Chapter 696 - One Alpha down, and I can take it from there

Chapter 696: Chapter 696 - One Alpha down, and I can take it from there

Corvine reached out through the mindlink, his thoughts brushing against Seraphine’s consciousness.

’My Queen, I don’t know what your plans are, but what other options do you suggest? As for me, I would have taken his pack but I know you have your plans. We can rid the packs of one bad Alpha.

Seraphine smiled from where she sat, her expression serene, unreadable. She turned to Voren, her voice soft but carrying.

"V, what do you want done to your enemy?"

Voren’s smile was slow, dangerous. "I love Corvine’s approach. If Cage loses his pack, then he’s no Alpha. We can send Damon or Kael temporarily to the Sultan pack to help in the selection of a new Alpha."

’Your plan is good. One Alpha down, and I can take it from there,’ Seraphine responded through the mind link.

Corvine’s smile widened at her response, a flicker of satisfaction crossing his features.

"Alpha Cage." His voice rang through the hall, cold and commanding. "If you don’t want a fight, then step down honorably from your position as Alpha. That is my condition."

"So ridiculous." Atticus’s voice cut through the silence. He sat among the other older Alphas, his expression twisted with disdain.

"Alpha Corvine, do you think the Alpha King would gamble away his pack? What if you lose?"

"If Alpha Corvine loses, the pack goes to Alpha Cage." Voren’s announcement came without hesitation, without batting an eyelash. He didn’t even look at Atticus. His gaze remained fixed on Alpha Cage, a predator watching wounded prey.

Alpha Cage was no match for Corvine. Without shifting into wolf form, even Kael and Damon would do the job cleanly. It would be over in minutes.

"Alpha Cage, I challenge you to fight for your honor." Atticus’s voice dripped with false encouragement, his eyes gleaming with malice. The Sultan pack members began to murmur, their voices rising in a chorus of support.

"Yes, Alpha Cage! You’ll become the Alpha of the Grimroot pack if you win!" Indirectly, they will all have the luxurious of choosing between both packs if their Alpha won against Alpha Corvine.

Corvine removed his blazer and handed it to his wife. Liah took it with a smile, her fingers brushing against his in a silent gesture of faith. He walked away from the round table, his movements fluid, powerful.

"Alpha Cage. To the pack ground. Whoever wants to watch can do so."

"No." The word came out strangled, barely audible. Alpha Cage’s face had drained of all color, leaving him pale as a corpse. His hands trembled violently at his sides, fingers twitching with the need to flee. Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his temples like tears he refused to shed.

After losing his manhood, who knew which other body part he might lose in this fight if not his life? Voren had trained his leaders well. Corvine was a monster wrapped in human skin. He would be a fool to fight. A dead fool.

"I renounce my title as the Alpha of the Sultan pack."

His voice cracked, splintering like glass. His legs shook beneath him, threatening to give out. He walked back to sit among his pack members, his shoulders slumped, his spirit crushed beneath the weight of his own cowardice.

"What a waste."

Killian’s jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumped in his cheek. His hands curled into fists beneath the table, knuckles bleaching white. They needed more numbers to nail the Alpha King. And now, Alpha Cage was already out of the game. Losing his pack in the process.

The fear in his eyes was barely concealed, a flickering flame that threatened to become a wildfire.

"What happens to the Sultan pack now?" Killian’s voice was carefully neutral, but his eyes burned with barely concealed fury.

"I shall send one of my betas as an acting Alpha until the pack elects a new Alpha," Voren responded.

The sound of a slap cracked through the hall, followed by curses. "You useless son!"

Alpha Rick’s voice was a thunderclap, his face twisted with rage. He stood over his son, his hand still raised from the blow. Spit flew from his lips as he screamed, his entire body trembling with fury.

"You gambled away the family’s inheritance! For generations, we have been the Alphas! And now, that position will move to a nobody!"

Alpha Cage flinched, cowering beneath his father’s wrath. His eyes darted around the hall, desperate for escape, for salvation, for anything that might save him from this nightmare.

"You have taught your son some good manners, Alpha Rick." Voren’s voice cut through the chaos, cold and sharp as a blade. He didn’t rise from his seat. He didn’t need to. His presence alone was enough to command the room.

"Do you mean your pack members are nobodies?" His eyes narrowed, dangerous. "In that case, you are a nobody too. And should be banished from the pack. Right?"

This time, the Sultan pack members agreed. "Yes, Alpha King!" A warrior stepped forward, his voice strong and clear. "Our leaders treat us as nothing. Today, we’ve seen the difference."

Voren raised a brow, his gaze fixed on Alpha Rick. "Alpha Rick, I advise you to never return to the Sultan pack. Find a place in the outlands. Among the outlanders, the rogues, or be a lone wolf." His voice hardened, final and absolute. "My decision is final."

The jolly celebration mood had died instantly.

What had been a night of laughter and wine and congratulations had turned into a battlefield of politics and power. Corvine had turned a candle flame into a blazing fire, and now, people were paying the price.

Alpha Rick’s face contorted with a mixture of rage and terror. His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, but no words came. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, his entire body vibrating with barely suppressed panic.

"King Voren." Alpha Flex’s voice cut through the tension. He stepped forward, his one eye burning with defiance. But beneath that defiance, something else flickered. Something cold and creeping. Fear.

"Alpha Cage might no longer be an Alpha. But I think we are still in the majority."

Seraphine spoke before anyone else could respond. "Alpha Flex." Her voice was soft, almost gentle. But there was something beneath it. Something cold and knowing. Something that made the hair on the back of Alpha Flex’s neck stand on end.

"You were supposed to marry Angela. But she suddenly disappeared."

Alpha Flex went still.

His face drained of color, the blood fleeing from his cheeks like soldiers deserting a losing battle. His breath caught in his throat, trapped there by the sudden, crushing weight of terror. "Do you want to see her?"

The words hung in the air like a noose.

Voren knew nothing about what Seraphine was saying. But the way Alpha Flex’s face turned white was a confirmation that this was a terrible matter. A wound that had never healed. A secret that had never been buried deep enough.

Alpha Flex’s hands began to shake. Small tremors at first, then violent tremors that he couldn’t hide. His one eye widened, the pupil dilating with pure, primal fear. His breath came in short, ragged gasps, his chest heaving as if he had forgotten how to breathe.

Fear radiated from him like heat from a fire. Everyone in the hall could feel it. Could smell it. The scent of a man who had just realized he was standing on the edge of a cliff, and the ground was crumbling beneath his feet.