Chapter 220 - New Alpha

Chapter 220 - New Alpha
Raphael slowly walked until he stood directly over Alpha Kelvin's naked body. Alex and another wolf, on a single command, came over and heaved up his unconscious body, each one with an arm around Kelvin's waist. His head lolled, and eyelids flickered.
“Wake up," Raphael snapped. Kelvin didn't respond. Raphael said it again, louder, and this time there must have been some sort of command in the tone because Kelvin's eyes slowly opened and flickered lethargically. His face was mottled with bruises and swellings, and even some of his bones looked like they were oddly contorted. He must have been in an immense amount of pain, but he said nothing as Raphael stared down on me.
“In my opinion, your pack doesn't deserve any sort of mercy, but my Luna thinks otherwise.” Raphael indicated me with a jerk of his head. “I'm giving your pack a chance to live among mine. If you have a little bit of care about them, it's either you purge or they all go rogue once I kill you.“
Murmurs and whispers erupted in the crowd at Raphael's words, and by the look of things, I could see that most of them were agreeing with him. They were in support of the purging process, as it was true that they could all go rogue if they didn't have a leader anymore.
Their Alpha would receive the penalty for losing a challenge battle, and it's either they join our pack or the Council merges them with the Royals. It is included among the rules in Werewolf Land. All these, I already knew when I read books to gain knowledge about the werewolf world and prepare myself to become a Luna for our pack.
I wondered why I never came across the purging process in any of the books I read, because that seemed to be the only way to prevent the two situations from happening.
A look of horror and regret passed across Kelvin's eyes, and he slowly shook his already wounded head. “You can't—”
“Yes, I can. You challenged me, and you lost, so the penalty is death. I will not guarantee that I won't kill you. I will, because you deserve it. I will only provide you with a chance to save your pack once you die. I won't ask again.“
Kelvin began to struggle and thrash around but to no avail. A pained grimace appeared on his face as he stared at Raphael mutinously. I didn't know how the purging process was done, but it looked like Raphael was losing his patience.
“Alpha Kelvin.“ I stepped forward, my voice quiet. Then Kelvin's bleary eyes turned to me.
“Please purge your pack over to Alpha Raphael.“ I continued. "I know you are feeling a lot of rage right now considering that you lost to Alpha Raphael, but think about your pack. They will suffer without a leader, and everything that you ever worked for will be futile. Even when you leave them forever, you can rest assured that they will live safely in your legacy, that you were their leader.”
There were several seconds of tense, drawn-out silence before Kelvin finally bowed his head. It seemed like all of the fight left him as his shoulders sagged and his body dropped even further.
“Now are you going to do this willingly? You know the purge won't work if you don't do it willingly, and if it goes wrong, your pack is doomed.“ Raphael growled impatiently. “I'm sure you know the words.“
Kelvin grunted. “This is wrong… I never wished for things to turn out this way.“
“You willingly caused everything the moment you decided to try to kill me for your blind hatred for me. You knew it wasn't possible, but you made your decisions anyway. You failed your pack as a leader, but you should do the right thing by ensuring they live safely and don't go rogue before you die.”
“But I...“ He subsided into silence as he seemed to realize there really wasn't much of a choice for me. That death was inevitable for him because he lost to Raphael, and it was either he purge or let his pack suffer once he dies. He needed to make a choice for his pack.
Kelvin looked absolutely humiliated, while I could only stare there in anticipation as he took a deep breath, steeled himself, and began to mumble a fast string of words that I barely caught on to.
“I, Alpha Kelvin, hereby submit to you. I state that I am no longer fit or able to be an Alpha, and I am no longer fit or able to lead the Crescent Moon Pack. I reject my bloodline and hereby terminate my Alpha line and hand them over to you. I relinquish and divest all control to you. Let this scar be a reminder of what I have forsaken.”
With that, Kelvin proceeded to elongate his claws and create a gash right over his heart with a jerking motion. The blood welled and dripped down his exposed torso as Raphael began to speak.
“I, Alpha Raphael, hereby accept your Alpha entitlement to the Crescent Moon Pack. I acknowledged that I have received all of your former responsibilities as Alpha, and I will lead the Crescent Moon Pack as long as I am fit and able. I knowingly continue the bloodline that you have relinquished. Let this scar be a reminder of what I have undertaken.“
With a similar jerking motion, Raphael created a gash over his heart. I winced as I felt the smarting pain. So this was how a purge was done, where one Alpha took another's responsibilities. Of course, it would come down to blood. I learned that all werewolf ceremonies came down to blood. This was one of them.
Raphael put a hand over his bloody chest as Kelvin did the same. Then in a simultaneous motion, Raphael lifted his blood-smeared palm and placed it against Kelvin's.
As soon as Raphael touches Kelvin, I notice most of the Crescent Moon Pack stagger backwards, and some try not to fall to their knees. They placed their hands on their chest as if they were having a burning sensation in their chest.
I turned my head to look at Alex, feeling confused as to why they were reacting that way.
“Alex."
He looked at me, raising an eyebrow, and I jerked my head once towards the crowd. “What's happening to them?"
He glanced at them and looked at me again. "That's the bond breaking between Alpha Kelvin and the pack. Every presence, link, and connection between them has been broken. The purge has removed him of all responsibilities, which meant Raphael was their new Alpha.”
“Oh." I stood there staring at the crowd as they held their heads with pained expressions, trying to figure out what was happening to them.
“The purge will be completed tomorrow night at moonrise, and our mental links will be established.“ Raphael announced, turning to the crowd with a stern expression. “Welcome to the Royal Empire Pack, everyone.“