Chapter 64: ⁶⁴: enemies

Kael’s POV:

"What? No longer want to plead your innocence?" I smirked at him, making sure he understood exactly what that expression meant.

Making sure he understood that I knew, that he could no longer pretend his way out of this. The panic he had somehow managed to conceal earlier now flashed openly in his eyes. He was no longer trying to conceal his true feelings.

"How is that possible?" he asked, disbelief filling his voice. "How did you know?"

He lowered his gaze toward the floor as if he were trying to convince himself that this was all some kind of a dream.

I had no intention of giving him time to regain his composure. "Everyone, leave." I waved my hand toward the guards.

Whatever we discussed from this point onward needed to be heard by me first. Only after I knew everything would I decide what information should be disclosed and what needed to remain a secret.

The guards inside the dungeon chamber immediately obeyed. One by one, they retreated, with Ryan being the last to leave.

Soon, the heavy door closed behind them. Silence settled over the chamber. Just Shanel and me.

"Come back to reality," I said coldly.

He slowly lifted his head, his gaze meeting mine again.

"I know you can use dark magic," I continued. "And that explosion was created using the same magic."

I stepped closer to him, looking down at his kneeling form. "Now tell me who you really are."

My voice hardened. "How did you learn a forbidden practice like dark magic? How were you able to enter my Empire? How did you get into my pack and more importantly, how did you infiltrate my main army base?"

For a moment, Shanel remained silent. Then the panic disappeared from his face.

It was replaced by something else...Defiance. He lifted his chin, and suddenly there was no trace of fear in his expression.

"I don’t know how you figured out that I can use dark magic," he said, his voice steadier now. "But you will never find out anything beyond that, Alpha Kael."

His lips curled into a faint, almost mocking smile. "Not even if you make me eat my own flesh."

My eyebrows rose. Those words sounded familiar. "Interesting." I studied him for a moment before continuing.

"Just a while ago, we caught two other bastards like you, Shanel. One was mute. The other could speak, and he said exactly the same thing."

I leaned slightly closer. Even if you make me eat my own flesh. "Could it be that the three of you are connected?"

Recognition flashed across Shanel’s eyes.

There. I had my answer. He quickly tried to hide it, but it was already too late. They were connected.

Back then, I had assumed those two captives would never reveal anything useful and that keeping them imprisoned would be pointless.

I was right about them not disclosing anything But about them being harmless I had been wrong. They weren’t isolated criminals.

They were connected to someone or something that knew how to use dark magic. And now I had finally found another thread leading back to them.

Maybe this matter wasn’t as insignificant as I had initially thought. Something was growing in the shadows, something powerful enough to challenge me inside my own territory.

But why? What did they want from me? And more importantly, how was I connected to them?

I turned my attention back to Shanel. "Why do all of you say the same thing?" I asked, studying his expression. "Do you have some strange obsession with eating flesh or something?"

He gulped. That tiny reaction was enough. I narrowed my eyes. "So dark magic users eat flesh?" I asked slowly. Suddenly, the strange, nauseating smell I’d sensed at the explosion site made sense.

"What are you talking about?" Shanel’s voice suddenly rose. He tried to push himself to his feet, but the chains around his legs prevented him from getting far.

"There is nothing like that!" he snapped. "Even if you discovered my abilities or found out about my companions, there is nothing you can do!"

"Oh, really?" I couldn’t help but sound amused. "You think your pathetic dark magic can do anything to me?"

I took another step toward him. "I am Alpha Kael Dreven. How do you think I sensed you among so many people? My blood can devour even the most powerful dark magic in the world. You wouldn’t be able to leave so much as a scratch on me."

The color drained from his face. His legs began trembling beneath him.

I frowned. Why was he reacting like this?

Only moments ago, he had been overflowing with confidence. Now he looked as though he had just seen something far more terrifying than the Alpha standing before him.

"What happened?" I asked, taking another step closer. "Where did all that bravery disappear to?"

He instinctively recoiled from me. "You..." His voice trembled. "You are him!" His eyes widened as he stared at me in disbelief. "No... no, this..."

He shook his head rapidly, as though refusing to accept what he had just realized. "How? I... I have to..." His words became fragmented, his breathing growing increasingly erratic.

Then, all of a sudden, his fear transformed into rage. "We will kill you, Alpha Kael!" He screamed so loudly that his voice echoed through the dungeon.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his entire body trembled with fury. "Our people are closer to you than you think!" The veins in his neck stood out as he glared at me. It was as though something inside him had suddenly snapped.

I remained calm, watching him carefully. What did he mean? Why had his attitude changed so drastically, what had made him so angry? And how were we connected?

"Who are you people?" I demanded. His anger didn’t faze me in the slightest. "How are you even connected to me? Tell me."

I stepped closer. "Tell me, or I will kill you."

"Kill me, then." His response came immediately. There was determination in his voice and something else. Satisfaction.

Almost as though my threat was exactly what he had been waiting to hear.

I understood then. He wanted me to kill him.

"I won’t kill you."

His expression immediately fell. The defiance in his eyes was replaced by something darker.

"No matter what you do to me, Kael Dreven, remember one thing." He stared directly into my eyes. "We know what you’re doing." His lips curled into a faint smile. "Keep this in mind, the person you least expect will be the one sent by us."

His words lingered in the dungeon long after he finished speaking. For the first time since entering the chamber, I said nothing.

The threat itself didn’t frighten me. But the certainty in his voice did. Because whoever these people were, they weren’t simply attacking my Empire from the outside. They were already inside it. And apparently, they were close enough to me to know exactly what I was doing.

"Who do you mean?" I grabbed his collar, my anger flaring instantly. "Who are you talking about? Tell me who that is or I will skin you alive right now, right here!"

"Why are you getting so angry Alpha Kael Dreven?" he asked with a mocking chuckle. "Don’t like hearing that your own people might be betraying you?"

"Tell me who it is!" I demanded. I struck him in anger, blood gushed out of his mouth, but instead of answering, he only laughed.

"You will know when that person kills you, Alpha Kael!"

Something inside me snapped. Before he could say another word, I ended the confrontation. Blood smeared on my face as my hands turned into claws and they went straight trough his throat. His laughter abruptly stopped, his eyes were left wide open.

I pulled my hand back, his throat left open, making a gurgling sound as the air from the last breath he had took came out of his throat with his blood.

I stared down at him, my expression cold. A hateful sneer leaving my lips. There wasn’t even a shred of mercy left in me.

Whoever these people were, they had entered my Empire, infiltrated my army, and now claimed that someone close to me was working for them. I turned around and left the room without looking back.

As I stepped out of the chamber, I found Ryan waiting outside.

"Take care of his body," I ordered the guard standing behind him.

The guard immediately nodded before entering the chamber with another soldier.

Ryan remained where he was, his expression unusually serious.

"Alpha, the investigation team searched his belongings at his dormitory. They didn’t find anything significant except for this..."

He stopped and held out a piece of paper.

"What is this?" I asked looking at the worn out paper in his hand

"It’s a letter," Ryan explained. "It contains the announcement you made six months ago."