Chapter 39

Kaizen

"This can't be right." Said Slah-hesh'Rrah, the Demon Lord of Murder. "How in all the Layers am I supposed to punish You sire?" He asked.

He was an elk horned weasel-demon in his true form, but I could understand him automatically seeing as how I was meant to be down here permanently eventually.

If I told Willow what animal species he looked like, I'd imagine she'd comment how that sounded cute. But he was not. He was a sulfurous smelling, 12 foot tall, skull-faced demon. He held black shaggy fur and crimson markings in his true form, but he'd shifted to a horned human shape to bow properly. Now he held a dark skin tone, one that was like rich chocolate.

"I don't know, Xaxas sent me here!" I said throwing my hands up.

"You're only here for 25 people?" He reached inside me and pulled out a black paper scroll. It held my crimes in glowing red ink. "Well, you've killed a total of 263 werewolves since 18 and 975 mortals. Only one a month since the age of 25. Child's play." He scoffed. ". You can" He made a rattling rumble, and more weasel demons appeared. some still had the punished in their mouths or impaled on sticks. They were a sadistic bunch.

And of course, what Layer of Murder wouldn't be complete without a *murder* of crow demons. They happily carried souls in their talons, putting them on spikes like loggerhead shrikes. On Urth that species of bird liked to impale their prey on thorns, the crow demons here did the same.

They bowed to me.

"No, no we are supposed to punish him. You won't get special treatment." Said Slah-hesh'Rrah. "The Layer of Murder, like all Layers, is designed with rehabilitation in mind For your first year, you will Suffer, for they were innocent all 25 that you got send down here for were honest, hard working people who You betrayed in mindless rage. You will be whipped until you are Raw, one lash for every death you've ever caused. Then you will be tossed into the Lake of Melted Salt your mortal flesh will Bubble, Peel, and Boil . but afterwords, we will train you."

"Train me?" I parroted silently. He nodded.

"I think 24 years would do it" He scratched his chin. "I don't think it right to punish the whole 25 years if you were out of your damn mind. I know you worry of this. You worry that you'll mindlessly kill again, but trust me, I will Beat the Control into your soul. You have my word that should I have to pull favors to do this, we will."

I bowed. It surprised him. "Mold me how you wish. I want self-control I need it. My mate is mortal."

"I know. It's on your file. The Master is going to be irate when he sees you on a pike being roasted alive, but I cannot allow you to leave here with a kind word for Slah-hesh'Rrah. I am the Lord of Murder. When I am done with you, you will be a Man the master's proud of, not that he already isn't." He chuckled.

I mentally prepared myself as I was placed in thick iron cuffs. A leather bit was put in my mouth.

"We'll start with your penance. You have 365 days to go. Then I'll train you. Your punishment will have you see all the layers Who knows you might ask the master to stay once we're done." He said summoning a flaming whip. It held barbs on it like rose thorns, while its end held 13 cat tails.

-----Willow-----

I scrolled through my phone until about 6am. I was escorted up here around midnight or so I didn't feel social to say the least. I wanted to go home but would that even be home when I got back?

How would the wolves at Misfit see my husband. He was beyond that he was my mate. This soul crushing place was filled to the brim with old, ancient farts who on a whim decided to listen to some man they called the All King. He certainly felt like it

I had been taken in the grand room on the black and gold canopy bed. Inside the enormous castle were rooms for all the council members as well as any visiting princes Kaizen shared a floor with many of his cousins, though most of them weren't here, and his mother had her own council member's room the Third Seat I believe.

Granted all this was very lonely It was like emotional whiplash I went from being totally, completely loved and connected to being isolated.

I could not feel him at all. It almost made me wish I felt whatever they were doing to him Below, so I knew he was alive.

". Knock knock. Are you awake? I know it's early." Said a voice I didn't recognize.

"I'm up." I said quietly.

"We haven't met yet but I'm Xaxas's mate. I'm Harmony. Sorry we let this go on so long we had to convince the Horned One to allow my mate to stop this."

I immediately opened the door. "Thank you I know with how stubborn the men of your family are it was probably you who ultimately stopped this." I smiled.

". Nixxia and Isabelle helped." She beamed. She looked a lot like Isabelle, being only slightly tanner but the third woman with them looked different. She was darker skinned, but all three of them had the same fiery hair. They were all the same height. And had the same fiery golden eyes It was like they were a set.

That would make sense all three of their husbands were kings or dignitaries.

"I'm Nixxia, Asanguis's mate." She said shaking my hand.

"You already met me do you mind if we come in?" Asked Isabelle.

"I don't see a problem with that." I smiled. I kind of did, but I let them come in. They meant no harm and they were also the reason why my mate was only serving a little over a day's sentence, rather than be buried I'd been in here all night, and Now people want to be all cheery

"We're mortal too or at least we were" Said Isabelle I believe they called her the Risen One or something that supernatural creatures with titles often times have special abilities or whatever Why did I feel so bitter?

"Your highnesses I know you all came here for something." I said politely, sitting on the bed again. I was bitter I could do Nothing I had no say in Anything here.

That was why the All King gave me a say, but what if he would have done what he said?

Their mates seemed to be curious, at the threshold of the door.

"Scram." Commanded Harmony, the All Queen.

The door was closed in the All King's face.

"What did I do?!" He complained.

"I know you're upset, it's your first time feeling like this I know it all too well." Said Isabelle, ignoring him completely. "We don't know how to do magic, but I can tell you. And that Does Not Mean I Want Help." She yelled.

There was a grumbled confirmation, though I couldn't make out what the All King said..

"Anyway." Isabelle continued, "I Know what this feels like But Trust me tomorrow you will be held by your mate. I don't want you guys to leave so soon.... but I can sense you want nothing to do with us."

"It isn't that I don't want anything to do with you it's just that all I've seen of your family until today is the Hunting of my husband the bloodshed by King Tyson They looked like they were were mindless." I mumbled.

"To an extent. They were" She said looking down. "My children do not have a human half. I'm sure he told you Some of that but the Rest is that if pushed, they break They don't really have the Ability to bend. Tyson became obsessed with being a good king. Kaizen wanted to protect you. Grace is not little anymore." She passed me photos of them

She was holding actual puppies.

"What is this?" I asked they had little horn knubs, all being black with the glazed bluish eyes of a baby animal who's eyes just opened. They were Cute.

"Your mate." She said with a sheepish smile, pointing to the one in the middle. "They are the Only werewolves born this way in this day and age The only others would likely be the Unshifted, that were born before the Great War Don't be mad at Tyson Now that all this is squared away, they will eventually forgive each other if they haven't already. It may be a day for you, but for Kaizen it will be 25 years, maybe longer if he decides to stay."

"I'm not mad at anyone just I don't get it I just don't see why letting them almost rip each other apart was a good idea." I mumbled.

"That wasn't part of the plan," Said Harmony. "At best, maybe fight a little bit but we were a little late. The Horned One allowed us to be sovereign Xaxas felt like if we interfered too soon, it would make Tyson look like a child It would breed resentment for Kaizen too, since wolves would have felt their loved ones died for nothingThat they got no peace, closure nor justice for the innocent."

"That isn't all of it mother." Said Grace, coming in since the door wasn't locked. "Grandfather also wanted our bonds broken, so we could be with our own mates. Had we stayed as we were, the mate bond would connect all 6 of us together, and he nor grandmother wanted that."