Dark Twin Moon - The Beast of Darmaruk

Chapter 35:

At just the right time, Chris appeared a few cars away. With hopeful eyes, he looked at Kayleb, who nodded in affirmation. They had a silent conversation. Chris sighed in relief and jogged back to the car, smiling. Kayleb quickly threw the backpack where it had been before.

When they were all back in the car, there was silence. Luke looked at Kayleb suspiciously. He must've seen the knowing look in his anger-filled eyes. Although, he desperately wanted to ask what it was, why he was trying to get to Chris, and why he was so angry. But he knew he couldn't because someone else was with them.

However, the silence didn't last long. Kayleb looked in the rearview mirror, signaling to Luke that he was about to speak.

"Who did you make mad, Chris?" the Alpha lycan suddenly asked as soon as he met the guy's gaze in the backseat.

For a moment, it was quiet again, uncomfortably so. Chris looked hurt, but his expression quickly changed. The realization seemed to hit him.

"A new guy, his name is Peter or something like that," he mumbled, "He mouthed off the first day about how he snatched a high position in your pack easily and how slu- sorry, easy you were."

The lycan raised an eyebrow expectantly, signaling that he should continue, but it didn't work. So, sighing, "What did you do to him after that?"

"I hit him," Chris said, shrugging as if it were the most common thing in the world. "But he didn't react really. I pulled out one of those salt-and-gold mixtures your people so often hand out to us so we can easily protect ourselves from vampires, smeared it on my fist, and hit him. So, I found out that he was actually a vampire. Who knew?"

Kayleb couldn't contain a small chuckle. Although his tactics may have been primitive, Chris had courage. He had to give him that, at least. Not everyone would fight someone superior to them. However, at this point, he doubted he was actually inferior, especially after what he found in his backpack.

He hid his smile as best he could as he looked at Chris through the rearview mirror, where he saw him smiling openly, obviously proud of himself, which he completely understood. Some assholes just need to be put in their place. Come to think of it, maybe brutal contact would also be a way to get to his people, too. Maybe, after he defeated at least half of those who bet against him, they would finally accept their failure. But in the end, these thoughts were just wild dreams. Even though the Alpha is at the top of the food chain, there is still politics to handle. A pack that hates its Alpha is dysfunctional.

As he rhythmically tapped his steering wheel, he suddenly heard an overwhelming noise in his head. The same song he played in the music room, the one that led Jason to his trail, ultimately revealing the most disturbing secret of his life. Even bigger to him than the identity of the Destroyer of Darmaruk.

"Kayleb!" he suddenly heard, wincing at the loud shout of his name. In a panic, he swerved the car just in time to prevent it from hitting a car in the opposite lane. His head snapped in Luke's direction, alarmed.

"Call Victor again," he said, feeling uneasy even before seeing Luke's confused expression. Despite this, he promptly obeyed the command.

When Victor answered the call, Kayleb was already talking: "Go to the archives. I know the archive here isn't extensive, but we should have copies of the old documents on Darmaruk. Get everything there is and wait for me in my office." Before Victor could say anything, Kayleb hung up and sped up the car. He didn't know why, but he felt something strange about the situation. He had studied these documents when he was little but couldn't remember much of them, which was odd since his memory was supposed to be perfect.

It could only mean that someone or something is trying to hide information from him. But he remembered one thing, even if only partially: the report on a lower City guard, which described a looming shadow over the city cast from a hill behind it. He remembered everything except for one paragraph, right after the guard said he knew who it was.

He hopes that if he reads it once more, all the memories will come back.

He drove like a maniac even for his standard and was at the gates of the Pack Palace in no time. Two guards were there and opened the gate as soon as they saw Kayleb's face. When they reached the second gate, it was already open. So he drove right through. He made the car screech as they pulled up to the building. He tossed his keys to another pack member and told him to park it. He felt Luke close behind him, already seemingly aware of how to react when he acted like this. But when he saw Luke glancing over his shoulder, he quickly ran to Chris, still at the car, moving awkwardly in one spot. Even though he knew little Luke didn't trust him, he still ran back, took him by the hand, and led him into the large building.

Kayleb thought Chris had stood back because he didn't want to be there, like prey wandering into a wolf's den, but as they entered the Palace, he made a surprised sound. Then, he realized that his assumptions were not entirely correct.

Many disgusted looks were directed at him and Chris. Like him, Chris seemed used to it. He had gotten used to many things, but seeing someone close to him being punched right in front of his eyes wasn't one of them. Before he knew it, Luke's body slammed into a pillar, his head hitting the stone first. He could see blood running down his forehead almost immediately.

Luke's distress could be heard by Kayleb, who was stunned, but only for a second, and the next moment, he let out a growl so loud that the building shook. Almost as if they were connected. His anger didn't seem necessary, however, as Luke's attacker groaned in pain as a fist hit his jaw, certainly shattering it.

Chris' face had darkened. "Since when do you attack those weaker?" he asked in a venom-laced voice. "You should mess with people your size, you pathetic loser!"

In a flash, the werewolf's claws shot out. Seemingly ready to beat Chris to death. Chris didn't even move away, with no fear in his eyes or reluctance to decimate his opponent. But none of that was to happen. With a thud, the cleanly sliced-off hand fell to the ground.

Kayleb, who had returned within seconds, grasped the attacker by the neck and dragged him away, his claws dangerously close to his artery.

"I hope this can serve as a lesson not to touch those who stand by my side. You're lucky Luke is tougher because if you had permanently injured him, I would have ended your bloodline!" The threat hung heavy in the air. It was evident that it wasn't just a warning for him. "Now run to your little rebellion group. If your father comes to me on his knees begging, I might consider not throwing you out!"

Immediately after throwing the guy away, he tried to get to his severed arm, but Kayleb got in his way before he could get close. He knew the werewolf would try to get it back since their moon-elven priestess could easily reattach it. Left with no other choice, the man, holding his injured arm and trying to stop the profuse bleeding, ran away. For Kayleb, it was the first good thing one of these people had done.

Before checking on Luke, Kayleb turned to the severed arm, took it, and looked at it. The cut was clean. He turned his attention to Luke and began to walk towards him, but after just one step, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened in surprised panic, something only a few people had ever seen on the Alpha's usually composed face. Slowly, his head moved down. His gaze fell on the severed arm again. From a distance, he couldn't see with his naked eye what was making him so uncomfortable. But as he shone his Alpha eyes, activating his greatly enhanced vision, he could see it clearly: tiny white crystals floating in his blood. Almost impossible to see.

"Chris?" Kayleb asked in a quiet voice, trembling with fear. Seeing in the corner of his eyes that the guy he spoke to turned in his direction, he did the same. When his eyes cast upon Chris' large shoulders, he saw his head tilted to the side, and his eyes were questioning. "Do you have an airtight ziplock bag?"