Chapter 2 My destiny is mine

Tension hung in the air as Ulrich and Gaia locked eyes within the earth barrier erected by the Peeira. Their gazes sparked with determination, each aware of the power they possessed and the consequences of their choices.

Gaia broke the silence, her soft voice echoing in the confined space. “As I said, I know everything about you, Ulrich. More than any adversary you've ever faced, even more than your own allies.”

Ulrich growled impatiently. “Get to the point,” he ordered, his voice laced with anger.

Gaia held Ulrich's gaze, her expression serene and unwavering. “The Moon Goddess has revealed to me two destinies for tonight's battle, and both are directly linked to your future,” she explained. “Only you can decide.”

Ulrich raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. “What the hell are these destinies?” he asked, his voice now calmer.

Gaia took a deep breath, preparing to reveal the options. “The first path you can choose is to end this battle now,” she began. “You can ally with Alpha Gray, keeping the pack under your dominion. With me by your side, you would have a powerful advantage. You would have what you desire: a legacy, a peaceful and prosperous life alongside your Luna, and the opportunity to see your offspring grow and thrive throughout your kingdom.”

Ulrich pondered Gaia's words momentarily, his mind weighing the possibilities.

“What's the second option?” he asked, his voice serious.

Gaia looked into Ulrich's eyes, her expression grave. “If you continue this battle, you will win,” she said. “You will kill Gray and take the pack for yourself. However, your life will be marked by a curse. No Luna you take for yourself will give you heirs. You will be bound to a life without legacy until you return to your origins and find your destined mate.”

Ulrich pondered Gaia's words, his mind weighing the consequences of each choice. “Is that all?” he asked, his voice gruff.

Gaia nodded, her eyes fixed on Ulrich. “Yes,” she confirmed. “And now, Ulrich, what will you choose?”

Ulrich looked at Gaia, his decision was finally made. “Come closer, and I will tell you,” he said, in a low voice.

Gaia approached Ulrich, their faces inches apart. “What is your choice?” she asked, her voice gentle.

Ulrich looked into Gaia's eyes, his expression dark. “My destiny is mine to determine,” he declared firmly, his gaze steely.

Then, with a swift and precise movement, Ulrich seized Gaia's neck, his overwhelming strength evident. In a gesture of violence, he snapped Peeira's neck and let her fall to the ground, lifeless.

Silence hung over the battlefield, interrupted only by the muffled sound of Gaia's body hitting the ground. Then an unexpected effect occurred. The earth collapsed around him, freeing him from his imprisonment, just like the mountain that had prevented him from approaching Alpha Gray before.

Gray, the leader of the attacked pack, saw the fallen Peeira on the ground and ran to her, horrified. He knelt beside Gaia's body, his blue eyes filled with disbelief and pain.

“What have you done?” he asked Ulrich, his voice filled with anguish.

Ulrich, undisturbed by Gray's suffering, looked at him with a disdainful gaze.

“Don't worry, Gray,” he replied coldly. “Soon, you'll be by your beloved's side when all this is over, just like your entire pack will be.”

“What does that mean?” Gray looked at Ulrich, confused and disturbed.

Ulrich approached Gray, his golden eyes shining with sinister intensity.

“Before, I used to let the members of the packs I conquered survive,” he explained, his voice filled with deep bitterness. “But in the case of this one, I'll do the same thing they did to the pack where I was born. I will annihilate all of you.”

Gray looked at Ulrich, shocked and horrified by the brutality of his words.

“Why so much hatred?” he asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.

Ulrich approached Gray, his face contorted with a mixture of disdain and hatred.

“Maybe you don't remember me, Gray,” he said, his hot breath hitting Gray's face as he spoke with a threatening tone. “But I never forgot you. You were one of those involved in the attack on my pack when I was younger. And unlike you, I left no boy with a thirst for revenge behind.”

The revelation hit Gray like a punch to the gut. His face paled as he stared at Ulrich, finally understanding the magnitude of the situation. He realized he was facing a relentless enemy, driven by an insatiable thirst for revenge and power. Destiny had brought them together again, but this time, it would be Ulrich who delivered the final blow, merciless and remorseless.

With a fluid motion, Ulrich transformed into his massive black wolf form, his imposing body radiating power and fury. Without a word, he lunged towards Gray, his eyes gleaming with relentless determination.

Gray attempted to defend himself, but he was defenseless against Ulrich's ferocity. In an instant, Alpha Gray's life was snuffed out, and the fate of that pack was sealed forever in the clutches of the feared King Alpha Ulrich.

***

The night was cold and dark, echoing with the lament of fallen wolves and the acrid smell of blood pervading the air. The Vale of Silver Fang, once a prosperous and peaceful home to Alpha Gray's pack, now lay in ruins, its lands devastated by the relentless fury of the feared King Alpha Ulrich and his army of werewolves.

As Ulrich silently surveyed the desolate scene before him, his beta, Turin, approached with a grim expression.

“I've been informed that the women, children, and elderly of the pack fled and hid in the forest,” Turin reported, his voice laden with a mixture of concern and uncertainty. “Would you like us to send a team to capture them?”

Ulrich remained silent for a moment, his golden eyes gleaming with relentless determination. He then directed his dark gaze towards the forest, his jaw set with cold ferocity.

“No,” he replied abruptly. “Burn the forest.”

Turin's eyes widened in shock at the King Alpha's order.

“Are you sure?” he asked, trying to understand the logic behind the decision. “They're just women, children, and elderly. They pose no threat.”

Ulrich stared at Turin with a piercing gaze, his voice sharp as ice.

“I'm sure,” he stated firmly. “I don't want anyone from the pack to survive to tell this story. I want the story to be told through their ashes.”

Turin swallowed hard, understanding the seriousness of Ulrich's order. “As the king wishes,” he murmured, resigned to the inevitable.

Without further words, Turin and the other werewolves surged towards the forest, torches in hand. The fire spread rapidly, consuming the trees and turning the landscape into a fiery hell. The flames roared loudly, devouring everything in their path as Ulrich watched, unperturbed, the end of Alpha Gray's pack.

As the last echo of crackling flames died down, the Vale of Silver Fang was plunged into a sinister silence, broken only by the whisper of wind through the charred trees. Alpha Gray's pack had been reduced to ashes, and the memory of their existence now rested only in Ulrich's mind, the relentless King Alpha whose name would echo forever in the dark history of the Silver Fang Vale.