144- Where Mercy Does Not Live
POV Edric Eldoria:
I let out a low growl and hurled the arrow to the ground. I fixed my gaze on the wolf who had shot it. He looked terrified, struggling to ready another arrow, pulling it from the quiver on his back with trembling fingers.
In the blink of an eye, I stood before him.
“How dare you?” I asked in a low, threatening whisper.
“Alpha Kellan ordered us to kill you,” he panted, shaking.
I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The wolf choked, nostrils flaring as he tried to breathe but couldn’t.
“Where is Alpha Kellan? Where is my mate?” I narrowed my gaze and brought my face close to his, exhaling fear-inducing pheromones.
“I… I don’t know,” he gasped, sucking in what little air he could through the only passage not crushed.
I tightened my grip on his throat, feeling the bones crack beneath my fingers.
“If I were you, I’d tell the truth. I’m about to kill you either way. Just choose the method: more aggressive, or less aggressive?”
He shook his head violently. His eyes were reddening, his skin turning purple from lack of air.
I sighed in exasperation, then closed my hand with force. The bones gave way and his throat ruptured, his trachea crushed completely in my grasp. His blood burst across me. I dropped him, dead, onto the snow and wiped my palm on my worn jeans once more.
Those wolves enjoyed dying painfully, no matter how hard I tried to be merciful.
I continued through the village, peeking through the windows of every house, looking for Lunara, Alessio, or Kellan.
I caught her scent on one of the streets. My heart sped up and I bolted uncontrollably in that direction. I pushed open the half-ajar door of what seemed to be an old, abandoned storage shed.
Her scent permeated the place, proof she had been there. I stepped inside, nostrils flaring as I inhaled. My she-wolf had spent days in that room—nothing else could explain her scent being so strong.
A growl rumbled through my chest.
I closed my eyes and focused on her, on our bond. She was terrified, consumed by fear, and she was hurt—both physically and emotionally.
I turned to leave the shed just as a wolf stepped into my path.
“You monster!” she accused. I huffed.
“I don’t have time for this. What’s your opinion on the Eclipse wolves?”
She had messy curly hair, a simple dress, and bare feet. She had probably been asleep when we attacked and rushed out.
“You’re destroying my pack—my family. I hope Alpha Alessio kills you.”
I gestured impatiently.
“You’ve already given me the answer I wanted. Thank you, and have a nice death. And monster is your Alpha.”
I moved toward her, ready to snap her slender neck.
“And what makes you any different from him? You invaded our territory, killing everyone, wiping out everything we built, ending our existence. You’re just like him—just another monster!”
I tilted my head, pressing my lips together thoughtfully.
“The difference, little beta, is that your Alpha invaded my territory first, killed people important to me, and abducted my mate.” I took a step forward; she stepped back, retreating.
“And someone like him should know better than to cross Alphas like me—or worse, touch and hurt my mate. I promised to bring Eclipse to ashes, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
She turned and tried to run, but I was faster, catching her by the neck.
“You’re doing all this for a she-wolf? Destroying an entire pack?” she whispered, shaking her head with tears in her eyes.
A smile curved my lips.
“This is nothing compared to what I’ll do if your beloved Alpha dares harm my mate,” I whispered, my pupils expanding, my eyes turning golden. “Monster or not, I don’t care what labels they give me. They touched my mate—and I’m simply showing them the true meaning of terror for those who dare.”
I didn’t let her speak another word. I twisted her neck to the right, breaking it. The bone cracked and she went limp in my arms. I let her drop, her lifeless body hitting the ground.
I stepped over her and continued my path in search of Lunara.
The screams of despair still echoed around me. The scent of burning flesh and wood grew stronger. A thick cloud formed in the sky above our heads, rising from the village being destroyed—reduced to dust.
There wasn’t a shred of remorse in me, nothing that made me mourn or regret the lives being taken. Not of males, not of females, not even of the pups. Only those who deserved to survive would survive—the wolves who still had a sliver of hope left in them. No one else.
The ice melted in some places, because of the fire spreading from the houses consumed by flames.
My bond with Lunara thundered in my chest, calling me to her. Every cell in my body reacted, my protective instincts taking over completely.
I turned into a more distant street. I caught her scent drifting from one of the houses. It was even stronger than what I had sensed in the shed.
I kicked the door open, blasting the wood against the wall. The house was small and simple. I stepped inside, sniffing, inhaling her scent.
“She’s not here,” a male voice stated.
I dragged my eyes toward the sound, finding an older male. By the way he carried himself—and by his scent—he was an Alpha.
Kellan.
“Where is she?” I asked in a low, threatening tone.
“My son took her to finish the ritual.” I arched a brow and took a step forward, ready to advance and kill him. “I can’t understand what he saw in that girl. He should’ve killed her, just like the sister, on the day of the wedding. But Alessio wanted to turn them into the pack’s whores—he wanted to keep her alive somehow.”
I walked through the house, observing the simple furniture and rooms.
“Your son is a dead male,” I snarled. He sighed.
“I think Alessio was always in love with the girl, in the end. He didn’t want to get rid of her—he tried to find a way to prevent it from happening.” He shook his head. “And to top it off, the girl ran away from him and even found another male. That wounded him deep in his ego.” I slid my finger across the counter by the sink, catching Lunara’s strong scent right there—as well as her blood. They had hurt her in that spot. “My wife wasn’t good for anything—not even to give me a decent heir. She cheated on me, dishonored me, and gave me a worthless son who’s not fit to be an Alpha,” he continued.
I turned toward Kellan and smiled.