Forcing into submission

Aylin gave a cold glance at Dariel who trembled in his place on seeing the rage in her eyes. He averted his gaze away from her immediately, his heart thumping madly in fear. His tongue refused to move and he could not stop her from leaving the cell he was in.

Dariel could only watch the woman who had promised to destroy him as well as his kingdom walk out of the dungeon with the Alpha of Ideni and the other men following her closely. He was too petrified to even breathe loudly and a moment after, all the men who had accompanied him in the jungle before they were caught were hurled inside the cell, startling him utterly.

The guards remained impassive, not caring about him or the men. Dariel just watched them lock the place before they too left the cold dungeon with one torch light just outside the cell to aid his vision.

Dariel waited for quite some time, wishing for anyone, someone among the group to return to him. But it was all his wishful thinking. Nobody returned and the hope in his eyes diminished until he surrendered to his disastrous fate.

The fire in his heart extinguished as time passed and he realized how horrible the situation had turned out due to his carelessness. His overconfidence and his arrogance had led him to err during his ambush. While he was escaping, he had dropped the seal that belonged to the gamma of Renada, which was passed to him by his father-in-law and it became the reason for his doom.

'What did I do?' Dariel closed his eyes and unknowingly, tears gushed out. His heart ached, mostly for himself. 'If I had not followed their orders, I could still have been enjoying my life. I could have been the Gamma of Renada. I could...'

Dariel shook his head in despair. Now, all that remained was guilt. His mind had been influenced by them and he had sinned. Now he was facing his retribution.

'Please forgive me, Alpha.' More tears escaped his eyes when he remembered the man who had accepted him to his court wholeheartedly. Even though he was yet to be acknowledged as the Gamma of Renada by the world, his Alpha had already accepted him and it was only a matter of a few days when he would have officially graced the position he had painstakingly obtained.

Dariel's eyes fluttered open, remorse filling them, forcing him into a state of total distress. However, it was late now. He was caught and many people were implicated by his recklessness.

Anger surged through him when he recalled the man who had urged him and advised him to carry out his plan and Dariel pulled the chains that were bound to his hands. But the moment he did so, an intense pain spread through his arms and he screamed. His entire eyes turned black as the animal in him fought to come out.

But the silver chains compelled him to stay in his human form. Dariel let go of the chain immediately and slowly, the pain eased. He gasped in dismay as he waited for his discomfort to lessen.

It was only after a few moments passed that he lifted his head, only to find his men lying in the same position they were in when they had been hurled inside the cell. He could not see any movement from them, nor could he hear their breaths in the confined place. It did not take him long to concede that all the men who had accompanied him were dead and their bodies were the only company he had in the dungeon.

Dariel's eyes dilated in fear. The terror and his weak body clouded his muddled brain and the next instant, darkness embraced him, forcing him to be plunged into a plethora of nightmares.

Meanwhile, Azimir and Aylin walked out of the dungeon. While Azimir was still contemplating his next actions, Aylin's brows relaxed and she let out a sigh in contentment.

Although the sigh was barely audible, Azimir heard her and he gave her a questioning look as he tilted his head. But Aylin remained oblivious to it and she looked at the grassland while losing herself to her thoughts until Travis interrupted her.

"Commander, are we really going to charge all the people of Renada with treason?" His concern was justified considering how even the innocent would be implicated by her decision and Aylin gave him a smile.

"No, Sir Travis. We will not."

Not only Travis, now even Azimir failed to understand what was happening and his gaze deepened as he continued to stare at the woman beside him.

'Why did she say so then?' He wondered. 'Is this a trap she had placed for someone?'

Azimir did not mind using his power to deal with Dariel and the people of Renada who were involved in the vicious ploy. However, since Aylin had been in charge of this matter, he had handed over all the reins to her, allowing her to do as she pleased.

Even when she had declared to punish the innocent people for Dariel's crimes, Azimir had stayed silent, not once objecting to her decision. Now that Aylin had suddenly changed her words, he could not help but be puzzled.

"Dariel is in a fragile situation, Sir Travis." Aylin glanced at Azimir before she shifted her eyes away from him. "Though he wanted to ambush us, he was acting upon someone's orders. And if my intuitions are not wrong, it is either the Alpha of Renada or someone who is capable enough to order or compel Dariel into submission and pulling him into his plan."

"Commander, do you intend to say that it was not the Alpha of Renada who planned this attack?" Azimir caught the meaning behind her words immediately and he raised his brows subtly in thoughts.

"It has to be. Did you not see the fear in his eyes when we threatened to punish even his Alpha, Alpha Azimir?" Aylin reasoned. "It is evident that he respects his Alpha and would not wish to implicate him whatsoever."

"What if the Alpha of Renada is actually behind the ambush?" Travis queried and the other warriors nodded immediately, their frown deepening in confusion.

"Although I am uncertain about it, I feel that he is not the one who connived this attack. I even wonder if he knows all that has transpired the previous night here. It is somebody else who devised this attack." Aylin continued and folded her hands, her domineering stance not once lessening even in the presence of one of the most powerful and intimidating Alphas in the world.

"How are we going to find the truth now, Commander?" Travis continued and Aylin's face finally broke out into a smile.

"The prey will reveal the truth itself. All we have to do is wait."

Among all the men around her, only Azimir understood the meaning behind her words and his lips quirked up in affection instantly.

'As expected of the woman I admire.'