Gabriel flung the gun to the ground and turned, only to find ten or eleven beta hunters already on their knees, trembling and begging for rcy.
His gaze shifted to Karn, who appeared shaken but unscathed.
"Answer my questions truthfully," Gabriel commanded, "and I may consider sparing you all, unlike this one," he added, nodding toward the lifeless body sprawled on the floor.
The man at the center stamred, "W-we hunt betas... down."
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "Why?" he asked sharply. "Aren’t you all wolves yourselves?"
The man swallowed hard. "We were cast aside... deed useless by our pack. So we joined an organization that hunts betas. Please, Your Highness, spare us. We swear we won’t ever do this again."
"Who created this organization?" Gabriel asked.
The man on his knees trembled under Gabriel’s intense gaze. "W-we call him Master, Your Highness. None of us have ever seen his face. We’re only given tasks... and paid to carry them out."
Gabriel’s expression darkened. "And where does this ’Master’ reside?"
"In... in the capital," the man stuttered.
Gabriel’s jaw clenched at the revelation. ’The capital? Why is every activity happening there?’
’Denzel, are you near?’ Gabriel mindlinked his gamma.
’Just arrived, Alpha,’ ca the response as Denzel stepped out of the vehicle.
Denzel appeared monts later, leading a squad of warriors as they filed into the dimly lit gambling centre. The hunters, still prostrate on the floor, scrambled to their feet and threw themselves at Gabriel’s feet.
"Please, Your Highness, forgive us this ti!" they implored.
But Gabriel did not acknowledge their pleas. He turned away, his attention shifting to Karn, who was leaning against a nearby pillar.
"I’ll see you later," he whispered to Denzel. Then, he vanished with Karn.
Making Karn sit on the hospital bed, the doctor stepped forward to tend his wounds.
Gabriel excused himself and went to the washroom. As he washed the blood from his hands, the thought of having such strange groups within the kingdom bothered him.
He pulled his hands back and dried them under the automatic dryer. Just then, his phone rang.
"Alie," Gabriel murmured, seeing her na flash across the screen. He answered the call and brought the phone to his ear as he stepped out of the washroom.
"Is Karn fine?" Alie asked with concern.
"Yes. I’m at the hospital now. He got a minor injury. Nothing serious," Gabriel replied. "Don’t fret. Everything is under control."
"Okay."
Once the call ended, Gabriel walked back to Karn’s room. He stood near the doorway, waiting until the doctor finished tending to him.
"We’ve taken a head CT scan to rule out any internal skull injury," the doctor inford Gabriel. "I’ll inform you as soon as the report is ready."
Gabriel gave a short nod, allowing the doctor to take his leave. Then he stepped closer to the bed.
"Why did you go to such a place without taking anyone with you?" he asked, his voice rising with each word.
"I was there to find a man who knows the witch from Elarion. I didn’t know so beta hunters would be waiting for ," Karn replied with a confused expression. "But... how did you find out?"
Gabriel paused for a mont. He rembered the sudden tightness in his chest. He had been on a date with Alie when the feeling hit, and without needing an explanation, he knew sothing was wrong with Karn.
"We both vowed to protect each other when we were kids," Gabriel explained. "So whenever you’re in danger, the magic of that vow activates."
Karn let out a small chuckle. "We did that just for fun. I never thought it would actually work. Then again, I’ve never been attacked by so many people at once."
"Yeah." Gabriel exhaled and sat down on the chair beside the bed, his gaze briefly scanning Karn’s bandaged head.
"I ruined your outing with Alie," Karn said, guilt creeping into his voice. "I’m sorry."
"That’s not what matters right now," Gabriel replied firmly, brushing it off. "You’re safe. That’s what counts."
Karn looked thoughtful for a mont. "Still... maybe you shouldn’t have killed that man so quickly. We could’ve found out who their master was."
Gabriel leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "I was in a rage. And when that happens... I stop thinking. I just act."
Karn nodded slowly. "But Noa didn’t stop you this ti. Last ti, when you were furious at Alex, Noa held you back. You even told about Skye’s theory, that your pup intervened by making Alie feel the pain."
Gabriel’s jaw tensed for a mont.
"That’s because I was still in control. I spared the others, else I wanted to kill them as well," Gabriel affird.
"A lot is happening around. Now there’s a beta hunters organization operating right in the capital," Gabriel muttered under his breath, frustration seeping into his tone. "What the fuck is wrong with our administration that no one even caught wind of it?"
"It must’ve started recently," Karn said, his brows furrowed. "But judging by their weapons and the silver bullets... they’re definitely well-funded."
He shifted slightly on the bed and tried moving his left arm, but a sharp pain shot through him, making him wince.
"Be careful," Gabriel warned quickly, standing up. "You were hit by silver. It’s going to hurt more than usual."
Karn nodded, teeth clenched. "Yeah... I forgot how much that burns."
Gabriel glanced at the bandaged wound, his jaw tightening again. "Whoever’s backing them isn’t just hunting for sport. This is well planned and coordinated by soone."
"We will find about it soon," Karn assured him.
"I need to visit the capital myself, I think," Gabriel murmured. "But I don’t want to leave Alie behind. Already there are forces who want to harm her," he added.
Karn remained tongue-tied how it was the Queen planned the kidnapping of Alie last ti.
"Don’t hide things from even if my brothers or father ever ask you to. I was upset with you because you chose my brother over . I am well aware of what my mother did, so you don’t need to hide things wherever she’s involved," Gabriel warned him.
Karn was bewildered to know that Gabriel knew about the truth. "I’m sorry. It won’t happen again," he said, lowering his head in guilt again.
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