Chapter 80 – Checkmate

His eyes were bloodshot, blank, and screamed mercilessness. He was the epitome of violence. He held no other weapon but a pistol and yet that was enough for dozens of lives to end up in his hands.

“Alpha.” He turned to one of his men. “Body heat count as of 4:09 PM is 2,049. Eclipse to happen in two minutes.”

He turned away as another head exploded and the blood splattered all over him and nodded at the Epsilon’s report. They’re yet to execute the plan and he’s already used up a magazine or two, none of them gone to waste. This compound’s security is just so widespread that they could’ve been caught way earlier if he didn’t help and cock his pistol.

The sun was slowly dimming, the moon’s shadow casting over a big part of New York. It was supposedly the golden hour, but since the moon is dimming the grounds, they’ll consider it as kill hour.

“6…5…4…”

And so the countdown began. The poor, unknowing compound where the Ministry’s main HQ stood will soon be coated with blood, all the other sinned souls along with them. The ground will soak up their liquid remains, and so will the legacy they left.

Axel was ready. He could only imagine the hardship his mate and daughter went through in their hands.

“3…2…1…”

A gunshot was fired; the emergency alarm rang around the compound.

It was the commencement of mayhem.

He zoomed through the guards that were caught off-guard. Most were disoriented and were merely grasping the situation which was one of their advantages. They had the element of surprise and that was a crucial thing they had. They still could’ve brought them down without the element of surprise given that they are the strongest pack in town but they had no plans of being overconfident.

He and his team aimed to reach the top floor as a whole and outnumber the Minister’s guards, but the level of defense on every floor just keeps getting tighter and tighter.

“To the left!” He grunted immediately after. One had managed to slip through his defenses and deliver a straight jab to his nose. His nose cracked slightly and bled but fortunately didn’t break, which would’ve been bad, but he quickly regained composure and replied with a heavier, more precise, and calculated uppercut.

“Half my men to stay here! We need to go up now!”

They can’t stay here for longer. They have to move or the Minister will get away. And with the amount of damage he’s done to the pack, him running away will just be unacceptable.

They ran up the stairs and were greeted by another group of guards, bigger, muscular, equipped with silver bullet pistols, and probably high voltage taser guns. Unfortunately, Axel wasn’t a bit intimidated—and so was his team. Without a second of hesitation, the big and bulky guards were thrown off-guard by his aggressive Epsilons now being led by Tyrone.

[More at 11:00.] Informed Ryker from the earbud. Oh, good. He’s already inside the control room of the HQ.

When he reached the top floor, he was already alone. His team slowly turned smaller and smaller after every floor and when he reached the top, he was left alone. Just like last time. Oh, how history repeats itself.

He inhaled a breath for a short while, hearing the faint explosions from below due to the eerily quiet hallway. With a pistol in hand, he marched to the door and twisted it, his heart palpitating with adrenaline.

Even with a bloody three-piece and bruised face, his eyes never faltered when he met his’, clean and tidy. The Minister was sinisterly sipping tea with his legs crossed and slowly pushing the swivel chair to twist.

He looked so relaxed despite the chaos happening downstairs like he didn’t have an ounce of care for those risking their lives for him and the Ministry.

“Your men are dying,” Axel started, slowly walking near him.

The Minister shrugged. “What I see are heroic wolves sacrificing to preserve our race.”

“You know your ideology is shit, right?” He bluntly replied, which resulted in the older lad bursting out in a cynical laugh.

“Just because it doesn’t match yours doesn’t mean it’s ‘shit’,” he quoted in the air. “But I believe mine is better. Yours is just for the safety of your family, isn’t it?”

Although baffled as to how he knew he had a family, he concealed it and remained glaring down at him.

“Killing other species just to preserve ours is pretty shit for me. Leave her alone.”

His voice was deep like it was plucked from hell’s grounds, contained with fury and caged with hatred, ready to be freed and flock to the man in front of him like crows desperately crying for freedom, to claw him with antipathy.

The minister remained to chuckle faintly. “You can’t stop me, you puny Alpha. You even took years to find her even with the bond. While we…we never lost her.”

Calling him puny is one thing, but revealing how they never lost her is another. How? He’ll make sure to know how by today.

“She won’t do you any more harm, Minister.” Still, his gaze remained sharp and threatening. “Leave her alone, and she’ll keep our species alive. You know how easily she can obliterate us all. I don’t think you forgot how my Mother’s best friend killed almost half the wolves’ population.”

His mother’s best friend was Lilian, a royal-blooded Lycan who went furious when she found out her human mate was being punished by the Ministry. Lilian ended up depleting half of the werewolf population in the USA and disappeared right after. He couldn’t forget about it, because that was also the time his own mother sacrificed her life for her best friend’s.

He had a glimpse of a nerve in the Minister’s face twitching. It still impacted him, huh? Who wouldn’t anyway if he got stuck in a love triangle? It wasn’t even a love triangle to be real, it was just a good old unrequited love scenario.

“Don’t start digging the past now, Axel. Your mate is just a material to my plan, that’s all. I don’t have plans on killing her, of course, but if she can’t take the drugs, well then…sayonara, I guess,” he smirked, making his blood boil. This old man, really.

“You can’t get to her anymore. Your armies are surrounded by mine. I just want one simple thing: leave my pack alone,” he muttered through gritted teeth. What’s adding to his fury is the way the old man is smirking. He’s so tempted to pull the trigger.

“Don’t be too confident, young man. You’re still yet to reach the top while I’m already going down.”

“What?”

He threw his head back, smirking, and clasped his hands on top of the table. Behind him was the tall floor-to-ceiling window, letting him see the moon’s shadow moving away from the sun. The eclipse has ended.passed“The biggest mistake you’ve made today is to leave your gems in the treasure chest,” he cryptically uttered. “Now, my pirates are busy stealing them while you’re here, looting an empty crate.”

Axel is beyond puzzled. He was frowning slightly, trying to adapt his similes to the real-time events. What did he mean by that?

It was only when Ryker’s rushed voice spoke from the earbuds, and his whole world shattered into crumbs.

[Alpha! The subdivision is currently being bombed and they’ll be able to enter in less than ten minutes. The female wolves and pups are surrounded! What do we do?]

They went in, forgetting to guard the females and the pups. They killed hundreds while the core of the pack will soon be killed as well. And what’s more painful is that it’s not only his family that’ll be killed, it’s also every other mated male’s other half and offspring he ordered to fight with him.

How dumb of him.

How f u cking dumb.

The Minister’s wicked laugh rang in his ears as his eyes dropped to the floor. He couldn’t believe it. The biggest flaw in his plan was simply looked over.

But of course, he also had faith in Leal. He just needs a little more time. Leal, he thought, please hold them off for me.

“Checkmate,” the Minister teased. “Go defend your Luna! Hahaha!”

He looked back up and sneered. “I won’t let you get away, you motherf u cker.”

In a matter of seconds after only one command, his battalion’s heavy footsteps could be heard from any part of the floor. For the pack.

He could see the panic that arose in the Minister’s eyes upon hearing the footsteps. Not long after, troops after troops could be seen behind him, looking as intimidating as ever with their bloody state and heavy firearms.

The Minister visibly gulped at the sight. And here he thought they were gonna rush to the females and pups.

“The White Claw Pack never leaves a fight unfinished,” drawled Axel in a slow, menacing way. “We don’t leave on alive to tell our tales. What happens in the pack stays in the pack.”

“N-No…” The Headmaster chuckled nervously. His armies are eradicated, and he’s heavily outnumbered.

With one wave of his hand, a pack member immediately raised his handheld bazooka and aimed at the Minister who was now standing rigid in front of the table. He stood up earlier and neared the window, thinking he had the upper hand.

All it took was one go-signal from the Alpha and the rocket was immediately slicing the air it passed through.

With the tiniest bit of mercy, they have left, the shooter aimed for his leg and bullseye. The Minister’s cry of pain could be heard all over as the glass behind her shattered and fell to the cemented compound wall, along with his body.

Axel felt a sudden rush of accomplishment in his heart. Although the Minister served the wolves well for decades, he really had a pretty shit ideology.

And just like that, they were already back on the road, ready for another round.