CHAPTER 61 : The Alpha of all Alphas"
CHAPTER 61 : The Alpha of all Alphas"
“It begins,” Jade murmured softly, his voice barely a whisper in the heavy silence.
Beta Cedric closed his eyes, pain and regret darkening his features. "We cannot halt it now. Oh, goddess, grant me mercy."
Demetrius , his body heavy with exhaustion, sat up on the bed. He reached for the water on the nearby stand, but as his hand brushed the vessel, a sharp pain shot through him. His breath caught in his throat as a groan escaped his lips, his hands instinctively pressing against his throbbing skull.
Cedric heard it. Jade heard it.
They rushed into the room, their concern etched across their faces.
"You're awake," Cedric breathed, a nervous laugh escaping him, though it was tainted with uncertainty. "He's awake."
Demetrius groans grew louder, his body trembling with the raw agony surging through him. His hand reached out for the headboard, and with a crack of splintering wood, it gave way under his strength.
“WHERE IS MY MATE?” he bellowed, his voice a tempest of fury. His red eyes gleamed like molten fire, a sign that Draven, his beast, had broken free.
Jade and Cedric knelt before him, their heads bowed in reverence, understanding the weight of the beast within.
"Alpha," Cedric began, his voice strained, "the pack leaders... they took her, and—"
"And did what?" Demetrius voice was a growl, low and ominous. His eyes locked on them, demanding the truth.
Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.
Without another word, Demetrius gaze snapped toward the window. He leaped toward it with the speed of a beast, crashing through the frame. In an instant, his body shifted, contorting into the massive form of a black wolf. With a final, savage roar, he bounded into the forest, his powerful legs propelling him through the woods, leaving nothing but the echoes of his fury in his wake.
\--
Three lashes.
Three brutal lashes, each capable of taking the life of any mortal.
The crowd remained, watching in silence, their eyes fixed on her.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly, her body drenched in blood.
The first lash had shattered her legs, leaving her kneeling helplessly.
The pack leaders watched with cold indifference.
“How much longer before he arrives?” Garrick asked, his voice thick with agitation.
“As long as she draws breath,” Rhovan replied, his tone steady.
“She barely breathes,” Alister murmured, studying her with a calculating gaze. “Remarkable... this wolf is stronger than most.”
“She is a wolf like you, bound by the mark of restraint,” Rhovan explained, his eyes narrowing in thought. “That is the reason she still endures.”
Then, he caught it.
A scent—faint, but undeniable, overpowering the air.
Rhovan stood, a smile creeping onto his lips as the others turned their gaze toward him.
“He comes,” he declared, his voice calm yet filled with anticipation. “Demetrius comes.”
Confusion rippled through the crowd. None had sensed it, but soon after, the unmistakable scent reached their noses.
“He approaches in his wolf form,” Rhovan added. “We shall see him once more in his... true form.”
A tense silence filled the air.
And then, with a thunderous crash, a massive black wolf leaped into the arena.
The entire gathering fell into stillness.
“A Lycan ?”
\---
Throb.
Throb.
Throb.
The sound echoed in the arena as he circled the man holding the whip, his claws tearing the man's head clean from his shoulders.
The crowd gasped, a collective shock rippling through them.
Without a second thought, he moved toward her, lying on the ground, exposed to the eyes of many.
When Aria eyes fluttered open, she saw the creature before her—eyes burning a deep, fiery red.
A memory stirred within her.
It was him. The same wolf who had saved her once, deep in the forest.
In an instant, the wolf transformed, shifting back into the man the pack knew—Demetrius . His face, usually masked by coldness, was now bare, his expression fierce and determined.
Murmurs spread like wildfire through the crowd.
“It is you,” Aria whispered, her voice trembling. He stripped off his tunic, draping it over her naked form, his touch gentle despite the fury that surrounded him. He turned then, facing the assembly.
“How dare you?” His voice thundered, shaking the very air, and with that, every member of the crowd dropped to their knees, their heads bowed in submission.
One by one, they sank, their necks bared, acknowledging the power that stood before them.
Lord Rhovan, his face pale with disbelief, slumped back into his chair. His mind raced with the realization.
“He is a Lycan . Demetrius is a Lycan .”
The words echoed in his skull, and his heart pounded with the weight of the revelation.
Around him, the atmosphere thickened with tension. Without warning, Demetrius released his pheromones, his teeth bared in a menacing grin. Some of the weaker wolves began to shift, their forms trembling in submission, while others whimpered, pressing their necks to the ground in shame.
HE IS THE ALPHA OF ALL ALPHAS.
A ROYAL BLOODLINE.
A LYCAN .
Step by step, Demetrius moved toward her, his presence commanding, unstoppable. He reached her and, with unmatched strength, swept her into his arms.
Without another glance at the kneeling pack, he shifted back into his wolf form, his massive frame darkening the arena, and with a final growl, he bolted from the scene, disappearing into the wilds.