Chapter 172: A Terrible Matchup

Della placed a bouquet of lilies beside a grave. She was standing in a graveyard — the Healer’s graveyard — and was staring down at the tombstone that bore Annelise’s name.

She still remembered her death like it had happened just an hour ago.

The blood on her neck. The warmth of fresh blood on Della’s hand. Her last words before she had died. The way those men had dragged her away afterwards.

Then, she turned around and walked away with her long cloak dragging on the floor behind her. There was a lot to do tonight.

Thankfully, she had all of them right where she wanted them.

.

.

.

Struggle.

Deep, relentless struggle.

She didn’t let go. Della didn’t let go.

Till she felt them going limp. Till she could hear the water rushing into their lungs, and their bodies convulsing as it struggled to process that kind of torture.

And instead of pulling them out, she pushed their heads down into the water even further. Their groans and screams were muffled by the water. Only bubbles made it out.

Just then, they were on the verge of death, she pulled their heads out of the water and let go of them. Jarek and the other guy stumbled back, their faces drenched and twisted with pain as they began coughing up their lungs.

If they coughed any louder, their throat would shift out of place.

Della stood in the darkness of the torture room she’d found specifically for them. She watched them look around as they tried to figure out how they’d gotten here in the first place. If they remembered correctly, one minute they were in a brothel about to fuck a whore and then something had struck the back of their heads... then they’d woken up with their heads being forced down in water.

Dirty, sewage water, for that matter.

Their gazes stopped on something else in the room. Someone was seated on a chair.

A woman.

Her head was hung low, and it looked like she was sleeping...or knocked out? Definitely knocked out.

"Who the fuck is that?!" Varek asked, still coughing out shit.

"How am I supposed to know?" The other fired back, looking like he was about to vomit.

"Rob, isn’t it?" Della asked, her voice low.

"Who is there?!" Varek asked as he snapped his gaze in the direction she had been standing, but it was empty.

"Rob was the one who had stood there and watched you beat the life out of me. He was the spectator who assisted you,"

They both snapped their heads back, because her voice had just come from behind them.

"Show yourself!!"

"Why did you bring us here?" Rob screamed too, "Come out and fight! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

"Looks like you also have a mouth on you," She moved again, and they both felt a cold wave hit their bodies. Chills crawled up their spines, and they both understood that they weren’t dealing with an ordinary wolf.

An Alpha?! Shit!

"I wonder what I should start with," Della continued, her voice now echoing all around them, "Leave you hanging for hours? Punch the life out of you? Use a horrifying whip on you till your wolves are begging for mercy?"

"Show yourself, goddamnit!!"

"I know," She chuckled, and her sound made their wolves squirm, "How about we do it all...plus a little surprise?"

The next second, what sounded like a slap filled the room.

The woman sitting on the bench opened her eyes. They were wide with fear and confusion as she stared also, wondering how she’d gotten here. There was a sharp sting on her face, and a blooming handprint from where Della had slapped her a second ago.

She sighted the two men on the ground, and instantly recognised them. What the hell was Varek and Rob doing here?

The last thing she remembered was stirring the soup outside her home. After Malachi had suddenly released her a day after she’d confessed, she’d run far away from Eclipse Crown.

With the money Selene had paid her, she bought herself a small place and had decided to lay low.

"Good," Della continued, "Now let’s continue from where we stopped,"

Mara’s head snapped in the direction of the voice and her killer instinct only told her one thing.

To get up...and RUN!

She was already sweating like she’d been running for hours. The funny part was that she wasn’t even tied to the chair, and she could attack the wolf that was talking in the shadows.

But that voice and the aura that was reeking felt like it was a demon that had crawled out of the depths of hell.

"One assassin wolf, and two thug wolves,"

Mara snapped her head behind her, but Della was already gone.

"You know, i went hunting a few days ago. Hunting around the borders of Eclipse Crown. I encountered so many rogues, and I loved slaughtering them. As I did, I wondered to myself..." She paused again.

And then, a foot stepped forward.

She didn’t bother moving this time. She wanted them all to see her. To recognise her. To be terrified of her.

And she got the exact reaction she wanted.

Mara’s face turned completely pale, and the thugs had to lean closer and wipe their dirty eyes just to confirm that they weren’t hallucinating.

"How the fuck are you alive?!" Jarek snarled, now looking pissed, "You bitch!!"

They’d be begging if they knew what was best for them.

"I thought it was some Alpha that had come to punish us," Rob said and laughed, "Who would have thought that you actually survived?"

"Looks like Lady Selene didn’t finish the job,"

"We should do it for her," Rob replied with a smirk, "Let’s honour the extra gold coins she’d give us that night,"

And then, they both stood up.

Mara was still seated and was now looking like the other two like they were complete idiots. As a secret assassin all her life, she knew exactly when to attack and when to back away. She never betrayed what her instincts told her, and she was pretty sure these two also knew not to attack... but their confidence and idiocy were baffling.

But then again, how on earth was Della still alive? She had burnt to death that night, hadn’t she? Selene said the fire had started to eat her skin away before she had left.

But right now, her skin looked as clear as a cub’s.

But her eyes and her demeanour...it was so different.

It was like looking directly into cold, indifferent death.

And Mara knew Della was here for nothing but revenge.

Della looked at her, and Mara instantly went down on both knees, "Della, please. You have to understand,"

Della remained silent.

"I never meant to do the things that I did. I never meant to kill Cordelia or Annelise. I was just...I was just following Selene’s orders. She’s the actual devil you should be hunting. She did this to you...she made me.."

"Selene offered you enough gold coins to cater for your needs for five lifetimes," Della cut her off, her voice empty, "That’s why you decided to work for her. That’s why you were able to afford a house,"

"No...no..." Mara pleaded, her eyes stinging with tears.

"You agreed to make my life more miserable to make yours...lavish," Della continued, "And you killed the only sister I ever had,"

"Della, please. Please. You don’t have to do this. Remember all I did for you? I tended to your ankle when you first came to the pack, I spoke for you during the ceremony and I...I was the reason Garett didn’t get to rape you the other day,"

"Fuck that!!" Della ground out, her eyes turning colder. Darker. "You think I care?"

"Don’t do this. Don’t do this, please," Mara continued to plead and suddenly, her eyes sharpened like a new sword.

She gripped the small pocket knife in her dress and was instantly in front of Della, with the knife coming down on Della’s throat. Just as she had done to Annelise that day.

She was an assassin. She banked everything on Surprise attacks. There’s no way Della would be fast enough to stop her before the knife sliced her neck perfectly.

And it did.

Blood spilled from Della’s neck, gushing out like a leaking pipe.

Mara sighed, relief in her eyes.

The other two were already smiling.

But... Della wasn’t falling.

Mara looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw that Della was still as she was, "Was that the best you got?"

And right before their eyes, the open flesh instantly merged together and healed. Just. Like. That.

All of them now looked more horrified than they’d been when they’d woken up. Even Alphas don’t heal as quickly as that. What the hell was she? A healing wolf machine?!

No, she just wasn’t the same Rotblood they’d kidnapped weeks ago.

Mara’s knife slipped from her hands and rolled with a clink on the floor. Her hands were still trembling like a leaf, and she was slowly stepping away from Della, "What the hell are you?!" She muttered, her voice cracking in between.

Della smirked, revealing a terrifying set of canines, "Your worst nightmare,"

And then, she reached behind her and dragged a heavy, metal door open.

Blue eyes glowed from inside.

Now, they looked even more terrified.

R...rogues?!

"No, please—"

Whoever was talking didn’t get to finish because the rogues were already upon them. Della watched as they all changed into their wolf form, but three wolves against fifteen intelligent rogues?!

That was a very terrible matchup.