Chapter 36 Chapter 36
Chapter 36 Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Whispers of Power
Dean’s
I stormed into the rogue territory, my boots kicking up clouds of dust, my blood hot with uncontrollable rage. Eric was lounging casually in a beat-up, rickety chair inside his pathetic excuse for a house. He didn’t even bother to look up at me as I walked in.
The guy had some serious nerve, acting as if I was beneath him. I moved fast, instantly standing over him, my large shadow darkening his face completely. He finally glanced up, his dark eyes glinting with that smug, infuriating smirk I hated.
“What brings you all the way out here, Dean?” he asked, his voice lazy and bored, as if I were interrupting his day off. “I didn’t think a high-and-mighty wolf like you would show up without a formal invite.”
I chuckled, the sound sharp and cold, and grabbed his collar immediately, pinning him brutally against the wall before he could even blink his eyes. My eyes flashed a furious green, my wolf snarling aggressively inside me.
“You actually think you can take on Enzo one-on-one?” I growled, my voice dangerously low, my grip tight and unyielding. “I told you exactly how to hurt him, Eric. You want to bring him down completely, you go straight for that weak human he calls a mate. Noah is the only way to truly hurt him, not some stupid, useless brawl between wolves.”
Eric’s eyes narrowed, but he laughed, a raspy, irritating sound that made my skin crawl with discomfort. “Oh, Dean,” he said, his voice dripping with heavy mockery. “You’re scared, aren’t you? Scared of your big, bad Alpha brother. That’s why you’re hiding pathetically behind me instead of just killing Enzo yourself.”
I shoved him much harder against the wall, my teeth grinding together in frustration. “Scared?” I snapped, my voice sharp and loud. “You think for a second that I’m scared of Enzo? He’s my brother, Eric. We grew up together, fought side by side. Just because he’s the Alpha now doesn’t mean I’m shaking in my boots. You truly don’t know me at all.”
Eric pushed my hands off his collar and stepped closer, his face inches from mine. “Don’t bullshit me with lies,” he said, his voice low and instantly dangerous. “I see right through your act, Dean. You want the Alpha title for yourself. That’s the only reason why you’re here, working with a rogue like me. You think I’m too dumb to figure out your plan?”
I smirked, stepping back slowly, my hands casually shoved into my pockets. “I guess you’re not as stupid as you look, after all,” I said, my voice dangerously cold. “Yeah, I want the title. I’m completely done being Enzo’s shadow in the pack. So what’s your next move, Eric? Are you going to help me officially take him down, or are you just going to keep chasing Noah like some useless stray dog?”
Eric laughed menacingly, his dark eyes glinting with sharp amusement as he leaned even closer. “Oh, I’m absolutely in on your plan,” he said, his voice smooth and deceptive. “But here’s the thing you need to know, Dean. I want the Alpha spot too. It looks like I’ve got two wolves I need to take out now—not just Enzo, but you as well.”
I grinned widely, my heart racing with excitement, my wolf clawing desperately inside me to be released. “You really think you can take both of us on?” I said, my voice low and challenging. “Go ahead, rogue. Try your best. We’ll see exactly who is left standing when the dust settles.”
Eric’s smile widened further, his teeth flashing in the dim light. “Big talk for a guy who’s too scared to face his own brother,” he said, mocking me. “But before you start throwing any punches, let me tell you something interesting about that human mate of Enzo’s.”
I froze, my eyes instantly narrowing with suspicion. “What about Noah?” I said, my voice hard and demanding. “Spit it out now, Eric. What game are you trying to play?”
He leaned closer to me, his voice dropping to a low, chilling whisper. “I’m a rogue wolf, Dean,” he said quietly. “I sense things that normal wolves often miss completely. That kid, Noah? He’s not just an ordinary human. He’s got Vengas blood in him. I felt the strange difference when I was chasing him earlier. Something is profoundly off about that human boy.”
I laughed, loud and sharp, immediately stepping back in disbelief. “Vengas?” I said, my voice dripping with pure incredulity. “You’re completely out of your damn mind, Eric. My father wiped out the Vengas clan years ago—every last person. They’re gone and finished, Eric. Are you actually trying to mess with my head now?”
Eric shook his head slowly, his smirk cold and unmoving. “You and Enzo are both entirely blind to the truth,” he said confidently. “Your father missed just one person. I’m telling you the truth, that kid’s got Vengas blood flowing through his veins. You remember what they do—they can steal a wolf’s power with a single touch. Do you truly want that kind of deadly threat running around freely in your pack, Alpha?”
I growled instantly, my hands clenching tight. “You’re lying to me,” I said, my voice shaking with denial. “There’s no possible way a Vengas survived the slaughter. My father burned their whole village to the ground, he killed every single one of them. I saw it myself with my own eyes.”
“Did you, really?” Eric said, stepping closer, his voice sharp and penetrating. “Are you absolutely sure he got every single person that night? Because I’m telling you now, Noah is not normal at all. Didn’t you feel it when you were close to him? That unsettling pull, that profound difference in his scent?”
“You’re full of complete garbage,” I snapped, my heart pounding heavily in my chest. “You have absolutely no proof of this claim. You’re just trying to stir things up and get me to turn against Enzo’s mate out of fear.”
Eric shrugged casually, his smirk infuriatingly persistent. “Believe whatever you want to believe, Dean,” he said. “But if Noah is truly a Vengas, he’s a walking, time-bomb threat. To Enzo, to you, and to the entire pack. Are you honestly going to let that slide and ignore it?”
I turned abruptly, my jaw tight with confusion and anger, storming toward the exit door. “This is a complete waste of my time,” I said, my voice low and dismissive. “You’re just talking nonsense to save your own miserable skin from Enzo.”
“Am I really?” Eric called mockingly after me, his voice carrying clearly. “Think about this hard, Dean. A Vengas sleeping in your brother’s bed every night? That is your perfect, guaranteed chance to finally take him down. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you about the danger.”
I growled loudly, slamming the door hard behind me, my blood boiling with a confusing mix of disbelief and fear. I got back to my own place and collapsed onto the couch, my head spinning wildly with the new information. Noah, a Vengas? No way that was possible. My father had systematically hunted them down, burned their homes, and ended their entire line years ago. I was just a kid then, but I vividly remembered the sight of the flames, the agonizing screams, and the blood everywhere. There was absolutely no chance that one of them had survived.
But Eric’s words stuck to my mind stubbornly, gnawing at my confidence, making my chest feel tight with unease.
The couch shifted slightly beneath me, and I felt a warm hand gently rest on my shoulder. I turned my head, seeing Stan right beside me, his eyes soft and filled with worry. “Dean,” he said, his voice quiet and concerned. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to physically rip something apart with your bare hands.”
I didn’t answer immediately, my hands clenching and unclenching, my mind racing through the dark possibilities. “It can’t be true,” I said, my voice low, speaking more to myself than to him.
Stan rested his head softly on my shoulder, his voice gentle and soothing. “What can’t be true, honey?” he said. “What is truly wrong, Dean? You’ve been completely off since you came back from the territory. Talk to me, please.”
I stood up quickly, shaking him off my shoulder, my heart pounding hard. “Eric says Noah’s a Vengas,” I said, my voice sharp and panicked. “It’s absolutely impossible, Stan. My father killed every one of them. But if it’s somehow true… if Noah’s actually a Vengas, he simply has to die for the pack’s safety.”