Chapter 151: You're letting me go

Olivia

The sounds of growls, howls, and blows echoed through the air, accompanied by the crackling of fire and the anguished screams of the fallen. Though the pack lay in ruins, with countless injuries and casualties, Joaquin's followers had been defeated. The pack had awakened.

I didn't fully understand their past or the internal conflicts that had led them to this moment. But from what I had seen, Joaquin was a cruel leader - someone who should never have been in charge of others. He didn't deserve to have lives depend on him, for he would always use people for his gain.

The wolves had fought savagely, tearing at each other with brutal ferocity. Sharp claws had torn through flesh, teeth had sunk into throats and limbs, and the earth had turned crimson. Some human hunters had allied themselves with Joaquin, using silver weapons to weaken our forces. But others - like the young man who spoke earlier - chose to stand with us, firing on the traitors and protecting our own.

In the end, the tide turned in our favor. I hid as best I could, knowing I had a target on my back. They came for me, but the wolves - the same ones I had once feared - protected me. As if I were one of them.

As the battle turned decisively in our favor, even Joaquín knew he had lost. Now Alpha Samuel and Christopher stood in front of him. He had barely fought - I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to or simply couldn't because of his injuries. His condition was pitiful, but the Alpha held firm. I could feel it in the air: this was a defining moment. Our enemy would either fall... or do whatever it took to survive.

"Enough, Joaquin," Christopher growled, his deep voice laced with restrained anger. "You tried to prove yourself, but your own pack no longer trusts you. Your allies have deserted you. You have almost no one left, you're weak, and you're badly wounded. Let's end this now."

His chest rose and fell rapidly, blood dripping from his knuckles, his body covered in open wounds. But he didn't take a step back. 

"You tried to manipulate the pack - not just them, but everyone else. You ruled with arrogance and cruelty. If that's not proof enough that you've lost your power, I don't know what is."

I felt his eyes flicker towards me, but he wasn't the only one watching. Orlando, who had fiercely protected me throughout the battle, stood firmly by my side. His body was still stained with blood, his breathing ragged, but he refused to move away from me. As if I were someone special to him.

"Damn you!" Joaquin spat in anger. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." He still had a handful of followers around him, but their numbers had dwindled drastically. His wolves howled in pain or retreated, their trembling bodies covered in wounds. But what really sent a shiver down my spine was seeing Cassandra just steps away from him. He had never let her go. She was his prize, bound and beaten. Her face showed signs of pain and exhaustion, but her eyes still burned with defiance.

"This is what you wanted?" Joaquin roared, his eyes glowing with madness. "To destroy everything?! Everything our father fought for?! The pack is in ruins, and it's your doing. As if that weren't enough, you've turned our people against each other - wolves against wolves! Silver Claws tearing each other apart, betraying their neighbors and families! I was always right! You are a disgrace, a curse on our family!"

His voice echoed over the surrounding destruction, but his words carried no weight. It was a desperate attempt to shift the blame for his own treachery.

"Enough !" Alpha Samuel replied gravely, his posture imposing, his gaze icy. "You brought this on yourself. You threatened other packs, and now you must suffer the consequences. You never worked for your people, that is the worst mistake an Alpha can make. The one mistake you can never make... and now you're paying the price. No one believes in you. No one will follow an Alpha who destroys his own."

The other Alphas stepped forward. Some remained in wolf form, their fur stained with blood and dirt. Others had changed back to their human forms, now dressed in hastily thrown-on shorts or sweatpants, as if they had grabbed them from some hidden stash, ready to end this farce. They were too many, and Joaquín's remaining allies were too few.

The young hunter stood next to the Alphas. They had once been enemies, but perhaps now they would fight for a common cause.

"Surrender," Christopher ordered without hesitation. I knew this was the moment he had been waiting for - a moment for the truth to come out. For his brother to lose the power he had so cruelly abused.

"Never. I'd rather die!" Joaquin growled.

The sheer violence in his voice sent shivers down my spine. My heart pounded wildly as if my body understood that the danger wasn't over. The hatred in his eyes was like a flame consuming everything in its path - an unstoppable, untamed madness. His movements were erratic, like an animal cornered.

And that was what scared me the most - a desperate wolf was capable of anything.

"We sabotaged the infected wolves you were planning to send to other packs," Samuel said firmly. "The explosion destroyed the labs and put an end to the atrocities you were committing with the disease. Surrender now, and perhaps we'll show you mercy. Don't endanger any more lives." Joaquin clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face twitching with anger.

"Other alphas have gone to the human cities," Samuel continued. "They are assessing what you have done, but I can assure you that they already have everything under control. No one is coming to help you if that's what you're thinking. You're alone. You're finished."

The other alphas snarled in agreement and moved closer to Joaquín. But something in his expression made me cringe. This man wasn't going down without a fight.

"You will let me go... and you will pay dearly for it," he spat venomously.

Christopher shook his head slowly. "You have no way out. Surrender. Do something good for the pack for once in your life."

But then, out of nowhere, one of Joaquin's remaining allies appeared - dragging someone with him.

A shiver ran down my spine when I saw who it was.

"Alpha Cedric!" I gasped in horror.

"No... no..." Cassandra trembled, her voice filled with fear.

She seemed to have been too close to the blast. Her wounds were still bleeding, though some had begun to heal. Neither of them should have been in the hands of this monster, and yet they were now its ticket out.

"You will let me go... or they will die. Your choice, brother. You can't have everything in life," Joaquin taunted with a cruel smile.

"Let them go now!"

"Your whore of a sister and her pathetic alpha," Joaquin sneered. "They will be valuable additions to my collection. If you want them, you'll let me go. You're weak, and I know you'll do it. Step aside, or I will finish them now!"