Chapter 193

LUXURIA.

It all happened like a bad dream.

The kind where you're paralyzed, screaming with no sound, running but never moving—trapped in a nightmare that only tightens its grip the more you struggle.

But this wasn't a dream. This was real.

And I was forced to watch it unfold.

The scent of blood clung to my tongue, my skin, my very soul.

I saw those I once called my people being slaughtered like animals.

Screams filled my ears from all sides as we took the Wild Wolf pack warriors guarding the gates by surprise. They never stood a chance against these vile men.

A sharp pulse tore through my veins, curling up my spine like a searing brand.

I sucked in a breath, my fingers twitching against the restraints as the sensation slithered through my blood.

No. No, not now.

The chaos was awakening something dangerous in me - my curse.

The beast in me seemed to enjoy the sight before us, but I fought it back.

For the past few days, Xurie had gone totally silent. I couldn't tell if it was because she was angry at me or she was growing weaker. All I had done to reach her had proven abortive.

I yanked my hands in an attempt to free them from the strong grip of Alpha Jalar, but the ropes only bit into my skin, making it burn.

"Stop! Rorden!" I screamed at the top of my lungs at Rorden, who enjoyed the chaos he unleashed. His lips curved into something almost serene—like an artist admiring his masterpiece.

This was his masterpiece.

Chaos. Death. Destruction.

"Rorden!" I screamed again in desperate fury, my throat feeling so raw.

He turned slightly, just enough to glance at me over his shoulder.

And he smirked.

The kind of smirk that sent ice straight to my veins.

The kind that told me he was exactly where he wanted to be.

And he was far from done.

Seven thousand warriors.

Seven thousand ruthless warriors, whose eyes glimmed with a hunger for carnage, had come with him. And in front of these warriors stood the seven Alphas, each commanding a thousand men.

Rorden lifted his hand, and with a single flick of his fingers, they began to move.

Seven different groups, each splitting like veins across the area, fanning out toward the seven gates of the Wild Wolf pack.

Every corner of the pack was about to be flooded with blood.

I yanked again at my restraints, my skin burning from the roughness of the ropes, but Alpha Jalar's grip was like an iron shackle.

"Don't fight it, little Luna," he murmured, "You'll only hurt yourself."

I wanted to spit in his face, wanted to tear his throat out with my teeth, but my gaze suddenly caught something in the distance.

A figure cloaked in black, his aura as suffocating as a thick fog rolling in before a storm.

Alpha Zegan.

The Dark Alpha... Rorden's right-hand man.

I wished it was just his arrival that made my blood run cold. But it wasn't.

It was what he brought with him.

Or rather—who.

My breath hitched.

Sibille.

She was dragged forward, her wrists bound in thick chains that already turned her wrists red and bruised.

"No," I whispered, horror clawing up my throat. "No—Sibille!"

I struggled violently, yanking against Jalar's grip, but the brute only laughed, tightening his hold on me like I was some misbehaving pet.

What was Rorden up to? Why would he bring Sibille here?

A slow smile stretched across Rorden's face.

"Ah," he hummed, tilting his head. "I see Zegan brought something special."

"What does she have to do with this? She is no fighter. Why is she on the battlefield?" I blinked rapidly, clearing the blur the tears had formed in my eyes.

"She's an important ingredient for today's ritual, little one." He replied before turning away from me.

Rorden looked different as if I was staring at someone else. The aura around him reeked of death and destruction. And it made me wonder what and who he intended to rule by the time he killed everyone in the Wild Wolf pack.

"You'll stay with us and lead us into the main gates," Zegan said to Tervan, the traitor, who stood beside Rorden.

I was disgusted. I wish I could drive a sword into his heart.

Tervan nodded and began walking towards the main entrance as we followed behind.

***

ALPHA PARTHE.

"Take two hundred warriors each to every entrance of the pack!" I roared over the clamor of rushing footsteps and urgent voices.

Macu, my third-in-command, stiffened. Thankfully, he had stayed back to lead the remaining one thousand warriors to the Valor Sheild pack if the need ever arose, but even he couldn't twist numbers into what we didn't have.

"But, Alpha, that would mean we need a total of one thousand four hundred warriors to cover all seven entrances. We don't have that many to spare. And we also need a defense within the pack," He rushed his explanation, and the realization hit me.

Fuck.

We were short of warriors.

"Do something, Macu! Anything! Make it one hundred per entrance if you must!" I yelled into his face, "And where the fuck is Urik! Why haven't I seen him yet?" My eyes scanned the chaos, but he was nowhere to be found.

Everyone ran around, preparing for what's coming. No one in the Wild Wolf pack was a weakling. Everyone was trained to be a fighter, to defend themselves in times like this.

"I haven't seen him, Alpha," Macu replied.

A snarl curled up my throat, my patience snapping.

"Go!" I ordered him, and he hurried out of my sight.

Tervan was still out surveying the war with the Valor Shields. Damn it. If he were here, I'd at least have someone to trust at my side. I was practically alone now.

I pushed the thought away. It didn't matter. This was my pack. My people. I'd do what needed to be done, even if I stood against thousands alone.

"Take the women and children to safety!" I ordered Kira, one of my witches, "And bring together all the witches. We need to fortify our gates!"

Urik would have told me he told me so. He would have stood beside me, arms crossed, wearing that knowing look—the one that said I should have listened.

If I had, we would have had more time to prepare.

But fuck that.

This wasn't about regrets.

It was about survival.

And no matter what, I would not let my pack fall.