288 Lucrethia Woodland’s Death
Landon happily took over and pounced at the first wolf as fast as lightning. When the other five wolves recovered from shock and launched themselves at Landon, the latter flung the first wolf against them.
They might all be alpha wolves, but Landon was the fiercest of them all. He tossed his enemies around, treating them like used rag dolls. After getting smashed around mercilessly, eventually those who could still walk limped away as fast as possible.
The lurking wolves in the distance had all run away upon seeing the way Landon manhandled their unfortunate comrades.
‘That’s it?’ Landon clicked his tongue in displeasure when the fun ended after a short time.
His spirit quickly plummeted to the ground.
‘And I thought that Lucrethia would have prepared a squad of fine fighters to entertain us.’
‘They are clearly rogue werewolves who belong to no pack. I doubt that Lucrethia bothered to train them before sending them off to missions,’ Lucien explained to him.
Landon scoffed.
‘Basically, she is just using them. These wolves are nothing but consumables for her.’
.....
‘Sadly, yes.’
Landon sniffed the air for Ronan’s scent.
‘Ronan is further ahead. Let’s go.’
‘Ok.’
With Landon’s speed, it did not take long before they arrived at their destination.
One look at the fallen trees sufficed to tell Lucien that a fierce battle had taken place in the area. There were blood traces on the ground and on the fallen trunks.
And yet, neither Ronan nor Lucrethia was visible.
Lucien bent his head and sniffed at the blood.
Some of it was Ronan’s, but most of it wasn’t.
‘That old hag is hurt quite badly,’ Landon remarked.
‘I cannot hear any sound. It must have ended.’
Lucien swallowed hard.
‘But how did it end? Why are they not here?’
‘Let’s walk a little more,’ Landon suggested.
Lucien trotted further into the woods. After walking for a while, he arrived at Eternal Sleep Lake.
Near the lake, a giant black wolf towered majestically. Ronan’s eyes were trained on a bleeding heap on the grass field. The shallow rise and fall of her back was the only proof that the other wolf was still alive.
‘Ronan!!!’
Ronan turned his head to the side.
‘Lulu...’
Lucien ran toward his mate, who quickly put himself between Lucrethia and Lucien while growling menacingly at their enemy.
Lucrethia raised her eyes to look at Ronan and Lucien. She then transformed into her human form.
Minus the fur coat that camouflaged her wounds, her appearance was extremely unsightly. The last fight with Ronan had caused her flesh to be torn in a few spots. Her body was maimed in a grotesque way, some bones were broken and some joints dislocated.
Judging from the blood that coated Ronan’s muzzle and neck, it was easy to guess who inflicted all those wounds on Lucrethia.
“Heh. Heh, heh, heh...” Lucrethia cackled.
“I am already like this, Alpha Ronan. Do you really think I have the... the energy to attack your mate one last time?”
The elderly struggled to breathe.
Ronan growled, not letting Lucrethia out of his sight at all.
The two pairs of greenish-blue eyes looked into each other. The man’s gaze was full of disdain and lust for vengeance.
Lucrethia scoffed.
“You remind me so much of that man,” she said.
“Men who think that women are less worthy... less capable.”
Lucrethia coughed and choked out a mouthful of blood. She made a crackling, wet noise whenever she took a breath.
“Katreena, she... She could do... so... so much more...”
Lucrethia closed her eyes and lay her head on the ground.
“My daughter... She promised. She promised that Katreena will... But no... The Silverback family... And I was... Already humbled myself so much...”
Close to her death, Lucrethia was forced to remember the man she hated so much.
Lionel Woodland.
It was bad enough that Lionel completely disregarded her wish to establish Katreena’s claim to the Alpha throne, but must he ruin Katreena’s future?
Lucrethia had worked really hard to establish a good relationship with the Silverback family.
She had done everything she could to get on the then Alpha’s and Luna’s good sides. She had even received the belt from the Luna!
Katreena was supposed to marry into the Silverback family and become the Luna of the mighty Infinite Eclipse Pack.
Lucrethia did not even mind that Dane Silverback was a debauched man who had already sired pups outside of his pack.
All that Lucrethia wanted was for Katreena to marry into a strong pack.
Lionel Woodland, the bitter man, had ensured that Lucrethia’s plans for Katreena literally crashed and burned.
He sent her so far, so far away...
In the end, Dane Silverback was betrothed to Adele Fangblade, her niece.
Lucrethia hated Lionel Woodland.
She hated Dane Silverback’s parents.
She hated how Dane’s mother had grabbed her hand and told her how sorry she was that Katreena could not marry into the Silverback family.
What “Heartmates”?
It was all a lie.
A lie!
And then Lillian... Lillian had chased Ronan for months. And what happened in the end? Ronan abandoned her for a man.
Heh.
Life was so funny.
The Moon Goddess was so funny.
Lucrethia sneered to herself.
“You could have been my grandson,” she whispered in a low voice. “Or my grandson-in-law...”
“If only...”
“I...”
“Kat...ree...na...”
Even up until the last moments of her life, Lucrethia was unable to let go of her ambitions.
After breathing laboriously a few more times, the elderly breathed out her last. The light in her eyes slowly went away, replaced by cold and eternal darkness.
Ronan took a deep breath.
She had passed.
Their greatest nemesis, the person who caused them all grief for months had finally died.
Overwhelmed by both relief and immeasurable exhaustion, energy drained from Ronan’s body and he slumped against Lucien.
‘Ronan!!!’
Ronan wanted to tell Lucien that he was alright, but he lost consciousness before he could say it out loud or via Mind Link.