Crimson Moon Redemption: My Alpha's Brutal Mistake
Chapter 84: Draven’s smart choice (Alpha Zach)

Chapter 84: Draven’s smart choice (Alpha Zach)

I observed his next move and, as expected, he refused to back down. "Alpha Zach, I only gave Annabelle the time to accept me. Without her, I will remain a prince and never a king," he mentioned. I chuckled.

Though not well-versed in the ways of vampires, bonds were similar among all species. "That isn’t true. Once you accept her rejection, you will be paired with someone else."

"But she’s the only one I want," he said seriously, triggering jealousy within me. How dare he be fixated on what is mine?

"In case you haven’t heard or seen, we have already mated and marked each other. We even have a pup together," I revealed, pointing to the mark on my exposed neck. His expression darkened instantly.

"How could this be? You two were never even together."

"Well, destiny brought us together because she saved my life before. I’m sorry for your loss, but you have to let it go," I sympathized. However, his expression remained stern.

"Never. If you die, I can still claim my Annabelle, and as for your pup, we can find a way around him."

I hadn’t told him about Zeke’s vampire traits, and yet he was already willing to accept him.

"You are wasting my time. Let me see my mother-in-law now, or I will wage war against your so-called castle."

"Hold on," he suddenly smiled before drawing my attention to something I had neglected all this while. "The sun is up, and yet I’m standing in it. So with our super speed and adherence to sunlight, do you still think you stand a chance against us? Please do yourself a favor, Alpha Zach, and leave peacefully."

If his words make sense, then my first plan of using the LED light failed, but how is that possible? Were they growing so strong? Zeke was resistant to sunlight, so was that the reason why his thirst for blood doubled or what?

Well, the good thing is I came with plan B. "Well, Prince Draven, I’m not alone, and I have enough garlic spray to pollute the air around here. So do you really want to do this?" As I mentioned this, he glanced past me, prompting me to turn around and follow his gaze.

Gaius was observing us from a distance, so I smiled and added, "Oh, that one is a Lycan, and he’s in charge of the garlic spray since you found a solution to the sunlight problem mysteriously."

His fingers clenched into fists, but ultimately, he made the right decision. "I won’t allow you inside our castle. I’ll send her over."

That was fine by me, as I had no interest in going inside, already struggling to resist his sweet scent. Well, it wasn’t as pleasant as one might imagine because prolonged exposure turned the sweet smell into a pungent one.

I began to comprehend why Belle’s scent was toxic and never pungent. It was a blend of a she-wolf, a Lycan, and a vampire, with none overpowering the others, creating a toxic mixture.

Despite this, her scent was alluring to me, making her irresistible. Alpha Zach, how did you find me?" My mother-in-law’s voice echoed in the distance, but the vampires surrounding her appeared irritated.

Her wrists showed signs of redness, but it was gradually fading, and by the time we departed, it had completely disappeared.

"Were you chained?" I inquired. Her head drooped as she replied, "Draven deceived me, but you must leave. You can’t trust them, and you must find my daughter. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but her name is..."

"Annabelle," I interjected, a mix of astonishment and anticipation reflected in her eyes. "You located her?"

Shame clouded my expression, and I couldn’t divulge everything in front of the onlookers, so I politely responded, "Yes, I did, and I don’t want you to miss the coronation."

Her elation was palpable, but before I could fully comprehend the situation, Draven forcefully pushed her towards me, depriving her of the shade she had been standing in before.

"Ouch, it hurts." I detected the scent of burning flesh and swiftly pulled her into my embrace, shielding her with my cloak before guiding her away from the castle.

"Tell Annabelle that I accept her rejection and hope we never meet again," Draven’s voice echoed in the air, but I ignored him, focusing on getting my mother-in-law into the car quickly.

Once we were inside with the air conditioning on, I let go of her, watching as her skin healed from the burns caused by the sunlight.

"They have creams that can prevent this, but he refused to give me more because I didn’t agree to his demands," she explained, catching my interest.

"Tell me the truth, were you chained?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied with a frustrated sigh. I couldn’t help but envy how she never seemed to age. Despite not bearing much resemblance to Belle, she looked like they could be sisters and the only thing they shared in common was the red hair.

"They need to be held accountable," I said, ready to order an attack, but she stopped me by grabbing my arm.

"It’s not worth it, Alpha Zach. He saved me from Jessica, and I was only chained because I refused to be their queen."

Her determination was impressive, but I felt a bit confused and asked her, "Who is Jessica?"

"That’s Madam Superior, the one who gave you the elixir. I later discovered that she tampered with its powers, leading her to regret."

Since consuming that substance, I had felt strangely empowered, which aided me in my efforts to strengthen my tribe.

"So, how did you locate her?" she inquired as I mentally connected with everyone to begin the journey back to the tribe. That son of the Lycan King or whatever will not take my Luna from me.

"I’m sorry, Mom, but I let you down. Belle was right in front of me and was falsely accused. I harmed her, and almost killed her."

A sharp slap landed on my cheek, and I felt I deserved it. "You can keep hitting me if it helps," I offered, but she was visibly upset.

"I felt guilty for seeking help from the Lycans when I had the chance because I couldn’t reach you," she confessed, and I finally understood why she had involved the Lycans, but her next words shook me to the core.

"My attempt to turn Bella into a she-wolf was futile. She is better off with the Lycans, just like her father," she lamented.

Feeling distressed, I mustered the courage to tell her, "It’s impossible. We are already marked and mated, and we even have a pup together."

She looked at me in disbelief, questioning, "How could Belle be so naive to stay with someone like you?"

Rather than explaining, I endured her criticism, finding solace in it. "Once you’re finished, could you please tell me more about her father and how you turned her into a she-wolf?"

If there was an issue with Bella’s wolf, she might choose the Lycans now that her vampire side is no longer a factor. "I don’t know how you managed to make her so stupid, but her father rejected me the moment he found out I was a vampire. I desperately wanted her to have the protection of a tribe, so I risked living among your kind, taking concoctions to hide my scent and avoiding training.

The werewolf constitution states that any pup born on tribe soil, whether a werewolf or not, will gain tribe membership and may even be gifted a wolf if favored by the moon goddess."

It was now clear that Belle was a gifted she-wolf, not one by DNA, but it didn’t matter since the constitution already accepted it. "Don’t worry. I will spend every day making it up to her for the hurt I caused her. It was all a misunderstanding because someone impersonated her and cast a spell on me."

"It must be Jessica’s doing," she said with a mix of pain, anger, and bitterness. Curiosity drove me to ask her, "You mention Jessica’s name with pain. What’s the issue?"

"She and Belle’s father were dating before we found out we were mates, and she was the one who exposed me right after I was mated without being marked," Annabella explained. I asked her, "Why did you name her Annabelle?"

Her head lowered sadly. "I didn’t want her existence to be known because her father’s brother was already trying to make amends. Annabelle sounds like a name similar to mine, so whenever it was mentioned, they would think it is me."

That made sense, and with both mother and daughter having suffered so much, I felt like I owed them a lot.

"I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through, but I’ll make it up to both of you," I assured her. She didn’t respond, only leaning over my shoulder and falling asleep.

The rest of the drive was quiet until Gaius’s mindlink forced through. ’How boring? With all these preparations and no actions, it makes me want to nap.’ I chuckled, unable to hide my amusement. Before I responded, he added, ’Anyway, I figured your negotiation skills have improved. You used to suck at it.’

Unable to hold back another chuckle, I mindlinked a response. ’Well, I give it to Draven for being smart. After giving him the options, he smartly chose the path of peace.’

Gaius smiled but didn’t mindlink me anymore, even though he was in the car behind me. Upon reaching the tribe, I was informed, "Alpha, the Lycans are here, and Luna is having a hard time dealing with them."

The sound of his voice seemed to have awakened Annabella, but her request caused me to freeze. "Damn, I left the purchased blood, and now I’m thirsty."