'A betrayer.' She responded. '...This guy is sneaky, and y'all can't trust him. Y'all need to be careful with this guy henceforth, coz if he can sell his old pals out, just because he wants to join forces with us, then just think of what he would do, when he comes across a higher bidder than us, eh.''Woah!' I exclaimed Internally, my eyes opening wide with surprise, 'Damn! I never thought of it from this angle!!!''That's why I'm bringing it to your notice,' Lusee whispered. '....and we never can tell he might be double crossing y'all. He might be sent by the bandits to plant himself in your midst, and trick the warriors into a trap, canceling out the possibility of an extraction.''What. The. Fuck!!!' I shimmered internally. 'This could be totally feasible, and it could be our fucking reality, in the next second. I don't know, but since he said that he didn't see Malik, Meghan, and the pups all of a sudden when I knew that they were together the last few seconds before I left them, I
There was an instant meltdown around me, and at that instant, everything changed. That singular news, made the world around me dissolve into a blur as a rush of emotion flooded through me, leaving me gasping for air. It was like a dam had burst inside of me, and all the pent-up feelings of joy and elation were pouring out in an unstoppable torrent.I felt weightless as if I was floating on a cloud, and a huge smile spread across my face. The intensity of my happiness was overwhelming — it was the happiest that I had ever been in a while. 'You see it was only a speculation.' Lusee pointed out. 'But you can't trust him, still. Who knows, he might have turned on the warriors, but the warriors were probably still able to overcome him and the bandits, because of the information you gave Ubuntu earlier.''Hmm.' I muttered. 'But anyway, I'm glad we got the victory.'I marched with the warriors, the bloodied warrior leading us to the new place, where the Alpha was.The weight of all my worrie
"They almost killed you?" I queried, my brows furrowing, and a tinge of disbelief phasing through me. "How did things get so bad, delicate, and so fragile, that they wanted to have your head?" "Look, let's just forget all about that. That's in the bare past." Cassandra retorted, speaking in a whisper. "What you have to do now, is to support me... to support my stance. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and we cannot afford to allow those fools, wipe out the Maximoff dynasty…""I don't know the house you're talking about. But the house I know has fallen a long long time ago," I shot back at Cassandra, anger springing forth within me from absolutely nowhere. I just got suddenly fired up, and I kept riding on that energy. "...and why would I support you, when I don't even know what has gone down behind my back…" "Hey. Hey, stop. Just stop." Cassandra cut in, a look of pain in her eyes. "Do you know that I still remember what you did to our father?" She began an evil smirk disp
*****Kieran's POV*****‡NB: This chapter will be written from Kieran's point of view.‡They partied hard, deep into the night, but I wasn't feeling them. I was wondering how they all managed to stay anonymous, with all this lousiness. Well, maybe the big bunker is soundproof. After their small party jamboree, they eventually allowed everyone to retire to their respective rooms. Famalal led Melinda and I to our respective rooms. I bid Melinda a goodnight's sleep, before heading to my room.And as I stepped into my small bedroom, my eyes darted around, taking in the modest surroundings. But my gaze came to an abrupt halt as I spotted a fully functional bathroom. I couldn't believe my eyes, I had never seen such a luxury in a room of this size.Eager to take advantage of the unexpected amenity, I stepped into the bathroom eager to indulge myself in a refreshing wash. I didn't see any sign of water in the room. But my attention was drawn to a cluster of metal tubes on the wall, then it
I got up again, and I kept banging on the door, with brute force."Aaaaaargh." I roared. Anger bloomed inside of me, and a red-hot surge of rage streamed seamlessly from me, I knew that I had to find a way out - or die trying."Fucking coward!" I thundered. "Why don't you come up in here, and face me, huh…"I soon heard the sounds of footsteps around the room, and I stepped back, bracing myself, ready to attack whoever walked through the door in front of me. As I stood there, facing the door, some strange sounds oozed from the opposite of the room, and I turned reflexively to see what was happening there, only to see Zora and some other werelions waltz in from the other side of the room. I didn't even know that there was another door there.Upon seeing Zora, I roared in sheer anger. I looked fiercely into his eyes, and I couldn't contain the bristling resentment that was booming inside of me, it seemed as though the anger was getting the best of me, and before I knew it, I angrily l
Malik's jaw was set, and his mind raced with thoughts of how to confront Zora, the ever-treacherous lion. He knew the stakes were high, but he was bent on avenging his cause."I don't think that's a good idea, papa." Kieran retorted, his voice laced with concern. "I mean, we can get into the den alive, but I do not think we would be able to come out of the den, the same way we walked into it. What I saw there, it's next level. Look at the weapon at the hands of Qadaq, it would only take just a snap of the finger to make a kill. And you saw that I was happy that you responded with a good and decisive counter attack to save my life in the nick of time."Kieran moved to educate Meghan and Malik, on the recent development his eyes had witnessed. He had lost his mother, and possibly his sister, to this daunting journey, and he could not afford to lose anyone right now. "There is so much advanced machinery in there, and everything is just next level." He continued. "And I don't think anythi
****CALISTA'S POV****Cassandra came out of the tent; she had the warriors gather before her, and she went on to address them. She told them that Ubuntu is dead, that he willingly killed himself because he failed in his ten-year-long assignment. I could see the pain in the eyes of the warriors, upon hearing that their leader is dead, but they acted strong, appearing to be unfazed by Cassandra's words.Cassandra had them hold a minute of silence for him, and that made me wonder about the depth of her hypocrisy. I looked her, in her eyes, and I was utterly disgusted. My stomach gagged up within me, and I was close to puking my bowels out.I was infuriated, my face contorted with utter rage, but I tried to compose myself, and take charge of my emotions. I felt a strong urge to confront Cassandra, and prove before the whole warriors, that her statement is false, but what evidence do I have to support the claim that Ubuntu didn't commit suicide, but was murdered in cold blood, huh? What ev
******MALIK'S POV*******I sustained a lot of injuries while I fought Zora. Kieran and I had to find a safe spot in the woods, to stay for the meantime, so that I could properly heal and recover, before heading for the Lakewood pack. And when I was back on my feet. I set out to journey back to the Lakewood pack. It was a daunting task to head back to the Lakewood pack, to go in hopes of finding Melinda. It was almost impossible, but I had no choice but to risk it all, to go face Menelik even though the odds were gravely against me. After weeks of traveling through the dense forest, we finally arrived at the Lakewood pack. It took us twenty sunsets and sunrise to finally arrive at the pack. I couldn't take anything to chance, so I moved skeptically and meticulously through the dense woods to avoid getting into traps, and of course, getting into the hoax of bandits and slavers. And also, most importantly to make sure we don't arrive before the main entrance of the pack. My plan wa
"Malik!!! Malik!!!" I yelled, trying to dissuade him from attacking the Lakewood warriors all by himself, but he wouldn't listen. I didn't want him to get hit again, but it seemed like he was utterly enraged, and nothing would stop him, from releasing all rage he had bottled up inside of him."Everyone, get into the pack, and burn it to the ground…" I could hear Menelik's voice faintly, from the distance, even amidst the heavy battle cries. "And Hammy. Finish her now!!!" He growled.Explosions ripped through the air at once, reverberating with a bone-shaking intensity, sending shockwaves through the pack. The deafening blasts echoed off the surrounding trees, creating an atmosphere of chaos and danger.The battle raged on, explosions continuing to rock the surroundings, I could still see arrows flying all over the place. And as I was still surveilling my surroundings, breathing haphazardly, an explosive was thrown, at where I stood, and I instinctively picked it up, and threw it back,
Malik and Melinda chose to be put in chains and cuffs, ready to be taken back to Alpha Menelik, against my wish, and I had no choice but to lead them out of the pack, to the battlefront. I walked behind them, as we neared Lakewood's pack camp outside our pack.There were several tents in their camp, but there was one big tent at the center, and I automatically assumed that that would be their Alpha tent. So we sauntered in that direction.And as we got closer to the tent, the Lakewood pack warriors trooped out of their tents, and the gazes of some, who were parading the pack, stretching as far as the eyes could see, shifted to us as we sauntered forwards. Some of them were jeering and making mocking gestures towards us, as we walked, but that didn't faze me one bit, I was only focused on the task at hand.A number of the Lakewood pack warriors formed a wall outside the big tent, with each of them wielding heavy metal weapons, pointing them in our direction."Stop there!!!" A gruffy
Ramsey and I were joined by the other Alphas in the bunker.The other Alphas made us know, that the Lakewood warriors had surrounded the pack, and they didn't give chase, nor did they pursue our own warriors into the pack as we retreated. The Lakewood warriors were only standing round, successfully putting the pack under siege.And that made me question their motive — because if the Lakewood warriors are truly here for battle, why can't they just waltz in, and finish the battle? Because it was crystal-clear that we were losing the war to the Lakewood pack, and it was glaring, even to the blind, that we were on the back foot, even in our own backyard.I was fed up and frustrated, and it scared me to the bone, to learn that the face of battle, that the face of warfare had evolved, beyond fists, claws, and fangs, to now explosives, and speedily moving silver bullets.The warriors reported, that with these new innovations, the Lakewood pack outmatched and outwitted them, annihilating and
"Ok. The pack is all clear now!" Melinda breathed, her heart pounding in her chest.Melinda, Ramsey, and I stood in the middle of the pack, gazing round at the empty structures, save for the scanty warriors who were holding their grounds inside of the pack. Melinda, Ramsey, and I had escorted the young ones, and the women, who couldn't volunteer in the battle to safety. "Ok I'm going to join the warriors in battle…" Melinda let out a low growl, her eyes booming with intensity. "I have to go, even the scores…""No…" I boomed with authority, holding her by her hand. "You ain't going, nowhere, Mel. I don't want them to capture you again, or even turn you against us, as they did to Kieran…""I gotta go, Mom." Melinda retorted, her face entwined with worry. "I know Kieran would surely be out there. And um, I don't know, I have to…""But you said, he was all out of control, and he doesn't recognize us anymore…" I said in a curious tone, my voice laced with sorrow, as I gazed intently at Me
The shadow warriors sprung up to action at the nick of time, and they caught Cassandra in the air, just before she could attack Ubuntu. They knocked her to the ground, they cuffed her hands, and they made her sit back in her seat.The hall was booming with silent tension, and the rest of the congress watched in silence, as their Alpha was being disgraced by her own warriors."Y'all see, she's a nuisance…" Ubuntu smirked. "But this is a serious allegation, Ubuntu." Adonis Graham chimed in. He was the Alpha of Woodbury Pack."He's lying…" Cassandra yelled, her face crumpled and distorted with rage. "Tell them, he's lying, Calista.""His words are true…" I muttered. "I can confirm that it's true. Alpha Cassandra herself, narrated the true version of the cause of the destruction of Ridgewood to both Ubuntu and I before she tried to murder Ubuntu...""What!" Cassandra bellowed. "You're taking sides with this traitor!!!" "No, I ain't. I'm just done playing this delicate game with you." I
******CALISTA'S POV*****"So, was that all that happened???" I quipped, sighing deeply, a great sense of weariness sweeping over me."Yeah, Mom," Melinda responded, her voice laced with subtle fury, as she laid her head on my shoulder.We were both seating on the bench outside the room, where Malik was being treated in the pack's clinic.Melinda just narrated the gruesome, heart-wrenching, and calamitous chain of events that happened, after we were separated from each other, and I just couldn't help but feel a great wrench of sadness. My spirit was heavy, and my heart ached with unspoken agony.I was close to tears, but I tried to hold myself together. I tried to picture the sleepless nights, the grueling events, the pain, the agony — that my family had to go through, all because of me, but I just couldn't. It was so hard for me to process.I thought about it, back and forth, and the fact that I brought Kieran and Melinda into the world, only for them to go through tribulations upon t
Malik tried to defend himself, but the energy remaining in his frail muscles was only a tiny fraction of Hammy's, and there was nothing he could do, other than to lie there, and humbly receive death blows from the boy he raised from birth.Melinda was shell-shocked, and for a second, she found it hard to believe, that her own twin brother, would viciously go up against her, and their Papa — Malik. For a second, she wondered why he won't even answer to Kieran anymore, but Hammy. Melinda was so shocked, that she couldn't even retaliate to Hammy's brutal blows.The Lakewood warriors aimed guns at Melinda but they couldn't shoot, because of the crowd, at the square. The scene was chaotic, and the warriors were trying to take control of the situation. The junior officers tried to disband the crowd, but they wouldn't leave.The whole of the Lakewood pack was stunned and thrilled, by the recent turn of events. and they wanted to stay at the square, to watch the showdown. It was as though th
*****AUTHOR'S POV*****The whole of Lakewood Pack stood at the pack square, all gloating and murmuring amongst themselves, as they stared down at the helpless Malik, with some pups even throwing stones and specks of dirt, at Malik who was kept in a silver cage fitted to the center of the stage for all to see.Malik was weak and almost powerless. He had withstood vicious attacks and beatdown, from Menelik's puppets, all week long since he arrived at Lakewood pack. They didn't stop the assault for a minute, save for the occasional moments, they'd stop to force some food and water down Malik's throat. Malik often rejected the food, and sometimes he'd try to summon his fangs to stop the warriors, but the warriors had to find a way to boycott Malik's defense. They had to use any means possible to see to it that Malik was fed, that he ate something, for it was all on Menelik's order.Menelik also made sure Malik was bruised, battered, tortured, and manhandled at Lebron Dave's abandoned c
"I won't harm you, kid," I resounded, placing my left hand on his shoulder. "...but that's only if you'll answer my question. You're a guard, and I know you hear rumors that even the whole pack does not get to hear about. So, you ought to know Malik's whereabouts; the fellow question is the Alpha's brother, and I wanna know, whether he's still…""Ooh, that's even who you're talking about…" He chuckled, and sat up slightly, looking me dead in the eyes. I was amazed at how his once fearful guise suddenly turned to a confident one, in a couple of seconds. "Well, he is on the stage at the square right now, and he's about to be executed… just like you are…" he groaned. And the next thing I saw was the bruised guard suddenly raising a gun at me. And before I knew it, he pulled the trigger, and a bullet came running at my head, but I dodged it, at the nick of time."Waoh," I exclaimed. My face turned red, a solar-red-hot fury streaming from me, and I unleashed all my anger upon him. Befor