The Fallen General, Betrayal of the High Priestess

The dark shifter my fiance so-called kindly saved turned out to be the ultimate monster hiding in our holy lands!

I was the Alpha General of the Silver Pack, the man responsible for the safety of the entire High Sanctuary.

The war between the shifters and the Shadow Clan was looming.

When I finally exposed his true identity as a demon prince, my fiance pointed a blade at her own throat to stop me.

"He is not a monster! He is just a poor, stray soul who grew into a man!" she screamed.

"You're just using your power to settle a personal grudge! You're jealous of the bond we share!"

To help her pet escape, she leaked our entire military layout and whispered every single one of my physical weaknesses to him.

When the Shadow Clan attacked, I led three hundred thousand warriors into a total slaughter.

As I lay there dying, I asked her why she did it.

She simply gave me a cold, indifferent look.

"Do you even have a heart? I've raised Jaxen for twenty years. I couldn't just stand by and watch him die!"

But what she didn't realize was that her precious Jaxen didn't need to die.

I, and the entire Silver Pack, were the ones doomed to a nameless grave.

1.

The Shadow Clan found my weakness and delivered a killing blow.

My soul fragments slowly drifted together, forming a spirit entity.

I found myself tethered to Elara Whitlock again.

Right now, the usually arrogant High Priestess of the Silver Pack was pacing outside a bedroom door.

She kept peeking inside, her face twisted with worry.

When a doctor in a plain white coat finally stepped out, she rushed forward.

"How is he? Is Jaxen going to be okay?"

The doctor bowed his head respectfully.

"Mostly surface wounds, my Lady. It is nothing serious. He just needs a few days of rest."

Hearing this, Elara finally let out a long breath.

"Thank you, God. Thank you..." she whispered.

She couldn't wait another second and hurried into the room.

She lifted the hem of her silk gown, her eyes locked on the man lying in the bed.

As she got closer, fat tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Jaxen, you nearly scared me to death. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you..."

Then, a flash of pure hatred crossed her face.

"It's all Alaric Blackwood's fault. He doesn't know the meaning of mercy."

"He actually brought soldiers to hunt you down. He has zero class for an Alpha General!"

"A man like that, with no compassion, doesn't deserve to lead our pack!"

I stood there, a ghost in the corner, listening to her sharp critique of my character.

Looking at the fury on her face, a dull ache spread through my spectral chest.

So, this is what she truly thought of me...

Jaxen Varkas let out a soft, weak laugh.

To my eyes, that smirk was the ultimate mockery.

He reached out and took Elara's delicate hand into his own palm.

His voice sounded thick with staged emotion.

"Elara, seeing you care this much makes me so happy."

"You saved my life once before, and now you've brought healers for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Elara's face instantly flushed with a shy, girlish glow I had never seen before.

"Jaxen, it's nothing. It's what I should do."

"As long as you're okay, I'd do anything for you."

"Really? But you know our packs have been at war forever. If Alaric finds out, won't he punish you?"

Jaxen asked tentatively, looking like a lost puppy who had just stumbled into the human world.

The moment Elara heard my name, her expression turned into one of pure disgust.

She let out a harsh snort.

"Why should I care about that heartless man?"

"You didn't start the war between the Silver Pack and the Shadow Clan. He's just obsessed with the fact that you have Shadow blood."

"You can't choose where you were born. I only told you a few of our pack's weaknesses so you could protect yourself."

"He's too stupid to understand that. I have nothing left to say to a man like him!"

Jaxen curled his lip into a smile where Elara couldn't see it.

He pulled her into his arms, resting his head on her shoulder and rubbing against her like a pet.

Elara giggled, her laughter sounding like silver bells.

To me, it sounded like a jagged glass shard stabbing my heart.

Watching them flirt and touch made my non-existent stomach turn.

I wanted so badly to tell her that the man in her arms wasn't some stray dog.

He was the King of the Shadow Clan, the very monster she should fear.

I wanted to tell her that the "minor weaknesses" she shared were catastrophic when exploited.

Because of her, our army had been crushed, leaving nothing but ruins.

As the commander, I had to burn my very soul as a sacrifice just to keep our kind from total extinction.

And the man behind all of it was her darling Jaxen.

The war, the chaos, the bloodDhe had orchestrated every single bit of it.

2.

I was the Alpha General of the Silver Pack, a man with a legacy of being undefeated.

Under my lead, the pack was peaceful and the people lived well.

Since I ascended to my rank, I had treated Elara, my fiance and the Priestess, with nothing but devotion.

She wanted a rare Fire-Glow rabbit, so I dove into a volcanic pit to find it for her.

She wanted to see the front lines, so I stayed in the shadows to protect her.

I would have handed her the sun and the moon just to see her smile.

People used to say that Alaric Blackwood's only weakness was Elara Whitlock.

They were right.

Everything changed when she "rescued" a heavily injured Jaxen from the battlefield.

I told her many times that the Shadow Clan was full of tricksters and couldn't be trusted.

But she looked at Jaxen, who had disguised himself as a low-level omega, and felt nothing but pity.

"He may be Shadow Clan, but he's just an innocent civilian caught in the crossfire!" she told me.

"How can you judge everyone so broadly? Look at him! Does he look like a villain to you?"

"If you won't let him stay, I'll leave with him. My life will have nothing to do with you anymore!"

I couldn't let her go alone with a dangerous enemy, so I gave in.

I was right, though. I was always right about him.

The moment Jaxen recovered his strength, he went straight back to the Shadow Clan to gather an army.

When he returned to our borders, he wasn't a victim; he was a king sitting atop a dark stallion.

Elara wasn't even mad about being lied to. Instead, she admired his "courage and wit."

She even said, "A man who can endure such hardship to win is a true hero."

She didn't even wait for Jaxen to interrogate her. She volunteered our pack's secrets.

Jaxen used that information to rewrite his strategy, leaving our warriors helpless.

When I confronted her, she didn't show a single ounce of regret.

"If Jaxen didn't win this war, his own people would have torn him apart for failing. They would have cursed his soul forever!"

"I worked so hard to save him. I couldn't just watch him die!"

"Besides, a man as great as Jaxen was born to be a winner."

Looking at her self-righteous face, I felt a chill run from my head to my toes.

"What about me? Did you ever think about what would happen to me if I lost?" I asked, my fists shaking.

But Elara didn't answer. She just turned around and ran toward Jaxen without a second thought.

She didn't even have the patience to hear me finish my sentence.

Watching her smile at the enemy king was like watching her stomp my thousand years of love into the dirt.

The anger made my internal energy spiral out of control, making my organs feel like they were being shredded.

Later, Jaxen led his army deep into our territory, using Elara's tips to suppress my men.

When he finally stood before me, ready to wipe out the Silver Pack, I had only one choice.

I had to ignite my origin soul and sacrifice my life to save the bloodline.

As my soul burned away, my life flashed before my eyes like a movie.

At the very end, I thought I heard Elara's voice.

I hoped she was saying something to me, so I strained to listen.

All I heard was her voice full of pure disdain.

"I've been sick of Alaric for a long time. They call him a hero, but his heart is smaller than a grain of sand."

"He lost the pack because he's incompetent, yet he blames everything on poor, innocent Jaxen."

"He has no compassion. He doesn't deserve to be a General or have the people's respect!"

"Jaxen, I promise you, the next time I see him, I'm breaking off the engagement..."

She was trashing my name just to make her lover happy.

3.

In that moment, my heart felt heavy with a million different emotions.

I felt grief, pain, and a deep sense of injustice for myself and my fallen soldiers.

The woman we spent our lives protecting had switched sides and pushed us into the abyss.

"Look at this blood-soaked land! This is your home! These are your people bleeding out!"

"You say I have no heart? What about you, Elara? Where is your heart!"

I screamed at her with all my remaining strength.

But I was nothing but a flickering spirit now. Elara couldn't feel me.

Her hatred for me was buried so deep that it would never go away.

Since then, I was forced to stay by her side, trapped in her orbit.

I had to watch her and Jaxen be all over each other every single day.

I went from burning rage to a cold, dead numbness.

Right now, Elara was curled up in Jaxen's lap, looking at him with total adoration.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

They looked like they were the only two people in the world.

As their breathing got heavier, I turned my head away and closed my eyes.

The ache in my chest wouldn't go away.

I reached out to grab my chest, but my hand passed right through.

Then I rememberedDthe day I died, Jaxen had literally ripped my heart out.

He had been covered in my blood, his face twisted with a sick, murderous joy.

He didn't look like an innocent puppy then. He looked at me like I was a bug.

"Some hero you are. You couldn't even keep your woman's heart, and you still tried to protect her? What a loser."

"I want to see what the heart of a pathetic simp actually looks like!"

He had plunged his claws into me and tore everything out.

Sometimes I wondered when Elara would finally see the real Jaxen.

I wondered what her face would look like when she found out I was dead. Would she regret it?

But those were just fantasies.

I was a ghost. I couldn't do a damn thing.

But soon, someone else asked those questions for me.

A young warrior in blood-stained silver armor fought his way through the guards.

He stared at Elara sitting on the bed with Jaxen, looking completely shell-shocked.

"My Lady... what... why are you here?!"

He was smart. He realized what was happening in an instant.

Fury took over his face, mixed with a deep sense of betrayal.

"The Silver Pack is in ruins! Our people are being slaughtered, and youDour PriestessDare sleeping with this snake!"

"Have you thought about Alaric at all? How could you do this to him!"

The boy was still bleeding from several wounds, but he didn't seem to care.

He glared at them like he wanted to rip them apart with his eyes.

"You're a traitor! I'll kill you both right now and avenge the General!"

He drew his sword and lunged toward them.

But before he could reach Elara, she blasted him back with a burst of Lunar energy.

The boy slammed into the wall and fell to the floor, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

His sword snapped in half with a loud crack.

I panicked, trying to reach him.

That was Kaelen, my loyal lieutenant who had just finished his training. He was still weak.

Now, he was badly hurt by the very Priestess he used to protect.

He had literally saved Elara's life during her trial years ago!

Elara didn't seem to remember that at all. She stood over him like a block of ice.

"How dare you insult me and Jaxen? Did that coward Alaric teach you to talk like that?"

"He should look in a mirror. He's not even in my league."

"Go back and tell your master this: if he doesn't crawl here and beg for our forgiveness, I'm telling the High Elders."

"I'll tell them he's a disgrace to the pack, and I'll break our engagement forever!"

Kaelen looked at her with disbelief. He couldn't believe this was the woman they all loved.

He pointed at Jaxen, his voice shaking with grief.

"Alaric is already dead! This monster killed him because of you!"

Before Elara could even process the words, Jaxen moved.

He picked up a piece of the broken sword and slashed it across Kaelen's throat.

Blood sprayed across the room. Kaelen's eyes widened, and he collapsed, clutching his neck.

I froze, unable to process what I just saw.

They had just murdered him in broad daylight like it was nothing.

Kaelen didn't even get to finish his sentence.

"Like master, like dog. A liar like this deserves to have his soul wiped out," Elara spat.

She didn't even flinch. She looked at Kaelen's body like it was a piece of trash.

I was horrified. I couldn't believe the woman I loved was this cold-blooded.

"Are you insane? Kaelen saved your life!" I screamed in her ear.

I tried to hold his body, but my hands just went through the warmth of his skin.

I begged Elara to use her healing powers, but she didn't hear a word.

She had zero mercy left for her own kind.

Jaxen smirked and looked at Elara with genuine admiration.

"Elara, you really are the perfect Priestess. You see the big picture."

Elara smiled back at him, looking like a smitten teenager.

"By the way, I was at the dungeons earlier," Jaxen lied smoothly.

"I heard some of the captured soldiers talking. They said you're a traitor and that you did Alaric wrong."

Elara stood up, her face turning red with rage.

"Lies! I only told you a few small things. If they got beaten, it's because they're weak! Alaric is a failure!"

"I bet Alaric told them to say that because he's a sore loser!"

Jaxen nodded, adding fuel to the fire.

"I think your people never really respected you. Alaric probably talked trash behind your back all the time."

Elara was like a bomb that had just been lit.

"How dare they! I'm going to show those bastards and that loser Alaric what happens when you cross me!"

4.

Elara followed Jaxen down to the Shadow Dungeons.

The place was a nightmare, filled with the smell of burning sulfur and the sound of whips hitting flesh.

I saw my brothers-in-arms, the men I had fought beside, chained up and bleeding.

Seeing them like this broke something inside me.

But to Elara, their defiance was just stubbornness she needed to break.

She grabbed a bucket of salt water and threw it over a commander who was barely conscious.

"Where is Alaric Blackwood?" she demanded.

A cruel smirk played on her lips.

"Isn't he the big Alpha General? Tell him to come out and fight. Or is he still hiding like a little bitch?"

The unconscious commander struggled to open his swollen eyes.

Elara stepped forward and grabbed him by the throat, her grip tightening until his face turned purple.

"Tell me where he's hiding, or I'll kill you myself!"

The commander could only make a choking sound. He looked at Elara with pure pity in his eyes.

Elara laughed, a sound that chilled me to the bone.

"You won't talk? Fine. I remember your wife is one of the palace maids, right? Maybe I should bring her down here to watch."

The commander's face crumpled. Tears mixed with the blood on his cheeks.

"My Lady... why are you doing this? Why side with the demons? Alaric loved you with everything he had..."

Elara's eyes turned cold. With a sudden jerk, she snapped the man's neck.

"Shut up! You're all just Alaric's lapdogs, aren't you?"

"If any of you want to live, tell me where Alaric is, or you'll end up like him!"

"My power doesn't come with mercy!" she screamed at the remaining prisoners.

A young soldier, one who had looked up to me since he was a pup, yelled back.

"How could you do this to him? He died on the battlefield for you!"

"He's dead, and you're trying to call him a coward? You're the monster!"

Elara's face twisted. She drew a sword and walked toward him, the tip scraping against the stone floor, creating sparks.

She drove the blade straight through the boy's chest.

"You've all been brainwashed by that man! You think he's so perfect!"

"But if he was so great, why was he so jealous of Jaxen?"

"He treated Jaxen like garbage just to spite me! He's a small, petty man!"

She ripped the sword out, blood splattering across her white dress.

She didn't look like a Priestess anymore. She looked like a demon from the deepest pit of hell.

The boy died with his eyes wide open, staring at her.

The room went silent, except for the sound of dripping blood and the low sobs of the survivors.

But Elara didn't stop. She was in a frenzy. She went from cell to cell, killing my men one by one.

Bodies piled up.

These were her people. The people who had worshipped her and protected her.

I felt a profound, hollow grief.

Had she forgotten she was one of us?

She had grown up in the Silver Pack, fed by our lands and our magic!

She was supposed to protect us!

Instead, she was the one holding the blade.

These were the men I had hand-picked and trained. Some were just kids.

Now, they were all dead at Elara's feet.

They survived the war only to be butchered in a dungeon by their own Priestess.

5.

After she finished her bloody work in the dungeon, Elara still wasn't satisfied.

She sat down and wrote a long, detailed list of my "crimes."

She wrote that I was heartless, that I wasn't fit to be a leader, and that I should be stripped of my title.

"This is your own fault... why won't you just show up?" she muttered to herself.

With a wave of her hand, she turned the letter into a messenger bird and sent it toward the High Council.

She wanted the Elders to officially exile me and turn me into a nameless rogue.

Even as a ghost, seeing her wordsDhow she devalued everything I wasDfelt like a thousand needles under my skin.

Elara stood by the window, staring out at the dark sky.

Jaxen walked in and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

"Don't waste your energy on someone so unimportant. It hurts me to see you upset."

"My army has the pack under control. We'll find him soon. He can't run forever."

Elara let out a cold snort.

"He's a loser and a disgrace. When we find him, I'm going to make him kneel and beg for his life!"

She still hadn't realized that Jaxen was systematically destroying her home.

She didn't see the smoke on the horizon or the bodies in the streets.

She just stayed in his arms, looking "happy."

I wondered what she would do when the truth finally hit her.

Would she feel pain? Regret? Or would she just not care?

"Elara, once we find him, will you break the engagement and marry me?" Jaxen asked, his eyes searching hers.

Elara started to answer, but her eyes caught something on a shelf.

I looked too. My heartDif I had oneDwould have stopped.

It was a ring made of silver flowers, still glowing with a soft, protective light.

It was the engagement ring I had given her.

The memories hit me like a wave.

I had traveled to the furthest peaks and the deepest forests to find the rare materials for that ring.

I wanted it to be perfect for her.

Elara looked hesitant for a split second.

Jaxen's face darkened instantly. He used a burst of dark magic to knock the ring off the shelf.

The silver light flickered and died. The flowers withered and turned black, becoming nothing but a piece of junk.

"What kind of trash is this? You're too good for cheap jewelry like that," Jaxen said arrogantly.

"I'll have the best Shadow smiths make you something that actually fits your status."

He didn't care that he had destroyed a priceless heirloom. He was proud of it.

Elara snapped out of her trance and looked at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"Jaxen, you really are the only person in the world who treats me right."

"Of course I'll marry you. I've wanted to be yours for a long time!"

"You're a real man who takes what he wants. Alaric is just a coward who runs away!"

Listening to her rewrite history was exhausting.

She had seen me stand alone against an entire legion to protect the Sanctuary.

How could she possibly think I would run away during a war?

I didn't have the answers anymore. And I realized they didn't matter.

I was dead. I was nothing.

6.

Jaxen was leading his army deeper into the Silver Pack territory, and Elara was right there with him.

As they reached the inner sanctum, a young man in yellow robes dropped from the sky, blocking their path.

It was Silas, the Pack's High Priest and my best friend.

He looked at Elara with a grim, serious expression.

"Priestess, this monster you're with has captured and killed half our people!"

"Some of them were just boys. They have families waiting for them!"

"As a member of this pack, I'm begging youDlet them go!"

His voice broke at the end.

The pain in his voice echoed through my soul.

Silas was a proud man. He never begged. But here he was, lowering himself for the sake of our people.

Elara just rolled her eyes and looked annoyed.

"Silas, I thought you were supposed to be fair. I didn't know you were one of Alaric's puppets too!"

Silas spent his life reading the Book of Life. He wasn't a fighter or an arguer.

"You!" he gasped, shocked by her coldness.

Elara took his shock as a sign of guilt.

"Did Alaric tell you to come here and harass me?"

"You're all trying to make Jaxen out to be some villain when he hasn't done anything wrong!"

My heart sank lower.

She was completely brainwashed. She was still acting like she was some holy figure.

But she had just murdered her own soldiers a few days ago!

"Alaric is dead... This is his page in the Book of Life. It's blank. It's over. Look for yourself!" Silas shouted.

He held out the book, and Elara's eyes flickered with doubt as she looked at the empty page.

But Jaxen moved fast. He grabbed the book and burned it to ashes with a snap of his fingers.

"Elara, don't listen. You know the Book of Life can't just go blank like that. It's a fake!"

I shook my head. The Book of Life was supposed to be indestructible.

But Jaxen had spent weeks studying our weaknesses. He knew exactly how to destroy it.

Silas stared at Jaxen, then turned back to Elara.

"Are you really going to believe a demon? He is the Shadow King!"

Before he could finish, Elara shoved him hard, sending him stumbling back.

"I don't need a low-level priest telling me what to do!"

"If you say another word against us, I'll have your tongue!"

Silas was no match for a Priestess's power. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.

But he still glared at her with pure hatred.

"Elara Whitlock, you will pay for your arrogance!"

Elara scoffed and blasted him with a wave of energy. Silas coughed up blood.

"Kaelen told the truth. Alaric died because of you. And now you're killing the rest of us!" Silas choked out.

Elara stood there, watching coldly as the Shadow guards dragged Silas away.

I knew Jaxen would have him tortured.

I felt a chill that no fire could warm.

Elara turned and snuggled into Jaxen's chest.

"Everyone is against me. You're the only one who truly understands me, Jaxen."

Jaxen held her, stroking her hair like he was comforting a child.

But over her shoulder, his eyes were cold and predatory. He looked like a wolf who had just trapped a lamb.

And Elara just kept talking, desperate to justify her choices.

"Alaric is probably just hiding because he can't handle losing me."

"How could he call you a bad person? When I was going through my Lunar Trial, you went back to the Shadow Clan just to find a way to save me!"

I remembered that trial. Elara had been struck by holy lightning and almost died.

Jaxen hadn't been looking for a cure. He had gone back to claim his throne.

I was the one who climbed the Forbidden Mountain to find the Sacred Herb to save her.

I gave up half my life force and magic to heal her.

That was the reason I was weak enough for Jaxen to kill me on the battlefield.

But when Elara woke up, the first thing she did was ask where Jaxen was.

"Alaric, stay away from him! Jaxen is innocent! Why can't you just be a man and stop being so jealous?"

She still believed Jaxen was the most innocent soul in the world.

She couldn't see that he was a predator waiting to swallow the whole pack.

Jaxen pulled her onto his horse, his hands wandering over her body as they rode toward the heart of the city.

The atmosphere between them was disgusting.

Suddenly, a panicked Shadow scout ran toward them.

"My Lord! Something is wrong!"

"More of the Pack's elders are coming!"

Elara frowned and barked at the scout.

"So? I'm the Priestess. I can handle a few old men. Why are you making such a scene?"

The scout went silent, terrified of her temper.

When the figure finally appeared, Elara almost fell off her horse.

The man was radiating power, dressed in golden ceremonial armor.

It was the High AlphaDher father.

Thinking Jaxen would be accepted, Elara forced a nervous smile and pulled him down to meet her father.

"Father, this is the man I told you about... my soulmate..."

She actually blushed like a schoolgirl.

The High Alpha didn't smile. He unleashed a blast of holy light that knocked them both back.

Elara looked at him in shock. "Father! What are you doing? Why are you attacking us?"

Then, her face darkened. "Is this Alaric's doing? Has that snake been whispering lies to you?"

"I only shared a few secrets to help Jaxen! It's not a big deal! Alaric is just trying to make me look bad because he's a loser!"

The High Alpha's eyes were filled with tears of rage. "Enough!"

"You are my daughter, and yet you are still obsessed with this demon!"

"Do you have any idea that Alaric Blackwood gave his life for this pack? He sacrificed himself on the battlefield to save us all!"

"He was a hero! And you? You betrayed your own blood for the enemy! I have no daughter!"

Elara froze. The color drained from her face.