Chapter 18: Ruthless To Oneself

Anastasia strode to her cabin when a shadow appeared from her peripheral vision, making her step back on instinct. But the moment she saw who it was, a smile automatically appeared on her exquisite face. “Ben! You’re back!”

Her sweet voice echoed within Ben’s heart, stirring his wolf’s protective instinct. Ben held Anastasia in her big burly arms, his every caress is gentler than the previous. He was holding her like a precious flower, not knowing Anastasia’s thoughts.

‘What took you so look? You are really a piece of garbage for making me wait this long!’

Despite Anastasia’s inner disgust toward Ben, not a trace of hostility could be seen in her face as she gaze at Ben – a gaze as if she was worshipping her hero.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Ben nodded. “I’m sorry it took me so long. The security of the Blood Claws Pack is much tighter than I have initially thought.”

“D-Did you find anything about Diana?” Her voice cracked upon the mention of Diana.

Ben hugged Anastasia tightly, pressing her petite form onto his chest while he patted her back gently. “Diana is in a better place right now. I promise you. Hush now. I can’t bear to see you cry.”

Something flickered in her eyes…

“Wha-What do you mean about that, Ben?” Tears of disbelief flooded the corners of Anastasia’s eyes as she stared at Ben’s affirmation to her inquiry.

With a heavy heart, Ben could only reply. “Diana’s dead. I saw it. I saw everything. I-I am sorry, Ana.”

Ben was pushed a step away from Anastasia’s embrace when the latter erupted into a ‘denial’ frenzy. Her gaze was hazy as she stared at Ben, her lips trembled, and her hands shook. “R-Repeat again! Repeat again!”

The sight of this kind of Anastasia broke Ben’s heart. If he could, he wanted to take Anastasia’s pain so that his beloved woman could only have a spring-like life ahead of her. He was thinking this seriously while cursing Diana for being lucky to have Anastasia.

Ben caressed Anastasia’s tear-stricken cheeks before he cupped her face. This time, his voice was louder and clearer. “I saw it. My teammates saw it. Diana attempted to run away from the Blood Claws Pack but the patrolling guards still caught her.” He paused upon remembering the bloody scene that followed. Hesitating for awhile, for the fear of scaring Anastasia.

“What? Say it! Say it!” Anastasia grabbed Ben’s shirt with her trembling hands. Her movements were frantic.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ben continued. “We all know how ruthless the Blood Claws Pack can be for traitors. Diana was their tribute and they could not and would not tolerate deserters. It happened at the borders so me and my team witnessed that cruelty.”

“How… How did she die?”

Ben, who was still immersed on that flashback, did not see the excitement and cruelty that flickered for a moment from the tear-stricken eyes of the supposed ‘devastated’ Anastasia.

“She was slashed by a patrolling guard and was forced to flee… and then she fell to the cliff. That cliff has jagged stones beneath it. No one can survive there. Once a wolf falls there, the others can only retrieve a mutilated corpse down the cliff.”

That cliff of the Blood Claws Pack was infamous for its death rate. Those who perished there could no longer be counted. For Ben, even for Anastasia, they could deduce what happened to Diana after she fell.

Anastasia turned away from Ben. In a quiet voice, she muttered, “I want to be alone for now, Ben.”

Words were forcefully swallowed by Ben. He could only nod his head. “Just mindlink me when you want to meet. I don’t have any missions as of the moment.”

Anastasia did not answer as she walked back to her cabin. The moment her back hit the wall, she covered her hand, stopping herself from shrieking from utter delight.

‘Diana that bitch is finally dead! She’s dead! Which means all of what belongs to her is now mine, mine, mine!’

Anastasia was still relishing the happiness of Diana’s delight while on the other hand, at the territory of the Blood Claws Pack, specifically in the alpha’s office, a storm was brewing between two people.

The stench of blood permeated the stale air-conditioned office of the ice-cold alpha. Even when the skies beyond the office’s windows was particularly bright, the atmosphere within the room was the complete opposite of it.

Finally, someone pierced the tensed silence that engulfed the room. With a low and dangerous voice, Alpha Dylan spoke. “Are you satisfied?”

“What do you think?”

A hint of malevolence flickered in the alpha’s dark gaze as he watched the red patch of blood. His thin red lips pursed. “I forbid you to do this kind of useless thing again.” His voice was domineering, giving the recipient without any chance of refusal.

But who was he talking to? He could be overbearing as much as he wanted in front of his subordinates, but in front of his mate?

Two words: wrong move.

Without any fluctuations in her eyes, she finally looked at the eyes of the seething alpha in front of him. “Okay. Please stop pacing. You will burn a whole on your office floor.”

“Easy for you to say.” Alpha Dylan sneered at his little mate. Though his voice was harsh, the doting look in his eyes betrayed his real feelings. “I just want you to lean on me. You said you want my power, so use me. Why must you pull that stunt just to make those bastards believe your act?”

“To make that scheming bitch believe, it must be close to being real for Ben. That man is meticulous. That is the reason why he got into that rank while being young.”

Alpha Dylan’s heart ached upon seeing the determination and cruelty in his mate’s eyes. Her eyes shone like stars – as expected to the woman destined to stand by his side. She was fierce, decisive, and cruel to herself. “You are so cruel to yourself.”

A bitter smile appeared on Diana’s red lips. “Cruel to the enemies, and more cruel to myself. Only by doing this can I never forget the blood feud between them and I.”

Alpha Dylan remained quiet. According to his investigations about Diana, his mate and her former pack had no blood debt. A sense of crises arose from the pits of his heart, a feeling that was so foreign for him. He did not know why, but he got the feeling that if he did not hold Diana tightly, she would vanish in front of him.