Chapter 11 The Protector
Chapter 11
Vexhood’s POV
“Chaos! Chaos everywhere!” Lady Sarah trembled as she sat on the edge of my couch, her hands clutching her gown like it would save her from the fear in her voice. “We have never seen this before in the history of our pack.”
Her voice quivered like dry leaves in the wind.
I could hear them from the inner room where I was communing with the gods. Their words floated through the cracks of the wall, thin but clear. I wanted to burst into laughter, but I couldn’t. My chest burned instead. Anger boiled in my bones. These people, my people, still dared to question my power.
I am Elder Vexhood Clapperthorn, the only one who can speak to the gods like we share the same blood. The last of the living dead. I can part the seas and make the sun bow to my will. I am the one who feeds the gods when they are hungry, and they eat to satisfaction, if they don't feel like because I just know how to make them feel that way.
When I speak, the pillars of the earth tremble.
And yet, they doubted me.
“Night turning into day?” Elder David’s voice cracked through the silence like the sound of dry wood snapping.
A heavy sigh followed. Fear wrapped around the room like thick smoke.
“Don’t tell me all this is happening because of Mila,” another elder whispered. “Never will I accept that notion!”
Their words stung my ears. Mila. Always Mila. Even in death, that girl refused to stay silent.
“Calm down,” someone said softly. “Let the Chief Priest come in. Don’t we trust him anymore? He is the eyes of the gods. Our moon goddess can’t abandon us like this. Alpha Vexhood will have a solution. This is child’s play to him.”
Alpha Thomas’s deep voice broke through the noise. “Sometimes it hurts me how quickly people change,” he said bitterly. “I just pray Elder Vexhood isn’t angry. If he’s hearing us speak right now…” He paused and swallowed hard. “If he is, we may not leave this place alive.”
A low chuckle escaped my lips as I pushed open the door of the inner room. The thick wooden door creaked like it hadn’t been oiled in years.
The moment I stepped out, silence swallowed the room whole.
Every pair of eyes darted toward me, then away again, like moths scared of the flame. My long dark robe brushed the ground, gathering the dust that kissed my bare feet. My hair hung loose over my shoulders, glowing faintly under the flickering lantern light.
I stood still for a moment, letting the tension stretch thin.
Maybe I should have disappeared from the inner room to where Lady Sarah was, maybe to just remind her who I truly am. Not just a man, but a living force of mystery. Two versions of the same beast.
One half of me could smile and lie and twist politics like a rope around men’s necks. The other half was the spirit in flesh, the one who dined and laughed with gods. This made me dangerous, untouchable and unpredictable.
Even if the gods said nothing, I could still speak for them. And these mortals would listen. Because they, too, could not tell my voice from theirs.
I raised my right arm and slammed my totem against the floor. The wooden idol cracked the ground, and a burst of dust erupted, swirling up like a storm. The air filled with whispers, voices only I could hear. The smell of smoke and iron filled the room.
Everyone froze.
Alpha David and Alpha Thomas dropped to their knees immediately. Their faces pressed into the floor, trembling like children caught stealing bread. The others couldn’t even look at me. Their heads bowed, their breaths shallow.
I walked slowly to the center of the room. Each step echoed, soft but heavy. The totem in my hand hummed with faint light.
“My feet are covered with dust,” I said calmly. “But the dust knows me. Even it trembles at my command.”
Lady Sarah’s lips parted, but no words came out. Her eyes were wide, filled with both fear and awe.
I smiled faintly. “Do you now see? You sit and tremble over things you do not understand.”
Elder David shook his head quickly. “We… We meant no disrespect, Elder Vexhood. We were only afraid.”
“Afraid?” I raised a brow. “You should be.”
A ripple of cold wind brushed past them. The lantern flames flickered. Someone gasped.
I stretched my hand, and from the folds of my robe, five small keys shimmered into sight. They glowed faintly, carved with strange markings that danced like living things.
The room filled with soft humming.
“These,” I said slowly, holding them high so the faint light caught their shine, “are Eclipsera Keys.”
A murmur spread through the elders.
Alpha Thomas raised his head, curiosity chasing away some of his fear. “Eclipsera?”
“Yes,” I replied, my voice low and deep. “Forged from the ashes of lightning and the breath of moonlight. These keys protect whoever carries them. No thunder, no curse, no wrath of the gods can touch you while they are near.”
The elders stared, their eyes wide.
“Take these,” I said, extending my palm. The keys jingled like small bells of light. “Each of you, come forward. Wear one always, and place the other on your doorpost.”
No one moved at first.
Then Lady Sarah stood slowly, her knees shaking. “Can I… can I touch it?” she whispered.
“Take it,” I said simply.
She stepped closer, her trembling hand reaching toward the glowing metal. The moment her fingers brushed it, a soft spark of blue light flashed. She gasped and fell to her knees.
“Do not fear,” I said. “The gods know your name now.”
The others scrambled forward, rushing like hungry pups. In moments, the quiet room turned into a storm of desperate hands reaching out, grabbing the keys from me.
“Careful!” I shouted. “Each person must not take more than two Eclipsera Keys!”
“Yes, Elder! Yes!” they chorused, their voices a mix of fear and relief.
They clutched the keys tightly, pressing them to their chests as if they had just received pieces of heaven.
Alpha David’s hands shook as he fastened one around his neck. “I feel… warmth,” he whispered. “Like something breathing on my skin.”
“That’s the gods watching,” I said. “Or maybe it’s just your own soul remembering what it feels like to be safe.”
Lady Sarah smiled faintly, her fear melting into gratitude. “Thank you, Elder Vexhood. Thank you for not abandoning us.”
I gave a slow nod, though my mind was far away, still with the gods, or perhaps, above them.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky. The sound was deep, like a growl from something ancient.
The elders froze again, clutching their keys tighter.
I raised my hand toward the roof. “Do not fear the thunder,” I said softly. “It will strike. Evil may come. But not you. Not your household.”
Their eyes followed my every movement, trembling between faith and terror.
The air seemed to shift, as if my words had bent the wind itself. The fire in the lantern steadied, burning strong again.
I could feel their belief filling the room, thick as honey.
And I smiled, because belief was power. And tonight, I had taken it all.
“Remember,” I warned, my voice sharp as a blade, “wear one around your neck every moment of the day. It is your protection.”
The last of them nodded eagerly, still clutching their new treasures, unaware that power like this never comes without a price.
And as they bowed before me, whispering their thanks, I watched them with quiet satisfaction
, my eyes glinting like steel beneath the candlelight.
“Make sure you hang one on your neck every time for protection.”