unique woman, Gabriel. I know, how far you can go for the sake of your cherished ones and that’s why, I am giving you one final choice.
You won’t be the only one who will die if you disobey me now, but also the old couple will have to pay a heavy price.” His tone changed into a stiff one, along with his dark onyx eyes that glowed with a vicious intent in them.
Gabriel was left deadpanned in shock by his ardent declaration as for a brief moment, she even forgot to blink her lashes. Staring wide at the merciless look on his face, her head felt much dizzy as she mumbled, “Huh?”
“Gabriel,” Zordan landed a cold glare upon her and clenched the metal grip of his sword keeping a brief pause. “I will count three seconds to make a choice and will ask you for the final time.
If you are still adamant about your decision, within 30 minutes, both master Melhood and his wife’s heads will be hung on the flag pole outside our castle. After that, it will be your turn next.” His cold, brutal declaration didn’t hint at any sign of mercy, even leaving the guards standing behind her a bit startled.
“W-What?” Gabriel’s voice was stifled with pain and shock as she couldn’t process this brutal side of Zordan right before her eyes. He seemed like an emotionless monster, but it was the same person who had filled her heart with the warmth of care and love. “W-What are y-you…”
“So, Miss Gabriel Onetti, will you marry me?” Zordan clenched the sword tight as he threw his stiff question making an echo inside the room.
“W-What…N-No…Y-You can’t be serious! T-This doesn’t make any sense, Zordan!! What the heck are you talking about!? Are you insane!?” Gabriel screamed out in dismay and confusion, rushing a step near him.
“One.” Without showing any trace of distortion, Zordan started his counting.
“They didn’t do anything to deserve this cruel ending, Zordan!! What’s wrong with you!? They are just innocent human beings who have nothing to do with all this! Look…I am the one who is your enemy here! I witnessed you murdering my father, so you should keep your punishment for me!!” She continued her opposition, as tears soaked her into a mess.
“Two.”
“Zordan, stop this, I beg of you!! I am ready to accept any punishment you give me! Y-You can cut off my head and hang it on the flag pole! I won’t mind it! Please–”
And three.” A deep exhale emitted from Zordan as he finished the counting.
“Zordan, please! Please, you can punish me in the cruelest way possible but spare them! Just kill me instead, end this torture, please! Give me the brutal death as possible but spare their lives, I beg of you! Please!” Folding her shivering arms, she pleaded for death before him helplessly, drenched in tears.
“I see, so you are still adamant about your decision. Fine, as you wish so.” Zordan sounded a little discontent as he averted his cold gaze away from her towards the two guards standing behind her.
“Guards, you do know what to do next, right? You have 30 minutes to hang both of their heads on the flag pole outside. It’s your Alpha’s command.”