CHAPTER 8
1216 Words
Luro’s POV
By the time I reached the hall, it was already too late. Alpha Elliot was lying in a pool of blood; his left hand severed from his shoulder was lying in one corner. His throat was ripped from where blood was still oozing out. Alpha Dimon stood there with his left leg on his corpse, his face beaming with a smug smile.
A scream escaped my lips and I covered my eyes; unable to bear the gruesome sight. That bastard had really killed someone that too just to avenge a slap…. What kind of a monster was he?
A strong pair of arms grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to turn to my left, “Why did you close your eyes Luro? Shouldn’t you be enjoying your handiwork?”
His sharp accusations sliced through me like silver blades. Tears welled in my eyes and I stuttered, “I… I didn’t know….” My voice got choked and I blanked out. His father had died because of me…. Nothing I said or did could undo what had happened.
“Why don’t you say anything? Did the cat get your tongue? Why don’t you slap me too?” His eyes spewed so much hatred and anger that they pierced right through my soul. How in the world did something like this happen?
“Release her,” Alpha Dimon’s authoritative voice sounded as he walked toward us. His eyes were fixated on Derek’s hand gripping my shoulder. I had expected Derek to rebel but he let me go immediately.
“Kneel….” Alpha Dimon’s next command made my heart skip a beat. Who exactly was this man? Why did everyone feel obligated to follow his commands?
Derek hesitated for a moment, his adam’s apple bobbed as he dropped to the ground and bowed his head in submission. I looked at my father in panic. What the hell was happening here?
Alpha Dimon stretched his hand, his claws elongated and he grabbed a fistful of his hair. This forced Derek to look at him.
“What should I do with you now? Banish you from the pack? Torture you? Make you reject your newly found mate?”
“Alpha…. Please… please kill me,” Derek’s voice broke as his eyes drifted to his father’s battered body.
Alpha Dimon’s eyes met mine and he grinned, “What do you say Luro? What should I do with him?”
For a moment, I stood there dumbfounded. The sound of familiar footsteps drew my attention to my sister who had just reached the boundary of the meadow. Her steps faltered and she gasped when she saw Derek’s condition.
A strong wave of anger coursed through me and I snapped, “Who are you to decide?”
Alpha Dimon’s eyes darkened but he replied anyway, “I killed the Alpha of The Bloodhound Pack. So, this territory is rightfully mine. It is way within my power to decide what to do with its members.”
I staggered slightly. Alpha Dimon was right. I knew the laws of combat yet my mind was not ready to accept this fact. He had destroyed an entire pack just because he couldn’t take a refusal. What a self centered narcissist! This was the first time I felt this kind of bloodlust. The urge to kill him was so strong that I couldn’t restrain myself.
“You bastard!” I shouted as I lunged for his throat. He was quick to react and he held both my wrists in his hand. Pulling me closer, he whispered in a dangerously low voice, “Say that again.”
I was about to kick him when my father intervened, “Please forgive my daughter for her harsh words. She is young and naïve.”
His hold on my wrists loosened and I pulled away angrily. He didn’t make a move to grab me again. Instead, he took a step toward my father, “Alpha Voltran.”
“These kids are still young. They don’t know how to behave. If you don’t mind, can we discuss this between adults?”
Alpha Dimon’s eyes darted from Derek, who was still kneeling on the ground to me. Something flashed in his eyes but it was too fleeting for me to understand. He turned abruptly toward my father and said, “I am sure we can work out something.”
My father led Alpha Dimon out of the combat hall. He had instructed everyone to stay clear but I couldn’t retrain myself. I followed them at a distance, keeping myself concealed. They stopped in front of a large ornate door in the back of the packhouse. My father ushered him inside, looked around warily, and then locked the door.
When I was sure that they had settled inside the room, I tiptoed closer. Kneeling to the ground, I peeked through the keyhole. My father and Alpha Dimon were sitting across from each other. His face was pale; clouds of worry shadowing him. His usual arrogant posture was replaced with drooped shoulders and a submissive stance.
My father’s lips moved but I couldn’t hear anything. So, I pressed my ears against the smooth wood. At first, it was just a bustle of hushed voices. I caught only a few words; Derek, Wanda, Bloodhound Pack, and the like. As my ears adjusted, I could catch more phrases. My father was trying hard to pacify Alpha Dimon.
I chewed my bottom lip and wrung my hands. I had always seen my father as a strong, sturdy pillar that never bowed in front of anyone. Today, because of me, he was begging someone…. If only I had stayed back at the packhouse… things would have been so different.
The strength drained from my legs and I slid to the ground, leaning against the smooth surface of the door. A thought popped in my mind, shaking me up to the core. Was this all happening because I was a red wolf? What if the legends were true? What if marked wolves were really harbingers of a curse?
***
“I really feel sorry for you, Alpha Voltran. I will spare Derek’s life and even make him the Alpha of the Bloodhound Pack…but…”
“But what, Alpha? I will do anything for the sake of my daughter, Wanda.”
Alpha Dimon rubbed his cheeks, “This is the first time someone has slapped me….”
“I am sorry for her impudence. If you want, I can ask her to apologize too.”
“I don’t want her apology. I want her to bear children for me.”
“Do you want to marry Luro?”
“How is that possible? I already have a Luna.”
“That….that is so….”
“A compensation of one son for one slap; seems reasonable, right?”
The conversation kept playing like a reel in my head even as I staggered into our packhouse. I was too numb to even feel anything. I stumbled into my room and flopped onto my bed like a lifeless corpse.
Alpha Dimon had given my father twenty-four hours to make a decision. No matter what he decided, my family would be shattered.
What sin had I committed to have bumped into a monster like Alpha Dimon?
- Writer
