Chapter3
1333 Words
Loic raised his blade.
“It’s time you die, Pierre de Avore,” he said quietly. “Your loyal wolves will join you in hell.”
Pierre met his gaze.
“If I fall,” he vowed, “I fall as an Alpha.”
Flashes of his life passed through his mind—his nephew’s laughter, his uncle, his throne… together with his mother.
Pierre closed his eyes, bracing for the blade to s***h his throat.
As it came down, another sword collided with it.
Pierre looked up and beheld a man in a face mask and hat, blocking Loic’s strike.
“It is you again… Shadow Man,” Pierre exclaimed.
“Is that the way to address your savior?” the man asked.
Loic’s eyes narrowed, surprised by the intrusion.
“And who are you?” he demanded.
“You can call me Mystery,” the man replied. “I’m a shape-shifter. More like a Guardian, or anything you deem fit. And I will send you to your doom.”
“So you are Loic. I would like to test your abilities, you crazy bloodsucker,” Mystery added.
Loic, enraged, swung his sword. The clash of steel rang out like thunder. Pierre’s eyes widened—Mystery’s combat skills were extraordinary. Even as Loic’s forces converged, Mystery held his ground, a phantom of lethal precision.
“Is that all you’ve got, bloodsucker?” Mystery taunted as he sidestepped a strike.
“You are very weak,” he added, grinning.
“First of all,” Loic snarled, “I will chop off that mouth of yours!”
Pierre’s thoughts wandered to when he was ten, hunting with his beta.
“Run faster, Hugo!” he had called.
“Slow down, Alpha. We still have the entire day,” Hugo replied.
“No! I’m catching that antelope,” Pierre had insisted, surging forward.
Suddenly, an arrow flew toward him, but a young boy—masked and hooded—intervened, guiding him and Hugo to safety before disappearing as quickly as he appeared.
Pierre shook off the memory and returned to the present.
Another flash of recent events hit him—the night Sam, one of his warriors and bodyguards, brought his midnight meal, only for it to be slapped away.
“Who dares insult the King?” Pierre had thundered… and then the Shadow Man appeared.
“You?” Pierre had demanded.
“How dare you, you annoying Shadow Man?” he added.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Mystery chuckled. “But stop calling me Shadow Man. I’m Mystery, and I just saved your life. That food was poisoned. You should be thanking me, you ungrateful being.”
Pierre’s anger flared. “What the hell are you saying? I should just s***h your tongue!”
Mystery held his blade to Sam. “Why would you poison your King? Is he not good to you?”
“I… I don’t know what you mean,” Sam stammered. “I’m not in charge of the kitchen.”
“It better be,” Mystery said, “or you shall breathe your last.”
“My King, I wouldn’t dare do it,” Sam insisted, color draining from his face.
“Then eat the food,” Mystery added.
Pierre called the kitchen staff. The meal had been prepared by his personal nanny—someone who had always cared for him like a mother.
He turned to Sam. “Take the food.”
“I… I can’t, my King. If it is poisoned, I will die,” Sam replied.
Pierre ordered Hugo to search Sam’s quarters and the nanny’s place. They found poisonous substances.
“Explain this, Sam. Even if you intended mischief, why leave evidence behind?” Pierre demanded.
Sam fell to his knees. “I’m sorry, my King. It won’t happen again.”
“Who ordered you to do this?” Pierre pressed, but Sam took all the blame. Even torture couldn’t make him confess otherwise.
Pierre turned to Mystery, who lingered silently.
“So, why are you still here?” he asked.
“Tiktikrik,” Mystery said, shaking his head. “You are as ruthless as they say. I will take my leave, since I am not wanted.”
“Wait,” Pierre called out. “How are you always here when I am in danger?”
“That’s a good question,” Mystery said. “First, say thank you. Then I will answer.”
“You can forget it and leave. Who knows if you side with the enemy? When I let down my guard, you might strike.”
Hah! Mystery laughed. “If I wanted you dead, would I go through this much trouble? You are highly favored by the Moon Goddess. Someone precious to you… whose last wish was to protect you… was heard by her. I am chosen to protect you. Whenever you are in danger, I feel it as a bond. This locket I carry helps me sense your peril. I always appear at the last moment. It is a power bestowed upon me. I am a shape-shifter, you see?”
Pierre’s voice was cold. “Now, you may leave. I have the information I need.”
“Hah, you sly wolf. So this was your plan all along. Next time, if you are in danger, don’t expect me to come,” Mystery warned.
AS Mystery prepared to vanish using his powers, Pierre said ‘wait’. Then paused. “Thank you, Shadow Man.”
Mystery smiled and left, leaving Pierre deep in thought.
“Alpha? Alpha! Are you alright?” Etienne called out. Pierre snapped back to reality.
“The wolfsbane is still active. I can’t use my full strength,” Pierre muttered.
“You’re too strong, Mystery,” Loic said as he fought. “Mind telling me where you’re from?”
“You don’t need to know where I’m from, only where you’re going—to hell,” Mystery replied.
“You should just go to hell and reign there. Stop causing trouble here.”
As Mystery spoke, a vampire behind him attacked.
“Watch out!” Jake yelled, but it was too late—the sword slashed Mystery’s shoulder, blood dripping down.
Loic pressed his advantage, slashing at Mystery’s back. Mystery fell, writhing in pain.
“Mystery!” Pierre called out.
“Now… time to end this,” Loic snarled, advancing on Pierre.
Loic’s sword plunged into Pierre’s chest with a sickening force. Pain flared like wildfire along his ribs, and he gasped, clutching at the metal as it twisted cruelly in his body. Warmth seeped through his fingers, sticky and red. His knees threatened to buckle, his vision flickering at the edges, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright. The world spun around him, sounds dull and distant—the roar of battle, the cries of his warriors—but he could still hear the rasp of Loic’s breath and the hiss of the blade as it turned again.
The warriors froze, horror etched on their faces. Etienne’s claws flexed instinctively, as he lay defeated too weak to rise. Hugo’s jaw tightened, fists clenching, powerless to stop the attack. Jake, Jay, and Ervin’s bodies trembled with rage and fear—they could barely move, their strength sapped by the trap.
Loic’s eyes gleamed with malice as he lifted the sword, aiming for Pierre’s head to finish him. The room seemed to shrink under the weight of his presence, his aura radiating death.
Then, with a surge of sheer will, Mystery, wounded from earlier attacks, leaped in front of Pierre.
Suddenly, the weather shifted. Lightning split the sky, followed by deafening thunder that rattled the walls. A chilling wind swept through the room, carrying with it a sense of impending doom. The warriors shivered, and even Loic’s vampires paused, unnerved by the sudden fury of the storm.
Then—two sounds reverberated simultaneously, echoing through the chamber with bone-shaking power, leaving everyone stunned.
“Enoughhh!”
- Writer
