Gloria shook her head. “My mate- her shoulders wracked. “He-”
Maxim was stunned. He didn’t know about this part. He had to say something to cover it up. “They both have committed a murder, and that’s why they are in my dungeons!”
Gloria looked at Maxim with hatred. “We are no longer in his dungeons. Alpha Hunter’s warriors helped us out.”
Now Maxim was even more bewildered. How did the Lycans reach his dungeons? From the corner of his eye, he saw Clara and Sarah going to River. They both gave a nod as they came to stand by her side.
Alpha Maxim was stunned. He froze when he saw that two of his pack members who were very close to the alpha family were now standing behind River as if they knew her all along. His mind went into a tizzy. The two sisters must have given away every secret or did they connive with River to bring his downfall? And the time they had chosen was impeccable. Every pack member was in the temple premises.
“***, Maxim hissed as his fists clenched beside him. “You two had connived with River to bring me down.” He bared his fangs as his wolf wanted to shift and attack them. “Let me teach you a lesson!” he growled and strode towards them with murderous intent.
The two sisters stepped back, shaking with fear because they were still under his control. However, to protect them, Hunter stepped forward. Seeing Hunter, Maxim stopped.
“They belong to my pack,” Maxim growled. “You can’t do anything here, Alpha Hunter, so give them to me. They are **.”
Hunter’s muscles bulged in response, threatening Maxim. “They are not ***, but they knew about your son’s truth and how Victoria connived with him to oust River. They wanted to bring justice to River and this was the only way.” Clara and Sarah were present in the school on the day Hector marked Victoria. They had come to pick up their children. Their gazes fell on River whose body was frozen into stunned silence when she saw her mate marking someone else. They wanted to console her, but River had run away from there. Both the sisters rushed after her, but they couldn’t find her. They eventually found her but at that time Hector had slammed River into shelves and she began bleeding.
They both stayed quiet after the incident scared for their lives. However, when River came back last for the high school certificate, they met her and revealed what they saw. After that they agreed to help her with exposing Victoria. The fake medical report that Victoria had shown to her friends was kept stashed in her wardrobe.
Sarah took that report and showed it to River. And from there it was easy tracing the doctor. But Hector was smarter. In order to ensure that the doctor didn’t speak a word, he abducted his sister and her mate and threw them in the dungeons. The doctor agreed to help River after a lot of ***but he broke down when he came to know that his sister was in the dungeon.
“Justice to River?” Maxim snarled. “She is nothing, but a pain in the ***ever since she was bom. Along with these two sisters, she planted evidence against us!” He looked at his pack members. “Kill them! What are you waiting for?” he roared. “No!” the doctor shouted. “Stop!” He looked at the crowd who
was advancing towards them because of their Alpha’s command. “They didn’t plant any evidence. They only helped in digging out the planted evidence. These two helped me get my sister back. Please don’t hurt them. You can ask Hector about this. I am sure that he will speak the truth because he has also committed the mistake of rejecting his mate. He is on a guilt trip.”
“That’s right!” said one of the pack members. “If Hector says that the doctor is lying then we will kill these sisters and the doctor.”
“Yes!” there was a general agreement.
Maxim knew that his son would never go against his father. He narrowed his eyes to look at Clara and Sarah, as if warning them that this was their last. “Hector!” he shouted. “Come here!” His order was met with silence. Maxim frowned and looked to his right where Hector was, but the space was… empty. He whipped his head around. “Hector!” he yelled his name. The boy had a tendency of slipping away often. “Where are you? Come forth!” Once again, his order was met with shocked silence.
All present in the temple started murmuring as to where Hector was. Maxim was now disturbed. He opened his mind link with his son. “Hector!” But that too came unanswered. This meant only one thing. If Maxim was unable to reach his son through his mind link, then Hector was out of the Crescent Moon territory. He had run away.
A shudder ***through his body as his eyes went wide when he realized that his son abandoned him. He didn’t know what face he had now that his son had run away. What will he tell his pack members? The shame weighed heavily on him, He realized that every one of his pack members was looking at him with anticipation. He had never even imagined that the situation would turn so badly against him. He clenched his teeth to stop his lips from trembling. His mind raced to find a solution to salvage the situation.
He called his beta through his mind link and murmured, “Go find Hector.” His beta nodded and rushed out. Then he turned to his pack and said with a voice full of misery. “It seems that Hector has taken River’s rejection to his heart. He has gone back home. He is saddened and is feeling worthless. I think he needs space.”
A loud laugh punctuated his speech. River shook her head as she laughed. “Alpha Maxim, your son, the mighty future Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack has run away!”
“What?” some of the pack members rasped.
“Yes, Alpha Hunter’s warriors are on his trail and will be bringing him back soon!”
Maxim gulped. He narrowed his eyes on her. “You liar!” he spat. “Stop with your insinuations.”
“Why should I insinuate?” River said, shrugging. “In three, two, one- The door of the temple opened with a bang and two Lycan warriors entered, pushing Hector in front of them.” “There he is!” River said with a grin.
The Lycan warrior said, “Hector was running away. We found him just outside the Crescent Moon territory. You can call your beta now. We just met him on our way in. He looked panicky.”
Maxim’s mouth dropped to the floor as his stomach twisted in knots. Hector was bleeding from his cheek. His left eye was black and his clothes were tattered. Anger blasted in his chest, seeing his son’s condition. He roared. The windows and walls and ground of the temple shook. “How dare you hit him?” he said and lunged at the warrior.
But before he could hit the warrior, Hunter came right in front of him and grabbed his fist. “You don’t get to punch my warrior,” Hunter growled and shoved him back.
Maxim stumbled back, amazed at Hunter’s power. The Lycan king was extremely strong and agile. In a second he was in front of his warrior to protect him. “Leave my son!” he growled back.
Hunter turned to see his warriors and motioned them to leave Hector. He pushed Hector to his father and said, “We don’t even want him. He is all yours.”
“Now leave my territory!” Maxim snarled. “I don’t want to see you again in the Crescent Moon pack. We have had enough of this drama. Get out!”
“No we won’t,” came River’s determined voice.
Maxim whirled to look at her menacingly.
River crossed her arms across her chest. She looked at Hunter who was glaring at her with confusion and anger. She took a deep breath in and walked up to a few meters away from him. Dropping her hand to her sides, she held her chin high and then in a loud and clear voice said, “I have come here to claim what belongs to me, Maxim.”
Maxim’s eyes widened with utter shock when she called him by his name and the challenge she threw at him.
There were gasps in the crowd, but no one dared to move. They saw how determined River was. Her demeanor was exuding confidence.
“You haven’t improved, have you mutt?” he snarled, his lips peeling back. He was going to wring her neck and throw it to the dogs. “You really want to get killed? Besides, you are an omega. Just because you have become the breeder of the Lycan King, you are growling at me? At an Alpha?” He strode to her and poked his finger in her shoulder. “You bloody omega. We have had enough of you. Now get lost!”
River grabbed his finger and bent it backwards. He grunted in pain as he quickly released himself out of her grip. “How dare you claim that this pack is yours?” he hissed. “This pack belongs to me. Besides, who will believe that you are Alpha Lowell’s daughter? There is no proof. You are nothing but a cheat!”
River chuckled. “I knew you would say that.” She looked at Hunter, who dug his pants pocket and took out a paper
