Page 138 of Alpha Queen
River refused to let him see her fear. "If you reject me now and promise to never come near me again, you may still have a chance at mercy."
Titan's eyes went black, and his fangs lengthened slightly. "As long as I live, there is not a day that will go by that I will stop planning to make her mine. Not a moment that I will not do everything in my power to find her and make her accept me as her true mate. Not a breath that I won't take that will be for the sole purpose of getting her back."
"Then you will not reject the High Luna, and give up your perverse claim upon her?" asked Mercule.
Titan spat on the floor. "Never."
"Then you leave us no other choice," said Apollo. "You will be sentenced to death for the crimes you have committed. But before execution, we will give every wolf whom you have harmed a chance to confront you for what you have done to them and to voice their contempt."
Titan's eyebrows drew together in confusion.
Ares stood. "Everyone here who lost someone in this ballroom the night of our mating ceremony may take one turn to show and or tell Titan Longtooth what he did to you. However, no one is allowed to make a killing blow."
Alphas, Betas, and more stood and formed a line from the front of the ballroom, almost to the back.
The first to approach was Alpha Elena, her features twisted with grief as she stood before Titan.
"Matthias." Her voice carried through the silent chamber. "My mate of thirty years. Father of my children. The love of my life." Her eyes hardened as she leaned closer to Titan's face. "He died in my arms, choking on his own blood because of you."
Without warning, her hand flashed out, claws extended, opening four parallel gashes across Titan's cheek. Blood welled from the wounds, dripping onto his already stained shirt.
Titan didn't flinch, his one good eye staring at her with cold contempt.
Elena retreated, blood glistening on her fingertips. "May the memory of his name haunt your final moments."
Alpha Ronan came next, his body rigid. "Beta Cassius. My second, my brother in all but blood for twenty years." His voice broke before hardening again. "The most loyal wolf I've ever known."
Ronan's massive fist connected with Titan's jaw with a sickening crack. Teeth and blood sprayed across the floor as Titan's head snapped back, but still, he made no sound beyond a grunt of impact.
"He deserved better than to die for your obsession," Ronan spat before turning away.
One by one, the Alphas, Betas, and others faced Titan, telling him the names of the people he killed, and then they proceeded to slash or bite, punch or kick him, for nearly an hour.
Titan lay on the floor, a bloody mess, panting, but defiant until the end.
A female Beta with a fresh scar running across her throat stepped forward, her voice raspy from what must have been a near-fatal injury.
"Emmaline," she whispered, touching the scar. "My twin sister. She pushed me out of the way when your assassin came for me."
She knelt beside Titan's bloodied form and shoved her claws into his shoulder, twisting them deep into muscle. Titan's body jerked, but his face remained impassive despite the fresh blood seeping from the wound.
Alpha Jeremiah limped forward, leaning heavily on a cane. "Joseth. My son. Eighteen years old." His voice broke. "His first formal event as my heir. He was so excited to see the mating of the future King and High Luna."
The cane came down hard across Titan's back, splintering with the force of the blow. Titan's body arched, a grunt escaping his split lips.
An elderly mate of a former Alpha came forward, her silver hair pulled back in a severe bun. "My Alpha, Tomin. He sheltered me when my pack cast me out forty-five years ago." She spat in Titan's face. "You killed him for no other reason than that he was an Alpha. He never ostracized anyone. Never hurt anyone. Never did anything but help, love, and support any wolf who came to us. And you killed him." She stood over him, shaking, tears flowing from her eyes. "And if he were standing here today, he would be the first to ask for mercy on your behalf. That's the ironic thing. He would try to help you, even now, knowing everything you've done. He would ask for mercy." She swiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "Problem is, I'm not Tomin. And he's not here to save you."
With the last word, she dug her claws deep into Titan's gut. His body tensed as she twisted her claws deeper inside him. She slashed sideways and flayed him open, before digging her nails in again, tearing muscle.
Finally, Titan cried out. But the woman didn't stop. She twisted several more times, making Titan scream. Sweat broke out across his body, and he began panting.
"The king said no killing," a wolf said behind her.
"This won't kill him. It just makes him wish he were dead. Like the rest of us do."
A younger man walked to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Mother, it's enough."
She twisted her wrist. "It will never be enough."
