Chapter 111: Chapter 111: KILL ME

AZRAEL

It’s minutes past 2 in the morning, hours since today’s meeting began concerning the emergence of lab-manufactured Lycans that are unstable and a threat to all the plans I’ve been plotting for my revenge since the dawn of time.

The worst part is that Alpha Ziba and his conspirators have fled since the incident at Wilderose Manor, and now it’s been close to impossible to locate them.

Almost as if they have some kind of invincible accomplice on their side capable of evading me completely.

I haven’t been this irritated and agitated in a while, not since a six-foot dagger was launched into my chest and my fate to suffer was sealed a millennia ago.

“I suggest that we send out a team, trace their movements through families or people they’ve been in contact with for the past year, and hunt them down, turning over whatever mountain or hill that’s in our way if we have to,” Eros suggests sternly, the idea of complete eradication.

“Again, what if that’s what the rebelling factions want? For us to overreact over one small failed experiment, possibly the only one they were able to make, and throw us off our feet. To create the illusion like they’re anything to concern ourselves with.” Kieran, the gamma, counters his notion as he’s been doing all afternoon and night.

The two of them go head to head as they usually do every chance they get, the very reason they’re assigned tasks on opposite ends of the castle so they never have to clash—except now, where both their inputs are needed for this particular issue, as with every other Lycan official and a few werewolf Alphas that are gathered here tonight.

“Are you suggesting we ignore the fact that a group of sadists were able to successfully create an undead Lycan with malicious power? Leave that kind of disaster very unchecked?” Eros scoffs, his tone describing just how insane and impossible his suggestion is.

“I’m saying that they might not even be aware of how they did it. It’s been weeks since, and they haven’t revealed themselves since then. Obviously because they’re watching and waiting for us to react,” Kieran counters once more.

“Or they’re making moves in the shadows. That’s all the more reason why we should move now before they do something else unexpected!”

“That’s enough, Eros.” I cut in before their argument can get all the more heated than it already is, staring at all the other exhausted and tired faces in the room.

Left to me alone, I would have found those bastards and ended them myself. But eradicating Alphas from more than a few prominent packs requires things like due process and annoying politics—things I abhor being involved in.

Things that always end up in an unnecessarily long argument on whether to take a step or not.

“I think that all of this is pointless.” Elowen suddenly speaks out after hours of silently observing, drawing all eyes in the room towards her. Mine especially.

Just like me, she hates these things, and her usual go-to was sleeping off until a course of action was decided on before she left. Sometimes she was absent.

But now she’s partaking?

“Pointless?” I stare back at her.

A small sly smile flickers on her lips as she holds my gaze.

“Regardless of what they decide, you’re the big bad Lycan king, are you not? Nothing, not even half-baked Lycans, are a threat to you. You can always finish them off with the flick of a finger. Why waste our time having a meeting deliberating any of this anyway? Unless perhaps… you’re scared.”

She challenges me on purpose and in front of everyone. Her daring eyes hold my gaze along with that obnoxious smile.

I can easily tell her only purpose is to rile me up, anger me more than she already has, and I hate to admit that it’s working effectively.

“Meeting adjourned. Leave, everyone,” I announce to everyone present after a moment of silence.

They don’t need to be told twice before they rise up, packing up documents and information shared prior and dashing out through the door—except she takes her time without haste.

Without fear. For the first time, she lingers in the room longer than anyone.

“Not you, Elowen.” I call to her before she can get close enough to the door.

Her head swerves back at me, swiping platinum blonde hair over her shoulder as she looks at me with a playful gesture.

I draw closer to her slowly, towering over her frame, until I’m only an inch away from her.

My hand slowly falls round her neck, gently caressing the faint bruise she hides behind her turtleneck top—a silent reminder of her punishment.

Her smile falters.

“How’s your neck? Does it still hurt?” I coo softly, feigning concern.

She glares at me.

“You’re not even remotely funny.”

“Oh really? Because I too am trying to find the joke in your actions lately.”

I secure my hand around her thin neck but not tight enough to constrict her air—enough to show that I mean business though.

She flinches only slightly but conceals every other sign of fear.

“Since when have you believed in the notion of letting our enemies do as they please rather than hunting them down and gutting them one by one? Since when did you think I’ll allow you to insult me in front of my people and walk away freely?”

“Since we’ve conquered more than half of the world and I’m still fighting an endless battle that doesn’t seem to have an end, Azrael.” She spits with bitter simmering resentment burning in her eyes.

“I’m starting to see no point in all of this. When does it end? When do you stop playing benevolent king and seize control of the continents at your beck and call and bend them to your will? Kill every one of those disgusting wolves and make this world yours. When do you stop being a weak bastard and focus on what’s important rather than an insignificant horde of wolves barking at you? All that power and you choose to do nothing with it!”

“Shut up.” I warn her in a low, deep bellow.

I feel the rage boiling in my veins, anger toppling over in torrents and a deep repressed bloodlust surfacing.

I tighten my hold on her neck, wanting to snap it off clean this time, put an end to her annoying rants. To hear the peaceful silence again without her yapping.

She senses it. Rather than being terrified, she smiles widely—sick and insane.

“Kill me,” she tempts me.

No, it’s a dare. She knows that her importance still has a somewhat significant hold over me and that I can’t do it.

Not yet.

I slide my hand away, putting more distance between us before I can give in, and she cackles mockingly.

“The fact that you won’t proves my point. The years have made you soft, Azrael. You’re forgetting why you wanted to plunge the world into chaos in the first place. You could have enough chaos by torturing half the people under you, but you’d rather be fair. You’re pathetic.” She spits venomously, enough to tip me over.

“Get out,” I roar, my voice shaking the entire room and maybe even the foundation below it, wiping her smug smirk off her face briefly.

She has nothing more to say, so she offers her bow and leaves me alone with my thoughts, in the darkness of my mind.

I’m enraged by her scrutiny, by the fact that hidden behind parts of its poison, there are pieces of truth within them.

I should kill her and yet I refuse to. I could fulfill my plans at any point and yet I decide to take a much longer route to achieve my goals.

The perfect way.

I’m left with my thoughts for a few minutes more before I take my leave.

Somewhere between being plagued by thoughts and walking down the hallway, I find myself taking a familiar pathway that leads nowhere near my bedroom, and catch myself before I can get to her door.

I’m tempted to see her again today, peek at her face and just be satisfied merely by her existence, maybe tease her a bit—until I remind myself not to be an idiot and walk back to my own room.

I’ve been shut down by her cold, resentful stares enough times to know my limits, and even though it’s never been enough to keep me away, not tonight when everything feels so fragile.

I take a turn to my room instead, finding it within minutes.

I lock the door behind me and strip down to boxers, flexing my body.

My thoughts are all solely focused on my worries, but now part of it is divided by the obvious presence of someone hiding underneath the sheets of my bed.

And doing a poor job at it.

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