Somewhere in the deep woods of France.
[Can you hear that?]
[Yes, Alpha. I can hear it too.]
[Bloody lunatic!]
Seth moved his forelegs as he was agitated by the sound he heard earlier. The howl of pain sounded heartbreaking. Seth knew that it was the sound from inside the building far ahead of them.
He signalled for Liam to hold back, at least until it became dark. Their reconnaissance in this place should not be known by anyone. The tall, thick wall that bordered the building could have been jumped over, but Seth decided not to attract attention.
Seth heard the sound of rustling grass from behind. He strained his ears and sense of smell to find out what was going on. His instincts told him that he should check out the sound immediately.
[Wait here, I have to check something!]
[Okay, Alpha]
Seth moved his four legs towards the source of the sound. His eyes caught a small movement among the bushes in front of him. Seth stepped slowly, and he saw a deer sitting among the bushes near the boulder in front of him.
Seth felt compelled to capture the deer. The two days of reconnaissance he had done with Liam had made him ignore his hunger. Seth rested on his two hind legs to start jumping towards the boulder in front of him.
[Delicious-looking deer, Seth!] said the wolf voice inside him.
“Yeah, I happen to be very hungry.”
Unexpectedly, Seth’s body was ambushed by two wolves from the left and right sides. The sudden movement managed to immobilise Seth, with one wolf’s mouth already holding his neck while the other wolf had locked Seth’s four legs.
“Fuck, it’s a trap!”
Seth spontaneously howled to tell Liam about the attack, but there was no response from Liam. The next second, Seth felt his vision begin to blur and slowly darken as his body began to go numb.
*
Seth woke up, but he was in excruciating pain all over his body. He was curled up on the cold floor with his hands and feet in cuffs.
“Fuck, monkshood!”
Seth tried his hardest to get the cuffs off his hands and feet. No matter how hard Seth tried, the handcuffs would not come off, making him even weaker.
Seth heard a dripping sound. He also smelled dampness in his surroundings. He could not see because the room where he was kept was not lit at all. His sense of sight was not functioning optimally with his human body.
“Liam!”
Seth called out to his warrior. He seemed to hear a stifled groan from the side. The lights instantly switched on, and Seth could see where he was. He could see, beside him, Liam standing with both arms and legs stretched out and tied to the poles on his right and left sides.
“Liam, are you okay?”
“The monkhood weakened us, Alpha.”
“Are you still able to hold on? I’ll find a way for us to get out of this place.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Seth saw blood oozing from Liam’s temple and cheekbone. The he-wolf seemed to have been hurt worse than he was.
For an hour, they just stood around, waiting uncertainly. Seth was still racking his brain for a way to escape the room. His thoughts were distracted after hearing the howl again, but it still sounded as sad as the one he heard yesterday.
Seth did not know how long he had been in this room, whether since yesterday or not. The pain he felt interpreted that he had been in this room for more than a day.
“How did you get caught?” Seth asked to break the silence.
“After you left, they attacked me and managed to immobilise me very quickly. I don’t know if they’re like normal werewolves; their speed is above average.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the loud pounding of the door. Seth’s gaze narrowed when he saw the figure of someone he had seen before. He tried to see clearly by sitting up, but again to no avail; he remained curled up on the floor.
“Alpha Seth, of the Red Crescent Moon Pack. What makes you dare to show your muzzle in this place?”
“I remember, Beta Gerald; a werewolf as cowardly as an earthworm!”
“Whatever you say, Brat, I will not fall for your provocations. Get ready! Matthieu wants to meet a little bugger like you.”
Seth’s body had already been dragged by two well-built and fierce-looking men to a circular room with a blaze right in the centre. Seth shuddered in horror as he felt the strong aura of this place.
Seth was made to sit on his knees on the stone floor and look up at the concave wall that acted like a podium. Seth saw that the Beta was already on the podium.
“Welcome to the Altar of Death!” said a voice that echoed from the podium.
“Hi, Matthieu,” greeted Seth with a contemptuous grin.
“Are you still smiling? That smile is about to disappear because I’m going to rip your muzzle off and throw you into the flames.”
“Go ahead if you’re smart enough to do it.”
“Alright, I accept your Monomachia challenge! Tell me what your requirements are, Alpha Seth.”
“If I win this fight, release my father, and he will take your place as Supreme Alpha,” Seth said passionately.
“If I win?” asked Matthieu with contrived enthusiasm.
“You can throw my head into the flames, like you said earlier. You want to do it so badly, don’t you? No more McKirby to humiliate you again.”
“Fair enough, I agree! I’ve had it with McKirby, who is always arrogant and haughty.”
“May no woman’s emotions dull your claws to tear the flesh on my body after Ginette was humiliated by my father.” Seth’s grin widened to make the blood in Matthieu’s body boil when Seth mentioned Luna’s name.
“Stupid mug!”
Matthieu had already shifted into his wolf form and jumped down to the battle arena. He mind-linked the two werewolf figures who had dragged Seth earlier. The two werewolves broke the chains on the cuffs on Seth’s hands and feet.
Seth was freed. He instantly shifted into his wolf form. The two werewolves planted their feet to strengthen their footing. Seth howled first, followed by Matthieu with a heavier howl.
Seth ran first. He went for Matthieu’s back leg and managed to cut his thigh muscle. Seth ran away for the second attack position; he again targeted Matthieu’s other back leg.
[He might dodge; take that into reckoning! You can catch him off guard!] suggested Seth’s wolf voice.
“Okay!”
Seth ran with a zigzag to distract Matthieu so that his concentration would be diverted. Matthieu saw Seth’s unpredictable movements. He did not take into account that Seth’s fighting skills were very skilled.
A grunt of pain was immediately heard after Seth managed to do the same to Matthieu’s back leg. The wolf swayed for a moment but soon stood upright again. Seth could see a different way of running from Matthieu after Seth managed to injure Matthieu’s hind limbs.
Matthieu did not want to give up. His longer life than that of Seth gave him a lot of fighting experience. Matthieu made a leap in the air after running a lap and pounced on Seth right on his front leg.
Now that Seth’s focus was diverted, Seth had no time to dodge; Matthieu managed to break Seth’s front leg bone with his bite.
[The fracture is not too bad because it’s only on the side; I can still run], Seth’s wolf voice said.
“Hang in there; I’ll finish this fight!” responded to Seth with confidence.
Seth growled and bared his row of fangs in front of Matthieu. His rival did the same. Matthieu stole the show. He pounced on Seth right at the back of his neck. Seth tried to struggle, but Matthieu’s fangs were firmly planted there.
Seth’s body fell to the ground. He felt the heat from the flames behind him. His front legs were already locked in when Matthieu’s front legs got the upper hand. He had already advanced his muzzle to Seth’s neck to tear it apart.
Seth moved his free hind legs. Just before Matthieu’s muzzle touched his neck, with all his remaining strength, Seth kicked Matthieu’s body. Matthieu’s wolf body flew through the air and was thrown into the flames. He caught a glimpse of footsteps quickly heading towards him. Seth turned around to see who was running towards him.
Seth found a wolf with dark brown fur leaping in the air, ready to pounce on him.