CHAPTER 138: THE AGONY

Lethia’s steps grew heavier with every inch closer she took toward the smoke and fire that no longer held her focus.

All eyes in the crowd turned to her, but she kept her gaze locked on the woman kneeling before Lana.

The woman was bowed low in defeat, her body drenched in sweat, her chest rising and falling in shallow gasps as she struggled to breathe.

The skin along her collarbone was still smoking, marked by the cursed silver fire of that forbidden branding iron.

’Terressa...’ Lethia screamed the name in her mind, her breath catching at the thought of the searing pain. No one deserved that kind of branding. Her father had made sure of that. So why...?

As she neared Terressa, a few betas in full wolf form stepped between her and the scene, growling low in warning. But their snarls didn’t make Lethia flinch. She was disgusted.

And just when her feet stalled in helpless frustration, all six of her bodyguards shifted, each transforming into towering wolves, their presence fierce and unwavering as they squared off with Lana’s pathetic betas.

Lethia exhaled in relief at the solid wall of protection around her. Surprisingly, her guards were significantly larger than Lana’s pack, and their growls vibrated with more strength and dominance.

"Ooh well... speak of the devil. Who do we have here? The root of all this chaos." Lana descended from the front porch, striding past her trembling pack like they were nothing more than a decoration.

Despite the forced authority in her tone, she looked a mess with dark circles bruising her eyes, her collarbone more sunken than the last time Lethia had seen her. She’d grown thinner... and worn out.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lethia’s voice sliced through the air, all traces of pity evaporating from her heart the moment she spoke.

"Giving a bitch a lesson," Lana snapped, her voice laced with a desperate bravado that cracked beneath the surface.

Lethia could see it—behind that forced steel in Lana’s eyes was a storm of something broken. Her cousin wasn’t well. And whatever madness had taken hold of her, it was leading her straight off a cliff.

Lethia’s gaze shifted to the source of the flames—heaps of clothes, shoes, and picture frames slowly eaten by fire. She narrowed her eyes, recognising every charred item. They were hers.

"You’re a monster, Lana! You stole my husband, my title, my wealth, now even my assistant, the innocent woman you should’ve cherished as your own underling, you branded her with forbidden magic like she was trash?" Lethia’s voice tore through the smoke, venom seeping from every word.

"Innocent?" Lana scoffed bitterly. "I ordered her to burn your things, but instead, she kept and cared for them. Innocent, you say? That bitch defied—"

"You’re not even Luna of this pack, are you?" Lethia cut her off coldly, her voice sharp and deliberate, triggering hushed murmurs all around them.

Lana’s face turned ghostly. "What?"

"Judging by how Varrel still hasn’t married you, I doubt you have any real authority over the company either." Lethia pushed harder, eyes locked onto Lana’s trembling fists—confirmation enough she’d struck gold.

"Does Varrel even know what you did today?" she continued. "Or is this your pathetic way of coping with loneliness, trapped out here while he enjoys himself in Ashenhold?"

"Kill her!" Lana’s shriek rang out, wild and cracked, her trembling voice commanding her small, miserable pack.

But the pathetic mutts barely flinched. Lethia’s bodyguards howled first, deep and thunderous, sending Lana’s betas scrambling back with their tails tucked between their legs.

Once Lethia was sure there was no one left to block her path, she rushed forward and scooped Terressa’s frail body into her arms.

"I said kill her, you useless lackeys!" Lana’s screech rang out behind her, but Lethia ignored it. Her huge wolf bodyguards form a shield around her.

"Terressa, it’s me..." Lethia’s voice cracked as she lifted Terressa’s head onto her lap. The magic seal from the branding had already taken hold. And Lethia knew, Terressa’s pain wasn’t just for her human form. That cursed brand would cripple her wolf as well.

Terressa gave a faint, broken smile before slipping into unconsciousness.

"No... Terressa..." Lethia whispered in panic.

Caelum quickly stepped in to support Terressa’s limp body, seeing Lethia struggle under the weight. He pressed his fingers gently to her neck.

"She’s just fainted," he said. "But she needs treatment."

Lethia bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes stinging with tears as rage built inside her. Seeing the only woman who’d ever cared for her—like a mother she never had—suffer like this made her heart drown in guilt.

"Please take her to your car. She can’t stay here."

Caelum nodded and immediately carried Terressa in his arms, jogging toward his vehicle.

Lethia’s gaze dropped to the silver branding rod lying abandoned on the asphalt. She picked it up. Its handle still radiated warmth from the fire magic that had laced it.

She turned and locked eyes with Lana, who was now breathing hard; her panic was obvious. Her lackeys were cowering, heads lowered, tails tucked. They’d surrendered.

Lethia walked with steady, seething steps toward her.

Lana staggered backward, her face contorting in fear. She tripped over her own feet and hit the ground hard.

Lethia winced bitterly. "Should I brand you with this too? No matter how much your subordinate made mistakes, this is just wrong, Lana. There’s a reason this kind of magic is forbidden in this pack."

She brought the silver rod closer to Lana’s face, the heat from it pulsing with dark energy.

Lana’s eyes darted wildly, lost, disoriented like a trapped animal.

When Lethia’s gaze dropped to Lana’s swollen belly, a sharp sting pierced her chest. Her hand trembled with the urge to press that cursed rod against Lana’s skin, but how could she do that to a pregnant woman?

It wasn’t just the pain the rod inflicted. It weakened the wolf inside, and if the mother couldn’t withstand the agony, the unborn pup could die with her.

Judging by how lost Lana looked, how her mind seemed unhinged, Lethia knew this woman was already breaking apart from within. And that mental suffering had likely severed her from her own wolf.

With a frustrated breath, Lethia tossed the silver branding rod into the blaze behind her. The cursed spell would melt away with the flames.

She turned back to Lana, who was now mumbling incoherently, clutching her head like she couldn’t silence the noise in it.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted the two women who had dragged Lana out of the restaurant weeks ago.

They wanted to approach Lana, but were held at bay by her massive wolf bodyguards, teeth bared and growling low.

"Let’s go," Lethia commanded, her voice flat as she turned away and made her way to Caelum’s car. "I’ve already gotten what I came for."