Chapter 203 Vampire Luna

Chapter 203 Vampire Luna
The moment Alpha Damon's towering figure appeared on the high wooden stage, several senior guards standing along the perimeter immediately began bellowing at the top of their lungs, their loud voices booming across the open plaza.
"Silence! Everyone keep quiet!" they roared, waving their iron spears toward the restless crowd. "Shut your mouths and give your total attention to the Alpha!"
The massive assembly of pack members quickly began to settle down. Shuffling feet came to a sudden halt, panicked whispers died away in people's throats, and within less than a single minute, the entire packed square fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. It grew so unnaturally quiet that you could practically hear a pin drop onto the dirt floor.
Damon simply stood at the center of the wooden platform, his arms folded loosely behind his back as his cold, piercing eyes swept slowly over the thousands of upturned faces staring back at him. He didn't speak right away. He deliberately let the crushing silence hang over the plaza for a long, unbearable moment, letting the sheer weight of his presence press down on every breathing soul in the audience.
Finally, when the silence reached a agonizing peak, he parted his lips and began to speak. He didn't raise his voice into a loud yell, nor did he strain his chest, yet his deep, commanding voice echoed clearly across the entire square, reaching every single ear with absolute, crystal clarity.
"Good day, good people of the Crestwood pack," he rumbled smoothly, his sharp tone carrying a dark, dangerous edge that made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. "It has been far too long since any of you saw blood spilled on this wooden stage. It has been far too long since I stood before you to speak... and it has been far too long since I last took a life with my own hands."
He shifted his broad weight slightly, tilting his head as his dark pupils narrowed into sharp, menacing slits.
"Every single person standing in this crowd knows how much I despise talking," he continued, his jaw setting hard as he scanned the shivering crowd. "You are all fully aware of how much I hate coming out here to stand on this platform just to give speeches. My expectations for this territory have always been remarkably simple—do exactly what I command you to do, and carry on with your lives. That is all I have ever wanted from any of you."
He took a slow, deliberate step toward the edge of the high platform, gripping the thick wooden railing with one large, leather-gloved hand.
"Because of that, I have allowed every single one of you to live your lives in total freedom," he grunted, his upper lip curling back into a subtle, bitter sneer. "I permit you to do as you please within these walls. I make sure that you and your families are well protected from outside threats day and night. I exert every single ounce of power in my body to ensure that this pack remains the absolute best, most secure territory in the entire region."
He paused, letting out a sharp, cold breath through his nose as his dark eyes flashed with an terrifying, unbridled rage.
"And what do all of you give me in return?" he snarled softly, his voice dropping into a dangerous rumble that sent a shudder through the crowd. "Silence! Pure, ungrateful silence! I used to foolishly believe that you were all my loyal people... my friends. But it turns out you are nothing more than a brainless crowd sitting around in the dirt, eagerly waiting for me to make a mistake and fail. It turns out that most of you standing here today secretly harbor a deep, burning hatred for me in your hearts."
He scoffed, shaking his head with dark, bitter amusement as a chilling smirk touched the corners of his lips.
"I came to the realization a very long time ago that many of you thoroughly despise the way I rule this pack," he stated firmly, his deep voice slicing through the still air. "You hate the harsh methods I employ to keep order. But do you honestly think that will ever make me stop? Do you genuinely believe I will change my ways to make you comfortable?"
He let out a short, harsh laugh that sent cold shivers straight down my spine. "No... I won't. I don't give a damn about your pathetic opinions, and I certainly don't care if a large portion of this pack utterly loathes my existence. In fact, I actually want every single one of you to hate and fear me with every fiber of your being... because pure, absolute fear is the only thing that keeps this pack from collapsing into total chaos!"
He slammed his heavy fist down against the wooden railing, the sharp, thunderous CRACK echoing across the silent plaza like a cannon shot. Several pack members in the front rows flinched violently, taking a instinctive step back.
"Years ago, I gave this entire territory one major, simple law to follow," Damon bellowed, his dark eyes burning with ruthless authority as he leaned over the crowd. "Live your peaceful lives, be your brother's keeper, and most importantly of all..."
He paused, his chest heaving as his raspy voice dropped into a terrifyingly cold, deliberate promise.
"...Bring every single vampire to me!"
He straightened his back, spreading his arms wide as he looked out over the sea of pale, terrified faces. "Is that really too much for me to ask of you?!"
He took a slow step across the stage, his gaze locking onto different sections of the crowd with sharp, ruthless precision. "Some of you standing right here in this square know exact details about active vampires," he accused, his voice dripping with pure disgust. "You know who they are! You see them walking freely among us in broad daylight! Some of those bloodsucking monsters are your personal friends... some are your sisters... and some are your own fathers!"
Ava’s hand squeezed mine with a frantic, bone-crushing grip beside me, her whole body trembling violently as she held her breath. I kept my jaw locked tight, refusing to move even a single muscle as Damon's deadly words rained down on us.
"So you actively choose to help them stay hidden," Damon growled, his top lip twitching with pure venom. "You shield them from my warriors, providing them with shelter and protection so they can survive while they quietly prey on the innocent people of this pack!"
He folded his arms across his broad chest, a dark, terrifying smile slowly spreading across his face as he looked down at the crowd like a predator watching its trapped prey.
"Well... go right ahead and keep hiding them," he purred, his voice carrying a heavy, fatal promise that made my stomach drop into a bottomless pit of pure horror. "I encourage you to continue protecting them. But mark my words, and bear this warning deep in your minds... whenever a vampire is finally caught in this territory, every single person related to that monster—along with their close friends, their entire bloodline, and their whole clan—will all be brutally e
xecuted alongside them!"