The masked man’s foot hovered, re inches from Moss’s skull, as Gideon’s desperate cry seed to freeze ti itself.
The air was heavy with tension, the only sound the ragged breathing of the three combatants, as the masked man’s gaze slowly shifted to Gideon, a hint of curiosity flickering across his face.
Gideon’s words tumbled out in a rush, laced with a mix of desperation and defeat. "Let him go. We’ll do as you say." He paused, swallowing hard, before adding, "Just spare his life."
The masked man’s gaze lingered on Gideon, as if searching for any sign of deception, before finally, he sighed. But just as everyone thought he’d show rcy, his eyes behind his mask flashed. "Too late."
With that, he stomped his foot down on Moss’s head with crushing force, the sound of the impact sickeningly loud, like a lon bursting beneath a sledgehamr.
Moss’s body went limp, his screams silenced in an instant, as Gideon’s eyes widened in horror, frozen in a mont of unbearable despair.
As a werewolf, Moss’s skull was supposed to be strong, capable of withstanding even the most brutal impacts, but the masked man’s blow was different. It was as if he had unleashed a concentrated blast of power, one that shattered Moss’s defenses and reduced his skull to a bloody, pulpy ss.
Xavier, who’d already been in awe at the man’s strength, now had his eyes widened with shock and terror as he stared at Moss’s lifeless body. His breath shock, coming out in ragged breath, heart beat thundering with dread in his ears, as fear almost choked the life out of him.
"rcy is a luxury I don’t afford to those who refuse to submit." The masked man’s gaze shifted to Gideon, his eyes burning with an unnerving intensity. "Will you fall before as my Delta," he paused, his voice dripping with malice, "or end up dead like Moss and Victor? The choice is yours... for now."
He turned to Xavier, taking in his pale face, "You, Xavier, will be my Gamma." His voice was laced with a sudden calmness that belied his earlier ruthlessness. "I’ll send you back to the Black Moon Pack. Keep an eye on Reana and report her every move to ."
He continued, "Failure to et on every seventh day from today, failure to provide with useful information," he paused, his eyes glinting with a cold, calculating light, "will result in... consequences. Consequences that I’m sure you’ll want to avoid, Xavier. Am I clear?"
Xavier’s head rattled against his will, a jerky, unnatural nod that seed to be controlled by deep-seated fear.
His eyes, wide with fear, locked onto the masked man, as if begging for rcy, but his voice was trapped, unable to form the words that might have saved him.
Satisfied, the masked man continued, "You’ll et your Beta in the future. For now, Gideon, go gather all the rogues. Whoever refuses to submit to ," his voice dropped to a nacing growl, "will be dealt with. I want them all to swear fealty to , and to our new pack. The Blood Crescent Pack."
As if to commorate the new pack, nature itself seed to unleash a frenzy of sound and fury: the wind howled like a chorus of lost souls, the trees creaking and swaying in mobid rhythm, and the disappearing crescent moon suddenly casted an eerie, silver glow over the forest before it dimd, like an illusion.
...
Ryder’s eyes snapped open, and he jolted upright from his sleep, accidentally sending Reana tumbling off his chest. She landed with a soft thud on the bed beside him, her sleepy gaze eting Ryder’s, which was fixed intently outside the open window, his brows creased into a deep frown.
Reana’s voice was laced with concern as she sat up beside him, her hand instinctively reaching out to touch his arm. "What is it? A nightmare?" she asked, her eyes scanning his face for any sign of what had disturbed his sleep.
Ryder’s frown dissolved instantly, replaced by a calm, reassuring smile as he turned to Reana. "No, everything’s fine," he said, his voice low and soothing, but his eyes, though gentle, still held a hint of the unease that had awakened him.
Reana noticed. Although she couldn’t sense his lies, she could see the unease lingering in his eyes, a faint shadow that belied his calm deanor.
Her gaze narrowed slightly, her mind racing with questions, but she said nothing, instead, she opened her arm, inviting Ryder to nestle into her side. "Co here," she whispered softly, her voice a gentle comfort.
Ryder smiled, leaning into her as he rested his head on her chest, sighing as if he’d found a comfortable pillow.
Inhaling deeply, Reana wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, and letting the warmth of their bodies chase away the shadows that lingered inside him. "It’s just a nightmare," she whispered, planting a gentle kiss on the middle of his head. "No one ever said nightmares are nice. And nobody said they’re true either. That’s why they’re terrifying, not blissful dreams."
Ryder paused, his chest rising and falling with each slow breath, and then, unexpectedly, he let out a boisterous laughter that made his chest rumble and shake, the vibrations echoing through Reana’s body as she held him tight, her lips also broke in a quiet smile.
Ryder’s laughter slowly subsided, and he looked up at Reana with a hint of amusent in his eyes. "You’re repeating what I told you days ago," he said, a small smile playing on his lips, his voice tinged with affection and teasing.
Reana didn’t answer, but her face flushed a deep shade of pink, and she buried her face in Ryder’s hair, her embarrassnt and amusent mingling in a soft, gentle laugh that was almost inaudible.
Ryder clung unto her, his arms squeezing her thin nightdress, the soft fabric bunching up as he held her close, his fingers digging gently into her skin as he breathed in the faint, sweet scent of lavender perfu mixed with her earthy, musky werewolf scent that seed to stir sothing deep within him, drawing him in with its primal, intoxicating aroma.
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