Chapter 31

The Scent of Betrayal.

Jason.

Clyde came running in with his beta and the most-feared Orhert.

"Our target is in sight! It is a huge silver wolf that is copying the steps of the Alpha, watch out for the beta also, he seems formidable!" I gave out my orders. My heart thumped with anxiety, if we lost to Clyde there was no more redemption for us.

"goddess guide us to justice!" I roared and we went on our offensive tearing at the trio as they tore back at us, the battleground was bloody already, but our wounds healed as quickly as they were inflicted.

The battle morphed into war of wills as we stumbled upon midnight, the Orhert was even more powerful than we had assumed and I was beginning to get a whiff of doubt from the aura’s of my men so I screamed onto them to boost their wavering morales,

"from Victory to victory! Failure is not an option! You are not permitted to give up! Neither are you allowed to retreat. If an Orhert has been defeated before, It means we can do it! And if an Orhert has never been defeated, tonight we make history!"

"Yeahhhhhhhhhh!" my men cried in reply and the battle ground was engulfed with the heat of their passionate attacks. Hayden’s men were a big relief to me, they trusted me like I was their alpha and they obeyed all my commands without the slightest hint of doubt, fear or scorn. They were trained to adapt to authority, and I made a note to applaud Hayden for his precise trainings that had helped me so greatly in my most important conquest.

Our victory came closer to our sights when the strict movements of Clyde’s Orhert began to slacken and lose it’s sync with its Alpha — the skills of the Orhert depended on the Alpha, it replicated the Alpha’s moves and used it in its attacks. The one weakness of the Orhert was its mind, without the Alpha to lead it, it was merely and oversized wolf with super strength and extremely predictable and slow movements. The shock on Clyde’s face was priceless when he observed that his precious Orhert was staggering like a drunken fool, and was sustaining a lot of injuries. He was growing frantic, and this was our chance to overwhelm him and end this war for good.

"The Orhert has been tampered with! Take him down before he regains his balance!"

While I fought face to face with the flustered Clyde my men surrounded the Orhert and brought it to its knees.

The air smelt sweetly of acrid betrayal, someone from within their pack had betrayed them and poisoned the Orhert. Who would have thought that Clyde would have been foolish enough to disclose the whereabouts of the Orhert to the members of his pack! Now he had gotten himself defeated by himself. As we fought and I brought him to his knees, I noticed the absence of his Beta and I chuckled.

"You’ve got yourself a loyal Beta haven’t you. I’ll go seek him out to thank him for his generosity, and kindness " I taunted; Clyde’s face distorted with disappointment. His downfall was as a result of the selfish actions of someone he had put his trust in.

Gray.

I watched Jason's pack from the shadows, their preparations impressively thorough. They had the advantage of the sick Orhert's condition, and they were ready to exploit it. My heart pounded with a mix of excitement and fear as I prepared to confront the pack I once called my own. I had to accept the consequences of my actions, of my failure to let my own kin trample on my dignity and belittle me. I loved Clyde but he could no longer give me what I needed to thrive this was my chance to seize the power I so desperately craved.

As the rightful successor to the pack, I couldn't let Clyde continue down this destructive path. But my resolve was met with doubt. Could I really defeat Jason, who had proven himself as an Alpha worthy of respect? Nevertheless, I couldn't stand idly by, knowing the suffering Clyde's reign had caused.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out from the shadows, revealing myself to Jason's pack. "Hold!" I called out, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside. "I challenge you, Jason, for the leadership of Clyde's pack."

I signaled to my allies Elliot and Mirian and they emerged and captured the already wounded Clyde who lay on the floor.

The was a huge smirk of disdain on Jason’s face as he summoned his men to come and face me.

Clyde who was stupefied by the outcome of things was very quiet as they bundled him out to the same dungeons he had detained me in. He was to go through all I had went through, bleed as I bled and suffer disgrace like I had also suffered at his hands.

"Bring it on!" Jason shouted to me and the fight ensued.

Clyde.

Pain and bitterness coursed through my veins as I watched Gray step forward to challenge Jason. My pack, the one I had nurtured and protected, had fallen into chaos because of my own misguided decisions. Jason's eyes met mine, his expression stern, but I could see a glimmer of sadness within them. He had once been my friend, and now we were on opposite sides of the battle.

As Gray and Jason faced off, my body weakened by the defeat, I knew this was the price of my arrogance. I was losing control of my pack, my reign crumbling. Even if Gray won, the pack would never be the same. But in my heart, I knew it was time for change. I should have treated my best friend with all the respect he deserved but I did not, and now I was suffering the consequences.

Is this what the goddess had meant by her silence? Was she trying to show her disdain at my actions, towards my most trusted friend?

Even my seer had been captured in her prophetic trance, the goddess had completely forsaken us and my pack was in total ruins.

Gray fought valiantly, but the strength of Jason's pack overwhelmed him. In a final, desperate move, Gray turned and fled, deserting his followers. The pack he once sought to lead was now broken and disillusioned.

Mirian and Elliot.

By the time we locked up Alpha Clyde in the dungeons and returned to the battlefield, Gray our supposedly Valiant leader had fled the battlefield, and Jason’s pack were on a rampage — scouting for survivors and valuables. We had made a huge mistake in trusting Gray, he had fled without a second thought of our fate.

To save our lives, we fled and headed towards the human territory to seek refuge.