Chapter 224: Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Until he’d become so immune to his stench from sitting in his fil th.

He’s not really sure any more. The concept of time is lost to the never ending darkness of both the cell he’s kept in and of his mind. The silence is unnerving. A mock almost, to be stuck with nothing but his muddled thoughts. They taunt him. Mock him for his failures. He can hear his father hiss at him for failing him. For being the failure he always knew him to be.

You will never be anything, just like that mate of yours. Fil thy.

The musky odor that covers his body smells of death- sour with vomit and feces. He can hardly feel his body. He’s slipping in and out of sleep irregularly but he’s vaguely aware of the quivering of his lips, the trembling of his hunched back and the spasm of his legs.

It hurts.

•

Though in his human form, he still feels it. The sharp, intense ache from the loss of his tail blooms at his tailbone.

Its excruciating..

It’s agonizing.

It’s severe.

There’s the tremendous pressure he feels both physically and spiritually. He felt part of himself tear away with the ripping of his tail. The minute he felt his appendage stretch to the point he began to feel it split apart, he had hadn’t stopped screaming. From losing his mark to losing his tail, they’d stripped him of his identity as a wolf.

Benicio chuckles to himself: croaky, broken, dry, sardonic and it all but echoes back to him.

Who would have thought it would come to this?

“Oh my, she really did a number on you, didn’t she?”

Benicio drew in a sharp breath, but doesn’t lift his head. No, he thinks. It’s not real. It’s just my playing tricks on me again.

“It’s almost pitiful.”

mind

This time, he’s certain it isn’t in his head because he recognizes the voice. He doesn’t look up. He doesn’t need to. The sugary sweet pitch of her tone hiding the taunt in false concern pinpoints the intruder.

He’s cold.

But he’s angry.

“Hm, surprised she didn’t castrate you if I’m honest. It’s probably in the list though. There’s protocol for things like this. I’m sure you know. Being Beta and all.”

Feet appear in his field of vision -though blurry and slightly disoriented. At this, he looks up. The witch’s beautiful face is smiling at him, as if he wasn’t sitting there on the verge of malnourishment. Selene wasn’t going to k ill him so quickly, he knows as much. That doesn’t mean she won’t make him feel like he is slowly dying each and every minute.

Ivory hums, vivid orange eyes glowing bright even in the dim light. Her green hair had been tied up, the thick ink around her neck nearly hidden in the mix of the blue on her skin.

“-iar.”

Chapter 224

Benicio rumbles,

“You’re a f u c king li ar…thi s is all your fault.”

He spits. Ivory raises a brow at him, tilting her head to the side as she considers his words. She doesn’t respond, and so the onslaught of his accusations begins. She can see it, the final strand of his sanity thinning out. Like a rubber band being pulled at the ends too much, he was always bound to

snap.

Benicio feels himself growing agitated. Regardless of the frost he feels prickling his skin, his blood roars scorching hot in his ears. Blinded by his rage, he directs a glare at her,

“You told me… you told me my daughter was gifted. You told me Hestia was destined for greatness.

You said she was chosen.”

Benicio bites out the last word, hatred and venom dripping from his tone as spittles flew from his mo uth. His arm flexed under the thick bindings, no doubt itching to choke her with it. He’s vibrating with anger.

“You lying piece of s hit, it’s your fault I’m in this mess.”

“Is it?”

Ivory asks. She laughs under her breath, red cloak dragging behind her as she approached him. “When you visited the council with your two baby girls, you asked me of the Goddess’ favor. If one was chosen, as you said. If one was blessed. I didn’t lie. I told you, your daughter was special. I never said which one.”

She smiles almost tenderly in thought,

“Oh, but I knew what you were like before. Even when you smiled so charmingly, acted as if you were benevolent in front of all those Alphas including yours… I knew what you were really like.”

Ivory leans in closer,

“I can see a snake from a mile away. It takes more than pretty words to f ool me, I’m afraid.” Benicio grinds down on his teeth. Heat burns deep in his chest as humiliation rains down on him,

“Hestia showed promise.”

he defended, shaking his head as if it would convince her. As if to justify his actions.

“She had all the right attributes to being Luna-”

“And still, that wasn’t enough, was it?”

There’s a slight frown on her face. Blue eyelids cast down as she stares at the floor, tracing over the lines of stone under her feet. She doesn’t comment how blood had bled into the crevices.