A Luna's Flame

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Nyx's POV

Growls and thunderous, stampede-like footsteps filled the otherwise suspiciously quiet forest with energy. Bored, I picked at the blood underneath my fingernails with my pristine silver knife.

"This is taking forever," I sighed as I leaned back on an impressive oak tree trunk, one leg dangling off the branch I sat on.

"Then let's make it interesting, shall we?" a man casually said from beneath me.

I glanced down at the fancy, red leather-clad warrior, unimpressed. The bald man looked up at me with a dark glint in his green eyes as his chest puffed out in pride. The shininess of his head in the sunlight took away from his supposed intimidating nature.

"I doubt that you could hold the interest of a pup, let alone me, wolf. Don't you have wounded men and pregnant women to scare?" I asked.

His face darkened.

"Though that might entertain lesser-minded wolves like your kind, I much rather spend my time avenging my fallen friend," he said as several men adorning similar wardrobes walked into my line of sight, seemingly surrounding the base of my tree.

"Your friend? I didn't think men like you had friends," I asked as I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

"Enough of your games. Will you die with honor or continue to flee like a coward? We have you surrounded, and you're several miles away from your freedom, Rogue. You will pay with your life for the one of many lives that you took from Night Fang," the warrior taunted menacingly.

I furrowed my eyebrows with confusion as I looked down at the already-shifted wolves and then back at their leader.

"What? Too weak to sense when you're in danger, Rogue? Pathetic. Even Omegas can sense when their superiors get near them," he spat as he stepped closer.

"I think you have misunderstood this whole situation. I haven't killed your frien—" I began.

"You carry the scent of his blood, Rogue! You will not lie to me. I am not weak like Alpha Maddox. Do you know why the council handpicked me as head of their fleet?"

I shook my head no as I watched him with my head slightly cocked to the side as I regarded him.

"Because they know I can kill him. And if I can take down the Demon Alpha, a worthless bitch will be no different. You've gotten far too comfortable in Night Fang when you should've never lived to see the inside of pack borders. I will see to it that my men take their time in defiling you before your head joins the others that decorate our borders. Your brother, the lucky bastard, will never wake up from that coma," the bald man threatened with conviction, enticing yelps of excitement from the wolves that began to scratch at the oak tree's trunk.

The thunder in the distance grew closer.

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"You have such a way with words," I cheered as I began to clap at his impassioned rant.

All of the warriors growled in response.

"You have such a riveting way of stringing bullshit together" I abruptly stopped, pondering for a moment, "Deimos, is it?"

The man quickly hid the shock that overtook him when his name came tumbling out of my mouth.

"Yes, I heard your threats, and I most certainly stuck around to hear what you said to your men about what you had planned for the Doctor and her pup. Such a demented boy playing dress up in a warrior's garment, unknowingly provoking death. Playtime is over, and as I said before, I am not interested," I began casually.

"You were picked because you're an easily manipulated fool. Who told you that you could kill an Alpha? The so-called 'Elders' that dress you in the finest garbs and whisper sweet nothings to your ego? Have you ever raised a hand to your Alpha to test your theory, hm? From what I can tell, you've hardly ever been in battle," I questioned.

"I w—" Deimos attempted to interrupt, practically foaming at the mouth with rage.

"You compared me to an Omega because you think you have me surrounded with my tail tucked between my legs. But what do you call a wolf that challenges his superior based on lies fed to him on a silver spoon? Courageous or stupid? I think you should ask that friend of yours that I left bleeding on the ground by your feet. You claimed I killed him, but he's very much alive—you're welcome, by the way. However, I'm sure by now he wishes that he was dead as every breath he takes painfully reminds him of the truth," I spat with venom.

"I will kill you, bitch!" Deimos promised before his body started to shake, which was a sign of an impending shift.

And with the breeze that blew through the trees, my blade effortlessly sliced into the thin skin of his shoulder, my action unregistered to the untrained eye. He howled in agony as the silver began to burn the skin that hugged its blade. The storm shifted, attracted to the sound of pain.

"What did you say earlier? Ah, yes! Let's make this interesting."

"Did you perhaps think I was resting on this branch to escape you? Maybe even guessing I got tired or feared I couldn't reach the neutral ground beyond the borders before your men could catch me?" I questioned, watching as the skin of his hands began to sizzle as he tried to pull the blade free, blood soaking into the ground below him.

"If you thought the rumors of my swiftness during the night I saved the lives of Night Fang's excursion team was a lie, I can tell you now that it wasn't. I have been enjoying my day like a fisherman reeling in her largest catch, savoring the show. You, my dear wolves, are the omegas surrounded by your superiors and, coincidentally, my entertainment because I have grown bored of this pack and its antics," I said as I leaped from the tree and landed behind the clawing pack of wolves that circled it.

"It is time to see if you are actually strong enough to kill an Alpha, Deimos. To make it fun for me, I've taken your ability to shift, but only for a little while. I'm sure you can handle it. Let's see how you fare against wolves closer to your caliber. I tore your friend to shreds because he crossed me. Let's see what happens when you face the wolves you've stolen from," I said with a dark promise as howling grew closer, stopping the charging warrior wolves in their tracks.

"The Rogues you've asked for have finally come."