The air pricked with static, a charge of power so strong that many still whimpered on the ground. After a minute of such a dark presence, the wolves held their positions, tears streaming down their faces. Meanwhile Eóghan, other Betas, and Alphas who could withstand the influence shot towards the source.
It took Duskfalls Beta all of two seconds to scent Nathan. With renewed vigor, he stormed towards the upper floor of the packhouse- leading the cautious males behind him who were more than hesitant to enter the Devils lair.
"Alpha?" He called, opening and closing doors in swift succession, "Alpha...... Titania?!"
"I told you she'd gone mad," Alfonso commented, a dark look from Eóghan, however, had him buttoning his lip.
Lithuanian Alpha Filip shook his head and muttered to Alfonso, sick of his childish attitude. The friendly man did not tolerate how the other Alpha was treating his host, and since becoming more in tune with his inner wolf he could not stop but growl warningly at the male he once respected.
"I told you to shut-up. This is not the time to be making smart remarks about my Alpha."
Alfonso had a retort at the top of his tongue for Eóghan but was silenced at an almighty roar that shook the very foundations of the cabin. Another brief pause from the men as they held their heads with their hands, nothing but darkness attempting to smother their souls. The wave passed and they did not falter when they thundered up the stairs or when Eóghan threw his body through the door but the sight before them...they couldn't stop becoming frozen in their tracks.
Nathan cowered in the furthest corner of the room. His hands covering his face and body bent so far over in a submissive pose. The males eyed his scantily dressed form and the multiple bleeding wounds along his breastbone; his eyes filled to the brim with fear. Brown swirling with not one ounce of the arrogance that it would usually contain, oh no. His gaze focused pointedly at the dark mass stalking towards him.
Titania filled the room. Her influence not letting anyone breathe properly as authority, power and an off note pitch of deadly anger saturated the room; flavoring the air with a dangerous hint of burnt whiskey. Titania was in wolf form but Eóghan immediately sensed that something was off.
Her posture was on offense, every hair pin-pricked to attention. Her bedraggled appearance and scars only adding to her intimidation. A pulled back snout that revealed sharp teeth, glinting tauntingly with blood and saliva and a body positioned in aggression towards Nathan who continued to shake as the feral looking wolf continued to snarl.
Even with the newcomers in the room, her eyes stayed on her prey and it was then that Eóghan scented the undercurrent of another female and the colour of Titania's eyes.
"Holy mother of God...." Alfonso muttered, which caused Titania's eyes to swivel to the intruders.
Black.
A black so deep and dark that the men flinched outright.
An unforgiving abyss of untamed wilderness.
There was no recognition in her eyes at all and even when Eóghan bent his neck and called out to her all she did was growl threateningly, her wolf too disoriented in the moment to notice her own Beta. Titania's body stayed on edge and prepared to take a chunk out of whoever was closest. The wolves were at a loss of what to do.
With a mournful sigh, Eóghan came to the conclusion that Titania had come to her capacity. She was lost. He gave the males behind a sign to move back cautiously, as not to scare the animal but Titania's focus had gone back to the panicked male in the corner. Once again catching the enticing scent of fear, the predator attacked and not a second later she got a hold of Nathan's arm. Ripping into it ferociously. No sense of humanity left in her soul.
Nathan's scream only spurred Titania on. "Please.... no...no! It hurts!! STOP! STOP IT." His futile whimpers and begging did nothing but encourage the beast.
"Alpha, stop. You need to listen to me," no response as Nathan's screams grew louder, "please listen to my voice Alpha, this isn't you!"
"Alpha?"
Out of options and with the beast draining the life out of Nathan, Eóghan was running out of ideas. Even though he didn't like the male he was not going to let Titania ruin her own life: moron or not.
"Titania Conlin."
As soon as the words came out of Eóghan mouth the beast froze; menacing grunts alerting the male to his mistake. Taking a lasting chunk out of Nathan's arm and with him passing out in a pool of his own urine, she now stalked towards her Beta. Unknowing of his intent to help. For the beast was done playing with its chew toy and now saw the real threat: the man standing in front who's tone she disapproved of, words un-mattering.
Obsidian eyes sparked with raw instinct. The need to eliminate her biggest threat. Noticing the glint in her eyes, Eóghan led her outside away from her unconscious mate.
Eyes watched the savage wolf while warriors evacuated the scene. Many Duskfall members remained confused but at the same time, one look at their Alpha female snapping ruthlessly at every wolf in the vicinity caused many to take a step back and gulp.
The usually calm, cold and collected Alpha had now gone berserk. Eyes lost, jaw biting, body taut; all the movements of an unstable animal and Alpha Titania was just that. Trapped in her animalistic mind lay the once controlled woman but to protect herself from a world so unjust, so unfair, the only way she survived was to recede inside, allowing the wolf within to take full control.
A wolf that was territorial, bloodthirsty and furious. A most lethal concoction.
Eóghan managed to lure the wolf away from the crowded areas, knowing that agitating the animal any more would only result in casualties. Titania's gaze flickered, much like a cornered animal while she took in her new surroundings; for making the mistake of not shifting in weeks had resulted in a wolf overwhelmed. Something that would not help the situation in the slightest.
Facing off, the wolf did not hesitate in snapping at the authority Eóghan presented. All rage that had been pent up had been released for there were no walls to stop it. Nothing like the bricks Titania had layed year after year to prevent her wolf from breaking free and self-destructing. And finally, this was the time it all came down too.
"Alpha, before you hurt yourself, stop." But his words fell on unhearing ears as she circled him, other Duskfall warriors coming ever closer.
Sighing at his failed attempts he subtly gave a nod of a head to his fellow brothers. "Forgive us Alpha but this needs to be done."
Garth, Olig, Henry, and Angus all took positions closer to a feral Titania and she jumped into action, forcing Eóghan to the ground as she snapped her teeth warningly. The other males shifted and fought her off, her slimmer build from her rejection making her easy to simply nudge off. Her fellow pack mates were hesitant in fighting her but knew that ultimately, a wolf lost to itself was unsalvageable for the damage had been done.
Her soul had been corrupted and in instances, like these, she needed to be put down. No matter the relation.
Angus and Garth looked sadly down on her, "You've been a strong Alpha and you'll be missed dearly," Garth couldn't help but let the regret at not helping her seep into his tone. Angus, himself not doing much better.
"The best. You have done us, and the pack proud. Remember that."
At the blank stare with nothing but primality and vicious intent, the males faces went stone cold. With a nod from Eóghan, they had to follow the ways of the mountains as their Alpha was no longer with them.
All in sync while forcing her in the middle of a tight circle, they chanted somberly together for the last time with their beloved Alpha, "Oak and iron guard me well or else I'm dead and doomed to Hell."
Triggered by the male's movements, Titania surged forwards, wolf enraged. This time the males fully shifted and took turns in going on offense while keeping the beast away from the pack. That was their main priority.
Garth was first to dance with Titania but with having the full strength of her Alpha title behind her she tore into him, biting deep into his front leg as she snarled deep and low, alerting the males that she was not here to play nice. The darkness festered within the severed bond and she was not going to hold back, not when her wolf was controlling her every sense.
He fell back while Angus and Olig took to her rear, trying to find an opening. The problem with a mentally unstable wolf came to the issue of unpredictability. This was not Titania fighting, where her moves could be forecast; this was purely and solely her wolf in charge and while fuelled with rage, was not an opponent one would wish to fight. She was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield before, but now she was something much more....destructive.
They all attempted to get a bite or scratch on her body but were all unsuccessful. She was quick, driven but the almighty gloom that emanated from her essence as she ripped and tore without mercy. The males only struggled. How could they fight someone they had looked up to for the formation of the Duskfall pack? Someone who had countlessly given up so much to aid them in survival?
She moved with such fluidity, such prowess that soon it was the males that held most the wounds. Eóghan had bit deep into her shoulder but she was deaf to it, the pain simply inciting her to the rush of the fight. The animal growing frenzied at the metallic tang of blood that now stained the grass.
It was of no use. The Warriors started to lag and even with the wound she had sustained Titania was still biting back with vigor, managing to catch Eóghan with claws over the face. It was apparent that she was not letting up but they kept brawling, for Duskfall wolves did not give up in the face of a challenge. Shame that it was Titania's determination that got them that mentality in the first place.
The beast was becoming more erratic as Henry's jaw latched on her ear, but with an almighty shake she tore her own ear off to escape. She was foaming at the mouth. Eyes flickering for an escape as one presented itself. An opening; one so small that she took it. Caution to the wind.
The wolf ran. Sprinted as fast as it could. Leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
The males followed as far as they could but with the bitter night coming through and the fact that their Alpha knew the lands better than anybody else: they conceded. But not before scouring the area as best they could.
"I'm going to slaughter that bastard," Garth growled as he threw on his kilt haphazardly. Eóghan stood stock still, mournful eyes still glued to the forest.
The usual easygoing Angus followed swiftly. Eyes hardened to a point where if you looked closely, tears lay underneath, "Not if I get there first. He deserves to be executed for the shit show he's brought upon this pack, making him pay will be the last thing he ever witnesses."
All the warriors hummed their agreement to that. Nathan had brought the reckoning and downfall to Duskfall.
"She's gone, I never thought that we'd lose her.... what are we going to do? Who's the Alpha now?"
A long tormented howl far in the desolate mountain tops interrupted Garth's question, for what were they to do when winter was awaiting ever closer?
~~~~~~~~~~
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Dedication to @cilla2016for their comments, you really inspired me this chapter so thank you! xoxoxoxoxoxo
Question: How big of a dick is Nathan on a scale of /10? What on Earth happened???