Chapter 211: Challenge accepted.

Camila's P.O.V.

I registered all of this in mere seconds, and then a realization kicked in. I took in a breath as I remembered that Raphael had made a mistake. Out of fury, he had killed Owen in a pack that wasn't his. We were still in the Crescent Moon pack, and Raphael had killed Owen in the pack. He wasn't supposed to do that without the Alpha's permission.

I snapped out of my thoughts, tearing my eyes from the body as I slowly turned to look at Raphael. He hadn't realized the consequences of what he had done and was still staring furiously at the body. The colors of his eyes were pitch black, and his face and his grey shirt were smeared with red blood from killing Owen.

With my chest heaving heavily, I quickly stepped forward and reached out for him.

“Raphael...“ I got interrupted, jumping in fright when I heard a loud snarl from behind me.

"Alpha Raphael!! How dare you murder someone in my pack?!“ I flinched once again, my eyes widening as Alpha Kelvin's voice boomed. His voice dripped with venom, and I could tell that he was furious from the way he sounded.

Shit.

I froze, still staring up at Raphael in dread. His head snapped to the sound, his eyes staring over my shoulders with furrowed brows at something behind me. He still hadn't realized what he had done.

Then in a second, realization finally dawned on him, and his eyes widened as well as if realizing his mistake. They instantly flickered to mine as if he was trying to gauge my reaction, and I didn't miss the emotions that flashed across his face on seeing my expression.

I was worried rather than petrified. He had acted out of anger by breaking a rule, and I was concerned about what the repercussions could be. It wouldn't be so bad, right?

“Fuck." Raphael muttered under his breath, his eyes glancing at the body on the ground before bouncing back at me again.

'I'm so sorry for doing that.' He mind-linked me, stepping closer to me, and I frowned in confusion.

Sorry? Why is he sorry towards me? He did the right thing by ending Owen's life. His only fault was doing it at the wrong time. He could have waited and controlled himself, but he had been too enraged that he didn't think of the outcome of his action. I don't even blame him for doing so. If there were such laws in this pack, I would have also lost control. I would have also made sure to kill Owen right away for everything he had done. He didn't deserve to live.

'There's nothing to be sorry about.' I replied back. 'I understand how you feel. The arsehole deserves to die.'

He shook his head. 'Not that. You shouldn't have seen that side of—'

“You killed a werewolf on my land, and I’m sure you know it’s against the wolf law.” Alpha Kelvin spoke, stopping Raphael from finishing his words through the mind link. “It’s a challenge. We are having a duel fight, and it's kill or be killed."

"What?“

I turn around to face Alpha Kelvin, as I make no attempt to hide my bewilderment.

He had challenged Raphael to fight with him, and one of them had to be killed. Of course, he was no match for my mate. It was a fact that he wouldn't stand a chance against him. I just didn't expect him to be ready to lose everything despite knowing he could lose.

His eyes flickered to mine, and he cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

“I'm sure everyone knows what the outcome is that comes with breaking a rule. As an Alpha, your mate should have adhered to the rule, and now I can't wait to see his downfall when I defeat him.”

What the hell makes him feel like he could win against Raphael? Or was there something I was missing concerning this challenge fight?

“Alpha Kelvin. I would like for us to discuss this just between the two of us.“ He calmly replied as he took a step forward. He grabbed my shoulders and gently pulled me beside him, shielding me from the Alpha. “I must say, you need to reconsider your choice before it's too late.“

In mere seconds, Alpha Kelvin's expression changes, and he bursts out into fits of laughter at Raphael's words. “What? This is not a choice; it's what the werewolf law entails. Besides, do you think I'm afraid of fighting you? Come on, I'll be the one having the upper hand here when you fight against me and ten other wolves. So basically, there's not going to be a chance of you winning.“ Eleven men against one? Explains why he seemed so confident about winning the challenge.

“That’s not all. The winner purges." Alpha Kelvin added, and I stared, completely puzzled.

I have never heard of a purge, and I had no clue what it meant. Everyone else obviously did, though. The werewolves around us gasped; I could see a look of horror and fear in their faces. Especially Alpha Kelvin's men.

"You can't—" The Gamma stepped forward, reaching out to him, but he stepped aside, sneering at the man.

"YES, I DAMN WELL CAN! This bastard thinks he can come into my pack and do as he damn well pleases. He broke a werewolf rule, and it's my choice to punish whoever takes my pack for granted. If I don't challenge him, I won't be able to kill him." His eyes flickered towards me, and a lazy smirk made its way across his features as he took me in. “It is also a very pleasant way of taking over his pack and his lovely mate."

I didn't stop the snarl that escaped my chest this time at his disrespect for us. I couldn't stand his arrogance, especially the way he had been treating all of this as if it were a game. My name sounded like a poison coming from his lips, and I wanted desperately to slap that smirk off his face.

“Don't be too full of yourself,” I snapped, trying to be brave despite my inner turmoil. “If you challenge him, he will kill you.

“Challenge accepted."

On hearing that, my head snapped towards Raphael, and as I stared at him, I was shocked by what I saw there. Raw, burning fury that ran deeper than I could ever imagine.

“I didn't intend to fight anyone in this place, but if it is what you want, I'll do that.” His voice was calm, but his face was a mask of fury as he stared at Alpha Kelvin. “Get prepared. By 7:00 am tomorrow morning, I'll be having a duel fight with you.”