Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Chapter 74

Chapter 74

My arrival in MoonBlade was met with restraint. Guards were stationed at every crook and crevice of the Pack’s outposts, watching and obstructing whatever entered or left their territory. Four vehicles followed behind Clawface and me, while I occupied the passenger seat.

The moment my boots touched the ground, my wolf’s consciousness rose beneath my skin, eager to tear apart anyone who dared resist us.

"Lead me to your Alpha," I said to one of the guards.

Their weapons were gripped firmly in their hands, their eyes fixed unwaveringly upon my face. My men stood at my back, waiting for a single command. My mind remained linked to every one of them, and all it would take was a word for this place to descend into bloodshed.

Sadly, it would, if my sweet peach or Marcellan had been harmed in any way.

"I said... get me your Alpha," I growled. The ground rumbled beneath the effect of the beast stirring within me.

In an instant, I seized one of the guards by the collar. His spear snapped beneath my free hand, and I drew my fangs dangerously close to his throat.

"Have your Alpha show himself to me, or this will become a bloodbath." I had barely finished speaking when Frederick’s growl reached me from my left.

"What else could one expect from a monstrous Pack such as SilverFang?" He strode out from one of the towers with three hefty men behind him, but my concern was not laced upon them. Rather, it settled entirely on Frederick himself.

The guard in my grip yelped as I hurled him to the dirt before stepping forward, obstructing Frederick’s path and line of sight.

"Where are they?" I asked.

Time ticked by, and he remained silent.

"You know I won’t leave here without them. And you’re afraid. That’s why you have your guards positioned around. You don’t want this to become a bloodbath, because you know who’ll lose." I said.

Frederick scoffed and stepped to the side. He began to circle me at a leisurely pace, his voice steady, the confidence of having the upper hand woven into every syllable.

"I’ve always wanted a bloodbath with SilverFang. After all, isn’t that what your people have always painted mine to be? So what difference does it make when we finally become that monster?"

"What the fuck are you saying?"

He pointed a finger at my face when he reached me, silently ordering me to stay where I was.

"I think I’d actually enjoy spilling some blood." His lips curled into a ghostly smile. "Especially yours."

Then he turned to his men.

"Prepare the arena for battle."

He faced me once more, his narrowed eyes issuing a challenge without another word.

"If the Alpha of SilverFang wishes to save his mate and subject, then he’ll fight me alone."

I stomped closer, stopping only an inch from colliding with him. My words dripped with venom.

"And if I refuse your challenge?"

Frederick merely grinned.

"You had two of your most precious people inside my Pack. What sort of strategy was that? You know, it made me come to a realization." He let the meaning settle between us before continuing. "You’re more stupid than smart."

I roared. My fangs hovered only an inch away from tearing into his face, yet he continued.

"That’s what it was. A stupid move. Maybe you didn’t care much for your mate or your friend as much as you pretend to. You willingly threw them into a predator’s den."

What Frederick was doing was obvious. He was brewing my anger, trying to drag out the same darkness embedded within his own heart.

And surely enough, he was succeeding.

Perhaps I’d been too restrained for him. Perhaps he’d forgotten exactly why SilverFang had become the strongest Pack in these lands.

I’d been far too subtle.

"I accept your challenge," I stated firmly, sealing the battlefield between us.

∆∆∆

Sunbeams struck the dome overhead, piercing through the glass ceiling and spilling across the arena floor below. We stood on the outskirts of MoonBlade, isolated from the rest of the territory. Bleachers stretched into the distance where members of the Pack gathered, eager to witness the clash between two Alphas.

I planted my feet into the hardened sand. It had endured so many downpours that it had become rigid, its grains packed together until they resembled stone.

Frederick stood shirtless before me. Our eyes met and our breathing steadied.

There, a thought surfaced unexpectedly. Perhaps he had been right. Perhaps, without realizing it, I’d orchestrated this outcome myself. Perhaps I needed something... someone... to hit so badly that I’d willingly place myself in this absurd situation just to achieve it.

But however the truth lay, I knew one thing.

I was getting Alex and Marcellan out.

And that was why this wasn’t going to take much time.

In a fleeting instant, Frederick stamped the ground and launched himself at me. Hidden within his hand was a dagger aimed directly for my face.

My wolf sharpened my senses, allowing me to sidestep the attack at the last possible second. I rolled across the ground, hooked my legs around his, and sent him crashing down.

The next moment, our claws collided, both wolves eager to tear into the other. The exchange dragged on longer than I liked, and my patience finally began to wear thin. This little performance was nothing short of immature, and I was beginning to remember exactly how unstable I could become.

So I let my wolf take over.

My skin split. Bones snapped and broke as the beast within clawed its way to the surface. Like a thin veil being ripped apart, my flesh gave way to a new form, my entire body restructuring itself.

The transformation lasted only seconds.

When my wolf fully emerged, its roar shook the arena so violently that the glass of the dome rattled overhead.

Frederick answered with his own shift. His wolf charged.

On all fours, I crossed the distance at inhuman speed and slammed into him from the side, hurling his massive frame against the arena wall. Before he could properly recover, my fangs tore into his side, and I used the momentum to fling him in the opposite direction.

He snapped at me, but I easily evaded him and caught him by the neck this time.

Swiftly, I shifted back into my human form.

His wolf hadn’t anticipated it, and I used that moment of surprise to wrap myself around his larger body and slash through his throat.

Blood burst free, exposed to the open air, but he wasn’t going to die. Not yet.

His body immediately began repairing itself, and that was when I delivered the final blow. I drove my claws into the open wound, preventing the flesh from sealing shut.

"Struggle against me, and you’ll only hurt yourself more. You’re already losing blood. You’ll fall." I rushed to warn.

He growled deep within his throat, but reason prevailed. He knew I was right.

"As I said, this wasn’t going to take long," I remarked.

Once again, MoonBlade was reminded why SilverFang had never fallen to them, and why they never would. They simply lacked the experience earned through generations of survival and war.

With Frederick subdued, I continued.b"Tell me where they are, and I’ll allow you to heal."

Around us, both our Packs stood on the edge of violence. Frederick’s men, especially, were beginning to lose their grip on the command he’d issued earlier that this duel was between him and me alone.

Then an arrow came from nowhere. It pierced my left leg, causing my grip on Frederick to loosen.

As I tore the arrow free from my calf, another sliced through the air toward me, but this time I twisted out of its path.

Whoever was firing was skilled. My gaze shot toward the upper levels of the arena. Too many shadows littered the stands, and the direction of the attack remained uncertain.

Frederick had healed during those precious moments, using the chance for himself.

"Have the shooter stop, or my men will attack, and then there truly will be a bloodbath," I warned, glancing down at the blood coating my arm.

Frederick’s blood.

"Kill him..." Frederick muttered beneath his breath. But my ears caught every word.

My ears picked the shooter about to shoot another arrow my way.

Within moments, my mind reached every one of my warriors. "It’s a bloodbath," I commanded.

"Show them why we’re SilverFang."

And war began...