CHAPTER 13: FACING DANGER

Ayla's POV.

I took a step backward while breathing heavily as I felt Alpha Liam's fangs on my skin. I was about to surrender to his temptation and let him mark me when I sensed an unfamiliar presence approaching.

"A-Alpha, stop! Can’t you hear the footsteps? Someone’s coming…" I said, my voice trembling with fear.

My senses were on high alert but I hope my hunch was wrong.

"Who?" he asked.

"I don’t know," I immediately answered while biting my lower lip. "The unfamiliar scent is winning out over the next one."

I knew he could smell Vincent from afar, but I couldn't give him the right answer. I just knew that someone with a dark and strange aura was with him but I don't know who it was.

His brows furrowed while staring straight at me. "If you are referring to Alpha Isaac, my Luna, we're in big trouble."

"I-Isaac?" I stammered and felt a chill down my spine. "Do you mean the merciless Alpha?"

Alpha Liam gave me a firm nod to confirm. His answer was enough to make my lips purse on their own as my mind was flooded with stories about Alpha Isaac.

As far as I remembered, Beta's servants always talk about how he killed dozens of werewolves and other species without batting an eye.

If I'm not mistaken, the state also viewed him as the least desirable of the nine Alphas due to his nature of being ruthless and inhumane.

If I were to be asked, I definitely didn't want to meet him in person.

"We need to get out of here, Alpha! There's no way we're staying here until they arrive—not now, not under the full moon!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with urgency.

Alpha Liam shook his head and took a deep breath. "If you leave these grounds, his rage will surely claim your life," he warned.

I just stared at him intently until hopelessness became visible in my eyes.

"We can't return to the grand ballroom and we can't stay here either. So, what exactly do you want us to do, Alpha?" I asked him desperately as terror washed over me.

I don't know why but I'm having a bad feeling about the Alpha's reaction. My face turned pale as I patiently waited for his answer.

"We will face him…"

My eyes widened in shock as I found his reply unbelievable and deadly at the same time.

"B-But you said facing him would be like facing death?" I said with my voice shaking.

"Yes," he answered with a deceitful smile. "And I'm going to let you do that tonight. Let's see if a friendly greeting can change your fate, my Luna."

My breathing became ragged as my hands started shaking in fear, Alpha Liam consoled me by placing a reassuring hand on my arm.

I guess I don't have any other choice but to trust him and pray to the moon goddess to keep me away from death.

"We've been searching for you, Alpha Liam," Vincent said with a smile as he walked in our direction.

"Sorry, Vincent," Alpha Liam replied casually and turned to me. "I just want to be alone with my Luna. My blood began to boil as they stared at her while we danced."

I tried to listen to Alpha Liam's explanation but the pounding in my chest was giving me a hard time.

A chuckle escaped Vincent's lips. "You're a possessive one, Alpha Liam."

Amusement was visible in his eyes but having a friendly approach with the event's coordinator was not enough to cure my overflowing anxiousness.

"I guess I am." Alpha Liam grinned at him. "Are you having an important conversation with Isaac?"

Vincent slowly shook his head and stared at me meaningfully, as if he was giving me a warning on what will happen next.

"He said he wanted to talk to you and your Luna."

Alpha Liam acted like he was surprised by what he heard. "That’s surprising. What do you need from us, Isaac?"

As soon as Alpha Isaac's gaze landed in my direction, my heart began to race like hell. His excessive bloodlust and desire to kill me are too much for me to handle.

"Isaac used to be one of my friends, my Luna but our differences ended our friendship. He's a merciless killing machine, whereas I am more of a strategist," Alpha Liam said out of the blue. "Why don't you say hi to him?"

I tried to compose myself and hide the fear that was breaking my system.

"I-It's an honor to meet you, Alpha Isaac. I’m Ayla Smith, Azteca Creed Pack’s Luna," I said firmly, trying to steady my voice.

"MURDERER!"

I tried to avoid the situation, but it was impossible for me to ignore it. The wrath of Alpha Isaac was weakening my body. And I know it may seem exaggerated but he was able to break my spirit with one word.

'Murderer...' I inhaled. 'What he said was right. I am indeed a murderer.'

He glared at me, his eyes were full of anger and disgust. "Give me the rogue, Liam!" Alpha Isaac demanded.

Alpha Liam shook his head and gave him a taunting smile.

"Haven’t you heard my pack’s name on her lips?" he said, making anger rise from Alpha Isaac's face. "Ayla is my Luna, she's my fated mate, Alpha Isaac."

"She should be mine!"

"Yours to trample and kill?" Alpha Liam replied with bitterness.

I silently swallowed a lump in my throat as sweat dripped from my forehead to my cheek.

I have a feeling that the Alphas' conversation would result in my death.

"Back off, Liam!" Alpha Isaac hissed. "Her existence would only bring us chaos."

"Chaos?" Alpha Liam answered with a laugh. "It's been years, Isaac. How could a woman who had been abandoned by the gods and treated as an outcast cause such havoc?"

"Stop pestering me!" Alpha Isaac snapped, his patience wearing thin while looking at me. "She belongs to the Silverline pack, the state's tenth group!"

"That pack was abolished eighteen years ago," Alpha Liam countered.

Alpha Isaac's rage made my heart cold and heavy, I couldn't understand why his desire to curse me and send me to hell was unimaginable.

“Why are you doing this, Liam?" Alpha Isaac's voice became sharper as his gaze remained piercing. "What’s your motive? Why are you protecting the lone survivor of the pack who should have died a long time ago?"

Confusion filled my heart as I agreed with Alpha Isaac's statement.

Why does it seem like he was protecting me again for an unknown reason?

Why are you doing this all of a sudden, Alpha Liam?

You know my life isn’t valuable to begin with and I'm just living life without a purpose.

Starting a war with the merciless Alpha because of me is the most insane thing to do!

You wanted me to check my luck, right? Then, you should have stayed silent and let him break my bones.

I attempted to grasp Alpha Liam’s arm but was unsuccessful. The color of his eyes altered, as if his wolf had been provoked by Alpha Isaac's question.

"Death will befall those who deserve it. As her Alpha, I will make the final decision on her fate. I am the one to end her life when that happens."

Alpha Isaac stepped forward.

"Death is her only redemption."

I could feel the tension simmering just beneath the surface.

"Move closer and I’ll cut you in half!"

Alpha Isaac's brows furrowed as he clenched his jaw. His stance is dominant and formidable, and Alpha Liam was also prepared to face him head-on.

"Curse you and your Luna, Liam!"

I witnessed how Alpha Liam's jaw clenched before answering, "Damn you for being so barbaric!"

"This barbarian will enjoy the evening as he holds the head of your Luna in front of all the wolves!"

All of a sudden, I heard a loud noise that caused my body to tremble.

I nervously tried to reach out for Alpha Liam's arm but I was too slow to catch up with him.

He was already with Alpha Isaac in a flash and they began to exchange blows using only their physical strength and not on their wolf forms.

"P-Please, stop!" I exclaimed.

Vincent, on the other hand, took the necessary steps for grievance control.

"I need your help, Elder Carous. On the left corner of the second wing, we need to stop Alpha Isaac and Alpha Liam!"

As seconds ticked by, the Alpha's blows became more powerful with the intent to kill their opponent.

Alpha Liam has stopped listening despite my attempts to get his attention.

Minutes passed, and someone with a dangerous aura intervened, preventing the two Alphas from killing each other.

I couldn't understand why, but the man Vincent called Elder Carous terrified me more than Alpha Isaac. I tried to calm down but I couldn't even move a muscle while staring at him.

Later on, Vincent's voice resonated with gratitude as he addressed him and acknowledged his presence. "Thanks for answering my call, Elder Carous."

"Why are you here?" Alpha Liam said with rage, as if he were cursing the elder for meddling.

"You don't have the right to interfere with our fight! Do you want me to turn a blind eye to the rogue's daughter?" Alpha Isaac hissed. "That woman deserves to die!"

"You can do that anywhere but not here." Elder Carous' voice cut through the tension. "Not in my presence."

"Get your hands off me!" Alpha Isaac exclaimed.

One of Elder Carous' men stepped forward and followed me in Alpha Liam's direction. He appears beaten with the same severity as Alpha Isaac's bruises and abrasions.

"Alpha Liam!" I worriedly called out to him, reaching out to take his hand again.

Despite my attempt to calm him, Alpha Liam was still in fight mode.

"If Zeta hadn't intervened, I would have killed him!"

"Z-Zeta?" My voice cracked.

Fear crept into my system as I suddenly remembered my father's final moments in Elder Carous' eyes.

It had been years since the incident, but I could still remember everything clearly.

'Leave this place immediately, Ayla! He's the one who killed your father!' my wolf, Dara exclaimed.