The Alpha Killed My Husband

12| Till Death Do Us Apart

The paths of the Hanuman Hills are not foreign to me. I know every nook and corner like the back of my hand. Every slippery slope where I used to crawl without a care in the world, the rock bottom where I feasted on freshly laid eggs, the shushing wind that brought a misty fragrance of river, and the land that stretched beyond it—every tiny detail is engraved in my memory that has resurfaced like a broken dam.

‘Stay here!’ I command the ugly she-wolf as I step down from the car and stare at the awe-worthy sight with my heart in my mouth.

The Hill isn’t any ordinary hill—it’s a mountain range, magnified in the shape of a huge monkey. From the side of its head, a waterfall graces the land at the foothill where herbs and shrubs gussy up. It burbles when the water crashes on the land ferociously before it mingles with the flowing water of the river.

‘Why are we here?’ I hear a suspicious voice that I have been dreading throughout the journey. I tried to avoid the b***h throughout but she did not relent a second.

I turn around to glare at her, only to find myself being glared at. Her bushy eyebrows succumbed to a frown.

‘None of your business, I suppose.’ I smiled at her taunting, shut the door with a thud, and climbed up to the mountain ranges.

‘Do not dare follow me or breathe a word to the Alpha. It’s my personal business and I do not wish to explain myself to anyone. I’ll be down in an hour.’ I yell in the air as I jog inside the deeper forest.

I doubt Shanaya would still follow me. So, I take as many turns as I can think of.

Surprisingly, even after climbing for more than twenty minutes, I do not feel tired. Instead, I feel taken care of.

Hanuman Hill is not an ordinary place. It is a nature’s miracle and a blessing for the serpents. It is close to my heart for its very existence. While here, I feel as if I am in my mother's embrace.

Partially submerged in the water while partially vanished amidst the sheet of clouds, it is home to around two million wildlife alongside the deadly jinns who so far stay in an isolated corner and never emerge unless provoked.

No one has ever seen them. However, there are endless tales of how sexually aggressive and possessive they are. How do they love to create mischief on easy prey? And fall in love at first sight? Young naive serpents or she-wolves are their favorites!

Personally, I consider their tales and existence to be a myth. It might have been made up by our ancestors to strike fear in the hearts of the younger offspring so they’d not wander around here.

Whatever!

For serpents, the caves are not only a matter of pride for their natural labyrinth structure, it holds significant spiritual values too. It’s our pilgrimage!

At the left bottom crook of the range, the Paras cave houses the oldest AnantNath Statue in the history of civilizations. Scriptures narrate that it was established by the Lord himself when he was blessed with his first child—Aadi-Ganesha before humans had free access to our world centuries ago.

The Maharaja and I used to pay our regards yearly at the Maharatri Festival. It used to be a ceremony of five days where each day was a holy incarnation.

The festival used to have such pious vibes in it that the Samarajya used to bathe in its auspiciousness. The Serpents used to decorate houses with lanterns, colors, and flowers. Sweets were cooked and distributed freely. New clothes were brought. The olfaction along with the roseate chants of mantra was enough to free us from our sins or the impending jinns.

It used to give dramatic leverage to our economy too—all the more reason to celebrate the month with a handsome sum jiggling in our pockets. When I was a newborn, Appa used to bring me a fresh pair of clothes with matching footwear and a piece of jewelry that I used to flaunt amongst my friends.

The reminiscent makes me feel nostalgic. It has been three years since I have last been here. Three years have lost everything—since I last worshiped my AnantNath.

I close my eyes slowly, immersing myself in the forgiving piousness. The chirps of birds are clear, and so is the sound of the water flowing with gurgles.

I could still listen to the agony-dripping shrills of my males dying in the background. The hue and cry of the females who were being r***d and tortured at the distance, the wailing cries of off-springs who were pushed into the miseries of orphans.

I can practically see the images unfolding. The people were helpless. They wanted someone to save them. They begged the Alpha to stop the torture…the war. He did not.

His first installment is due at this very hour. Luna Aradhya has to die. Nagini is desperate to take control.

My eyes zoom over the deep fall across the hill, it traces the water up to the apex from where it travels down to a hollow hole. According to an infamous tale, the hole has an entrance from its third glide. It opens its path for a treasure that cannot be counted or it is a door to another dimension where the jinns or the humans live. (Nothing confirmed!)

It is rumored to be guarded by the powers of the forest.

Many brave hearts have tried but lost their way to never return. Those who couldn’t gather the courage had tagged it as a curse. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and eye-soothing.

How could it not be? It was named after my mother after all. A great empress who lost her life for love.

The Trupti waterfall!

‘I am so glad you finally made it, Sarva. I was hoping to see you soon.’ A voice drags me back to the planet. ‘I’d started losing the hope of seeing you again. I thought…’ The voice trails off.

I clench my fists at the familiar doubt lacing upfront as the sound of shuffling makes me shift from leg to leg. From behind a couple of large Banyan and Peepal trees, a robe sways with the wind.

I do not have to look to see who it is. The bushes wiggle and part as Avika stepped out of it.

She smiles at me pityingly as if she could read my mind and understand what I have been going through.

She couldn’t. None could. She isn’t an orphan who lost her mother after all. She has not seen her dying.

Maybe she has been through it a little. But she cannot feel my suffering. She cannot partake in my sorrows. She can never be Sarvayoni who has been deprived of love and affection the whole of her life. She cannot be Sarvayoni who has just been tolerated and never once been loved.

She cannot be the Sarvayoni who had it all yet none!

She is Avika whose mate loved her, unlike mine—who’d sleep with the first female he’d bump into the first thing as the sun went down.

Vachaspati. I scowl at his name. An image of the early morning when I was almost ravished by Rudransh flashes before my eyes. My heartbeat accelerated again. Heat rushed up to my face—I have never been manhandled like that before.

Rudransh was so aggressive as if he could not wait a minute longer before taking me right then there. His iris had faded and only the redness of his eyes was apparent. The monstrous eyes were pinned on me like he could see nothing else.

‘Mine!’ The growl still makes me shudder.

I finally tear my eyes away from the clouds and glance at Avika, shaking my head to clear the steamy memories.

I cannot like it! I remind myself harshly.

The dark circles under her eyes, her dull face, and quivering lips—evidently narrate the pain in the ass Luna has been. Serves her right!

‘I was put to unconsciousness.’ I tell her, pursuing my lips in a thin line. I do not want to taste the bitterness of my pessimism and jealousy. I am fine the way I am. I do not need someone’s approval.

Avika nods as if she understood. She did not but she pretended she did. For years, she has been doing the same—nodding her head like an obedient slave. She has been raised and paid for doing the same. Objections are absolutely intolerable in our kingdom.

She is never meant to understand my agony or hollowness. She is never trained to pamper me and stroke my head when I avoid eating. She is not supposed to care about my whereabouts or my health. She doesn’t have to listen when my heart weeps.

She is not supposed to promise me to cook my favorite meal like…Tarifa did.

‘I could not read the news here. I was barely making it with the b***h. She is as fast as light and powerful. One time, she almost escaped. Had it not been the labyrinth, she might have been in Alpha City by now.’ Avika wobbles her head, widening her big eyes. ‘I am glad she is stung. Had she been in perfect health, she would have torn me apart.’

Nagini hisses in my head at the raw admiration in Avika’s voice. She is not supposed to praise anyone’s strength but mine.

I can see that she has lost her faith in me. She is clinging to my sight for the sake of it but the respect and fear I used to see freely floating out of her is missing. After all, females aren’t supposed to be courageous and involved in the act.

According to her patriarchal theory, I should have died on my husband’s grave like a loyal wife. I should not have been roaming the streets of Alpha City seeking revenge. Living with him is a big no-no.

This is what our females have been doing since time immemorial. Just survive as a shadow of their males with no existence of their own!

It is a matter of serious deliberation. I have to restore the fright and faith. If my head maid cannot see me winning, how am I going to convince the lot to sign in lifetime s*****y? It’s time the females take the lead.

‘Where is she?’ I ask her, trying to keep the conversation as short and precise as possible. I do not want to lash my anger out at Avika. The most deserving candidate of my wrath has to be Aradhya.

‘I have put her on a heavy dose. She is sleeping in the chamber down in the fourth cave. You have to be quick. The sun will go down in an hour or two. It will take you another two hours to be back at the mansion. Hurry!’ Avika states the obvious, making me feel piqued.

‘Do not try to teach me!’ I snap, closing my eyes. ‘There is a task waiting for you downhill. Go take charge, make sure none of her survives!’

It is the sentence I mumble before I concentrate between my brows.

Moments slip by one, two, three…Nagini takes her own sweet time. There is a spark around me, creating a circle with radiance. First, the legs disappear. A humongous tail slithers on the ground.

It wiggles, crashing rock and pushing some pebbles in the waterfall.

The waist, chest, and neck are next. It takes a few more minutes before the crown on my head blinks in lights and Nagini comes out. I no longer have the hands or legs or bosom or hairs of Luna Aradhya—instead, I am a sixteen feet long king cobra with venom that can kill in a second.

But I will not bite her. It will be too easy a death. I am going to crush her bones and feel the soul living in her body. I am going to bury her in the same cave where she is being held captive.

Nagini takes a gust around arrogantly, wrapping her body around the age-old tree. It feels as if she was as homesick as I was.

I let her take her time. She crawls from tree to tree before She waves in the air at the cave’s entrance. She hisses at the rock which turns purplish with the venom. There is smoke and then it crashes into a million pieces, mingling with the soil beneath the grass.

Her tail twirls in pleasure. It is what we are—powerful, ruthless, unforgiving—the world’s deadliest reptiles.

Let’s have some fun! I nod as Nagini slithers inside the cave, taking a hundred dried leaves along with her.

The diamond on her forehead shimmers even in the darkness, spreading illumination all around.

The time has come to implement—till death do us apart, Rudransh. Till. Do. You. Apart. I smirk in my head.