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Chapter 9

MARCUS'S POV

The entire shed has been ripped to shreds, its wooden planks splintered and strewn across the grassy expanse in a chaotic jumble of debris. The once-sturdy structure now lies in ruins, its skeletal frame twisted and contorted, as if bearing witness to an unfathomable force that defies comprehension. The scent of freshly mown grass mingles with the sharp tang of gasoline, the latter emanating from the overturned remnants of a car, its crumpled metal chassis a testament to the sheer brutality of the altercation that had unfolded.

A trail of destruction weaves a path through the verdant landscape, as if an invisible force had carved a chaotic symphony of chaos and ruin. The air hangs heavy with the residual tension of the conflict, the palpable sense of unease seeping into every blade of grass and every shattered fragment of wood. The earth itself bears the scars of the battle, deep gouges and claw marks etched into the soil, betraying the frenzied struggle that had transpired.

Amidst the wreckage, the air vibrates with an eerie stillness, broken only by the occasional creaking of twisted metal and the distant hum of the evening breeze. The remnants of the shed's roof dangle precariously from splintered beams, casting elongated shadows that dance across the ground in the fading light. The shards of glass from the shattered car windows glint like fallen stars, scattered haphazardly amidst the wreckage, a poignant reminder of the fragility of man-made constructs in the face of an otherworldly force.

I stand in the middle of it all and shut my eyes, knowing that apart from me, there are only two wolves I know that can wreak such havoc and one, being the leader of a rival pack, has much more sense than this.

I see him standing in the middle of the wreckage with two bodies lying at his feet, clearly dead. One has been ripped apart near the car. Elliot looks at me, rage still in his eyes. It would have been better if it was remorse but he stands there in defiance.

"What have you done?" I ask.

"They were stealing a car from us, from one of us."

"You mean that car? The one that has been twisted like a can of coke?" I ask him, pointing at the car. He nods and I can't believe that he would be so stupid as to consider that a serious reason.

"You took three werewolf lives because they tried to steal a car that ended up getting wrecked?"

"Better wrecked than in their hands," he replies.

"Only you can say that and think it makes sense. Do you have any idea what you've done? These three are from Dona's pack and do you know what she will do in retaliation? The best case scenario is that she asks for your life and the worst is that she actually goes to war with us."

"I underst…"

"No, you don't, you arrogant fuck. You don't understand. If you did then you would have talked this out before anything," I say, trying to leash my own anger.

"They attacked me first!" He snaps.

"Elliot. You disobeyed me. I have an order, a clear order that there would be no further trouble with the Red moon. You heard it but you said to hell with that and you went and killed three of them on a whim. I swear on the moon, if you weren't my brother, I would tie you up and make an example of you so that any wolf who sees you will shudder but you and I are brothers and I have to work through this fucking mess. Get out of here. Go back to the mansion. Don't go anywhere else."

Marcus starts to leave but I place a hand on his chest then shake my head.

"Don't test me on this, little brother. If you go anywhere else, I will momentarily forget we share blood."

He meets my gaze. It is unable to hold it. He looks away and steps back.

"Of course, alpha Marcus."

"Get out of here " I say to him and he walks away. My head starts to spin as I wonder how to solve this. I take up my phone.

ELIZABETH'S POV

Eve is dancing by the television and singing out loud with her hairbrush as a makeshift microphone. I watch her and start to feel the smile build up in me. She makes me laugh, more a sister to me than my own.

"What is the matter with you?" Eve asks. I look at her large, innocent eyes and wonder if I should tell her. I don't even know what exactly is bothering me.

"What is the matter with me? Nothing. Just stress from work," I say and she nods.

"Mmhm. Is that really it or is it something else cos that look on your face doesn't seem like stress has anything to do with it. You are worried about something and I know that you will continue to mull it over until you have spoken about it so…speak about it."

"It's my boss."

Eve's face falls and she comes to sit beside me. I can already guess what she is thinking.

"What is the matter this time? Don't tell me you want to start a…"

"No, he is a good boss. It is just that he's…complicated and his family is as well. I met them today when he took me for breakfast. I forgot to add that he is a very spontaneous person and anytime after I think I have him figured out, he does something that makes me believe that I don't even know the half of it."

"So what exactly is the problem?" She asks me.

"It's just that…while I was there…they asked me about my…home."

"About your pack, you mean?" She asks. I nod.

"Yes they did and I haven't seen my pack in such a long time. I mean, they all banished me. They didn't care what happened to me after my mother died. I mean, I do still have loyalty ties to Eric but I think it should be…"

"You want to sever the bond? Do you know how drastic that is? Do you know the safety belonging to a pack provides? I mean, I am not a wolf but even I know that," she asks.

"I know."

"And you are planning to leave the one you were born into?" She asks.

"I am planning to leave the one I’m born into because they discarded me. I don't see why that is a big issue."

"You don't see why that is a big issue? Where will you belong? Say what you will but you are a werewolf and life isn't as safe for your kind. You remember what…" she stops. I look at her and the images flash across my mind.

"I am sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," I say and stand to walk away.

"I am sorry. You didn't deserve to…"

"It doesn't matter. All of that doesn't matter. I will go to Eric. He will let me go. He already doesn't think I'm that important so he will easily let me go. I just have to talk to him."

"You remember what Eric did to your sister when she asked the same thing as you," Eve says. There is so much concern in her eyes that it almost brings me to tears.

"My sister was a beta. She was important to him."

"What does it say about Eric when a member of his pack wants to leave? It is a jab at his ego and he won't take that. Don't do this thing. What even put the idea into that head of yours anyway?" Eve asks.

I start to tell her but even I know that it sounds weird to my ears. Her eyes widen.

"You want to join the Crescent Blade? What the fuck?!" She screams.

"Keep your voice down!"

"That would be very foolish of you. I mean, you barely know them. You have worked with them for how long? A month? You don't know if he is playing you. You don't know if this is all a lot to get you to loose your guard and.."

"Why would they want me to lose my guard, Eve?" I ask, "What could they possibly want from me that would warrant them waiting for me to loose my guard. They could take anything they want from me, at any time. They could have simply ignored me and let me go home but Marcus gave me a job and he has given me respect which is more than I can say for Eric who merely wanted to…" I stop and look at Eve whose eyes soften.

"I know you suffered there. I know you were insulted and neglected but you know Marcus alone. You don't know the test of them. What makes you believe that you can trust the rest of them?" She asks.

"The rest of them don't matter. They are loyal to Marcus and Marcus is the alpha. He is a good man, though it doesn't look like it at first."

Eve searches my gaze then she sighs deeply and nods.

"If this is what you want to do then I just want you to really think about it. Give it a week. Be very careful," she says.

"I will," I say and place a hand on her cheek. I think of Elliott and remember the uncontrolled anger in his eyes. I wonder if I am making the right decision.

MARCUS'S POV

"Might I say this is a terrible decision," Brandon says after I tell him what I will do.

"That is the only thing that can be done at this time. We wait for her to ask and this will lead to war. We do it this way and we can mitigate the damage," I reply.

"What are you going to do to him, though?" He flouted your orders. Are you going to let that slide?" He asks. I think about it for a while.

"One thing at a time, old friend. One thing at a time."

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