I feel bad for looking at them in disgust!
Matheo is raising his arms at us trying to stop us in the middle. "Please! I beg you not to harm each other!"
"Stay away from him," Amos said and pulled Matheo behind him. "He's dangerous. His prey is his prey whether it's a friend or not." I spread my fingers tightly while unleashing my silver claws. My glare at him is out of my control. They are all the same. They praise themselves like saints by demeaning me as the villain.
"Hessuel! Give room for my chance to explain myself," Matheo supplicated. His quivering, poignant expression softened me a bit.
The texture of my silver fangs rubs my lip as I question with my chin up, "You knew him all along? ever since we came here? Then why didn't you tell me?" The impact of that betrayal broke my voice when I spoke.
But Amos replies confidently when Matheo's tongue is unable to spill words, "We had a deal. For the salvation of Asfara."
"... Mr. Matheo... of all people... why you?" I'm afraid I have to kill him in the latter, too. But that would feel like drinking thorns.
"Leave us for a while," Amos orders. "We have a lot to talk about. Alpha to Alpha." I set my bloodlust to look at him. Matheo was hesitant at first, then hops above the table and straightway leaves the garden. Out of the blue, Amos coughed, then rubbed his itchy nose. "These flowers... Your uncle is smart for planting these." Later on, his eyes turned back to normal like a real human. I see that he can conceal his identity, too.
I said, "I know I smelled your treacherous scent from the very beginning. So you are the proud hero? Alpha Biaco?"
"I am, kid. I've turned my back on that alias long ago." He's the same. The way he speaks is friendly and delightful, astronomically disappointing that it's deceiving. He picks up the journal and walks around the table swimmingly. "I know you have lots of questions in mind. Let me guess those. How did I get to know your uncle? It's part of my hunting. I knew one day you will escape from your bottomless slumber to kill me. It's part of the curse casted upon me.
"I know you're hiding your identity by turning the details upside-down. To compel you out of your hideouts, I enforced servitude to dark-skin people like you. However, Lanasia betrayed our side by hiding you. When her whereabouts became mysterious for years, that was when I befriended anyone close to her, her family, Cormelio. I framed you up for a purpose, to expose you. Ever since then, everyone’s raging eyes are upon you.”
“You… You killed the knights who almost killed Uncle Cor…? And throw the blame on me!?”
“You remember? Good. The Moon Goddess is in my favor for allowing me to watch you under Cormelio's custody. It was greatly despicable that you cannot remember everything from the past. Everything that you have done to me."
"What?" My eyebrows question the same confusion by colliding. He wasn't a part of my memories. "What have I done to you?"
"Haiban," he answered, looking straight into my eyes. He leans both of his hands on the table. "It seems you have no clue, kid. You manipulated my mind. One day, you made me believe that I was a silver wolf. I slaughtered my whole family, my pack, and our Alpha Rigo! And you wanted me to suffer that remorse for eternity by making me immortal! Me? a silver wolf? I will never forget that shame!"
"Ah, you killed Alpha Rigo? Does the Vengeance pack know?"
"..." He's throwing a glare at me at this moment.
I walk swimmingly, "But if your wrath is upon me," then I lean one hand on the table on the other side, "why didn't you kill me while I was a child?"
His voice calms afterward. "I need an answer to why. Why me? Why does it have to be me?" Tears of anger are forming. "I killed my parents. I killed my siblings... they were just kids. I killed my friend... Alpha Rigo. So why me? The answer to that can only be found in your memories. I convinced you to seek it, patiently waiting for the reasons to come."
"It seems you have no clue, Sr. Amos. Haiban is my father." He was startled by the answer. "He was a pureblood silver wolf who lived as a human, and Eldar. My mother is a pureblood silver wolf as well. And she was there... in Asfara when you massacred every single silver wolf there. Painted the palace using their blood to brag about your Alpha. Why you? Because you killed my father's lover. And you killed mine, too. Do these reasons you've been waiting for make you happy?"
"..." He removed his hands from the table and became even calmer. "You are his son...? I see. It's acceptable for me to see his face in you. I must've misunderstood Haiban's prophecy."
"What?"
"Hessuel, would you treat me as an enemy?"
"..."
Suddenly, he hops above the table and kicks my chest. I was pushed onto the floor. And I haven't recouped my stance when he leans above me; one foot treading on my left wrist, his other leg is slanting on my stomach to immobilize me, one of his hands is pinning my right wrist on the floor, and the other is gripping my throat. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?" he asked, then gripping me tighter with that rogue arm!
I can't breathe! I've been trampling my feet on the floor behind him yet it won't help. My eyes went teary from the symptoms of vomiting. Sr. Amos... The man I trusted, the one who convinced me for the first step to being who I am today, even Matheo whom I see as a father, how am I supposed to treat them as enemies? The pain of their resolve to overthrow me so easily commensurates the pain of loneliness.
"You haven't made up your mind," he said before he set me free. I grovel on the floor as I chase my breath. However, the smell of fur is swirling throughout the atmosphere. There are growling black wolves at the doorway, some trespassed by breaking through the glass walls. Their numbers increase and it's a waste to count them. "Show me your strength, pureblood."
In his short whistle, all his Omegas attack me. I received big and wild bites on the shoulders, arms, waist, and legs. And I keep nudging and tossing them away after another, then another set of wolves will attack me. A scratch on my cheek and back. I sway my claws with no stable direction and my attack leaves them fatal, the garden ramshackle. I stagger when I run outside only to find out that there are many wolves out here surrounding the garden dome.
"HAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Along with the scream of my frustration are the loud growl of all these wolves before they all attack me. I kept on screaming, shouting in every swing of my claws, gnashing, and groaning from the injuries I'd been incurring. My coat and clothes are torn. Another short whistle from Amos ceases his Omegas from attacking. I knelt down on the ground with one knee.
"Elibur was right, you are soft sometimes," he commented, gazing at my woeful situation. I never thought I would find myself wounded in the house of my own friends. "You're still invited to join our festival. Or, stick with the plan we made to annihilate me." He made a pitiful chuckle. Sooner than later, a howl of a wolf from afar caught the wolf's crowd's attention. Coming from above...
["Alpha Hessuel!!"] A huge white wolf appeared from above me. That's when I found a floating white gate of Asfara's palace about one hundred feet from this ground. Long stairs are appearing in the air in different directions, then white wolves are coming out from the magical gate and using the stairs to stay above except for this fat wolf who surrounds me—gnashing its fangs at the black wolves. All of them are geared with silver armors. ["Leave this to us."]
"Sh... Sherizzah?"
The moment she howls is the moment all the white wolves jump down to attack the black wolves. Sherizzah remains by my side and that helps me take time to regenerate. I was worried that the number of the Vengeance pack was greater than the Moon's Order pack until reinforcements arrived from the floating gate again and these tiny creatures were happily jumping down the ground.
"Pishnies!?"
Another surprising appearance is made by Zaeramil who's riding a white wolf with his hands activating all these enchantments. He whistles through his fingers and my jaw drops when all the pishnies transform into giant Lycan wolves! They became wild giant creatures that tossed black wolves away with their brawn arms. Their strength threatens the opposing pack which leads them to a forced retreat in the forest. I lost sight of Amos.
Sherizzah howls again to gather the pack around me when the surroundings are clear from the Vengeance pack. ["Let me help you!"] She bends down a little for me to cling to her back and stand up slowly. Zaeramil came down already and an image of a floating book is above his right hand.
"Was that it? Pwe! I knew I shouldn't have expected much. Our preparation became exaggerated!" he emphasized his complaint. He closes the enchanted book and the gate, stairs, and armors disappear like glitters in the air along with it. The pishnies turn back to being tiny, too. "How'd you like my magic~?"
I narrowed my eyes on him. "Seriously, you? What made you amicable?"
"What? Do you think all I can do is sleaze around the bar?"
"And steal."
"Come on! That was weeks ago! I'm not a thief in reality!"
"My first impression will forever be your distinctive trait for me," I said. Sherizzah snickers.
"Whatever."
The pack shifts into humans to greet me formally including Sherizzah. "I'm glad we made it on time. Allow us to help you henceforth, Alpha Hessuel. And please," she raises an eyebrow, stern as always, "don't tell us to go home again! We heard you before you left. We've waited for you for centuries and don't make us wait for you again while you're battling alone. This isn't just yours! It's our battle! If we die, it means we're serving you!"
"Alright. I'm not in the condition to debate." These two demonstrated clever leadership.
She holds me in my arms. "We'll assist you." They take me inside the garden dome and none of us are exempted from coughing. The pishnies transfer all the flowers outside. Zaeramil repairs the glasses through his magic and lit the fire in the furnace. Some of the white wolves rest in front of it. I changed my clothes again, then I discussed everything that happened.
"Absurd," Zaeramil murmurs. "My father will not betray us that easily. He probably has reasons."
"And that reason is to preserve the safety of Asfara."
"See? He was blackmailed. And they could use him as a hostage."
"We have to save him," Sherizzah suggested.
"..." The plan fell into pieces now. My wounds have fully regenerated but the wound caused by betrayal is as fresh as new. I can't pull myself into the condition to brainstorm another plan. There's only one person who can help me heal it. "I'm going to the metropolis. I have to be by my uncle's side."
"I'm coming too! I'd love to meet your human family."
"I'm coming too but not for the same reason," Zaeramil said.
"No. You'll stay. Someone has to protect the Omegas and pishnies."
"But... Ugh... Yes, your majesty."
It's Sherizzah's first time stepping into the city of humans, the reason why she's clingy to my arm whilst looking at the bustling people, especially when we get inside the public clinic. In fact, it's midnight but the nurses and patients are all awake. We were startled when a boy who acted crazy came rushing to the wall and scratched it while screaming. I kept Sherizzah behind me since she was scared.
"What's going on? Are humans always like— Ah!"
The boy tries to attack me but he's weak, I caught both of his wrists. Froth is coming out of his mouth and his eyes are extremely pale. The nurses hurried to tie up the boy to his bed, the parent was helping as well, then they injected anesthesia. The murmuring of the witnesses is clear to my ears. It is a horrible effect of rabies; making people frightened and wild. I scurried to Cormelio's bed and found him sleeping peacefully behind the curtains. Acro is lying beside him.
"Is he your uncle?"
"Yes. His name is—"
"Cormelio!" He suddenly jolts up jubilantly. I'm relieved he's doing fine. Acro was surprised. "Nice to meet you, young lady~! You are?"
"Oh, what energy! My name is Sherizzah from Moon's Order pack. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Moon's Order pack... You've finally found where you belong. Are you two dating?"
"No, no! We're not mates."
"What!?"
I rub my itchy temple. "I knew you were awake," I said.
"And how am I supposed to sleep with a grudge? I'm too old for that!"
"..." I hug him without further ado and whisper, "I'm sorry."
Slowly and gently, he hugs me back. "I love you, Little Devil."
"I love you too." I poured tears silently on his shoulder after all the frustration that rained on me. I found comfort in him, and I'm somehow grateful that fate gave me that chance before he died.