Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 900: Death To Them All

Duskmoon Village was a ghost town.

At least, that was what it appeared to be when Violet and her mates stepped through the portal.

Not a single villager greeted them. No children ran through the streets. No livestock wandered between the houses. Even the wind seemed reluctant to pass through the crooked wooden buildings.

There was just silence.

The wolves emerged from the portal one after another, spilling into the empty village square. As instructed, they gave Violet and her mates a respectful distance, spreading outward to secure the area.

The stillness was unnerving, until a thin ribbon of gray smoke emerged from deeper within the village.

"Am I the only one seeing this?" Griffin asked.

"What the hell?" Alaric breathed, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

The smoke rolled across the ground and slipped between abandoned houses, crawled over fences, and flowed through the grass. It rushed toward them and Violet barely had time to do anything before it washed over her.

The effect was immediate as a violent wave of revulsion slammed into her chest. Every instinct screamed at her to leave. For her to get away from this village as if some dangerous beast lived in it and was coming hurriedly for her. The monster would rip her apart and consume her whole.

Violet’s pulse spiked and her stomach twisted. For one terrifying second, she genuinely considered turning around and sprinting back through the portal.

Then Thalia exploded inside her head.

ENOUGH!

The roar shattered the foreign emotion.

Violet staggered.

"Someone’s messing with us," Thalia hissed.

The fog lifted and the realization hit Violet.

Micah had mentioned the wards designed to keep strangers away. However, this was nothing like a confusing spell but a psychological warfare.

The terror had been so intense it felt like she was drowning in it. Unless someone had upgraded it.

"Nice trick," Violet muttered.

She had to give it to Angus and his witches, they were really creative.

Unfortunately, the wolves weren’t handling it nearly as well. The panic had blown out throughout the square.

"Something’s wrong!"

"We need to get out of here!"

"Leave now!"

"Back to the portal!"

Several wolves turned and ran only to collide with newcomers still emerging from the portal. Bodies crashed together. People were shouting while some were falling.

Within seconds, complete chaos had taken over.

The fear wasn’t merely influencing their thoughts, but amplifying every survival impulse. Right now, they had nothing but the desperate need to escape this place.

And nowhere was that more obvious than Griffin. He gripped her so tightly it was like iron.

"We’re leaving."

"Griffin—"

"We’re leaving, Violet." His voice was strained and frantic.

He even pulled her closer as if keeping her physically attached to him could somehow protect her.

"It’s not safe. We have to go now." He said while his eyes darted around the village, hunting threats that weren’t there.

"LET GO OF HER." Asher thundered, an edge of danger entered his expression.

He knew the spell was affecting Griffin and he wasn’t acting rationally. That didn’t mean he’d tolerate anyone manhandling their mate.

Griffin turned toward him, a low growl escaping his throat. The protective instinct twisting beneath the enchantment was rapidly becoming aggression.

The atmosphere tensed. One wrong move and the Cardinal Alphas would start fighting each other.

Ironically, Alaric appeared completely unaffected. Perhaps it was the constant electrical current running through his body. Every time the enchantment tried to sink its claws into his mind, the crackling energy disrupted it before it could fully take root, like static scrambling a signal.

Meanwhile Griffin’s expression darkened.

Fear, protectiveness, possessiveness and desperation all blended into a volatile cocktail. His wolf wanted Violet safe and his mates were actively trying to stop him.

The combination was not helping.

"Move," Griffin warned.

"No," Asher answered.

The air vibrated with such raw tension that a fight was seconds away.

Then Violet lost patience.

One moment Griffin was standing and the next his world flipped. There was a loud thud as Griffin hit the ground flat on his back and the breath exploded from his lungs.

Asher and Alaric stared at the scene with complete bewilderment because Griffin Hale was enormous and Violet had just tossed him aside like an inconvenient piece of furniture.

Griffin groaned from the ground, still trying to process what had happened.

Wait a minute—was the baby okay?

Both of their gazes immediately dropped toward Violet.

Normally they would have launched into a full interrogation except one look at Violet’s face killed every single question.

She looked annoyed as hell and nobody was brave enough to test that mood.

Violet released a long exasperated breath.

"Finally."

Then she turned toward the village border.

Darkness unfurled from inside of her and spread outward in every direction. It swept across the village like a tidal wave, colliding with the invisible spell and devouring it whole.

Behind her, the chaos had reached its peak with wolves wrestling each other. Others struggled to reach the portal while several were actively trying to climb over one another.

The enchantment broke and everything stopped instantly. One by one, the wolves froze as the fear broke. Confusion washed over them as they wondered what the hell they had been doing.

Violet raised both hands, drawing their attention.

"Just now, there was a spell in the air. Our enemies upped their game, triggering fear and panic. But don’t worry, it has been handled."

Relief visibly swept through the army. In the end, their messiah was reliable.

Then surprised gasps followed.

"Look."

"Over there."

"They’re finally here."

Violet frowned and turned toward the village to see what the sudden commotion was for. For a brief second there, she genuinely wondered if she was hallucinating. The village that had appeared completely abandoned minutes ago was no longer empty.

Wolves now stood armed for war carrying silver rifles. Interspersed among them were the witches clothed in various colored robes, their fingers slightly glowing with gathered magic. The illusion hiding them had finally dropped.

A slow smirk spread across Violet’s face.

Finally.

She stepped forward. Her mates, Griffin, Alaric and Alaric moved with her while the army behind them instinctively shifted into formation.

Violet stopped several yards from the opposing force, maintaining a respectful distance between both armies.

She addressed them, her voice echoing across the battlefield.

"We’re not here for you but for your leader, Angus. We are brothers and sisters. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, we all belong to the same people."

She said pointedly referring to the wolves.

"The werekind population is already dangerously low after years of war, conflict, and division. We cannot afford another massacre. So lay down your weapons, hand Angus over peacefully, and your lives will be spared. Nobody else needs to die today."

Silence followed. For one hopeful second, it seemed as though her words had reached them. Then a massive figure stepped forward from the enemy ranks.

Edward. One of Angus’ most loyal generals.

The huge wolf shifter planted his weapon into the ground and stared directly at Violet.

"These people before you," he boomed loudly enough for both armies to hear, "are enemies of the new world our Supreme Leader intends to build."

His voice rose even further.

"They are obstacles to progress. Therefore, death to them all!"

"DEATH TO THEM ALL!"

The response thundered back instantly. His people roared for blood.

Violet sighed and slowly cracked her neck.

Alright. If that was their answer.

In the end, she did give them a chance to change their mind.

Edward lifted his arm.

"NOW!"

At once five witches stepped from the ranks, their voices merging into a chorus of spell.

Fire exploded from the earth and several wolves on Violet’s side stumbled backward in alarm as pillars of flame erupted between both armies. Within seconds the blaze connected into a towering wall stretching across the battlefield.

Cheers erupted from Angus’ side. The sudden display of power visibly boosted their confidence. Except it didn’t last for long.

Violet casually lifted one hand and, as effortlessly as opening a curtain, she pushed it aside. The inferno split cleanly down the middle as the flames rolled harmlessly away from the battlefield.

The cheering stopped. Every face on Angus’ side froze.

Violet scoffed. Then she unleashed a roar powerful enough to shake the village.

"For our freedom!"

"FOR OUR FREEDOM!" The answering roar from her army shook the ground itself.

The wolves charged with a deafening battle cry.

As both forces closed the distance, soldiers on both sides shifted as massive wolves burst into existence while others remained human to operate their weapons. The witches raised their hands as spells to cast their spells.

The battlefield became a storm of movement.The distance vanishing with both armies seconds from colliding. Violet released her darkness and it exploded outward like a black tidal wave, swallowing the battlefield in a single blink.

Just like that, the space became empty as nothing remained of Angus’ forces. Not a single soldier or witch. All of them were gone.

The wolves charging beside Violet stumbled to a halt so abruptly that several nearly crashed into one another.

Nobody spoke or moved. All of them lowered their weapons in shock.

Finally someone voiced the thought every single person was having.

"What the fuck?"