Chapter eleven

“Alpha,” Aton barged into the hall and glanced at the man standing by the window. He quickly walked up to him and reported, “the rogues are here again.”

“Then we do what we do best, we fight them,” Alan replied without as much as looking away from the window.

“The warriors are already on it and from the looks of it, we are winning, as always,” Aton responded.

“Any casualties?”

Aton sighed at that and nodded. “Three men has been bitten. We already have them restrained.” Alan didn’t say anything and Aton sighed. “Do you think it will ever end?”

“There is no cure for the infected ones, the rogues attack us twice or thrice in a week. So, I don’t think it will ever end, I think that they would keep attacking us and infecting us until we are all like them, slaves to whoever that is controlling them.”

Aton licked his lips. “Do you think they are okay?”

Alan knew about who he was asking about immediately and only then did he look away from the window to his loyal beta. “I don’t know. I just hope that now Alpha Damien would have realized that he should have listened to me instead and not to some witch. Something tells me that if he was still alive, this would have ended for he would have found the instigator in other to protect my daughter and his son. But then…” he sighed and shook his head. “I don’t see this ending Aton, I think this is going to be a norm for us now and the only way we can evolve is teaching our warriors how to avoid being bitten during the fight. The women and children must always be inside the pack and no one is allowed outside ever again.”

“Are you saying we should withdraw our search?”

Alan exhaled and glanced back at the window, “what do you propose we do?”

“We can’t give up Alpha. Luna has never left her room since the fight, Emily, although she tries to stay strong but I know she misses her son. I miss my son and I know you miss your daughter. Then talk about my daughter in law, she will be putting to bed any time soon and there is no news about her mate. So no, we can’t give up. If it’s not for you, I will be out there looking for them myself.”

Alan didn’t say anything and Aton continued. “The pack will never be the same without them, we will never be complete and you know it alpha.”

“I can’t leave without Damien coming after me, you know what I can do Aton. I just…”

“Alpha,” a voice barge into the hall, interrupting the men. “You have got to see this,” the young boy announced. Alan and Aton glanced at each other and run out of the hall, the boy leading the way. Once they got outside the big gate that shields their pack and where the fight was going on, the boy pointed at creatures hanging on the trees and watching them.

Alan frowned, “are those…?”

“Nightwalkers,” the boy filled. “Yes, they just showed up and apart from looking like they always do, you can see their eyes are white instead of red.”

“Wait, are you saying that they are…” Aton was saying but the boy interrupted again.

“Deranged, yes. Looks like it,” he nodded. “They have not attacked yet but you can see their venoms drooling from their mouth. If they attack, it would be fatal on us alpha, that’s why we had to call you. At least, with the rogues, we only have to worry about the poison infecting us but it’s a tale as old as time how dangerous a Nightwalker’s bite is to us. This time, I don’t think we only have to worry about being infected, I think those that are bitten by them would die before the infection takes over.”

“Shit,” Alan cursed, his eyes not leaving their sworn enemies who would be more dangerous now that they are not with their senses. “How about the rogues?”

“We are almost winning the fight but like always, their bodies vanish after they fall.”

“Alpha,” Aton called worriedly. “You don’t think the reason they have not attacked is because of the sun?”

Alan glanced up at the bright sun and cursed the more. Of course, it was the only thing keeping them away which means they are only taking shades from the trees. Once night fall, it’s going to be a big fight. “Aton, get the women, the children, the weak and old into the panic room. No one and I mean no one is allowed to leave there until we come for them. I think we are going to have a bigger fight tonight.” He ordered, his eyes going to the Nightwalkers that were just watching them, “a very big one.”

***

“My Lord,” a man knocked violently on the door, “my Lord, you need to see this,” the knock kept coming until the door was thrown open and an angry Malachi was standing there. “I am sorry to disturb you my lord, but we are under attack.”

“What are a few rogues that you cannot handle them?” Malachi asked.

“It’s not rogues my lord, it’s Nightwalkers,” Gregory replied.

“What?” Malachi asked and quickly dashed out in a sprint, however, he stopped a few miles from his door and crouched down, feeling an immerse pain shoot up from his waist to his back.

“My Lord,” Gregory rushed to him and helped him to stand up, “should I send for the healer?”

“What can he do, hasn’t he been working on me for months? Come on, I need to see those imbeciles,” he thundered and stood straight, however, he avoided running too fast this time.

Once they got to the front of the council, they saw a sight they never thought would happen in their whole existence: Nightwalkers fighting Nightwalkers. Although Malachi knew that had already happened when they teamed up with the High Howlers to kill their prince, but it was different. This time, there are at least about one hundred Nightwalkers with white eyes and fighting the servants and guards of the high council. Two high chiefs have already joined in the fight and even though they might be winning, the fight made him sick in the stomach. Guess, the time has finally come for him to respond to Damien’s letters for he knew that if the deranged Nightwalkers were attacking them, then they must be attacking the Night Howlers.

Making his decision, he jumped and impaled his claws on the neck of a walker, ripping the throat out and the body crashed on the ground. His eyes flashed red and his fangs elongated as he went on a killing rampage. However, the more a nightwalker fell at his feet, the bigger the whole in his heart for killing yet another of his kind.

***

 Kaiden paced around his room and when the door was pushed open, his black eyes went to it and seeing the white-haired witch, he roared, “where is he?”

Melissa sighed and closed her eyes. She knew she can’t continue lying. She has been lying to him for the past three days that they have a hook on Rasmus but the time has finally come to say the truth otherwise, she fears he would go berserk and might even kill her before she tells him the good news, however, she has to take her chances. “There is something I have to tell you, Kaiden.”

“How many times will I tell you, it’s My Lord to you,” Kaiden yelled, hurling a vial at her and it hit her on the forehead. A drop of blood sipped out from the tiny cut on her forehead but she didn’t flinch neither did she wipe it away.

“My Lord,” she bowed her head softly. “I apologize but we lost him.”

“You did what?” Kaiden growled, growing five feet extra and his deep brown almost black eyes turning yellow with black lines just like a serpent’s and his face turned red as he roared like a beast. “How could you?” he asked in a distorted voice.

“He may be only seven hundred years old but he is smarter than most older nightwalkers. Also, he has a pure blood witch with him. Irene had concocted a potion that hides his nightwalker’s stench and thereby, he escaped and we lost him in the woods. I don’t need to tell you how fast they are on their legs. But before you kill me, you should hear what I have to say,” she added just before the man landed a fatal blow on her. The force from his blow blew her hair up but she didn’t blink, her blue mixed with green eyes looked up at his yellow and black ones. “I sensed strong magic in a neighborhood in the human realm. It is either they fought someone with magic or Irene was careless to leave such energy hovering around in the street. I bet my life that they are hiding somewhere in one of those old rickety buildings. A perfect place to hide their scents.”

Kaiden put down his hand and he returned to his normal size, however, his eyes were still ferocious looking. “Then why are you telling me, why aren’t you there a ready.”

“My Lord, I will be busy fighting Irene but they also have a nightwalker and a Beta alpha, I cannot handle them alone. My sisters are not around at the moment so I was wondering if you can go with me, we will stand a chance at catching them, don’t you think?”

Kaiden thought about it and a smile spread on his face soon after. “Very well Melissa, you have indeed proven yourself. Summon Cedric, we leave in an hour.”