Delta [Epsilon #2]

Chapter Twenty

A dramatic silence settled over the grounds again, and I tried to block out the memories. I caught a few of them sharing glances, perhaps thinking about brothers and sisters -- family and friends who belonged to the lowest rank. 

"One devastating attack had me facing off several wolves with only my dear friend, Azure, at the time. It was a two against five, and not only were we sorely out numbered, but we were protecting a group of startled Omegas." I swallowed. "For a while, we held the upper hand. We were winning. We were holding together. But that illusion fell the moment we opened a guard. once we realised, it was too late, for one of the wolves slipped past our defence. He didn't go for us; he went for an Omega. All it took was one moment, one stupid mistake, and her fate was decided," I drew a thumb across my neck. Dead, I finished in my head. A few of them shivered. "Tessa was thirteen. She had her whole life ahead of her, but it was stolen. She was just one of many. When you are on the on the losing end of the war, you lose many. As Northerners, you haven't had to experience that. But that has changed. "

I continued to stalk, allowing my gaze to slip towards the Delta. I was surprised to find his eyes hard, focused on me. Once he caught my gaze, however, he rolled his eyes and look away.

Somehow, I got the feeling he understood my words more than he cared to show.

I returned my gaze to the gathered. Their eyes tracked me, partly intrigued, partly dreading, as though they feared whatever words would next leave my mouth.

"But I don't tell you this to scare you. I want you to know that is is reality. And with a war on the horizon, you have to be prepared for these violent events. You have to prepare to do your very best. Because when you make a mistake on the battlefield, one that leads to another getting killed, it'll haunt you for life."

I swallowed, blocking out the memories. I could see their eyes in my peripheral, watching me, equally eager to know more as they were terrified. As I was about to open my mouth for another speech, the Alpha stepped in. 

"That's enough blabbering, Epsilon. How about you teach them something useful."

I withheld my glare. Instead, I lowered my brows and said, "This is useful. It's important they know just how dire a really battle is, not just a little duel in a grassy field. And judging by what I've seen, I think they were failed to be told of the situation at hand."

He waved me away. "I don't care." He then turned towards the Delta, pointing to him. "Duel him. Both of you will demonstrate to the youngsters how it's done."

The Delta glared. "Didn't I make it clear I wanted no part of this?"

The Alpha gave an exasperated sigh. "Then why did you follow us out here?"

The Delta didn't answer. For a few moments, he just stood there, silent. His mouth contorted into a snarl, and storming forward, he pushed past Alpha Osyn and stood before me. "Fine. I'll duel her, only because your fat ass won't."

The Alpha went red, but before he could say anything, the Delta turned his attention to the kids. "Alright, everyone. Watch me smack our beloved Epsilon into the ground." He turned to me, eyes alight with smugness, and mine narrowed in challenge. I'd show him. He'd put me down and undermined my abilities for long enough. 

I allowed the Lunar Energy to seep into me. Today it was just me and him, hand-to-hand, with the basest of werewolf magic. 

The air thickened as silence ensued, everyone in the audience holding their breaths as we allowed our Lunar Energy to seep in. The bird calls got louder, and my sharpened vision allowed me to see the finer details of the male's face. The Delta stared back at me, his orange eye brighter than usual, as he assumed a fighter's stance. I mirrored him.