SOULLESS

Chapter Seventeen

Victor carried Anna back into the room and carefully dropped her on the bed. She was physically trembling as he put her down.

'I swear Victor, I didn't say anything wrong', she said quickly, but Victor held a finger to his lips, signifying for her to be silent. She clamped her hand over her mouth as tears fell from her eyes.

'Let me tell you story', he said, dragging a chair towards her.

'Once upon a time, there were two siblings, a brother and a sister born to a powerful alpha, who were loyal to each other and their pack. They were raised to be ambitious, and with time, the pack grew under their rule. Then came a declaration from the king, who was seeking an alliance through marriage because his queen was barren with the condition that if the sister born sons, the blood line of the alpha will have a right to the throne.

The alpha female chose to take the position

of the kings concubine and bore him two sons, both first and second in line, to the throne, until one day the news comes that the queen is with child. She bears a boy, and the kings attention instantly leaves his first two sons. The son of the legal wife, though the last to be born, automatically became the heir apparent to the throne.

For daring to fight for the rights of his sister and her sons, the alpha is tried for treason and sentenced to death by beheading. His sister was forced to commit suicide and the pack weakened to a state of desolation.

I have heard that story every single day of my life. It was the fairy tale I heard in the night and the lesson I was taught in the morning. I learnt it till I knew it and understood that from within that story stood my birthright.

Since the royals have declared that my bloodline has a right to the throne, I intend to take it.

How you may ask? Well, that's why we are here. Here is where my vengeance begins. Here is where the story changes, and I will take my crown with you by my side, and when I do, "he said, smiling sinisterly to her as he caressed her face softly.

'I will burn claws peak to the ground for aiding the royals to destroy my pack and kill my father', he finished with a soft kiss to her temple and ordered her to lay down on the bed, spooning her from behind.

'Do you hate me, Anna?'Victor asked her.

'No, my alpha,' she responded.

He smiled and asked, 'Why do you not hate me?'

'Because you are my mate', she responded, looking at him.

He looked at her and smiled at her softly.

'I hated you when I found out you were my mate', he said to her.

'The urge to kill you was so strong that my wolf took control and marked you. You were so beautiful that I wanted to forget everything, abandon everything, my pack, my mother, my vengance, and just run away with you. That is what you did to me, "he said to her teary-eyed.

She tried to touch his face, but he turned away from her, letting a lone tear fall.

'I tell myself I don't care about you, but when I see you with another male, I want to kill all the males in the world, I tell myself I dont care what happens to you but when you cry my heart bleeds and it weakens my resolve to hate, to not feel anything for anyone. That is the torture you put me through every day, and that is why I torture you back. Your love is my curse, and yet I can not live without it. It's funny that I can not remember what living was like before you. I never slept soundly before you arrived in my life. I didn't enjoy touching other women, and I didn't enjoy them touching me. But you, just one caress from you. just a peek at your naked body, and all I want to do is bury myself inside you. What did you do to me, Anna? What must I do to stop feeling like this? Tell me how to kill this feeling, which makes me lose my senses every time you look at me, "he said, cradling her once again and stroking her hair. After a while, he continued.

'I can not lose my resolve, Anna, nor can I lose you. So hate me if you must, because I will destroy everything you once knew. but don't ever leave my side. The day you try, words won't be able to describe the hell I will unleash', by the time he looked down at her, she was fast asleep. He inhaled her scent before leaving her on the bed.

He walked towards the balcony, took out a cigarette, and began to smoke as he watched the setting sun while waiting for her to wake up. He suddenly felt a slight headache as someone pounded on his mind-link.

'What?', he snapped

'Alpha, we have a situation!' his beta told him.

'What is it? Victor asked

'Men on the ship are losing control of their wolves, and its starting a ruckus',

"No! kill as many rogues as you must. They must not ruin our plans! We are so close!, "he said as he walked towards the door. He looked back at his sleeping mate with a worried expression but barged out of the room when he heard his beta scream through their link before the link closed.

He saw several men from claws peak racing towards the docks and followed them to find rogues in both human and wolf form, leaping down from burning ships attacking anyone in sight.

He shifted into his huge gold coloured wolf and began to attack the rogues that lounged at him. He was a skilled and merciless fighter, and soon over a dozen fell, but more rogues kept coming, and shortly, he was surrounded on all sides. He heard howls and looked back to find running towards him, several alpha and royal wolves with warriors behind them. Leading them was a black wolf with hints of grey fur he recognised as alpha Ramos and a larger dark brown wolf beside the old alpha that he had never seen before.

The charging wolves cleared a path for him and took the opportunity to retreat. He changed to his human form with cuts and bruises all over him, and some of the wolves shifted as well, while the majority continued towards the docks.

'What happened, alpha Victor?'Alpha Ramos asked.

'I received a mind-link from my beta that he was hearing strange noises on one of the ships at the docks. I come to check the situation myself and see hundreds of rouges emerging from several ships, with many already destroyed. I am yet to hear from my beta and fear the worst,' he said, quickly making up a story to cover his tracks.

'How did so many rogues arrive in Claws peak un-noticed', asked a royal duke.

'This had better not be orchestrated by you boy. We all know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! "spat an elderly alpha who envied Victor's fast success as an alpha and wanted to use the opportunity to soil his reputation.

'Alpha Marcus!'Ramos bellowed at him, 'If the rogues are with him, will they be attacking him?', he asked

'Duke Ramos, I was only...'

'Alpha Victor is my son-in-law and my guest. A stain on him is a stain on me. If you can not recognise the true enemy, then I suggest you leave, I will have you transported of my island immediately!'

Alpha Marcus looked to the ground, saying nothing.

'My wife?'Victor asked Ramos with concern.

'She is safe with my Luna', Ramos responds.

The large brown wolf returns to the alpha with his fur bathed in blood and shifts into Ricard.

'Report', alpha Ramos says to his son.

'We have dealt with most of the rogues at the docks, but we need to inform the towns folk to hide in their bunkers, the rogues seem to be after something and are focused on getting it. Reports say they are all headed in the same direction and already have a fifteen minute head start,'

'Where the bloody hell is Arnold, and Lionel!'Ramos asked.

'Asher says they have a situation in the hospital and are currently working with the crown prince to contain it, but are ordered by the crown prince not to leave the hospital or relate with anyone on the outside. We are on our own for now, "Ricard responds before

his eyes fall on an injured warrior who is running towards the alphas with a look of panic on his face.

'What? What is it?'Ramos asks

'Defensive lines one and two have fallen, and the rougues have entered the city, 'the warrior replies.

'No', Ramos whispers with a look of shock.

'His royal highness is there!'shouted a duke before looking at Ramos, who is still shocked at the series of events.

'Every available soldier with me now', Ricard bellows before shifting and running inland

'Ricard!', his father calls

'Don't worry, Alpha Ramos, I will go with him, we will protect the city and the prince,' Victor says before changing to his wolf and following Ricard with his men behind him.

He mind-links to his men in a savage tone, 'kill the treacherous rogues, I want none left alive.'

'Yes alpha', they reply in unison.

Ricard and Victor reached the city to find it in ruins while the bodies of both citizens and rogues littered the streets. Ricard howled into the air, and the warriors behind him howled back before the charged forward. As they marched through the city howling, howls could be heard from within the office buildings and residential apartments as wolves started coming out from hiding and joining the ranks.

Ricard mind-linked his instructions to warrior leads who took their smaller cells to the required locations where rescue operations or fighting was required.

Victor was impressed at how seamlessly Ricard took control of the situation and realised that he was a natural leader and the more experience Ricard gained as an alpha, the greater a threat he would be to his plans, therefore he mind-links his men.

'If any of you gets a clear opportunity to kill Ricard, I order you to take it.'

'Yes alpha', they respond without question.

The wolves arrive at the hospital to see that the hospital had already taken the necessary emergency protocols. However, the rogues still managed to infiltrate the building, and there was fighting happening on almost every floor.

Ricard howls into the night and is about to enter the building to join the fight when he sees a someone break through glass from the top of the building and land on his feet in the parking lot about six feet away. He looks in the direction of the noise to see the crown prince who had partially shifted carrying a woman in his arms who is clinging unto him and moaning in discomfort. Following him are two large wolves, one black and the other red with a white underbelly. The scent in the air changes, and some of the soldiers begin to hold their heads in discomfort.

'It's the crown prince', says Victor, 'who is the woman with him?', he asks, looking at the distance.

Ricard feels someone trying to reach him through the mind-link and opens up his mind to hear Ashers voice

'Asher, how could you allow the rougues to take over the building with the crown-prince inside? Why didn't you take him to the vault at the bottom of the building? And why the hell is your sister who should still be recuperating protecting the prince and not you? "Ricard yelled through the link.

'Ricard, listen to me. You can yell at me later but right now we don't have much time. No matter what happens, do not follow the prince and my sister. I repeat, do not allow anyone to follow the prince. All unmarked wolves are to stay in their assigned bunkers until told otherwise by the crown-prince himself, and we are to stop the rogues from leaving this building.

'What! Why?' Ricard asked., but was surprised to find several young wolves behind him had left their ranks and were charging at the crown-prince but were stopped by a wall of fire, giving the prince with his tight knit group the chance to run with the woman in his arms.

Everyone looked in horror as several rogues leapt out of the building from various floors, with most falling to their deaths into the fire as they tried to catch up with the prince as well.

'