Chapter 127 127
Denzel’s POV
Fear had settled over the gathering like a heavy fog.
I saw it clearly on the Alphas’ faces. The werewolf Alphas, hardened by recent losses, held themselves together barely. The bears, however, were unraveling. Whatever composure they had walked in with was long gone.
Keon looked as though he’d stared straight into death.
Truthfully, I would have worn the same expression if Venessa hadn’t prepared me gradually. I’d been too close to the chaos, too immersed in the blood and consequences, to be shocked now.
“Do you have any questions?” I asked, fully aware that Venessa had little patience left for polite discourse.
Silence lingered. Then hands began to rise. I pointed to one of the bear Alphas.
“How did you come by this information, Your Highness?” he asked. “And how reliable is your source?”
Venessa laughed sharp, humorless.
“Have you fought them?” she asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Well, we have,” she continued coolly. “Three times. They cannot be killed unless you sever their heads from their bodies. During the last attack, we managed to capture one of them a former member of our pack. She hadn’t defected for more than twenty-four hours when they sent her back to guide the attackers into our territory unnoticed.”
The crowd leaned in despite themselves.
“She succeeded,” Venessa went on. “She led them through our forest. We destroyed the others but she was taken alive. Not by chance. The deity she served wanted her captured. It wanted its message delivered.”
She paused.
“And when I slit her throat”
Gasps rippled through the assembly.
“Black substance poured from her body,” Venessa said flatly. “And she turned to ash.”
The silence that followed was absolute.
I pointed to another Alpha.
“Do you know their mandate?” he asked, his tone edged with sarcasm. “Did this… entity explain itself?”
Venessa’s eyes hardened.
“You won’t find it amusing when they come for your pack,” she said. “Smile then.”
He sobered instantly.
“The Blood Moon pack has fought them,” she continued. “And the Lycan Kingdom can defeat them. This meeting was called because survival is not a solitary effort. We endure together or we fall alone.”
Her aura flared, commanding and lethal.
“Choose your words carefully,” she warned. “I may be a princess. You may know my husband. But I have been through hell and back, and I will not tolerate disrespect from anyone.”
The pressure of her presence was overwhelming.
For most of them.
I stood firm. I was her mate. I could bear what others could not.
“I meant no mockery, Your Highness,” the Alpha said quickly. “It was a genuine question.”
“They want dominion,” Venessa replied. “They will either kill us or force us to join them. Coexistence is not their goal. Ownership is.”
“So how do we protect ourselves?” Keon asked.
“By strengthening your territories,” she said. “And I strongly suggest King Fabian and King Donovan stop posturing. As you can all see the Lycan throne is no longer vacant.”
A ripple of uneasy laughter moved through the crowd.
Venessa wasn’t wrong. While Fabian schemed endlessly to seize power and Donovan imprisoned his own people under the guise of protection, the Silver Forest Bandits grew unchecked. Fabian had even tried successfully in the past to rally support for war using my army.
The memory burned.
He wasted lives without remorse.
I would never forgive him for poisoning Rayon and me. Never.
I would dethrone him and give his crown to someone worthy. I stood above him now I had the authority. As long as I didn’t pursue his execution, Tyrell would remain untouched. Removing Fabian wasn’t vengeance alone it was necessity. If corruption touched him, I would eliminate him without hesitation to weaken Eshera’s grip on the werewolves.
“Secure your lands,” Venessa continued. “Strengthen your people. Build armies. Build shelters for civilians so they are protected when war comes.”
Her voice carried across the grounds.
“We should strike the Silver Forest clan directly instead of waiting for them to dismantle us piece by piece. They’ve destroyed three werewolf packs in four days and left two more in ruins. This is how they weaken us. From this moment forward, neighboring packs must respond immediately to attacks within their regions.”
She drew a breath.
“They attacked my uncle’s pack using silver. Understand this they are immune to what kills us. Do not rely on weapons of mass destruction. They will fail you. You must fight with claws and blades. Separate their heads from their bodies. Only then are they truly dead.”
No one spoke.
“They do not need your consent to recruit you,” she added. “They don’t need loyalty only corruption. Anger. Vengeance. Greed. Envy. Disregard for life. Their god’s corruption is a seed. Water it with emotion and will, and it will grow.”
Her gaze swept the assembly.
“That is why I warned you to guard your hearts. Bears, Lycans, werewolves you will aid one another. Our species must unite us, not divide us. We fight as shifters. As children of Atabey, our mother. If we fail, she falls. And this evil living, breathing on our land will take her place. Be warned. Be ready.”
I saw it then resolve forming. Approval. Purpose.
“And one last thing,” Venessa said. “Their leader, Tremaine, does not serve the Moon Mother. He serves Eshera. He is a demigod like those of my bloodline. That is why this war has begun.”
Confusion stirred.
“If Eshera can walk among her people and bear children,” a man said, his voice breaking, “why has our Mother not come down? These creatures destroyed a pack near mine. Where is Atabey? Is she dead?”
Venessa’s fury ignited and I felt it like a storm on the horizon.