Luna of the Cursed Alpha King (Helga and Siegren)

Chapter 18

HELGA JOLTED UPRIGHT; her eyes fixed on the three men who appeared from various directions. She narrowed her brows, sensing that something was off about them.

"They're not rogues," she muttered to herself, noticing the lack of a scar on their faces. In Verdentia, all rogues were marked with an x-shaped scar on their left eye, whether in human or wolf form, as a sign that they did not belong to any pack and were on their own. She instinctively tightened her grip on her sword, ready to defend herself if they attacked. She couldn't fathom why these strangers were there or which pack they were from, but her intuition told her that they were targeting her for a reason.

The powerful gusts of wind whipped through Helga's hair and stung her face, urging her to remain alert as she froze, her eyes scanning the advancing figures before her. With each deliberate step they took, Helga could feel their intimidation tactics intensifying. But she stood her ground, gripping her sword tightly in hand. Suddenly, they lunged at her all at once, their sharp knives reaching for her throat. However, with a fierce battle cry, Helga swung her sword wildly without hesitation, slicing through their flesh with ease. The metallic tang of fresh blood filled the air, some of it splattering across Helga's skin as she fought with ferocity. One by one, they dropped to the ground, lifeless with empty eyes staring straight at her.

She shuddered, her hands shaking uncontrollably. This was her first time taking a life, and it didn't bring her any satisfaction. Her heart pounded as she met their dead gaze, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her. Her mind suddenly went blank, but when she sensed someone else approaching, her survival instincts took over and she quickly regained control of herself, pushing aside any hesitation or reluctance-forcing her mind to clear and focused once again.

"Well, weren't we told she was weak?" A raspy voice from behind her made her tense up and spun around. There, she saw a man leaning casually against a tree, his lack of scars indicating he was not a rogue.

Her brow furrowed as she eyed him suspiciously. She then turned her head to the other side as another man appeared and asked, "Who are you?"

"Missy, you're quite a sight to behold. I heard you volunteered to be the Queen Luna of our nation's Alpha King." He laughed; his tone filled with amusement. "You must have a lot of courage, or maybe you're just as crazy as him,"

"And? So, what if I am?" Helga challenged, raising her eyebrow defiantly, her hands tightly grasping the sword with blood trickling down the blade and onto the grass.

"Then killing you would be quite enjoyable." the man with a beard answered, earning a chuckle from the bald man with a large physique. It was clear to Helga that these two were much stronger than the other three who couldn't even lay a finger on her. Her instincts warned her that they would be a difficult opponent to defeat.

"Did someone hire you to do this? Because your actions and presence are very suspicious." Helga pointed out as her gaze turned colder. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something about them seemed off. They were definitely more than just regular werewolves.

"Not only are you stunning, but you're also quite clever," the bald man responded, exchanging a glance with his partner before focusing his attention back on Helga, specifically on her bare legs that were visible. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, irritating her. "But who hired us is not your concern. We were hired to take you out, so let's not prolong this any further."

A sudden sense of danger washed over Helga as she saw the two charging towards her at once. Adrenaline surged through her veins and she quickly assessed the situation. They were armed with swords, a fact that surprised her, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. With swift movements, she raised her own sword in a defensive position, using it as a shield to block their incoming attack. As soon as Helga saw the circle carved on their swords, the realization hit her like a punch to the gut-these were members of the notorious bandit pack that Portia had told her about when David handed her the sword.

The Royal pack had been on a mission to eradicate every last one of them, a group of wolfless who had abandoned their original packs to create their own and wreak havoc in the capital. But none of that mattered now as Helga braced herself for the fight ahead.

The clash of metal filled the air as she expertly defended herself against their attacks, using her agility and strength to her advantage. After defending herself for what felt like an eternity, Helga managed to push one of them away, causing him to slam into a nearby tree. But at that moment, the bald man took advantage and slashed her arm with his sword. She grunted in pain as she changed her stance back to fend off another blow, blocking another attempt by the same man from stabbing into her abdomen. With a fierce growl, she pushed him back and stood her ground, only to dodge and avoid a strike from the bearded man charging towards her.

Helga backed away, attempting to create space between herself and her enemies. The fight then quickly grew heated as they slashed and hacked at each other, throwing punches that landed on their target; but no matter how much force they put in, Helga managed to block it. As the battle continued, the wind grew stronger and the trees thrashed about violently, as if on the verge of being ripped apart.

Helga clenched her jaw, a brilliant idea racing through her thoughts. In one swift movement, she slammed her sword into the ground, sending sand flying in all directions and temporarily blinding her opponents. Taking advantage of their confusion, she advanced towards them and expertly cut both of their throats with her blade. The two men slumped to the ground as their heads fell back, lifeless.

She gasped for air, wiping the blood that had splattered onto her face. She then took a moment to catch her breath before gathering the corpses and stacking them in one spot, just like Stella had done with the dead wolves. She had to make sure the area was clear of any bodies to avoid tripping over them later.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, quickly assessing the cut on her bleeding arm. Without hesitation, she made another cut on the hemline of her dress and used the fabric to wrap around her arm, using her hand and teeth to secure it in place and stop the bleeding. But there were more men with swords approaching, leaving her no time to rest or catch her breath.

"THE WEATHER'S CHANGING," David commented as the once clear skies began to darken; the sun was no longer visible in the sky. Siegren absentmindedly hummed a tune as he checked his pocket watch, counting down the minutes until Helga's test was finished.

"There's still thirty minutes before we need to enter the woods." Lucian said as he glanced at the royal guards behind him and noted, "Let's start getting ready.” "Do you think she's still alive?" one of the she-wolves asks.

"No way. A woman like her wouldn't last an hour in Ardan Woods. She was probably doomed the moment she stepped foot in there," another she-wolf commented, and the conversation continued amongst the werewolves gathered. Some even started placing bets on whether Helga would survive or not, causing Portia's anger to rise as she clenched her fist, ready to scold them. But before she could even speak, everyone fell silent as the Alpha King stood from his seat.

The winds grew stronger, all eyes to face Gamma Lucian.

shifted to Siegren, and many of them flinched in response when he quickly rearranged the asymmetrical cape hanging on his shoulder before turning

"Bring me a horse," he ordered, "I will join you inside."

"...Yes, Your Majesty.” Lucian gave a slight bow and exchanged a glance with Beta David, both surprised by their friend's decision to enter the forest instead of just waiting for the outcome. Still, the gamma quickly instructed one of the royal guards to bring a horse for the Alpha King.

Once they were prepared, Siegren mounted the horse, followed by the other high-ranking members of the Royal pack and their guards. They were about to approach the Alpha Aldous said something that caused a stir among the crowd.

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"May we also join you, Alpha King?" he inquired, prompting Siegren to look at him, Ezra, Luna Viola, and Miranda who all seemed curious to see what happened to Helga. "Suit yourselves." Siegren's response was flat, lacking any emotion as he nudged his horse forward, the rest of the pack trailing closely behind him. When they entered the Ardan Woods, they came across a few rogues, but they quickly scattered at the sheer power emanating from the Alpha King.

As the sky grew darker and raindrops began to fall, Siegren felt a sudden disturbance in the air. Reacting without hesitation, he urged his horse to gallop faster along the path, but abruptly pulled on the reins when the heavy rain poured down and a figure that sent shivers down his spine appeared before him. Everyone stopped in their tracks, their eyes widening at the sight of Helga sitting among piles of dead bodies, holding her sword tightly as she gazed up into the rain.

When she sensed their presence, she slowly turned her gaze downwards, causing Miranda and the Madden family to flinch, their eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing right now. Ezra swallowed hard, fear creeping up upon seeing his ex-fiancée, the rain slowly washing the blood stains off her skin and dress. But what was even more chilling was the pile of dead bodies beneath her. Could she have been responsible for all this horrendous carnage? He tightened his grip on the horse's reins but snapped out of his shock when the Alpha King stepped forward, making his way towards Helga.

"Are you..." Siegren hesitated, his eyes shifting from the dead wolves at her side to the human corpses she was sitting on so casually. She was a complete mess; even the dress he had hand-picked for her was torn almost in half.

"Did you...do this?" he asked slowly, trying to make sense of the scene before him.

"Who else?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as if her thoughts were still reeling from the continuous attacks. Siegren tightened his grip on the horse's reins, suppressing the laugh that threatened to leave his mouth. Helga then climbed down from the pile of bodies and approached the Alpha King while limping. When she finally reached him, she looked up at him with her emerald eyes looking so tired.

"Well... Did I pass, Your Majesty?" she asked, prompting Siegren to swiftly hop off his horse and approach her, placing his hand on her tiny waist to help her up. His action made the onlookers gasp in surprise, especially Ezra as they saw him touch her so intimately. On the other hand, Helga blinked in surprise when she suddenly found herself sitting on top of the horse. She barely had time to process what was happening before the Alpha King was next to her, reaching for the reins, his breath tickled her ears.

"Let's go, I will announce that Verdentia has found its future Queen Luna."