Chapter 108

Charles

The scent of panic and confusion gripped the attackers as I landed on one of them, and the rest of the Enforcers swiftly joined the fray, disarming and neutralizing them quickly. I growled down at the few who had managed not to prove themselves threatening enough to be killed. They were terrified, spouting nonsense about lycans being nothing more than beasts, as they practically pissed their pants at the sight of me.

I snarled at the one who kept talking, and he shut his mouth with a click. Blake and the others bound them as I paced, trying to work off enough energy and agitation to shift back and join the interrogation. Soon enough, I was back on two legs, shaking myself free of the thrall of the fight and walking to get my javelin. I let it collect the roaring flames still blazing in the wreckage before turning back to the Blood Moon assailants.

Midday was approaching. Blake had already taken Mercy off to scout the area for anyone who may have escaped, leaving me and Quillan to deal with the interrogation.

The tension in the air was palpable, hanging like a suffocating shroud over the clearing as I listened to Blake and Mercy get farther away from us. Their footsteps faded in a whisper of a spell, and soon, there was just the rustle of leaves in the wind, the distant chirping of crickets, and the distant calls of birds.

The three who had survived the ambush stared up at me in terror and awe.

"Y-You're... You're..."

I tilted my head at them, letting my eyes glow.

"I would suggest you cooperate." I narrowed my eyes at them. "I think you've pissed me off enough for a lifetime."

"We knew that lycan-loving wench was a traitor, but to have you of all people here..." He sneered and spat at my feet. "You'll burn with the rest of that tainted territory."

As I approached the man, the unmistakable scent of fear wafted to my nostrils. I crouched down beside him and peered into my eyes.

"Do you think it wise for your continued existence for you to piss me off?"

His jaw wobbled. "What more can I expect from an animal but to kill."

"You say that, planning to kill a city full of innocent people."

"No mixed breed is innocent."

I thought of Cecil's sweet and innocent smile and the purity of Richard taking comfort in my arms.

Father? I heard him rumble, and before I realized it, I had punched the man in the face. A sharp crack echoed through the forest. Quillan said nothing, a silent observer. The other two let out frightened whimpers as the man fell dead.

Then, I turned my head to look at the one to the left.

"Same question."

"I'm not telling you anything."

"So you're the brains of the operation." I grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Start talking, or I'll start breaking bones."

"Just kill me," he said. "I'd never betray Alpha Shadow--"

He shrieked as I snapped one of his fingers in half, effortlessly, almost carelessly.

"What is his next move?" I asked. "How many of you are there inside the city?"

"Go to hell!" He roared as I snapped his arm sharp enough to make the bone jut through his flesh.

"Under lycan law, you know, this isn't even torture?"

"I'm a werewolf."

"Sure, but you're also a terrorist." I snapped another finger. "Threatening people under my care... that makes you a criminal under my discretion."

He shrieked as I snapped another finger.

"The Blackwoods are known for violence and mercilessness. You know that, don't you?"

Tears streamed down his face. "I'm not telling you anything. T-The Goddess will reward my--" He shrieked again as I crushed his hand in my grip. "...loyalty."

"You're really testing my patience," I said, oddly calm as I took hold of his shoulder. "And you have a lot more bones to break."

He cried out in agony. "I don't know! I was just supposed to hijack an Enforcer vehicle!"

"Traitor!" The other one yelled.

The man in my grip wheezed. Snot and tears running down his face. His eyes were hazy.

What a stupid idea. Lycan enforcer vehicles were all witch-made. They could only be driven by Enforcers who were sworn in and authorized to drive them. It wasn't like a car you could steal. You couldn't slash the tires or steal them, and trying to dismantle it would cause the car to implode and fry its own system.

Were they trying to just strand the Enforcers outside the city?

"I have children..." He gasped.

"So do the people of Mooncrest," I said. "What were you supposed to do with the vehicle?"

"I can't--" He gasped in horror, stopping as I took hold of his ear. "W-What..."

"You don't seem to be listening to me," I said calmly. "So, you don't need it, right?"

He glanced up to where I knew Quillan was standing, staring down at him, letting him know that I was dead fucking serious.

"You and your leader have made war on a place where people under my care reside... What makes you think I give a damn about who you are beyond an assailant?"

"W-We were going to load it up with explosives and drive it into the city..."

"How predictable. The least you could do was come up with something more creative."

I ripped his ear from the side of his head and dropped him as he screamed and writhed in agony, unable to hold his ear to stop the bleeding. I flicked a burst of fire over his ear that made him scream and pass out as the wound cauterized.

"Letting him die would be too easy," I said softly and turned my gaze on the other man.

"As for you--" I blinked as I realized that the other man had already passed out. I slammed my fist into his chest hard enough to crack a rib and wake him with a pained shout as I grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"The nerve of terrorists these days," I mused. "Putting innocent people at risk and passing out when they see the consequences of their actions."

The man panted and wheeze, choking as he gasped for air around the pain.

His heart was racing. I heard the crisp sound of suppressed gunfire in the direction where Blake and Mercy disappeared. Wails of agony followed, and soon, I heard the silence restored.

"Checking in. Seven casualties. None alive," Mercy's voice came through the comms. "Four suicides. Three in confrontation."

I frowned. "What sort of suicides?"

"We think poison."

"Come back," I told them. "Contain the bodies for now."

"Oh, Goddess," the man panted, his breathing speeding up as he seemed to realize what was happening.

"So," I started. "How high up on the totem pole are you?"

It felt like hours later, but it couldn't have been more than ten minutes when Blake and Mercy returned to us. The last two living assailants were unconscious. The second was missing an arm which I'd cauterized because he pissed me off. Yet it wasn't enough. The anger and irritation simmered beneath the surface, yet I hadn't been able to get anything out of them.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. I had hoped to uncover vital information that would lead us to Alpha Shadow, the enigmatic leader of Blood Moon. The stakes were higher than ever, with threats to Mooncrest and its residents escalating.

I wiped my hands, stained with blood from the fight, and took a moment to compose myself. There had to be another way to uncover Alpha Shadow's plans and halt the attacks on the city. As I grappled with the frustration and anxiety that weighed heavily on my shoulders, one of the captured agents' radios suddenly crackled to life. The voice on the other side was indistinct, muffled by the chaos and tension in the air. I strained to listen, trying to make sense of the words.

"Commence." The voice said, dark and familiar. "Three and Red."

I frowned at that, taking the radio and listening.

"Confirmed. ETD twenty minutes. EC 300."

"ETD..." Blake whispered. "Three and Red?"

I set my jaw.

"Confirm numbers."

"Green Park 250."

My heart lurched as the image of the public transit train's Green Park sign in bright red flashed through my mind.

"They're targeting public transit," I said. "Get the police on the line, the militia, anyone closest to the area. One of them got on the red line train at Green Park barely a minute ago and look out for three buses to be targeted. They're estimating at least 300 deaths."

Blake got on the inter-unit comms and relayed the information. "Estimated time of detonation is twenty minutes."

"Get a unit to get these two into Enforcer custody and get whatever you can out of them. Witch protocols are authorized. Quillan, get us back to Mooncrest as fast as you can."

I climbed into the jeep with the others, clipped the Blood Moon radio to my belt, and tapped my headset.

"Call Alpha Wolfe."