.43. When Camilla lost her mate.

That day, when Zane finally ran down to the cells- he was forced to face the consequences of his doings. The male could notice raw silver burn marks on Camilla's wrists, ankles, and neck. She laid in the furthest corner of the cell, covered in sweat and blood. Her face, same as hands and any other visible area of her skin, was snow white. Her lips changed color from the lustful pink to something in between purple and blue.

"She is a fighter; I haven't seen one so keen to die, yet to hold onto her life so desperately. She doesn't have much time- either get her out or let her die in peace. If it's the latter, I'm sure that woman deserves as much as being allowed to enjoy her last hours without another argument or fight." The same older rogue man spoke up, pulling Zane out of the trance state.

Everyone around the cells started howling and screaming, bidding their goodbyes to the kind rebellious woman they grew to love and respect. One of the guards spilled the beans, revealing that Camilla was supposed to be the Luna of the famous pack. Before he spoke, no one, besides her and the older male, knew it- and the young woman begged him to keep it as a secret. She didn't want anyone to know what had happened and where her right place was. When Zane opened the cell door, he carefully approached the barely recognizable woman he swore to love weeks ago.

"To our Luna, to the last true Blood Warrior! To our loved Camilla, may your soul rest in peace. Travel to the mother of all, face the Moon Goddess, child, and reach the happiness you deserve. You shall be missed, if not by this cheap, wannabe pack, then by us- rogues. You showed us the kindness no one else ever did, you are our Queen, and we shall bow in front of you, even in the afterlife." The old rogue wolf lifted his water cup and howled in pain. Everyone followed his actions, crying for the loss of one who used to care. She put their life and comfort above hers, paying the highest price in return.

Zane understood that no one, but Camilla, could be as kind and loving to a bunch of wild animals. He grabbed the silver and broke the chains in half, ignoring the burning of his skin. When Zane was about to hold on to the collar around her neck, Camilla placed her hands over his, struggling to open her eyes. She tried to stop him. "Don't; you will hurt yourself. Let go of me, Zane. Please, let me go." She barely whispered; as the words left her lips, the wild men broke down in tears. A couple of words and all of the scary, dangerous men shed tears for the loss. Camilla gave up on everything she used to care for; she didn't feel like fighting, not anymore. Despite that, the young woman still tried to protect her vile mate from touching the silver.

The young Alpha nearly jumped out of his bed; his body covered in sweat and breathing ragged. Zane had to stay still for a while, at least until he could regain his breath. It has been a bit over a month since the day when he carried his mate out of that rotten cell, followed by the rogue howls. Whenever he closed his eyes, the young male instantly faced a backlash of his doings. Zane refused to eat or train anymore- the male was punishing himself for the decisions he made on impulse. Every day turned out to be the same as the previous one- he woke up from the nightmare, laid on the floor, forced himself to take a shower, and left his home. It didn't matter where he intended to go or what he would try to do- sooner or later, he stood by the entrance of gardens, watching his mate bloom.

The only thing that made him feel any kind of happiness was Camilla's smile, and that he could see only from afar. The male didn't dare to approach her anymore; it was enough that the young woman agreed to stay in the same house as he did. Of course, he wasn't the one to ask her in person- his best friend discussed the possibilities with Camilla, and as time went by, the duo became great friends.

*"Pass her the sunscreen; her skin looks a little reddened."* Zane mind-linked his best friend, watching how seconds after Kaiden grabbed someone from his bag and handed it to Camilla.

The young woman smiled, thanking the male for being so lovely and noticing the little things about her. Both of them spent the afternoon in the gardens area, usually having a picnic or reading together. Zane dreamed of a day when he would sit in the place taken by Kaiden now, but the male knew that he wasn't worthy of such luxury.
If there was one occasion for the young Alpha to put an actual effort into something he did- it was observing Camilla and telling Kaiden what he had to do. Or spending hours in the cells- torturing the bitches who betrayed his trust and put their Luna under danger. Zane knew that he was as responsible as both women; therefore, he carried the scars of the whip on his back. It would never be as much, or as painful, as things Camilla had to go through, but the male thought he had to punish himself. The worst torture was staying away from Camilla, avoiding her whenever the young woman's scent came anywhere close. A week ago, Zane jumped out of his office's window in a panic- the male was so focused on his work, he noticed her presence way too late. The only problem was that he forgot two things: one- the door was locked, she wouldn't enter the office. Two- the window was closed, so the male smashed the glass, later on, struggling to get the pieces of it out of his flesh.

*"Kaiden, she doesn't look good- hand her the bottle of water and remind that this is her home. She can go inside and head to her bedroom any time she wants to. Camilla should rest a little more," Zane mind-linked his friend again. He noticed the nod of Kaiden's head and quickly turned around, heading to Camilla's bedroom. The young Alpha had to move quickly if he wanted to stay out of their way.

Zane approached the bedroom and opened the door, leaving it open. He rushed to the windows and closed them, making sure that she wouldn't feel cold or uncomfortable there. As per usual, he didn't bother to close the door behind him so that Camilla wouldn't need any help with it. The young woman was weak, weaker than ever, and the simplest tasks tended to make her day a living Hell.

*"The room is ready; bring her in whenever she wants to. I'll be in the gym if anyone needs me. I left her favorite flowers on the kitchen counter; please bring them to her room later on."* Zane quickly closed the mind-link, unable to deal with his emotions. The male wanted to sleep, yet the nightmares would return over and over again. He needed to rest, but he knew that he didn't deserve a moment in peace. At times, the young Alpha thought of rejecting Camilla again; perhaps, she would be as free as she wanted to be if he did. There was a possibility that Camilla would run to that warrior, but Zane wouldn't stand in her way. Despite all of the thoughts, he couldn't bring himself to do that once again. If Camilla wanted to break free- she would do it on her own. Zane spent his days in misery, waiting for a day when his mate would come to her senses and give up on him. Alpha or not, Zane didn't believe that he was worth as much as a single hair on her head.

He could feel someone trying to get past his walls, but the male never let anyone in. Even Kaiden got only the commands.
Zane headed to the gym, hoping to forget everything. The main goal was to forget enough until the moment when Camilla would be erased from his mind. There wasn't a magical formula to reach the goal, as much as he tried- by the end of the day, Zane felt like he laid in his grave rather than a bed. Unexpectedly, a large group of older men entered the gym, eyeing Zane from a distance.

"Alpha Snow?" A large, muscular male cleared his throat, gaining Zane's attention.

The young Alpha turned around to face the men and nodded his head. Lately, he didn't speak, so there wasn't a reason to try and start a conversation. Zane acted as if he was mute.

"It has come to our attention that you have neglected your mate- the future Luna of this pack. We have received complaints about the brutal ways you have treated the young woman. The elders sent us to speak to the girl, but we decided to come straight to you. So, before we involve the woman in this- is that the truth? Keep in mind that we do not take liars kindly." His voice was cold, the male was ready for the worst scenario, yet the young Alpha's reaction wasn't one he expected.

Zane straightened his body and nodded, extending both arms in front of himself as if he would allow the men to cuff him. His face held no emotions; some might want to see regret, even a tiny hint of it- but there was nothing. The male looked as if he was broken, empty, and numb.

The large man shook his head in disappointment and motioned for his men to grab the Alpha. Zane didn't fight back, nor did he ever think about refusing whatever was to come his way. He silently followed the men; his head held high. It didn't matter what would happen to him- Zane still was an Alpha; he had to keep his head high; nobody would ever see his downfall. The young male overheard how many strangers whispered to each other- shocked how easily an Alpha wolf gave in. They expected a fight, a full-on bloodbath, and walls painted in their blood, but there was none of it. The men lead him outside the house, making Zane face a huge log placed in a massive hole in the ground. The Alpha couldn't remember something like that being around his house, so that must be the council's doing- not that he cared anymore.

The men placed silver cuffs on his wrists, locking them to the log. One of the men kicked the back of his knees, making the young Alpha fall on them. If only anyone would ask him- Zane would gladly follow their commands, since now, he would face the consequences and receive the punishment.

"Alpha Zane Snow, you have been accused of neglecting your mate and future Luna. You have confessed your crime and agreed to face the punishment for torturing the highest gift from the mother of our mothers. As the law states- you shall receive sixty silver whips, half of them with wolfsbane. Do you still admit the crime and willingly receive the said punishment without standing before the council court?" The male's voice was loud, a hint of terror hidden in words. Nobody around them could process how easily someone would agree to go through such torture.

For the first time in weeks, Zane finally spoke up, reminding himself what the sound of his voice used to be. "I admit." The two words, which wouldn't mean a lot out of context, was enough for everyone to grasp. They would stand by the male, count the scars appearing on his back until his punishment would officially end.

"Very well, then. Men, bring the whip and wolfsbane. Alpha Snow, I would wish you luck, but that isn't a thing a true gentleman would do, especially for men who abuse women. Let me remind you about the possible outcomes. You might end up tied to the bed for a lifetime- silver will slit your skin and flesh, inflicting a lot of damage to your spine. You might die; that's a thing that happens to most of them. You could be favotirized by the Moon Goddess, and she might forgive you, but that's unlikely to happen. Whichever it is, I hope you will think of that poor woman while we watch you bleed out the last of your miserable existence. Enjoy, my friend," the male placed a hand on Zane's shoulder, tapped it twice, and stood aside.

The first hit came unexpectedly; Zane had to grit his teeth to keep quiet, but he reminded himself that there were fifty-nine more to come, and thirty of those would probably kill him. It didn't matter anymore; if the young Alpha died, Camilla would have a chance to meet her second chance mate. Perhaps it was better for everyone- she would lead the pack better than anyone else could. Zane still held on strong when it was time for him to receive whips with wolfbane infected silver. When he was four or five whips away from getting out of the damned punishment, his eyelids grew unusually heavy. The male knew that he would pass out- both from pain and exhaustion. If he didn't wake up after that; perhaps, it wasn't as bad. This time he didn't face the horrifying scene of his dying mate, quite the opposite- a smiling, happy Camilla laughed in front of his eyes. She extended her arm, offering Zane a hand, and the male gladly took it, following the woman into the darkness.

Somehow no one noticed the crying, screaming, and raging Camilla standing by the window. She kept banging her fists against the glass, trying to attract any attention towards herself. She saw everything- how they led Zane out, cuffed him, and how easily her mate admitted his fault, gladly accepting the vile consequences. At first, Camilla thought that maybe Zane needed this, he did torture her, but her thoughts changed way too quickly. First, it was the silver whip, then the intense hits against his back- he lost an unbelievable amount of blood after the first ten times. The young woman thought that the men would stop, but they didn't- they kept going, switching places to hit him with full strength. When she felt the nightmare had ended, Camilla noticed wolfsbane, instantly freaking out and putting all of her power out on the window. She cried and screamed, ignored by the group of the unknown men. The young woman was forced to watch how her mate was finally uncuffed and dragged away, unconscious. She knew that Zane was strong, but even the strongest rarely survive such torture.

This might be the day when Camilla lost her mate.