Chapter 107: ¹⁰⁷: we need a betrayer

Seeing the distressed expression on his chief’s face, Maddox stepped forward.

"We will soon know if Alpha Kael is really the one in the prophecy, Brother Zark. You know you will be promoted to an even higher post when that happens!"

Zark slowly looked up at him.

Maddox was looking at him with an optimistic expression, as though the thought of the future promotion was enough to erase all the frustration they had been discussing moments ago.

"When?" Zark asked, his voice filled with impatience. "How long do I have to wait still for that?" His eyes remained fixed on Maddox, waiting for an answer.

"Only if Kael Dreven were not the Alpha of the Starlight Empire." Maddox said, his fists clenching as his voice grew colder.

"Only if he were not so powerful that killing him could bring problems for us, I would not have waited like this to first confirm if he is actually the one in the prophecy,"

The optimism from moments ago had disappeared from his expression. "He is the descendant of those cursed worms, and that alone was reason enough for me to just go and kill him as soon as possible."

He paused, his jaw tightening as his frustration surfaced again. "Just like Gaer killed Athena Roosevelt even before confirming if she really was the wolf in the prophecy."

"She was the Wolf in the prophecy, Maddox." Zarek chimed in, his voice filled with regret.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing as memories of the past returned to him.

"She was the Silver Wolf in the prophecy. That’s why her father, Steven, never let her show her wolf to anyone. He never let her fight alongside him - to protect her."

Zarek scoffed at the last part, an amused glint flashing in his eyes. "And that became the reason for his death as well. Not having such a powerful wolf alongside him in a war."

His lips curled into a mocking smile. "So stupid!"

"I don’t understand such people," Maddox replied, disbelief clear in his voice. "Steven had such a powerful daughter, and instead of having her with him, which would have made him invincible, the war he fought for so many months could have ended in days. But no..."

He shook his head, as though Steven’s decision was something he simply couldn’t comprehend.

"He chose the possibility of losing his own life over putting his daughter in our eyes as the wolf in the prophecy."

He scoffed, almost amused by the thought. "We killed her regardless. Might as well have used her for some time."

"They call it affection, Maddox." Zarek’s voice dripped with sarcasm. "Those stupid people put that affection above their own selves. They..."

Zarek suddenly stopped in the middle of his sentence. His expression changed as though a thought had struck him. He shot up from his chair, his eyes widening slightly as he turned toward Maddox.

"Maddox, Athena Roosevelt was the Silver Wolf in the prophecy, set to be the Alpha." His voice had suddenly become much more serious. "If Kael Dreven is really not the one in the prophecy, then Athena was more powerful than him."

He looked directly into Maddox’s eyes, his own gleaming with a barely restrained desire for murder. "If Gaer was able to kill her, then why won’t we also be able to kill Kael Dreven?"

Maddox immediately shook his head. "Gaer was able to kill her because he had someone close enough to her to catch her off guard and kill her. If Gaer had not had a deal with the current Alpha of Steven’s pack, he would have been dead under her claws."

Maddox’s expression became serious as he reminded Zerek of what had happened that day.

"Don’t you remember the dozens of dead bodies Gaer had brought back from that mission? All those seasoned warriors were killed by her within a span of just a few seconds!"

Zerek’s expression hardened. He stared at Maddox for a moment, his anger still visible in his eyes, before abruptly turning toward the man who was still sitting in the shadows, silently listening to the news.

"Isn’t he the one who can play the betrayer in Kael Dreven’s case?!" He pointed toward the man, his anger now directed entirely at him.

"Aren’t you brothers with him, huh?" Zerek shouted as he strode toward him. "Aren’t you the one who claims he trusts you blindly?"

He continued moving until he was standing directly in front of the man. "You can make him do anything you want, can’t you? Then why aren’t you doing something to just kill him off using that trust?!"

The man, who had remained silent until now, suddenly stood up. "Do you listen to me?!" His voice exploded through the room as he stood eye to eye with Zerek.

"I had told you that day not to do that first explosion during the Imperial Army Forum, and what did you say?" His eyes burned with anger as he mimicked Zerek’s earlier confidence.

"’It will send a strong message.’"

He scoffed bitterly. "What happened after that?" His hands clenched at his sides.

"Kael caught the man you had used to perform that dark magic before anyone could even get a hint of it! I was reinstated from my position and transferred to the fucking Education Department!"

The bitterness in his voice became impossible to hide. "Now, while I used to be in the Army planting your men to help you, I am deciding how to conduct the exams in our Empire in the coming days."

He gave Zerek a furious look. "Do you even realize what your stupid plan has done to me? I have been reduced to a fucking mere exam organizer!"

"How would we know that Kael Dreven would be able to catch our man?" Zerek’s voice was equally loud as he stepped closer to the man, refusing to back down.

"It was your duty to find out how Kael Dreven recognized our man, Gamma Derek!"