Chapter 288: A Warning, Not A Threat
Even the mention of such a cruel form of execution had my hair standing. Wolfsbane might not do much to me, but I had seen what it could do to an average werewolf― Darach, to be specific.
"That is how Alpha Darach lost his wolf," I murmured, pretending to be horrified. However, no matter how ’soft’ my voice was, the werewolves present heard me loud and clear. After all, their sense of hearing was enough to hear even the flutters of a butterfly’s wing.
Elder Otto, seeing my reaction, continued to explain. A knowing glint sparkled in his eye. He must’ve caught on to what I had planned.
"A horrifying process, yes," Elder Otto said, nodding solemnly. "It strips the criminal of their wolf so that they die as a human, rather than return to the arms of the Goddess. But with such a frequent and consistent dosage, it will become lethal for them before their bodies can build an immunity against it."
"That sounds horrible!" someone cried out.
"To think Alpha Darach nearly went through something similar..."
"His greatest crime back then was being alive... His own father wanted him dead for that..."
"Could you imagine being so biased?"
One by one, the opinions of the werewolves present were turning like the tides. It didn’t take more than a few strategically structured sentences to change their minds, and I watched as everyone’s eyes filled with both pity and terror. Some had even looked at Dahlia with looks of scorn― they might not have heard yet the reason why Darach was no longer as strong as before.
On the other hand, Dahlia’s face had blanched white. She took a step back, her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips parted. But to give credit where it was due, Dahlia wasn’t someone who would be easily affected by the public’s comments. She quickly snapped back to her usual haughty airs with just a hint of anger, sneering.
"Are you threatening me?" she spat out, venom in her voice as she spoke.
"I prefer to see it as a warning," I said joyfully, smiling as though she was nothing more than a harmless little rabbit and not a killer werewolf who was perfectly capable of snapping my neck with just one swipe.
I continued, "The patrols disappeared from their posts, allowing the wendigos to enter the grounds of Thunderstrike― that’s a fact. Mere guards will not be so ballsy as to attempt such a thing without the encouragement of someone with higher authority. You, for one, could be a person with ’higher authority’. But this is a word of warning to others―"
I turned to the crowd, my eyes scanning over every one of them. My smile dimmed but remained. Yet, even though I still wore a cheery expression, the look in my eyes was anything but cheery.
It seemed like that subtle shift was noticed by many. Some cowered their gazes away, while others pursed their lips. Men and women alike were all hanging on my every word, a mixture of emotions swirling across their faces. I couldn’t read their minds, but their expressions betrayed their private thoughts.
I knew I had their attention.
"Abandoning your posts and endangering the lives of fellow pack members isn’t a mere act of defiance to the words of the Alpha, but also, an act of betrayal to the pack. By doing so, you’re basically announcing that you would rather abandon the pack and go rogue. If so, do come forward― the Alpha will gladly strip you of your post and toss you back into the woods," I said.
"Mother Nature might not be as forgiving as the leaders of Thunderstrike," I continued, my gaze darkening. "Before complaining about the sun, perhaps you should experience the pouring rain."
This time, everyone went quiet― including Dahlia Elrod.
"Now, if you’ll excuse me." I turned and nodded goodbye to Arthur’s family and Elder Otto and his mate. Then, without looking back, I strode out of the infirmary, making sure to knock my shoulder against Dahlia as I left.
In my defense, she was blocking the hallway.
Thankfully, my words seemed to have done more damage to her than I thought. Her posture was no longer upright and her body didn’t stay firm when I bumped into her, allowing me to pass with ease. It would’ve been an awkward story if I simply got pushed back instead.
My steps didn’t cease until I was well away from the infirmary. I headed straight for my room, shutting the door behind me before leaning against the door, finally allowing myself to breathe in relief. All bravado evaporated out of me like a leaky balloon, and I soon deflated to the ground, my shoulders still heaving.
Milo would have a field day if — or more likely, when — he caught wind of what I had just done. However, I wondered if Damon and Blaise would be proud.
I stared at my phone, looking at the cracked screen. Somewhere through the tumbling and tossing, the screen had gone dark. I hadn’t tried booting it up yet to see if the device was completely done for or if it still had hope of surviving all of that.
Pressing my finger against the power button, I bit my lip and muttered a silent prayer in my head. To my surprise, the screen lit up, the loading page coming back into view. It seemed like the display wasn’t damaged, and the crack on it was only damage to the glass but nothing deeper. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but at least the phone was still usable.
However, I rejoiced a little too soon. There was nothing wrong with the phone, but that was precisely the problem.
As soon as it powered up, my phone began to ring and vibrate, the notification of my messages and missed calls coming in all at once. I hurriedly switched it to silent mode again as the screen blurred with new notifications. When it finally ceased, I peeped at the last message I received.
It was from Damon.
’That’s it. I’m coming to Thunderstrike.’
