Chapter 348: _Every Pack Shall Be Cleansed
Ryker’s POV
*****
"My lord." His informant in one of the most powerful packs in Canada bowed before him when he walked through a portal. "Everything is just the way you wanted it. The Alpha and his council are in the pack house."
It was nighttime and the sky was bloated with dark clouds that rumbled with thunder.
Ryker scanned his eyes through the pack grounds, from the tarred roads to the houses with all lights turned off.
This was the Silverfang pack... Ryker’s first step in taking control of all packs in North America.
His informant, a man with black hair and ocean blue eyes, was the Beta of the Silverfang pack.
"You’ve done well, Vincent," Ryker remarked, raising his hands slowly. "Let’s see if this pack can live up to its name and reputation."
With that, he transformed into a cloud of black smoke, floating off the ground before flying past Beta Vincent.
No soul spotted him—every pack soldier had been dispatched to patrol unimportant parts of the pack, leaving the path leading to the Alpha’s mansion unguarded.
When Ryker finally got to the pack house, he transformed back into his human form, his eyes swelling black like ink.
"Hey!" A guard standing watch close to the entrance of the mansion spotted him, his voice tense as he drew out a silver sword. "Freeze! W–Who are—"
Ryker didn’t even give him the chance to make a coherent sentence, raising his right hand and twisting his wrist. That motion caused an invisible force to grip the guard’s neck before snapping it clean.
His eyes were cold as the man fell lifelessly like a puppet.
"Over there!" Another voice pierced through the night, forcing him to swerve his head in its direction.
A group of five guards ran toward him, all dressed in black suits and drawing out weapons made of silver. One shifted into his wolf form, snarling as he leapt at him with his claws and fangs outstretched.
"Mutt." Ryker sniggered, casually swatting his right hand in the air.
The wolf was hit by an invisible force, whimpering in pain as he was flung mid-air, hitting the compound gate with a loud clang.
As for the other guards, black flames erupted from the ground, forming a burning ring that trapped them within.
Ryker simply tilted his head, causing the black flame to burn hotter until it transformed into an orb that consumed the guards into nothing but ash, their screams barely audible in their final moments.
He smirked to himself, turning his attention to the entrance of the mansion again.
"Oh, I’m going to enjoy every second of this." He remarked, his arms outstretched like he was a god here to usher souls to their afterlife.
.
.
At the last floor of the mansion, Ryker made quick work of the guards who tried stopping him from stepping into the Alpha’s meeting room.
Blood painted the walls of the corridor while mangled corpses littered the floor.
The meeting room door was sealed off by a protective layer of moonstone energy... But Ryker wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
One flick of his fingers was all it took to shatter the wooden door into splinters, the pieces hurtling into the room like hailstones.
"Alpha Aemond Silver Fang." Ryker boomed, placing his arms behind his back as he stepped into the room slowly.
His eyes scanned through the faces of everyone gathered around a round table in the room... But then they locked on a man with short Silver hair and a beard.
The man got on his feet and so did his council members and Luna, all of them seeming absolutely dumbfounded.
"W–Who... Who are you?" The Alpha blurted with utter disbelief. "How did you—"
"Get past your security?" Ryker pointed outside with a mocking smirk. "Oh, that wasn’t hard, trust me. It appears your pack’s reputation as the strongest pack in Canada is nothing but an exaggeration."
Suddenly, a man with a thick brown beard drew out a gun and shot at Ryker.
But the latter blinked, causing the bullet to melt mid-air. On top of that, the gun in the man’s hand melted into molten magma, causing him to yell, dropping it hastily.
"Cute," Ryker muttered, tilting his head. "Since it’ll be rather sad if everyone here dies, I’ll give you a choice. I am the True Lord of the North. Willingly join me and surrender control of your pack to me."
The Alpha’s eyes widened with dread but his jaw tightened as he shook his head. "We’ve sworn our loyalty to Alpha King Kaelos."
Ryker arched his brow. "Oh, yes. I’m aware. But last I checked, your allegiance didn’t involve any binding magic, did it?"
They all paused, glancing among themselves as if they were considering it.
But Ryker didn’t have the patience for their consideration.
He lifted his right hand, using telekinesis to lift the Luna off the ground. She gasped for breath as the telekinetic force gradually tightened around her neck until her face became purple.
"Melissa!" The Alpha roared, attempting to grab her hand but Ryker flicked his other wrist, hitting him with an invisible force that shoved him through the air until he hit the wall.
"It’s so fun watching you struggle." Ryker chuckled darkly, taking slow steps closer. "You think allegiance to my brother will lead you anywhere other than destruction? If I wanted I could end all your lives in a second."
He curled his fists tighter, causing the invisible force constricting the Luna to increase in power. The council members stood helplessly while the Alpha groaned, sitting up on the floor.
"Let my wife go." The man snarled, glaring at Ryker with pure hatred.
The lord of the North nodded. "Of course. Right after you swear allegiance to me as your one true Alpha king. A simple choice for your life, right?"
The Alpha gritted his teeth but the sound of his choking wife was a reminder that he didn’t have a lot of time to make a decision.
Ryker watched with cold satisfaction as the Alpha’s loyalty to Kaelos faltered in his eyes.
And then—
"I..." The Alpha got on his knees, bowing his head.
His council members gasped but he ignored them, continuing. "I pledge allegiance to you, Lord Ryker."
Ryker’s smile sharpened.
Hmph... Too easy.
"Good," Ryker muttered but then did something totally unexpected.
A simple spell caused the Luna to ignite into flames, her agonising screams echoing through the walls of the meeting room.
"No!" The Alpha shouted, standing up and attempting to charge at Ryker.
The latter’s eyes blackened as he whispered. "Every pack that falls under my control shall be cleansed. Starting with you."
The Alpha got hit by an invisible force but this time, it punctured his chest, causing his heart and blood to splatter out of his body.
As the screams of the Alpha and his council members bled into the night, Ryker couldn’t help but relish one idea:
One day this would be Kaelos and all who support him...