The searing pain from the tearing of their skins didn't come, but rather groans, whines, growls, sounds from shredding of flesh, cracking of bones and an ear-defeaning rampage.
Their eyes flew open to behold the horrific scene. All the rogues were lying lifeless, their bodies torn into pieces and two burly wolves stood, staring murderously at the lifeless bodies.
They were momentarily locked in paralysis as their muscles were hit by a jolt of current.
Never have they seen such brawny and sturdy wolves which single handedly destroyed more than fifty rogue wolves in a spark.
Sebastene knew there was an alpha among them but couldn't identify who and which pack.
Then the wolves shifted their gazes at them and their pulse skyrocketed.
"He's the alpha of that pack." Otto who was inside his wolf felt the weak Alpha aura around Sebastene.
Floyd sighed sadly. "I know. Quite a pity for one to be born to suffer for what he knew nothing about."
He couldn't put himself in their shoes, only the thought sent invisible fingers to run along his spine. Who knew unhappy their lives must be.
Who knew how lifeless their pack would be.
Kylo wanted to leave but Floyd felt a sudden urge to speak to them. "We can talk to them, it isn't forbidden."
And they both shifted into their humans, plucked some leafy twigs to cover their masculinity.
"We mean no harm!" Floyd yelled so they could hear him.
He saw how panic-stricken they were and knew the scene must have terrified them.
A sudden relief smashed them. "Thank you!"
Sebastene waved at him with a smile. They would have been dead if not their timely intervention.
"You're welcome. Do they attack often?"
He knew the story of the Riverville pack, the nature of their wolves and their diminished strength.
That must be the reason they couldn't shift when they faced the rogues who he believed were cognizant of their weakness.
"Yeah, but it's out fate!" Despite how heart-piercing the truth was, Sebastene maintained the smiles.
Right from when he was a child, rogues attack had been a common thing in the pack.
"Brighter days ahead!" Otto waved at them in cheerfulness. They were young, just like them but a curse made them different.
"Thank you!" Chlyde waved back.
Sebastene wished he could give them a hand shake or a hug, but they couldn't cross the river or they would drop dead.
"I'm Floyd, alpha of the Broln pack in the North, and this is my beta, Otto!"
"Nice wolves you have Alpha Floyd and Beta Otto. Lucky you!"
Sebastene's eyes darted to their groin. He saw their dangling organs when they shifted. Even their organs were well crafted, especially Floyd. It was befitting an alpha, but his was nothing to write home about.
What of Chylde, his beta? Worse!
"Thank you!" They both chirped.
"I'm Sebastene by the way, you already know my pack."
"A pack with beautiful people you mean?" Otto was good at lightening the atmosphere even in worst situations, and just as he intended, they burst into a heart-warming laughter.
"I wish I could visit your pack someday, but it isn't possible." They felt the sadness in his voice which he tried to conceal with a smile.
"And congratulations on your luna, Alpha Floyd!"
"Thank you and see you sometime." Then they shifted into their wolves and loped back to Broln pack.
Sebastene had a lingering smile on his face. He felt the blanket of gloom that had always covered him pulled off.
He felt light in heart and a kind of sweet peace enveloped him. Other packs and their alphas would berate and abuse them, but for the first time, one addressed them as 'beautiful'.
"He isn't as cruel as they said." Sebastene muttered.
"Maybe only in the face of enemies just like few minutes ago."
They stared at the carcass of wolves scattered at the other side, handiwork of Floyd and Otto, then turned and returned to the pack.
From afar, they felt the wind of grief blowing fiercely and all gathered at the cemetery wailing, sobbing and crying.
He sighted Marco's mate and his children who were in deep grief, and the happiness he felt earlier from his interaction with Floyd and Otto vanished.
If only Marco wasn't propelled by his insatiable quest for revenge and safety, the atmosphere wouldn't be damn bleak!
Once they sighted him, the wail intensified weakening his bones and muscles.
Giving a nod at the elder who was standing beside the body, the burial rite began and soon, the remains of Marco was lowered into a shallow grave and all headed to the royal house.
"Gamma Marco would have been alive if he didn't get hold of the wolfsbane. We find ourselves in this ugly fate because a rule was broken by an ancestral werewolf, so violating another shouldn't cross our minds. I hope all would learn from his mistakes and live right despite how terrible our fate might be."
The words he spoke opened their inner eyes to see things they've never imagined and understand scenes they've never thought of.
Once his speech was over, they all returned to their various abode in sober reflection.
That night, his mother came over to his chamber.
"Be consoled son, he brought it upon himself."
Yeah! But whatever he did wasn't for his personal benefit. It was for the entire pack, for everyone.
"He wanted us to be safe mother."
"But his approach was wrong son!"
Defying a rule to salvage the effects of a contravened rule was pure idiocy.
There was a brief silence, then his eyes widened in recollection.
"I met Alpha Floyd of Bro....."
"Did he touch you!!" She sprung from her seat and scanned his body carefully to his uttermost confoundment.
"Mother!!"
"Son, tell me the truth, did he do anything to you?"
Who doesn't know Floyd in the province, whose wolf was monstrous.
He felt her trembling hands and could swear he heard her rapid heartbeat.
"No mother! He didn't. In fact we had an amiable discussion."
Her eyes bore deeply into him, trying to discern the authenticity of his claim. "True?"
"Of course! You can ask Chylde. Floyd treated us like we weren't outcasts, he tore the rogues that attacked."
It was hard to believe. No wolf treated them well, no alpha came close to them, no pack helped them fight, and Floyd did all that?
She shook her head in disbelief and trailed her eyes round his body in suspicion.
Her action tickled Sebastene and he let out a hysteric laughter, which stupefied his mother.
When did her son smiled last? Since his father died, he had never smiled. But before her was her son drowning in a blissful laughter. Not any other day, but the day his gamma was struck with death.
"Mother, I'm serious, he did."
"Everything is strange." She mumbled.
Seeing how elated he was, she thought it would be the right time to discuss the topic he despised most.
"Son, have you considered taking Annalise as your luna? You grew up together and she had been your personal servant."
Her son was of age to pick a mate since Selene doesn't mate them, aside, he was the alpha and their pack needed a luna who should produce his heir, but he wasn't interested in taking a mate.
She'd investigated to know if there was someone in the pack he was secretly into, but to her uttermost disappointment, there wasn't one he even admired.
She thought he wouldn't hesitate to pick Annalise, the girl she took in from a tender age after her parents were killed in a rogue attack.
He was close to her and they grew up together, did things together until he became the alpha and his numerous responsibilities created a distance between them.
Sebastene once elated face twisted in anger. Does he need to yell or drum to let his mother know he seriously doesn't need a luna.
"I told you I don't need a luna!"
"Aren't you a man? Don't you have sexual urge?"
At his age, he was still a celibate! Was it that something had gone wrong with his masculinity?
He shot his mother a fierce gaze. "Mother!"
Discussing masculinity with Chylde was awkward let alone his mother who was a female.
Cecelia lowered her eyes, she knew the topic was an awkward one but he was his son and his well being mattered a lot a her.
"Seba? Tell me the truth, is there a problem down there?"
And his face twisted, he gave his mother a quick glance and averted his gaze.
He scratched his head awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to the embarrassing question he was asked.
"Ehm.. mother, just....go." He stuttered, not moving his gaze on her.
"Seba, this...."
"Let me be mother!!" He roared angrily.
Cecelia shrugged. Perhaps, the timing was wrong! It was better to leave him in the happy mood he was before she came in than bring back his former gloom.
"Forgive me son, I'm just worried." Then she exited the room.
"Whatever!" He muttered, drew a frown and lowered his gaze on his groin.
"I'm definitely fine."