Chapter 14: Dark Time Is Upon Us
Diana stared at the callousness of her palm while listening to Sally talk endlessly before her. Since the Blood Claws Pack was a pack known for the strong and the smart, they hated the concept of omegas and slaves. In fact, even the cook of the pack house was once a mighty fighter as well. The entire community across the continent viewed the Blood Claws Pack as a haven for the strong—a place without omegas. Because of this growing assumption that helped the image of the pack, Seymor made it clear to Sally and Diana that they should stay at the annex cabin and must not come out until the guest from the Werewolf Committee left the territory.
“Wait a minute, why is there more meat in your soup than mine?” Sally grabbed the bowl of soup from Diana, spilling some on her side.
Diana, who remained silent the entire time she was with Sally, barely looked up at Sally. She was quite used to this already. Five hours after Seymor announced this temporary arrangement, Sally had already nitpicked everything on her.
From the pillows to the bed and now to the food, Sally would make anything—and Diana meant everything—all about her. As the omega with the much lower stand in the hierarchy, Diana swallowed her sigh and nodded at Sally, as if talking to the latter would lower her IQ.
“You can have it, Madam Sally.” Diana placed the spoon on the wooden table and drank two glasses of water to fill up her empty stomach. With the way Sally’s bowl was empty, Diana could already grasp the real intent of Sally’s ‘shell-shocked’ outburst about the meat.
“Good! It is good that you finally grew some awareness!” Sally was elated as she gulped down the soup and bread that was for Diana. No hint of remorse could be seen in her greedy eyes.
Inwardly shaking her head, Diana proceeded to the bed which was a lot barer compared to Sally’s after Sally took her pillow and blanket. With her back against the eating Sally, Diana faced the wall and stared into the nothingness before her—her mind traveling to the happenings that would transpire any moment now.
“ARE YOU SERIOUS, AXEL CRESCENT?”
Beta Seymor Tesan could not help but raise his voice upon hearing the words from the Werewolf Committee’s representative. One simple look from Alpha Dylan, who was calmly seated on his office chair, made Beta Seymor tone down his voice the next moment he opened them. “I mean, why is there a sudden inspection and all public areas at that? Can’t we even know the reason behind such an action? Lest we frighten our people.”
A man who has barely reached the age of twenty solemnly nodded as if he was also thinking about Beta Seymor’s words. But the glint of deceit in his eyes could not escape the alpha’s menacing eyes.
“I hope the Werewolf Committee will not disappoint me this time,” said Alpha Dylan. “Follow me. I will personally guide you around the pack.”
Axel stood up as well. He bowed slightly with a small smile tugging on his lips. “It is my honor to be personally escorted by the Alpha Dylan Cain of the Blood Claws Pack. But under the orders of the Werewolf Committee, I am afraid I will do the inspecting ‘alone’.”
The emphasis of the word was enough to drop the temperature within the office. Beta Seymor looked away, praying for the arrogant brat’s life at the back of his not-so-caring mind. Axel Crescent’s palms turned clammy no matter how he displayed himself as nonchalant. The rigorous training in the Werewolf Committee for years did pay off, this was only the reason why he was able to maintain a cool façade no matter how frightened he was!
“Werewolf Committee,” gritted Alpha Dylan. He did not care about the fact that a representative was in front of him. Inch by painful inch, a slow curling of his lips sent shivers down the spine of Axel Crescent. “Very well, have a merry inspection within my territory.”
Reluctantly, Axel Crescent left the office area after nodding at Beta Seymor and Alpha Dylan. He was quick with his movements, too afraid that the alpha would change his mind. But before he could even close the door, Alpha Dylan spoke.
A pair of bright blue eyes met Axel’s shaking ones.
“Be careful, kid. There are places here not worth risking. Don’t blame us, blame the Werewolf Committee who sent an innocent kid like you to the very heart of chaos.”
Thud!
Axel Crescent closed the door. He was too afraid to hear the rest of the alpha’s words because he was only an inch away from regretting his plan.
On the other hand, Beta Seymor looked at the emotionless face of his alpha. “Are you sure about letting him?”
“What’s there to lose? It is not like we are hiding something. Since when did we hide anything from that deceptive Werewolf Committee?”
“Since that night happened.”
Silence answered Beta Seymor.
“The Werewolf Committee is on edge. I wonder what made them this wary? I heard that it is not only us who are receiving an inspector from the Werewolf Committee. That kid’s pack received one as well.” Beta Seymor pierced the suffocating silence.
Alpha Dylan stared ahead, leaning against his chair while playing with his pen. “The incident within the Black Ridge Pack started it all. After how many years, suddenly, the lost alpha presented the most important piece of evidence.”
“But Doctor Shinro, I mean, Alpha Shinro Ridge said that he only wanted to catch the culprit behind the incident that is why he remained silent, to trap the real criminal he chose to lay low.”
Scoffing from Beta Seymor’s words, Alpha Dylan took a cigarette from his pocket. “I know Shinro, Seymor. That was why I took him here as the pack’s doctor even when we do not need one. Shinro was in danger of self-destructing, so I gave him a purpose. That type of person won’t have the patience to slaughter the culprit who did him wrong.”
“You mean…”
“Someone is moving from the darkness. And that someone is a danger to us all. The sandcastle that the Werewolf Committee painstakingly built through the decades will crumble.”
BLACK RIDGE PACK
OFFICE OF THE ALPHA
“You are the representative of the Werewolf Committee?” Shinro’s gruff voice resonated within the dimly lit room.
“Indeed.”
Shinro glanced at the reflections of the lightning bolts as the thunderstorm seemed to rage more. The howling of the wind and the roars of the thunderclaps filled the room. “Will you postpone the inspection now and proceed for tomorrow?”
“I believe that will be the case.”
Nodding his head, Shinro is about to lift the telephone to call for a servant to guide the inspector to his room, the inspector appeared in front of Shinro as he took the telephone from the latter.
“Forgive me, Alpha Shinro Ridge. But I believe we still have a lot to talk about.”
A low growl of warning erupted from Shinro, he was a minute away from knocking the inspector unconscious when Shinro heard the next words of the old man before him.
“Diana Ritchell sent me here to meet with you. My name is Rakiz Lemoir and like you, I am picked by that frightening person.”
Shinro’s eyes widened after hearing the name of the inspector. It all clicked to him why the old man seemed familiar to him! It was because he grew up hearing about him and seeing his picture displayed on the Werewolf Committee’s Hall of Fame! He was Rakiz Lemoir—the strategist who singlehandedly killed the alpha of the rogues with his intricate plans and schemes.
“Y-You worked for the Werewolf Committee again? No. No. Of course, not. You surely worked for Miss Diana Ritchell and she sent you here in the guise of inspection. You must have orders from her for me, right?”
Sipping his coffee, the pair of sharp-witted eyes pinned on Shinro. “Quite close, but not good enough.”
Shinro frowned. “Then why are you here?”
“Diana, that lassie, was so confident that you would be able to redeem your pack when we first meet. That day, she was about to leave for the Blood Claws Pack.” Rakiz leaned against the soft couch and stared ahead as if he was remembering an interesting memory. “She came to my door and proclaimed the words I would surely die for to hear. Judging by how you called her name, I guess you revered her, and I reckon that she approached you the same way as she did to me.”
“You bet she did.” Shinro could not help the grin on his lips after remembering the young girl who offered him a wounded knuckle and a salvation from the depths he was slowly sinking. Now, here he was—free from the chains of madness and despair. Yes, he was bound by the Oath of Faith to that same girl, but it was a shackle that Shinro put himself into.
Like him, Shinro knew somehow that the old man before him was on the same boat as him. He saw the corners of Rakiz’s lips curling up for a fleeting moment.
“That lassie does have a penchant for collecting old and broken ones.”
Shinro cracked up, totally agreeing with Rakiz. Clearing his throat, Shinro went straight to the point. “So, what is the thing that Miss Diana wanted for us to do?”
“Simple.” A grim smile appeared on the white-haired old man. As the lightning flashed, the illumination revealed his sinister grin at Shinro. “It is to enter the Werewolf Committee. Infiltrate it so slowly until we control most of its power.”
Shinro almost dropped the mug he was holding. “Sorry?”
Placing his mug on the center table, Rakiz continued. “Do you know that the death of my mate and the abduction of my little princess was because of the Werewolf Committee? They collaborated with Alpha Nathan Crescent to create a perfect ‘mistake’ just to make it justifiable. In exchange for peace from the rogues, they sold my family to the remnants of rebellion. Do you know what is worse? I knew all of it. I realized all of their sins yet I am powerless. Why? Because I did not have a concrete piece of evidence.”
“But now, you have it. That is why you showed yourself after staying under the radar for years.” A look of realization penetrated Shinro’s black eyes. “And the Werewolf Committee took you back without a doubt because—”
“Because they want to keep an eye on me.”
“If they are so vigilant about you right now, how can we ‘infiltrate’ a fortress like the Werewolf Committee?”
Rakiz Lemoir did not need to speak. He sipped his coffee and stared at Shinro.
“How can I forget? You are the great mind who nearly annihilated the rogues of the continent.” Shinro shook his head. He did not want to imagine when Diana Ritchell and Rakiz Lemoir would put their minds together.
Shinro’s train of thought was cut off when Rakiz continued.
“And I need you to help me play the game of cut the limbs.”
“Cut the what? Are we butchering the members of the Werewolf Committee now?” Shinro hummed for a second before he nodded. “That is alright. I had my fair share of killing. When do we begin? Shall we begin now?”
“Slow down, Alpha.” He shook his head. “There is no wonder that lassie told me to help you eliminate the roots of betrayals in your pack. You are quite simpleminded no matter how fierce your nature is.” Rakiz pointed a finger at Shinro. “Remember, Alpha. Strength is not everything. Most of the time, the strongest ones die from betrayal and not on the battlefield.”
“Miss Diana has even thought about me, yet here I am, so far from protecting her.” Shinro lamented as he murmured to himself.
“You may not notice this, but that lassie is as scary as the alpha of the Blood Claws Pack. She has an eye for people and a means to make them bend according to her will. Unlike us, she is seeing things from a much wider perspective. The one who needs protecting is you—“ Rakiz took a parchment from his chest pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Shinro’s direction. “Read it.”
Shinro immediately took the paper and read the content. A knot lodged in between his eyebrows the longer he started reading it. “These are the names of my packmates and most of them are my friends.”
“I know. In fact, you are planning to contact them and have some get-together party.”
“How did you…”
“There is a reason why I become a strategist. And in strategy, information is the key reason for the loss and winning.” Rakiz nudged at the paper. “That paper? That contains the names of those who had sold you to the enemy. Your enemy? I think you already know it by now.”
Shinro crumpled the parchment. Anger seeped from his cold exterior as he stared at Rakiz. “Arthur Lera that ungrateful bastard. My friends hated him, how come they were bought?”
“Aside from Alpha Dylan Cain of the Blood Claws Pack, all your so-called friends would do anything for power, for more power. And you? You are only a stepping stone for them.”
“Should I go and kill them? I can arrange for it.”
Rakiz shook his head. A cold small smile on his wrinkled face, it was as if he was laughing at Shinro. “You are indeed coldblooded, Alpha Shinro. But that is not cruel enough for the betrayal of being sold without knowing.” Rakiz’s eyes gleamed with malice as he leaned closer. “Play with them. Make them believe that you are inside their non-existent trap. And when they are about to move, shatter everything for them. There is more painful than death, but the sense of loss of having everything in their palms only to lose it right in front of them—with their eyes wide open.”
Shinro’s eyes grew solemn and colder by the second while contemplating Rakiz’s word of sinister wisdom. The moment he looked up at Rakiz, gone was the hesitation brought by nostalgia in his eyes. It was now replaced with absolute disdain for the broken bonds he once treasured.
“Tell me what you have in mind.”
DIANA WOKE UP FIRST BEFORE SALLY. Like always, she opened her windows and looked for the familiar thing she would always see whenever she was in contact with Rakiz Lemoir—her first investment.
As soon as she saw a petal of a bougainvillea flower, malice flashed in her eyes before she smiled genuinely.
‘The first move in this game of chess and death has been placed. Now, what will you do? I am waiting for it. Please, make it as interesting as I expected.’
“Diana? What are you doing there? Go and prepare the tub for me.”
With her back against Sally, she answered with her usual sweet voice. “Yes, Madam Sally.”