Last Order

Logan

The plan was straightforward: capture Aiden as he and Diane were about to board the Fenrir-carrying ship. I sent the soldier who received the letter, accompanied by the rebel, to find a messenger and deliver the letter to Aiden. Finding their meeting spot wasn't difficult because it smelled strongly of Aiden everywhere. Surprisingly, the messenger didn't suspect anything and left. One of my soldiers followed him from a distance, but in a thorny area, my soldier lost track of the messenger. The sweet scent of flowers made it impossible to detect his scent. That old man was smarter than I thought, having eluded me for years and learning to stay hidden from my skilled trackers.

We stayed vigilant in the following weeks, testing my patience. Owen never left the ship, hiding like a cowardly rat. Then, one moonless night, Owen left and waited on the dock. A wolf delivered a letter to him, and when he hurried back, something inside me went on high alert.

"Follow the messenger; I'll go in and get the wolf hidden in there. Capture the wretch alive for questioning," I ordered, and we immediately separated.

I was in my human form, but as soon as I stepped onto the deck, I once again assumed my Lycan form. Some wolves attacked me, trying to prevent me from reaching the lower deck, but of course, none of them were a match for me. Others simply threw themselves into the sea or ran along the pier to escape. The smell of death hit me, and when I opened the door, I saw Owen dead, a rope around his neck and a completely burned paper on the table. I returned to the top and howled, a signal that the plan had failed and that Aiden knew what was happening.

I had made a mistake; Aiden had discovered our plan at some point and altered his own. It no longer mattered because from that moment on, the port city of Moonrise Bay was under my command, and I would know if Aiden so much as sneezed near any ship.

My soldiers found the messenger about to take his own life; he was brought before me, still aboard that ship. His look of fear and despair was ridiculous, considering the idiot had been about to take his own life a few moments earlier. I looked at the wolf on the ground; he was nothing more than a weak omega, just another pawn in Aiden's plans. Those he truly valued were by his side, just as cowardly as him, but more experienced and stronger than the few I had encountered along the way.

"Tell the King what you told us," one of the soldiers ordered. I turned towards them, closely watching the messenger.

"Aiden ordered that all those involved in any way should take their own lives," I looked at the soldiers who kicked the messenger, causing him to fall face-first onto the deck.

"Tell everything!" the soldier commanded.

"Aiden knows that the Alpha King is near, he ordered the plan to be canceled, and if we didn't take our own lives," the messenger stopped speaking and looked at me in horror. "If we didn't, he would hand us over to the Alpha King for the worst possible death." I lowered myself and smiled at the messenger.

"At this point, he's right," I said in a low voice.

I held the wolf by the throat and took him to the port side, hanging him over the water. He struggled, trying to free himself from my grip with weak kicks and insignificant punches. I held one of his wrists and began to pull slowly, his screams echoing through the night, until his arm detached from his body, like a simple and fragile rag doll.

Overwhelming thirst hit me, but I managed to contain it and continue. Another arm, a leg, another leg, and when he finally passed out due to the pain and blood loss, I let him fall into the dark waters below.

I struggled more each day to control the curse, despite years of training. The thirst for blood and hunger grew worse. The approaching blood moon meant I had to go back into confinement. Finding Aiden and breaking this curse was a must, or Charlotte could be in danger around me.

The sun was rising when I arrived at what seemed to be the city's administrative center. Everything appeared to be in order; some ordinary wolves came and went with papers, while others wrote documents at their desks. As soon as I entered, followed by my soldiers, everyone stopped and kneeled. This was the first time I had been in this place, but it seemed like my reputation had preceded me and reached the cities in the South.

"Where is the city's leader?" I asked the nearest wolf.

"He went out to inspect the ships, my lord, but he will return shortly. We will send someone immediately to inform him of your arrival," the wolf replied.

I was led to a room in the back; everything was very organized. I picked up some papers from the table and read them carefully. Some were about the daily flow of ships that docked at the port, others about provisions for the city coming by land and sea, employee lists, and other administrative trivia. What caught my attention was a list with several names crossed out; among those that were still intact were Aiden and Diane's.

The door opened, and it was impossible to hide my shock when a copper-furred Lycan entered. He saw me and immediately assumed his human form, kneeling before me. His human hair was dark brown, full of wild waves, and when he looked at me, I could see Charlotte's eyes in him. They were the same, except that this wolf should be my age. It seemed that I would have much more to investigate and resolve in the southern cities, beyond Aiden and his group of rebels.