Chapter 60 060
Author's POV
Deep beneath the surface of the pack lands, hidden behind layers of stone and secrecy, a dim chamber breathed with a suffocating stillness.
The room was small, lit only by the faint glow of a single flickering lantern hanging crookedly from the ceiling. Its weak light barely reached the far corners, leaving most of the chamber drowned in shadows.
At the center of the room, a man sat on the cold ground.
His appearance was unsettling.
His gray hair fell wildly down his back in long, tangled strands, and his clothes looked worn and torn as though he had been trapped here for years. Dark circles rested beneath his sunken eyes, yet those eyes held an unsettling sharpness that made the air around him feel heavy.
Despite the miserable state of the room, he looked completely unbothered.
As though this place was where he belonged.
As though he had grown comfortable inside his own confinement.
“They will destroy each other… they will be the end of each other…”
The man muttered the same sentence over and over again.
His voice was quiet but eerie.
Using a sharp piece of stone, he scratched strange symbols onto the wall in front of him. The markings were chaotic, lines and symbols twisting together into something that looked almost meaningless to anyone unfamiliar with them.
Yet the old man carved them with complete focus.
Every symbol was deliberate.
Every line carried a purpose.
The scratching sound echoed through the room again and again.
Then....
The heavy door to the chamber creaked open.
A figure stepped inside.
The hinges groaned loudly, but the old man didn’t even turn around.
He simply continued inscribing the wall as if no one had entered.
The figure stood quietly near the entrance, watching him in silence.
Minutes passed.
Still, the old man ignored him.
Finally, the newcomer spoke.
“Master.”
The voice broke through the silence cautiously.
The old man sighed softly, his hand finally pausing against the wall.
“Why are you here, Galen?” he asked without turning around. “I told you not to come here so often.”
His tone held a trace of annoyance.
“The spell will weaken if you keep doing this.”
The man behind him chuckled lightly.
Galen.
The crippled man who had been secretly feeding information to Lyka and her pack about the massacre that destroyed their home.
“About that…” Galen said calmly. “I think the spell might already be weakening.”
The old man’s hand froze.
Slowly, he turned his head.
For the first time, his sharp eyes landed on Galen.
“What did you just say?” he asked.
There was no anger in his voice.
Only curiosity.
But it was the dangerous kind of curiosity that made people nervous.
Galen leaned casually against the wall.
“Well,” he said. “Someone saw me entering this room.”
The old man’s brows furrowed immediately.
“That shouldn’t be possible,” he murmured. “That concealment spell is one of the strongest barriers ever created.”
Then his gaze sharpened.
“Who saw you?” Galen shrugged lightly.
“The princess turned rogue.” The old man fell silent.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at Galen as if processing the information.
Then a low hum escaped his lips. “Hmmm…”
His eyes slowly brightened with interest. “His mate?”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Interesting.”
He tapped the stone lightly against the ground.
“Looks like that girl is not ordinary.” The smile widened slightly.
“Now I’m starting to feel curious about her.”
Galen opened his mouth to respond....
But suddenly....
BANG!
The door to the chamber swung open violently.
Both men turned toward the entrance.
A woman stood in the doorway.
“Master,” she said respectfully as she stepped inside.
Her voice was smooth, yet sharp.
She bowed her head politely toward the old man.
But as she straightened up, her gaze immediately shifted toward Galen.
And the hostility in her eyes was impossible to miss.
“What have you been up to lately, Seraphina?” the old man asked casually.
“You haven’t visited in a while.”
Seraphina smiled faintly.
“Forgive me, Master,” she replied sweetly. “I’ve been preparing my bait.”
Her eyes flickered briefly toward Galen.
“I wanted to feed it enough information before using it to hunt.”
Galen’s expression darkened instantly.
“Bait?” he growled.
“Are you talking about Zuri?”
He scoffed.
“That girl is useless. She’s too obsessed with her fantasy about Derrick to be useful.”
Seraphina sighed in exaggerated disappointment.
“Oh please,” she replied mockingly.
“My approach will be far more effective than your pathetic manipulation.”
Her lips curved slightly.
“At least I’m not stupid enough to rely on that rogue girl.”
Galen’s eyes burned with anger.
“The plan was perfect!” he snapped. “All you had to do was stick to it!”
Seraphina crossed her arms lazily.
“Perfect?” she repeated.
“You mean the plan where you rely on that clever rogue?”
Her gaze sharpened.
“You said it yourself.... she’s too unpredictable.”
Seraphina tilted her head slightly.
“But Zuri?” she continued.
“She’s much easier to control.”
A smug smile spread across her face.
“I’m sure I’ll hit the jackpot with her.”
She took a step closer to Galen.
“So why don’t you relax and watch how I handle things?”
The tension in the room thickened.
But before their argument could escalate further....
The old man cleared his throat softly.
“You two don’t need to fight.”
Both of them immediately fell silent.
“We only need to focus on one thing.”
His voice was calm.
But there was an undeniable authority in it.
“We must slowly eat away at Derrick’s pack.”
Both Galen and Seraphina bowed their heads slightly.
“Yes, Master.”
They began explaining their individual plans in more detail, each trying to earn the old man’s approval.
But he barely reacted.
Instead, he picked up another stone and began grinding it against the floor thoughtfully.
“Why are you both rushing?” he asked after a moment.
Seraphina answered first. “We’re not rushing, Master.”
She clasped her hands behind her back.
“We simply believe the time has come.” Galen nodded in agreement.
For once, they actually seemed to agree on something.
The old man studied them silently.
Then he asked quietly....
“What do you think will happen if Derrick discovers your actions?”
Both of their expressions instantly turned pale.
Galen answered first.
“He’ll come for our heads.”
Seraphina nodded grimly.
“That’s exactly why we must move quickly.”
Galen clenched his fists.
“A monster like him shouldn’t be allowed to rule.” The old man shook his head slowly.
“We should wait.” His voice was gentle but firm.
“Patience is often the better strategy.”
Both Galen and Seraphina lowered their heads again.
Neither dared argue.
But suddenly....
The old man’s expression changed.
His eyes darkened. A strange energy filled the room. The temperature dropped sharply.
Both Galen and Seraphina shivered involuntarily.
The old man began whispering strange words under his breath. Ancient spells. Powerful incantations.
The invisible pressure in the room grew heavier with every second.
Then suddenly....
“No.”
The old man’s voice echoed sharply.
His eyes widened slightly.
“We cannot wait.”
Galen frowned.
“What do you mean, Master?”
The old man’s breathing had grown uneven.
“I can feel it.” His voice was tense now.
“That energy…” His fingers tightened around the stone.
“If we don’t eliminate Derrick now…” His voice dropped into a whisper. “…we may never be able to destroy his pack.”
Seraphina exchanged a nervous glance with Galen.
“What are you talking about?” Galen asked cautiously.
The old man suddenly slammed the stone against the ground.
“Don’t question me!” he barked.
“I said go for his head immediately!”
His voice trembled with urgency.
“Because he’s taking over!”
Galen frowned deeper.
“Who is taking over?” His voice lowered slightly.
“Is it the entity you warned us about?”
A tense silence filled the chamber.
Galen continued carefully. “But… aren’t they the same?”
The old man slowly shook his head. “No.”
His voice became quiet. Grave.
“They are not the same.”. He looked at both of them.
And the smile that appeared on his face was chilling.
“He is something else entirely.” The lantern flickered violently.
The shadows on the walls twisted unnaturally.
The old man whispered the final words slowly…
“He is death.”
A suffocating silence swallowed the room.
Galen and Seraphina gasped at the same time.
“Death?” they echoed in disbelief.