Chapter 132: Worst Possible Moment.

After dinner, Bryce gave Vincent the massage he had promised him, trying and failing repeatedly to get it right until Vincent eventually took over, giving Bryce the massage instead as he taught him how to do it properly.

Somewhere in the process, Bryce ended up falling asleep.

Vincent covered him comfortably, and they slept in the same bed, holding each other throughout the night until morning finally fell over the World.

By morning, the entire realm had already heard that the prophecy had finally come true.

A wolf had appeared, one so extraordinarily powerful that he possessed abilities unlike anything they had ever witnessed.

He had also claimed Vincent as his mate, which meant that, according to what everyone had heard, the two men were romantically involved.

Some could not believe it. They dismissed Bryce as a fraud, a witch, or something equally suspicious. To them, the prophecy could not possibly have chosen someone like him.

If Bryce had truly been sent or chosen by the goddess, they argued, then he would not be so immoral as to become sexually involved with another man.

Others were not nearly as judgmental. They were simply curious, eager to meet the person whose arrival had turned an old prophecy into reality.

They wanted to see him with their own eyes and determine for themselves whether the rumors surrounding his abilities were true.

Then there were those who believed Bryce was far too young to rule over them, particularly the Alphas.

They had no intention of accepting someone they considered a child as their ruler. Instead, they planned to wipe him away, along with Vincent, before either of them could establish any real authority.

Bryce received all those reports from Agatha. She also urged him to create a protective barrier around himself and Vincent, something that would prevent anyone from harming either of them and spare them the constant worry of an attack.

Bryce did not feel even the slightest bit afraid.

Countless Alphas and some of the elders were already sending threats his way, but none of it seemed capable of disturbing him.

If anything, his attention during the day was occupied by something far more practical.

Bryce, Vincent, and the guards visited countless packs, going from one place to another to confirm whether the dungeons had been built according to his instructions.

To Bryce’s utter surprise, every single pack had created them.

It was almost contradictory.

These same people were speaking against him, questioning his authority and refusing to accept him, yet they had still followed his orders exactly as he had instructed.

On the roads and throughout the packhouses, people gathered in large numbers. They craned their necks, stood aside to make room for them, and watched Bryce as though simply catching a glimpse of him was enough to satisfy their curiosity.

Some whispered among themselves.

Others stared openly.

No matter where they went, Bryce could feel the weight of countless eyes following them.

Moonlight Pack, Vincent’s pack, was the last one they visited. It was no different from the others. People had gathered everywhere, their numbers almost overwhelming the roads around the estate.

As Bryce and Vincent walked away from the dungeons, Bryce glanced at him.

"Wanna spend some time here?"

He had noticed how quickly Vincent seemed to want to leave. There was something about the way Vincent carried himself that made his reluctance obvious.

"No," Vincent answered directly.

He did not attempt to hide how little he wanted to remain there.

Bryce looked at him for a moment before speaking again.

"Vincent, this is your place now, and this is where you’ll need to stay most of the time if you’re going to lead the people of your pack. It doesn’t matter how much you hate it. It is yours now, and you can make it lovable again in whatever ways you want."

His voice was soothing as he urged Vincent to see the place differently.

Bryce did not get to hear whatever response Vincent might have given him before a group of people suddenly appeared through the estate’s main gate, led by several powerful-looking men.

The moment Bryce saw them, something about their presence immediately stood out.

They smelled like trouble.

"All those at the front are all Alphas," Vincent murmured.

He recognized them almost as soon as they appeared.

The group continued toward them until the men finally stopped in front of Bryce and Vincent.

"Alright, kid, enough is enough."

One of the Alphas stepped forward.

"We don’t care which kind of dark magic you’re using, but your adventure is over. It’s either you disappear and go back to where you came from, or you resist and become a corpse in the coming minute. Don’t think your stupid dark magic scares us. If we cannot defeat you by our strength, since we know you would use your dark magic to stop us before we do any of it, then we have the most powerful witch ever. So let’s see how far your magic runs."

A woman stepped forward.

She certainly looked powerful. There was something dangerous about her that would have been intimidating to almost anyone standing before her.

But Bryce did not flinch.

His attention was not even on the woman.

His focus had settled on something else entirely.

Kid.

They had called him a kid.

The word irritated him more than the threat itself.

"Calling my mate a kid, isn’t that an insult?" Vincent said.

He clearly did not look impressed either. "Are you implying I’m abusing someone or what? Not that your opinion matters. It’s simply that I will not welcome insults."

He stepped forward.

His eyes suddenly glowed red.

Murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.

"Why are his eyes glowing red? He hasn’t even gone through the rituals and been accepted by the goddess yet!"

"He doesn’t even have an ideal mate!"

Those were the kinds of questions that filled the air, one whisper overlapping another as people stared at Vincent’s glowing eyes.

Bryce and Vincent ignored them.

Bryce’s attention remained fixed on the people standing before him.

"Call me a kid one more time, and you’ll see what this kid will do in return."

His voice was low, but it carried clearly through the crowd. There was pure annoyance in his tone, enough to make the warning unmistakable.

No one answered.

Several of them looked as though they wanted to, but none dared to be the one who spoke.

"We don’t have time to waste here," another Alpha said instead.

His voice carried the same determination, although it shook slightly beneath it.

"We’re here to make sure you two disappear to where you came from, and that’s what we’ll focus on."

Bryce simply chuckled, but there was no amusement in the sound.

"Enough!" the witch woman suddenly shouted. "I don’t have tim..."

Her words abruptly cut off when Bryce silently locked her throat with his power.

The woman immediately struggled to speak, but nothing came out. She could only cough harshly as she fought against the invisible force holding her throat closed.

The other Alphas stared at her in horror.

Bryce looked at them calmly.

"Watch your tone when you speak to me. I’ve entertained enough."

His voice had not changed.

The woman lifted both hands as though she intended to cast a spell on him, only for her hands to remain suspended in the air.

She could not move them any further.

"Bow your head."

The command left Bryce’s mouth before he even realized he had decided to say it. He had not planned to issue it, but the irritation of the moment pushed the words out of him.

The woman’s head lowered almost involuntarily.

She remained there, unable to resist the command.

Bryce looked toward the rest of the Alphas.

"Anyone got anything to say?"

No one dared speak.

Silence spread through the gathered crowd.

Bryce was about to walk away when a sudden movement caught his attention.

Leah appeared from within the crowd, breathing as though she had been running.

Beside her was a woman.

Beside that woman stood a man, along with two girls who looked almost the same age as Leah.

Bryce’s attention immediately shifted toward them.

Something stirred inside him.

It was neither anger nor the annoyance he might have expected to feel at seeing Leah again.

It was something else entirely.

Something that felt like a bond was reaching toward him, connecting him to the older man and woman who had just appeared in front of him.

Bryce’s heart seemed to stop for a second before it started racing.

A sudden dread settled over him as the possibility of who those two people could be entered his mind.

If it really was what he was thinking, then this was the worst possible moment.

He did not want to see them.

He had no desire to see them.