Chapter 18: Long Live the Heir (written on May 10th, 2020)

The next day...

Kate was in Jenny's den. Before her mother came last night, Jenny believed Rocky was dead from the fake burial. Kate explained to her what Humphrey did which led to the reason why Kate was kicked out of their den.

"Wolf marriages last a lifetime... but Humphrey and I are over."

"You're not the only one who has sinned," Jenny replied forlornly. She stretched out her forelimbs and exposed her elbows. They were numerous slashes on the posterior side of her arms.

"Oh, Jenny..."

The Omega had made them herself after she learned of Rocky's death that Humphrey faked.

"So Dad did this," said Jenny. Kate stayed quiet. Jenny hated the fact that her mother wasn't looking as upset as she wanted. "IS IT NOT TERRIBLE THAT I DID THIS TO MYSELF 'CAUSE OF HIM?!"

"It's not what you think," Kate replied. "Rocky might be dead anyway..."

"What?!"

Kate explained that her brother had been charged with a serious crime. Jenny hyperventilated, and her mother could see her eyeing her arms. In a split second, the she-wolf started biting and scratching her elbows, inducing them to bleed again. Kate pounced on her and pinned her arms against the floor. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Jenny screamed.

"You're an Omega. You should've been trained to deal with this kind of thing."

"Not all Omegas have their brothers killed... twice, let alone after they find out their father is fake."

"You know... if Rocky became pack leader, you would have been the Prime Omega." Jenny kept herself silenced. "I'm sorry... for keeping your true parentage a secret. It was me. Humphrey wanted to tell you guys much sooner, but I was scared... I was afraid that if you learned what happened, you would see yourselves as a disgrace."

"Well... unlike Dad, you wanted to take care of us despite how disgraceful we were, so... I forgive you."

Forgiveness. It warmed Kate's heart. Although Humphrey may have been right about Rocky, Jenny's appreciation proved that taking care of the rapist's pups was worth it to some extent. It made her feel less guilty. It made the first good feeling she had in a very long time.

But it wouldn't last long.

Today, after the sun established itself in the sky, a Northern Alpha came to the den.

"Is this the pack leader, Kate?" Kate cleared her throat and answered.

"Yes, it is."

"I come to you on behalf of Matt. He would like you to know that your son's sentencing starts soon. It is open for anyone to watch."

"I'm coming."

"So am I!" said Jenny.

Later...

Most of the North was flat, but the center of the Northern Pack, where the highest-level Alphas resided, lay inside a box canyon surrounded mostly by cliffs. Near the edge of one of the cliffs, a small crowd sat in front of one wolf standing on a rock. Jenny and Kate saw the crowd and joined them. The light grey wolf on the rock started to speak.

"I am Daniel," he said, "second-in-command of the Northern Pack. I am today to inform everyone that a great tragedy has occurred. A she-wolf by the name of Vyni was raped to death inside of our borders." The crowd gasped. Daniel picked up a bone with his paw and began reading the inscriptions. "We don't know if she was a formal citizen of the Northern Pack, but her death is unacceptable regardless. If the she-wolf's death wasn't enough, she happened to be carrying a pup inside. Because of that, the maximum penalty is death by multiple cliff-jumps. Thanks to our objective investigation Alphas, we have concluded that two specific individuals were responsible for this horrific occurrence. One of them is a criminal known to most Northern wolves as the Drifter. Until recently, he had evaded every one of our attempts to catch him. For this particular crime, our investigation Alphas concluded that the Drifter, named Alabaan, was merely a..." Daniel looked closer at the bone. "Excuse me." Kate and Jenny exchanged glances. They wondered if something was wrong. Daniel cleared his throat. He looked bewildered. "Umm... Alabaan was merely... an accomplice... and he will only be sentenced to life in solitary confinement. Our investigation Alphas concluded that the heir to the Western Pack, Rocky, was the perpetrator, the one who killed Vyni. Therefore, he is hereby sentenced to death by multiple cliff-jumps." Kate and Jenny couldn't believe it. Rocky had a worse sentence than the reoffending well-known criminal. It made no sense. It was no wonder why Daniel looked confused. The second-in-command was caught off guard.

Rocky was then brought forth. He was escorted by two big Alphas. The three of them walked through the space between Daniel and the crowd and approached the edge of the cliff. When they made it to the edge, Daniel stopped them. Rocky could see all of the dens inside the canyon. Kate could only cry as she watched. The cliff edge was the same edge that Kate had accidentally fallen from two years ago that led to her kidnapping by Matt. The impact from the fall had knocked her out. She knew personally that it was a dangerous fall. What made the punishment horrible was that it was not an immediately lethal fall. A wolf had to fall down the cliff for as many times as he or she needed to die. The North was known for its brutal punishments, and this one was one of its worst. "Any last words?" Daniel asked. Rocky glanced at his mother then shook his head. "As you wish, Beta."

"I can't watch!" said Jenny. She winced.

"Push him!" ordered Daniel. The two Alphas around Rocky shoved him off the edge. It was a twenty-five-foot drop. The Beta screamed. Then there was a loud thud. Rocky landed on his stomach. The wind was knocked out of him. Although they couldn't see, they could hear him struggling to breathe. Rocky tried to stand up but he couldn't. The two Alphas ran down a slope, grabbed him by his scruff, and dragged him back up. They went to the same place at the top and shoved him again. This time, both of his front legs broke. He was still awake but suffering from a concussion. The process was repeated again. All four of his legs broke along with some ribs. Rocky appeared unresponsive. The two Alphas checked his pulse and inspected him.

"Cause of death: internal bleeding," one of them announced.

"Only three jumps?" said a Northern female in the crowd. "That's below average. Pathetic."

Jenny and Kate hugged each other, sobbing and feeling tremendous sadness. They were the only ones who cried at all in the crowd.

The heir to the Western Pack was gone. The royal bloodline was lost forever.

Later...

Dani lay on a soft pelt within the special den known as the Pack Healers' Den for She-Wolves. Beside her were other she-wolves who were sick or injured. She thought to herself and chuckled. When she had arrived at the pack healers' place yesterday morning, they wouldn't accept her since they thought she was a male. They had to be informed that she was an intersex wolf who identified as female. She found it amusing. The last time she was confused with a male was when she lived in the Western Pack with her parents many moons ago. She was still Beta. It didn't bother her until now. She wondered if maybe she could attend Alpha School next winter and finish her training. Her parents would have wanted that.

A brown she-wolf entered the den. It was her pack healer.

"Hi! You're awake..."

"Yeah," Dani answered feebly.

"How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm good. My mind won't shut up though."

"Is it because of what happened?"

"Yeah..."

"If I may ask, what exactly did happen?"

"I was in Humphrey and Kate's den with Rocky. We were attacked..."

"Rocky? You mean Kate and Humphrey's son?"

"Yes..."

"Ma'am... I'm sorry to inform you but Rocky is dead."

"What?"

"I heard he was charged with murder or something. The North sentenced him to death and executed him a couple of hours ago." Dani stood up. Her face was frozen stiff. She began slowly walking out of the den. "Umm... ma'am? Where are you going? You need to be formally discharged before you leave!" Dani ignored her.

Rocky was her last hope of happiness, the only thing that came close to a family. There was nothing in the world for her anymore. All was lost.

She proceeded to head for a dreadful place. Near Moonlight Howl Rock was a large crack in the Earth, a long opening that could swallow a group of wolves whole. At the bottom was the Dividing River which was the border between the West and the East. It was known... as Bear Teeth Edge, the only part of the Dividing River where it was narrow enough for wolves to be able to jump from one side to the other. But Dani didn't intend on jumping over the river. She was jumping into the crack. Bear Teeth Edge was rarely visited by any wolf, for it was the place where the first recorded suicide happened in the Valley. At the bottom of the crack, where the river flowed, jagged boulders pointed upwards. The first suicide was roughly thirty years ago. There hadn't been another because of the stigma of suicidal tendencies, but Dani was an intersex wolf. If anyone understood social stigma, it was her. It didn't faze her.

"STOP!" yelled a voice. Dani looked behind herself. A black wolf was there. "Don't do it! Whatever you're going through, I'm sorry..."

"Who are you?"

"That's not important. What's important is getting you away from that edge."

"There's nothing you can do," she sobbed. "I can't be saved." Dani stepped closer to the cliff. The rapids below were tempting her.

"I used to be where you were... Is it that bad?" the black wolf asked. Dani nodded. "Well... I believe in the right to die... so I won't stop you... but... would you at least want to be happy before you go?"

"...I'm listening..."