Free Web NovelChapter 196: Risks
Alpha Thorton merely scoffed, his lips curved into sarcastic laughter.
"What would my daughter be risking?" he asked in return.
"I don’t know, Alpha Thorton," Blaise said, shrugging. "Miss Dahlia seems awfully desperate to marry my brother despite knowing that his heart was never with her in the first place. Damon has made it very clear upon our arrival to Thunderstrike, but she and you both insisted on the wedding taking place despite that."
Dahlia’s lips parted to retort but Blaise didn’t give her a chance to argue.
He continued, "Thus," Blaise’s gaze darkened, "more accurately to say, should Miss Dahlia make one wrong move, the wedding could easily be called off. Can she take that risk?"
"You’d dare imply that my daughter would still wish to marry him after being disgraced like so?" Alpha Thorton snapped back.
However, he quickly ate his words when he cast his glance at Dahlia, only to see that her face was not only red with fury but also with embarrassment. Dahlia’s head was held low as she stared at her dress, her fingers playing with the flower embroideries as she hung her face in shame.
Blaise was quick to see. He didn’t need to wait for Damon to speak― I could feel his glee thrumming through our bond, rushing in sheer waves of sadistic excitement. Needless to say, it was evident that both brothers found great joy in clapping back at Dahlia’s tyranny over the last few days.
"If she was never worried about Damon’s heart being with her, why would she care now? There’s no difference, is there?" Blaise said, his voice sing-song. "There is no forcing love, Miss Dahlia. If one day Damon fell in love with you, I would sooner believe that he’s under a witch’s curse than think that his feelings for you are genuine and of sound mind."
"That is quite enough!" Alpha Thorton bellowed.
As an older alpha wolf, he still easily commanded the attention of many others present, be it those of his pack or not. All who dared turn their gazes away returned to look at him, anticipating his next words.
However, unbeknownst to him, what he uttered next was simply the final nail in his coffin. Alpha Thorton had sealed his and Dahlia’s own death in society. frёewebnoѵēl.com
"If you still wish for Fangborne to live past the next month, you’d better choose your next words carefully, boy," Alpha Thorton warned, his voice low with warning. "Otherwise, your wolves would be starving by the time you return, and even if you do, stolen silver from the mines of Ironclaw will not be filling their bellies anytime soon."
"Oh, but the fresh produce of Hornstead will." free𝑤ebnovel.com
All heads turned to the last row of the cathedral seats where Alpha Burke and his family sat. The man of the hour, Alpha Burke himself, had stood to his feet. He steadily returned Alpha Thorton’s look of surprise, ignoring the panicked expression his son was giving him.
Instead, Alpha Burke nodded in Damon and Blaise’s direction. He need not say more to let his intentions be known― Hornstead was standing with Fangborne in this tug-of-war. If Thunderstrike was unwilling to offer a helping hand, then Hornstead would gladly take its place.
"What is the meaning of this?" Alpha Thorton narrowed his eyes, his lips curdling into a nasty sneer.
"Age doesn’t suit you, Alpha Thorton," Damon said, clicking his tongue under his breath. "Do you have trouble hearing and understanding now that you’re older? Perhaps I could let my pack’s doctors have a look at you. They’re rather skilled; some might even say that they’re the best in the region. Perhaps they could find you a cure."
Alpha Thorton hadn’t even managed a reply when a sharp gasp rang through the hall.
Hundreds of eyes scoured the entire venue for the source of the sound until it eventually landed right on the stage. Dahlia had her hand caught tightly in Damon’s, but unlike the flirtatious way he had held my hand before, there was only a frosty chill in his eyes. He glared down at her, his face void of any expression other than a cold look, eyeing the silver necklace she still stubbornly held in her hand even as it chipped away at her delicate skin.
His actions hadn’t been out of nowhere― Dahlia’s one hand had been raised, prepared, and aimed to strike at me.
"Hold onto that any longer and you might lose a hand," he warned. "That’s not something you can so easily touch."
"What?" Dahlia asked, her eyes darting over to the necklace. In her shock, she seemed to have entirely forgotten that she was still holding onto the piece of jewelry. It sparkled and tinkled as she moved it, the strands gently knocking against one another to create a symphony of sounds.
Yet, as she held her hand up, another collective gasp rang through the crowd.
Her palm had been entirely seared off, her skin practically missing as it was worn down to flesh, blood, and bone. Red lines ran down from her palm to her wrist and forearm, looking just like blood vessels that were unnaturally and unhealthily jarring against her flesh.
Silver was not a friendly metal to werewolves. Even just touching it could bring about excruciating pain. Yet, her hatred had somehow driven her to hold onto the necklace as though it were her entire life. Either that, or I was starting to suspect that because the necklace partly recognized her as the next luna of Fangborne, she couldn’t feel the pain like she was supposed to.
Either way, when I raised my gaze to meet Damon’s, it seemed like he caught onto my train of thought. He smiled devilishly once more, his words aimed at the officiant despite his eyes remaining on Dahlia― in the worst, hair-raising way possible.
"Priest," he commanded, causing the poor man to jolt straight in fear.
"Yes!" the poor officiant exclaimed. I could already see beads of perspiration dotting his forehead, practically glimmering in the light of the setting sun.
The final moments of the day soon bled into the night, casting a shadow over Damon’s face. Despite the darkness, his eyes seemed to glow.
"Finish your question before I find someone who can replace you in doing so," Damon said. "Do not test my patience."
