Chapter 101
When Janet and the others disappeared into the distance, the people sending them off all returned to the Crimson Fortress.
Except for Angelina..
She stood in the wind and gazed into the darkness, thinking about what Janet said to her before they left.
About Harper.
Angelina couldnât help but ask herself: Did she really place her trust in Harper too easily?
Nevertheless, Harper did ask her maids to cut her hands off without a blink of an eye. Could a person that brutal change that completely overnight?
Angelina slowly let out a shaky breath.
If that was the caseâ¦
If Harper had been faking itâ¦
And even worse, if Harper really had something to do with Veronicaâs deathâ¦
Then she couldnât forgive herself for letting Harper off the hook that easily.
Just then, a strange noise came from her back.
Angelina jerked around and snapped, âWho is there? Step out!â
It had already passed midnight.
No one should be out here at this hour.
A slim figure slowly stepped out of the bush and walked into the moonlight.
It was the same person that Angelina had been thinking about just a moment before.
Harper.
âWhat are you doing here?!â Angelina gasped in shock.
Harper chuckled, âSending my dear sister off, just like you did. Too bad that I didnât get a chance to wish her good luck.â
Angelina clenched her fists. She suddenly felt a thrill of foreboding.
âHow did you know about this?â she growled.
Their plan was supposed to be a secret! She even waited for Harper to turn in before leaving their tent.
So how did Harper find out about everything?
Harper seemed to enjoy the furious look on Angelinaâs face a lot.
She giggled and took another step forward.
âOh, I know about a lot of things,â she said. âI know that Janet and Daran are going to the Great Canyon, which is practically suicide. I also know that you wonât be able to boss me around like a f ucking slave any longer. And most importantly, I know that-â
She grinned flashing her teeth, with a twinkle of joy in her eyes.
you are doomed now.â
Suddenly a sharp pain pierced Angelinaâs body and she fell.
Crushed to the ground, Angelina curled her body in agony and struggled to look
around.
Layla was standing by her side, holding a baseball bat, which was the weapon that she just hit Angelina with.
âY-Youâ¦â
Angelina breathed heavily, gritting her teeth.
âIt was youâ¦A-And-â
ââAnd me,â said a deep voice behind her back.
Lance stepped out of the dark shadows and walked over. His lips curled in triumph as he looked down at Angelina.
âI bet that you didnât see this coming, did you?â Lance smiled.
Angelina glared at him. She wanted to jump up and attack him. But she couldnât move. Layla must have broken her rips when she hit her with that bat.
Lance lifted a foot and stomped on Angelinaâs shoulder, enjoying her humiliated face.
âThis is the fatal weakness of you guys,â he laughed. âYou are always too gullible. Too eager to believe that people have changed. That weakness makes you overlook certain things.â
âYouâ¦You killed Veronica!â Angelina cried hoarsely.
âWell, you caught me there, even though a bit late.â
Lance shrugged.
âWhat am I supposed to do? Veronica was going to tell Janet about me. I couldnât let her do that.â
He moved his feet to Angelinaâs neck, adding more pressure to it. Angelinaâs face was quickly turning red in suffocation.
âIt wonât workâ¦You still wonât winâ¦â
Angelina uttered, struggling.
âJanetâ¦and Daranâ¦they are coming at youâ¦They-they are strong-â
Lance burst into laughter.
âOh you really have faith in them, donât you? OK, I admit it. Alpha Daran is the strongest werewolf I have ever met. I probably wonât last 10 seconds with him if we are at a one-on-one showdown. But so what? I am still going to be the last man standing because I can outsmart him.â
Angelina clenched his ankle in agony. She couldnât breathe anymore under the pressure that Lance put on her neck.
âRemember that box of snacks,
you gave Janet?â Lance asked with a smile.
Angelinaâs body twitched. She was choking.
âI asked Harper to add a little something extra to their snacks. If they eat thoseâand they will because they trust you, they wonât be as strong as they are now.â
Rage seized Angelinaâs heart.
This f ucking bastard-
âYou seem mad,â Lance chuckled. âBut shouldnât you be more mad at yourselves? You caused Veronicaâs death. And soon, you will cause Janet and Daranâs death as well.â
He stomped on Angelinaâs neck hard.
Angelinaâs eyes rolled to the back, and she passed out.
âShould we hide her body somewhere?â Layla asked.
âJust leave her here. We are going back to the Great Canyon today. There is no need to hide our tracks any longer.â
Lance dusted off his hands and beckoned to Harper.
Harper walked over and cringed against his arms like a docile sheep.
âThat thing you asked me to put into their snacksâ¦What is it?â Harper asked curiously. âIs it poison? Is it going to kill them all before they get to the Great Canyon?â
âNo poison is strong enough to kill a werewolf, silly girl,â Lance said idly. âIt is something much betterâ¦It is Laylaâs blood.â
Harper was shocked and disappointed.
âHer blood?â she cried, âWhat can her blood do? Kill them? If it canât do that, then you have wasted a golden opportunity to=â
She suddenly quivered.
Because she just found Lance staring at her with a dark face.
âCareful, my mate, I donât like to be questioned,â Lance hissed. âIf you are coming to my kingdom with me, remember one thing. That I am the King. And you are my subject.â
ââ¦Yes, my king,â Harper whispered in fear.
âAnd you will see what Laylaâs blood can do to them when we get back to the Great Canyon. The rogueâs blood has special powers. You will find out about that soon. He rubbed Harperâs hair like petting a lap dog.
âLet us hit the road.â
Lance smiled and gazed to the north.
His eyes were gleaming with excitement.
âMy dear guestâ¦my arch nemesis Alpha Daranâ¦is waiting for us.â
It took the group one full day before arriving at the Great Canyon. They moved as fast as they could and only stopped a few times to have some water and snacks.
Before going into the Great Canyon, they also had a complete makeover under Kassâs instruction. They had to make sure that their outfits and appearances could fit into the rogueâs crowd.
Angelina once told Janet that the Great Canyon was in fact a black market.
And she was exactly right about that.
In the shadowy underbelly of the canyon, nestled amidst crumbled buildings and hidden alleyways, lay this mysterious market, a hub of illicit trade where the forbidden met the desperate.
Within this eerie place, rare and dangerous stuff changed hands.
Janet saw shops selling fresh werewolf organs, handcrafted weapons, strange medicines such as Elixir, Aphrodisiacs, fatal poisons, etc.
She also saw cages lying by the streetside with little pups locked up inside.
âThis is human trafficking!â
Janet whispered into Kassâs ear furiously as they walked down the hectic main road.
âCanât we do something about this?â
âActually, it is not as simple as it seems,â Kass whispered back. âThose pups are trained thieves. If you buy them off, they will rob your house and return to the seller with all your money by the next day. It is a common trick in the rogueâs world.â
Janet let out a long sigh internally.
They spread out and did some fieldwork.
They would pretend to be interested in something and start a casual conversation with the vendor, asking them if they knew anything about the Rogue King.
But their efforts proved to be in vain.
âNobody knew anything about the Rogue King!â
Glen hissed frustratedly to them after an hour of talking to people.
âThey all have different stories. Some said that Rogue King was a hideous old woman, and some said it was a handsome man. And there is something even more ridiculous-hear this-one guy told me that the Rogue King is a beautiful woman with a killer body, and she only became king because she had f ucked every man in the Rogueâs world!â
âThis is a nightmare,â Jared rubbed his temples with a wry smile. âI doubt if they have really met the Rogue King before.â
âMost of them havenât,â Kass said. âThe Rogue King lives in the Grace Ruin, which only the true rogues have access to.â
Daran tapped his finger on the table.
âIt is simple then.â
He said in a deep voice.
âWe should take the test and become the true rogues ourselves.â