My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 74: Blood and Ice II

Kael

The Righg thrashed and writhed against me, its jaws snapping and claws raking uselessly against me as it tried to break free.

I slammed the creature into the ground with enough force to hear the defining crack of multiple bones. It howled and my paw came down on its chest, pinning its large frame to the ground as my teeth sunk deeper into flesh and muscle, ignoring the disgusting taste of its blood and feathers in my mouth.

Then I ripped.

The Righg went limp immediately, its eyes losing focus as blood spurted, merging with the one already matted to my fur from previous kills.

I released the corpse and stepped back, shaking my head to clear the taste of copper from my mouth.

Righgs were nearly as large as the average wolf. Its body was covered in dark feathers that held a reddish tint where the light caught them, giving it the appearance of something caught between bird and beast. Its eyes were distinctly unsettling, horizontal red pupils that occasionally dilated whenever they were poised to attack, reflecting the dim forest light with an eerie quality.

The light in this one’s eyes had faded.

"East’s checkpoints are set," a new voice came in through the mind link, one of the wolves working farther out. "Also secured."

"Confirmed," another came in. "We’re done crosschecking too"

I glanced at Tow, who had moved closer during the brief scruffle.

"We’re done here," I sent back. "Return to camp."

I turned back, leaving the Righg’s carcass where it lay. If scavenging birds didn’t deal with the corpse, other Righgs would consume their deceased’s flesh.

We made our way back. The forest thinned gradually, red-barked trees giving way to normal woodland, and finally to a wide expanse of open field that rolled down a gentle hill. At the bottom, our temporary camp sprawled across the grass. Tents, supply stations, and wolves moving about.

More of my wolves emerged from the forest and swept down the hill, racing towards the camp. A few of them streaked by the same blood on my body, having also encountered a few Righgs on their paths.

As I descended down the slope, I shifted.

Bones restructured, muscles reforming, and my fur receded. Within seconds, I stood on two legs instead of four, half-naked and covered in blood. It streaked my jaw, painted my throat and chest, all the way down to my arms and legs.

I spotted Tow near my tent as I approached, now in human form as well and dressed in a fresh pair of clothing. She wasn’t alone.

Alpha Sunna stood beside her, along with one of her pack wolves, a younger male whose posture suggested he’d rather be anywhere else.

I remembered I had instructed Sunna days ago to come see me at the inner district. Tow must have directed them here.

"Lord Kael," Sunna greeted, inclining her head respectfully. Her blue eyes flicked briefly to the blood covering me before returning to my face. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us."

I stopped right in front of them. "I called for you last week."

"I apologise. I had to tie up a few loose ends first."

I waved. "The land dispute with Alpha Eredith. Explain it."

There was a slight jolt of her shoulders before they stiffened. She clearly did not expect that question right away.

Still, her expression remained the same, an odd practiced smile on her lips. "Ah, yes. It’s a misunderstanding, truly. They were new patrol members and they had stated some of the boundary markers were unclear. Really—"

I sneered. "You know we have two important events coming up in quick succession and you are here having issues with supposed new patrol wolves not understanding the ’clear’ border markings between your territory and hers?"

Her brows shot up and she shook her head. "Not at all—"

"Do you think I didn’t look into the issue? My wolves came to inspect the borders," I hissed, my face hardening into a glare. "You are expanding your territory. Deliberately. You’ve been pushing against the neutral zone between yours and Eredith’s for months." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Her smile faltered slightly. "That’s not—I apologise, Lord Kael, but that is simply not true. We have only been at the neutral zones to mine some of the amber stones, something we have been doing for years now. The former Alpha used those stones too back then."

My eyes widened and soon, a faint smile replaced the downturned frown of my lips. I couldn’t help but chuckle, amazed. I had hoped to see her correct herself, but to think she would still double down on the lie in this manner.

"You... are you conditioning yourself to believe your lie so I wouldn’t notice it?"

My voice rose with each word.

When last had a fool tried this before me?

She sucked in a faint breath and her heart raged, hammering in seconds before I could sense her body actively trying to stifle the rapid jumps of her pulse. "No," she breathed. "Not at all, Lord Kael. I would never! All I am saying is the situation is more nuanced than—"

My hand shot out, and rigid fingers felt flesh and cartilage as they tore through her throat in one clean strike. Sunna’s words cut off in a wet gurgle. Blood erupted immediately, spilling from between her lips and streaking from her throat down to her chest. She stumbled backward, hands clutching at the ruins of her throat as her eyes went wide with shock.

The male wolf beside her jerked back with a strangled sound, his expression frozen in horror as his Alpha collapsed to her knees. Sunna choked on her blood, still trying to breathe through an exposed windpipe.

I flung my wrist, throwing away the flesh I had just ripped from her neck.

"I despise liars," I hissed.

She still twitched, laying sideways on the grass as she tried to breathe. I extended my hand towards her writhing form and frost spread across her body in seconds, creeping up from the grass to encase her in ice. The choking sounds stopped as the cold locked her in place, freezing her mid-convulsion.

I lifted my foot and brought it down on her head.

It shattered.

I turned to the male wolf, who had gone absolutely pale, his entire body trembling as he stared at her remains on the bloodstained grass.

"Return to your pack. Have your advisors convene to select a new Alpha. Make sure it is someone suitable. I will check."

He couldn’t seem to form words, and just nodded frantically.

I turned to Tow. "Have two wolves escort him, and have this mess cleaned up," I said, nodding toward Sunna’s frozen corpse.

Tow just silently nodded and I walked past her, circling my tent. I then paused, my gaze drifting across the field, past the forest line, and toward the direction where the outer district lay beyond the horizon.

I wondered if she was alright.

Shaking my head, I turned away.

She would be fine.

In the meantime, when things have fully settled, I’d look over the Omega situation within the nation.