Chapter 119: The Ash Wolf

The carriage was on its way back to IronRidge.

Beatrice sat down, sprawled in the seats with a triumphant expression in her eyes. She leaned back, looking like a master of her own demon army that was raging inside her head, roaring from the excitement of a battle they’d just won.

She felt the ringing in her head.

The feeling was therapeutic.

Watching hundreds of people trample on Della had felt... magnificent. It felt like she was walking on clouds, and not even sex with the most powerful wolf alive could bring her that much pleasure.

The best thing about it was that all she had to do was set the trap and simply watch as everything happened just as she knew it would.

Killing Della herself would have been way too easy, and Beatrice had feared that if Malachi began to investigate, it would lead back to her, and because of his feelings for Della, she might be tortured.

Or, he might just snap her neck right here.

So she couldn’t risk hurting the innocent Rotblood with her own hands.

Hence, she’d let the people do it for her.

Orson was a very simple man.

Have one of her men communicate with him, and tell him to put the diamond on display all day long as the centre of attraction in his stall. Make it seem like his most priceless possession.

Then, have it planted inside Della’s pocket once the time is right and dump her in the middle of the market.

Good thing about her plan? She’d never communicated with Orson herself. And after he’d been paid for his services, Beatrice had killed off the man who had interacted with Orson so they would never trace it back to her.

And Orson, he would probably be dead from that hell of a haul Alpha Cassian had dealt him with.

So right now, there was not a single thing to worry about. She’d particularly made sure that Della was without a breath before she snuggled out of the crowd and left her there.

Which means, they had nothing to worry about again.

The Rotblood was gone.

And even if she isn’t, she would never be the same again.

Ever.

If other experiences hadn’t scarred her properly, this one would. And she would remain scarred for the rest of her life, which means her wolf would remain... dormant.

The horses dragging the carriage suddenly began to neigh loudly. It had started as something insignificant that Beatrice had ignored, too deep in her thoughts to care, but those cries had become more and more frantic that she pulled out her window and shoved her head up, trying to see the person pulling the carriage.

"Hey!" She yelled angrily, "Control those animals!"

The rider turned to look at her, and his expression turned into something absolutely horrific. It took her a second to realise that he wasn’t looking at her, but at something — or someone right behind her.

Beatrice felt her pulse quicken, and primal fear stirred in her pores as she whirled her head around to look at what it was.

A wolf.

A running wolf.

A running, feral, mighty ash wolf.

One that carried the insignia of Nightveil Pack burned into his chest.

Alpha Cassian!!

Before she could pull her head back into the carriage and brace for impact, he launched into the air.

Everything around her exploded into chaos and shattered wood the moment Cassian crashed into them, ripping through the whole thing with just one wrecking paw that could rip her head off her body with so little effort.

The carriage and the rider’s seat shook vehemently, and everything around them began to spin as they were both thrown off the road.

Beatrice screamed as her carriage rolled against the side of the road, crashing into several trees and rocks before it finally came to a halt.

Her eyes spun for two seconds, and she could feel something warm running down the side of her head as she blinked once. Twice. Trying to get her vision straight again.

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

She needed to get out of here!

She threw her leg forward, kicking the carriage door off completely. She grabbed the edges and pushed herself forward out of the carriage, her breath coming in hard pants as she looked around her.

The first thing she saw was the wreck.

Then, she noticed something else.

Something that made her freeze for a second.

Something that made her question how long she’d been reeling inside that carriage before stepping out because she was pretty sure it’d only been at least ten seconds.

Because right in front of her, dangling upside down from the tree in front of her were the faces of her men.

Just their heads that had been ripped off their bodies.

Their head had been tied over a branch up the tree, the only thing holding their heads from falling down.

Their lifeless, wide and fear-stricken eyes stared back at her.

She forced two steps back, frantically looking around for him. Fear clogged up her throat hard, and she almost screamed again.

Right now, all she wanted to do was get back into the carriage and pray to the Moon Goddess that her head would not end up here in the next few seconds.

Her legs moved, and she tried to dash away from it when she felt his dark, ominous presence in front of her.

Something that felt nothing like hands but like a tightening metal clamp wrapped around her throat, and she was raised off her feet with no effort at all.

Her feet kicked nothing but air, and she was too scared to transform right now.

Because she found herself staring into the eyes of what looked like death.

She’d never seen Alpha Cassian in his wolf form, and she was terrified to see that his wolf was the exact opposite of his exterior.

His grip tightened, and she watched satisfaction vibrating in the depth of his red, deadly orbs as he watched the light being snatched away from her eyes.

As he sniffed the smell of death from her.

As he watched her pound against her hand, her face swelling and her eyes bled tears.

"You..." Beatrice gurgled, her eyes beginning to fade, "must not...kill me..."