This can't be happening. After he got rid of his upper clothing, he proceeded to remove his trousers, leaving on just his shorts. His body was almost flawless for someone rumored to be filled with scars. All this time, I stood there like a zombie, paralyzed, unsure whether to comply or resist, whether to strip down or keep my clothes on. The fact remained that I was not interested in this. I was reluctant and unwilling. Yet despite my objections, I couldn’t help but admire his physique, a manly figure that would cause even the coldest heart to melt.
He walked closer, and I found myself pressing my legs against the bed frame, anticipating that he might push me down and force himself on me. Instead, he strolled past my nervous form and collapsed heavily onto the bed, shocking me to my core.
“What the....” I cut myself off, realizing this was the situation I had been dreading, yet a flicker of desire stirred within me.
“You don’t want this, dumb head. Don’t tell me you want it now?” he asked, casting a sideways glance in my direction.
“I still don’t want it,” I insisted.
“What a very confused woman,” he replied, bemusement etched on his face.
“I mean it; I don’t want it,” I repeated.
“Whatever,” he shrugged.
“You’re not taking off your mask?” I inquired, surprised he wanted to sleep with it still on. The truth remains that I am dying to see how he truly looks like - handsome, ugly, scarred, or whatsoever. If riches were my friend, I would pay any amount of money just to get a glimpse of his face. All I can clearly see is his mouth, which enables him to utilize its functions, while the other parts of his face are hidden by the mask.
“So that you can see my scarred face and mock me to your heart's content?” he teased, though a part of me took it seriously.
“I would never do that,” I protested, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he laughed, a genuine, hearty laugh. I wanted to say it was great to see him laugh, but opted instead for a light-hearted tease.
“So, you laugh too?” I bantered back.
“No. I don’t; I only cry,” he replied, going with the playful banter, and I laughed out loud.
“You’re more beautiful when you laugh,” he declared earnestly.
“Thank you,” I replied, indifferent to whether he was sincere or just flattering me.
“Come over to the bed.” He gestured with his hand, and, despite my better judgment, I found myself moving to his side on the large bed.
“So you’re not going to remove your clothes, huh?” he asked. “I would love to see you…”
“Please don’t finish that sentence,” I interrupted, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.
He moved his head closer to mine and I pulled back. He closed in on me as I moved back, and any further movement from me would have resulted in me finding myself on the ground.
“I know you’re still grieving, but I may not give you another chance to grieve once you leave here. So do it while you still can,” he warned, his voice imbued with finality as he moved away slightly.
I wondered if his pack would accept me after they discovered he had chosen someone as powerless as I was as his mate. What if he had another mate, but was accepting me just for the sake of a treaty? Numerous uncertainties flooded my mind. What if I was jumping from the frying pan into the fire? I had no idea how he would treat me in his territory. Judging by his earlier words to Harriet, I felt uneasy about the reality of my situation.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering how life will be for me when I’m away from here,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
“It will be just fine. Maybe even better,” he replied, but who was he kidding after what he said earlier.
“I’m very weak,” I lamented.
“Enough of that talk for now,” he asserted, ending the conversation with a firm tone. My gaze drifted to his impressive physique once more, and for a fleeting moment, I wanted to run my hands over his muscles, to trace the contours of his six-pack, yet I couldn’t bring myself to act on that impulse.
Slowly but surely, the exhaustion from the day began to pull me under, but a sudden loud noise erupted from outside the quarters, jolting me from the brink of sleep.
With each passing minute, the sound of gunshots mingled with the rumbles of fighting filtered through the walls. Who was attacking our pack? Was it the Faceless King whose calm demeanor clashed with the chaos outside? Was this treaty all an elaborate pretense to catch us off guard?
The Faceless King rose from the bed and hastily donned his clothing. Panic set in as I became restless, climbing off the bed in a rush.
“You’re afraid,” he declared, but his rhetorical question was met with silence.
“Don’t worry. I won’t leave you,” he said, his voice carrying a sincerity that eased some of my tension. For a fleeting moment, I felt comforted by his presence, despite my earlier fears that he would abandon me or end my life himself.
“Thanks,” I replied, my heart settling slightly.
“The attack... Is it all just a pretence, the treaty?” I found the courage to ask, my eyes searching his.
He looked at me, then scoffed. “I can see that’s what you’re worried about. No, it’s not me,” he replied, moving toward the door.
“I’ll check outside,” he said before swinging the door open.
“The passageway is still clear of attacks… Let’s wait here for Mr. Smith and Gamma Rho,” he added, sliding his hand into his suit and pulling out a gun.
“You don’t need to worry. If you knew the entirety of the Faceless King,” he reassured me, as he settled down.
“Faceless King: a neither living nor dead king. So I trust you,” I replied, though uncertain.
“There are rumors that even Death itself is afraid of you… Some say Death is your best friend,” I added playfully, and I could attest that he chuckled slightly.
“What do you expect? Five full moons ago, I single handedly wiped out an entire clan with my bare hands,” he said sincerely, and for a moment, I felt a chill race through me.
I couldn't believe the Faceless King I had heard such dreadful tales about was right here with me, not just as anyone, but as my mate, my master, my husband.
“Did you know the other reason I’m called Faceless, aside from wearing the mask?” he asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“What other reason is there?” I asked, curiosity piqued.
“Because one minute, I am the meekest and most playful person…”
“The next minute, you are the most ruthless person ever,” "I completed it for him as I caught on quickly. Truly, he is who they claim he is a man of many personalities."
"You got that right," he replied.
Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing the large man with the scar across his nose.
“Gamma Rho!” Alpha Valtor called.
“What’s happening?” Valtor asked, standing abruptly.
“I don’t know, but there’s an external attack, and the attackers are surprisingly wearing our band,” he replied quickly.
“We don’t have time to discuss it; the teenage dogs are well trained,” Gamma Rho warned.
“They’re teenagers?” I exclaimed, shocked.
“Yes. I’ve already prepared the vehicle; let’s head out,” he said, and we moved quickly.
“Where’s Mr. Smith?” the Faceless King asked when suddenly we were met with lifeless young teenagers, lying dead on the floor. I nearly retched at the sight, and felt helpless as we navigate our way around them.
Who could be so heartless as to use children against us?
Just then, two of these young teenagers appeared, wearing bands with the Windsor symbol emblazoned on them, and they blocked our path.
Valtor pulled out his gun.
“Please don’t!” I cried out to him, panic swelling within me. I felt pity for these kids. In fact one of them looked quite young… so young, that anyone would have mistaken him for someone under the age of 8. They were all mere children, no older than fourteen or fifteen.
They all wielded knives, ready to fight.
“They’re just kids!” I urged.
“It’s either they die or we die,” Gamma Rho declared grimly, as one of them lunged toward us with alarming speed. Valtor shot at him, but to my shock, he dodged the bullets effortlessly, his movements fluid and trained.
Gamma Rho blocked the attacker’s strike with his arm, wincing as he was injured in the process. “He’s fast,” he admitted.
“I guess faster than all the others you’ve fought before,” Valtor remarked, as Gamma Rho attempted to stab the boy but found him agile enough to evade.
“Yes,” Gamma Rho responded, breathing heavily.
“You see, Ember, we have no choice but to kill them, and I won’t underestimate them. I’ll be going all out, even if I can’t actualize my full power since it’s not a full moon,” he said, glancing at me. I was surprised he took my concerns seriously, but he was right; it was kill or be killed. These young warriors were formidable, manipulated and turned into weapons by some heartless beast.
“Who sent you?” Valtor demanded.
“Kill the Alphas,” the boy replied, his youthful voice devoid of hesitation.
“Kill the Alphas!” the girl, no older than thirteen, echoed passionately.
"I don't know who is the strongest among them," Valtor declared. I guessed he wanted to fight the strongest.
"Don't worry, Alpha," he continued. "I'll finish my fight with the boy regardless of whether he's the least strong or the strongest. He's already given me one point," he said, gesturing to his injured hand. "It would be disgraceful not to finish this fight."
“Okay then, I’ll take the girl,” the Faceless King said, turning his gaze toward me. I quickly looked away, desperate to hide my feelings. I couldn’t allow the emotions from witnessing this fight to bleed through; I had to steel myself against the cruelty of their fates.
Gamma Rho's POV
The little rascal charged at me, leaping in a fury as he launched his blade directly at my face. Damn it, this kid was fast! I barely managed to evade the attack and counter, but he dodged easily.
He pressed the attack again, sliding beneath me in an attempt to bring me down, his movements fluid and precise. I was forced to dodge his strikes, too quick to predict, but I began analyzing his patterns for weaknesses. That was the essence of being a Gamma… a strategist in warfare, leader of the warriors.
Suddenly, I felt a weakness creep into my left hand. What was happening? Then the reality hit me: his earlier strike had delivered poison.
“The knife has poison!” I yelled to Alpha Valtor as he faced off against the girl.
“Noted!” he yelled back, his focus unbreakable.
“I need to kill you quickly before the poison spreads any further,” I said, tearing my clothing to apply a makeshift bandage to my wound. But this was no movie, and my opponent wasn’t going to wait for me.
He attacked immediately, unleashing a barrage of strikes, and while I had recognized the complexity of his speed, my training kicked in. I dodged his attack on instinct and I got to tie my clothes a bit, knowing that if I could just wait for the right moment, I could close the distance and strike back. Yet again, he charged at me, and I dodged, as I tied my hand very tightly, finished.
He charged at me again. I planted my feet firmly, dragged him by his shirt, threw him to the ground, and then dug my claws continuously into him.
“That’s enough!” Ember yelled, horror painted across her face as she witnessed what I was doing to the boy. I released my grip, realizing he was far weaker in strength than I had originally thought.
Faceless King's POV
“You fight beautifully,” I remarked, watching the young girl in front of me, who kept me on my toes. “They made a grave mistake sending you to face me.”
“We need to leave fast. Just kill her already!” Rho urged.
The girl charged at me with all the speed she could muster. I leaned to the side, evading her attack before launching a quick counter-attack with my clawed hand, executing my move with precision. I was a man of speed; reading her movements and executing the perfect counter was what I can do effortlessly.
Ember's POV
After Rho’s insistence, I watched as Valtor dodged the girl’s speed attack, but I struggled to process the subtleties of the fight unfolding before my eyes.
She stood momentarily with her back to Valtor, and suddenly, she dropped her knife, clutched her throat, and blood sprayed forth from her wounds.
“Don’t watch,” Valtor said firmly, stepping in front of me to shield my view. He wrapped his arms around me, and I shivered not just from fear, but from the horror of what I had just witnessed.
“Let’s move. I can’t take this anymore. We need to get as far away from this as possible,” I urged, breaking free of his embrace as we continued our escape.
Suddenly, a room door burst open behind us, and a young boy, clearly a werewolf, charged at Valtor. Mr. Smith stumbled out of the room, severely injured, placing himself in the line of danger to defend Valtor from the child’s reckless attack.
"Uncle" Valtor called, as the word "uncle" surprised me. Gamma Rho did not waste time in engaging the young boy, who seemed to be around 12, who stabbed Mr. Smith.
He crashed to the floor as Valtor caught him just in time before he hit the ground. "You should not have gotten in the way of the attack. I can defend myself against a surprise attack," Alpha Valtor declared.
"I will die anyway."