Chapter 88 The Hunger That Found Its Mate

Chapter 88 The Hunger That Found Its Mate
The dust from the arena rose into the air, creating a thin mist that smelled of blood and dry earth. Amidst the chaos, Shax stood frozen.
His fingers gripped the iron balcony railing with a force that could crush concrete. His sharp eyes remained unblinking, locked on a single point below: a she-wolf with reddish-brown fur that glistened in the moonlight.
A color that seared into his memory.
A sharp throb struck Shax's temple, triggering a painful flashback. Images of those cold nights in that remote village suddenly replayed. He remembered nearly being attacked by that same wolf that afternoon. A wolf that had sent him running like a madman.
And again, it only reminded him of how humiliating his life had become since he lost his memory.
"That wolf was… you?" Shax murmured, his voice almost lost in the din of the crowd.
The atmosphere in the audience area, once filled with jeers, had now turned to one of shock and curiosity. Michelle's transformation was an anomaly that defied the pack's logic. In their eyes, Michelle was nothing more than an Omega wolf-less, the lowest caste, worthless than the dust beneath their feet. But now, that reality was shattered.
Sylas, sitting arrogantly on his throne, turned to his brother. His eyes narrowed, gleaming with dangerous amusement.
"Did you know that bitch could transform?" Sylas asked, his voice deep and pressing.
Shax shook his head slowly, though his jaw tightened until the muscles in his neck bulged. "I just realized that too," he replied curtly, hiding the storm that was beginning to rage within him.
Sylas laughed out loud.
It wasn't a triumphant laugh, but the frenzied laughter of a predator who had just discovered a new, more challenging toy. "Interesting. It's fascinating to see her struggling to survive when she knows she has only a slim chance. It's truly entertaining, isn't it, little brother?"
Shax didn't answer. His attention was completely consumed by the brutal turmoil within him. Beneath his skin, his wolf howled wildly, a primal roar that demanded one thing with a frenzy that nearly shattered his consciousness:
“MATE! MATE!”
The air around Shax felt thin. Heat spread in his stomach. It felt heavy and searing, as if liquid metal were coursing through his veins. The pull sank deeper, lower… making his body tense mercilessly.
A sweet, intoxicating scent, a mix of forest rain and crushed wildflowers, began to waft from the arena, filling his senses. It was Michelle’s true scent, unhindered, undisguised. It caressed Shax’s nerves, triggering a dark, possessive hunger.
The throbbing came again, stronger and wilder, a reaction he couldn’t control, even when… it was only triggered by an image.
An image of her.
Inside his head, something darker began to take shape.
He saw himself pulling Michelle closer, kissing her skin relentlessly, mercilessly. His breath caught on her neck, his teeth touched, his tongue pressed… leaving a trail that wouldn't disappear. The small, choked sound that escaped Michelle, somewhere between protest and something more fragile, only made the thrust all the more dangerous.
His hand tightened.
In that imagination, Michelle trembled beneath him, not from fear alone, but from something equally powerful… something that had bound them together for so long.
Shax swallowed hard. His body reacted as if it were all real. Yet this was only an illusion.
His wolf struggled, clawing at the walls of his consciousness, urging Shax to plunge into the field, rip out the throat of anyone who dared touch his woman, and claim Michelle for himself in front of everyone.
His feet were already moving automatically, one hand poised to leap over the fence, until suddenly, a foreign voice crept into his head.
The voice was clear, sharp, yet trembling with overwhelming exhaustion.
\[“Shax, I hope you hear this.”\]
Shax's eyes trembled. It was a mind-link.
His heart was pounding erratically, confused and shocked that an Omega could seemingly penetrate his mental defenses so easily. Down below, he saw Michelle being struck by the rogue. Thick red blood splashed onto the ground, and Shax felt as if his own skin was being ripped.
“Mind link… when you were in that situation?” he muttered under his breath, the words barely audible even to himself.
\[“I hate you, Shax. I hate you so much.”\] Michelle’s voice echoed with brutal honesty.
\[“I may never be able to forgive you. Because of you, my life has become so much more painful.”\]
Shax sucked in a sharp breath. His ribs felt like they were being crushed inward, as if an invisible hand had wrapped around his torso and was slowly tightening. The pain wasn’t just his, it bled through the mind link, tangled with hers, suffocating.
For a second, he couldn’t tell whose pain he was actually feeling.
\[“But at least I learned that you loved Skai. That’s enough for me…”\] Her voice faltered at the edges, cracking despite her effort to hold it together.
Shax’s jaw locked so hard it hurt. He forced his voice through the link, rough, strained, clinging to control.
“What the hell are you doing right now? Focus on your opponent, you idiot.”
Michelle laughed mockingly, continuing, \[“Skai is the only precious thing you’ve given me, and I’m willing to sacrifice anything for his life. Not just me, but Bertha too… who wants to save Skai from Sylas.”\]
At the mention of Bertha, Shax’s head snapped toward Sylas. The man was still smiling. That same sick, bloodthirsty smile.
Something cold slid down Shax’s spine.
\[“Sylas wanted something from Skai. Something dark. Bertha knew it; that’s why he killed her. So I’m begging you…”\]
This time, there was no anger left. Only exhaustion and something dangerously close to surrender.
\[“Take care of Skai. Love him. Please. He… is your son, you already know that.”\]
After those words were spoken, Michelle’s strength seemed to drain away. The ginger wolf's body lay limp on the arena floor, motionless. Shax watched the scene, his entire body trembling violently. He was about to shout Michelle's name, about to jump down without regard for the consequences, but suddenly—
BOOM!
A thick, acrid smoke exploded right in the center of the arena, blinding everyone. Within seconds, all the lights in the mansion and the arena went out completely. Darkness descended, as if night had swallowed them all.