Chapter 103: _Lord Ryker

Chapter 103: _Lord Ryker Ryker’s POV ***** On the other side of the continent, far away from the Blood Oak pack and all its drama, was a hidden fortress hidden away by powerful cloaking spells. Ryker, the self-proclaimed true Lord of the North, was in his study room, looking through maps of the continent and making plans in silence. The study room was dark apart from a candle lit at the center of the table on which he sat. Suddenly, someone barged through the doors of the study room, disrupting its serenity and causing Ryker’s eyebrows to furrow as he slowly raised his head and peered through the darkness. "My Lord!" One of his guards, an artificial hybrid like Marcellus, was the one who stepped into the room. However, the man could not go any further toward Ryker; he was stopped by an invisible force that hit him back like a brick wall, holding him in place and restricting his muscle movements. Ryker’s gaze became cold as he drummed his fingers on the armrest of his seat. After several seconds of silence, he finally spoke with a deep voice that echoed around the walls of the study room, sending shivers down the spine of the guard. "I’ll release you from my spell and after that, you’ll have exactly three seconds to say something concrete enough that would make you dare to interrupt my quiet time." The guard was unable to speak or speak under the spell. Eventually, Ryker released him from the spell with a wave of his hand, letting the guard begin speaking without even catching his breath. "The leader of the rogues you sent to the Blood Oak woods has returned with jarring information." Ryker had raised his right hand, getting ready to fire a deadly spell at the guard if he didn’t say anything useful. However, when he heard his report, he withdrew his hand to himself, raising a curious eyebrow. "Get him in here," Ryker said as he stood from his seat, drawing in a deep breath. The guard nodded, breathing out with relief before he ran out of the study room, closing the door behind him. What none of his rogues or artificial hybrids knew was his personal vendetta against Kaelos. The imbecile didn’t deserve to be the Alpha King of North America. That title rightfully belongs to Ryker! His hands balled into fists but he didn’t let his anger get the best of him, instead chuckling silently to himself while shaking his head. "After I’m done with you and usurp your control right under your nose, we’ll see who gets the last laugh, Kaelos." He remarked at the same moment that his study door opened again. Ryker watched as one of his artificial hybrids, Tanko, walked toward him with blood-stained clothes and a pale face filled with fear. When he got in front of him, he fell to his knees, lowering his head as he began speaking with a shaky voice. "M– My lord, I’m here with reports on my mission in the Blood Oak woods and the packs surrounding it." He said with a respect-filled voice before he continued. "My men and I were successfully setting up camp around the area like you directed, terrorizing the small human settlements and sending fear through their hearts." Ryker listened patiently, his arms placed behind his back calmly. When Tonka saw this, he relaxed a bit more, letting out a deep breath before he continued. "Just when we were making strategies to mobilize potential rogues from the nearby packs to add to our group, the Alpha King’s bride stumbled into the woods." Ryker’s interest became piqued at that moment as he took a step forward. Odessa Pierce... The Alpha King’s Witch bride. He’s never seen her before but from everything he’s gotten from Marcellus, he could tell that she was an enigma. One that he wanted to unravel no matter what it took. "Go on," Ryker muttered plainly, causing Tonka to nod before continuing. "Everything was going smoothly and we were making plans to come back here with her and hand her over to you. But all hell broke loose when the false Alpha King, Kaelos, came in his wolf form and... And then..." Tonka’s voice began to tremble as he lowered his head and bit his bottom lip. Ryker was amused by his reaction but now he was even more curious. Kaelos finally shifted after so long, eh? Ryker has been keeping tabs on him since he was a teenager and knew about the few times he’s shifted. The fact that Kaelos was able to finally shift after so long because of Odessa was a step that intrigued Ryker. "Why do I feel like there’s more that you’re not telling me here?" Ryker queried, furrowing his eyebrows. Tonka seemed uncertain but one prolonged stare from Ryker was enough to get him to start talking again. "I– I’m sorry about my silence but it’s just that I didn’t know how you’d receive this information," Tonka remarked, gritting his teeth before dropping the bomb. "It seems Odessa Pierce has a werewolf side. S– She howled in the woods during the chaos. I’ve... I’ve never seen anything like it." Ryker’s eyes widened with shock but then a grin curled up the corner of his lips. So the powerless witch has been a hybrid all this while? That explains her mate’s bond with Kaelos. Unlike artificial hybrids, true Hybrids had a lot more potential and fewer limitations. All this new information helped to do was increase Ryker’s desire to capture Odessa. "You’ve done well with this information you’ve brought me, Tonka," Ryker said with a deep voice that seemed calm as he gestured at the man to rise. However, when Tonka got on his feet, Ryker didn’t waste a second and shoved his right hand through his chest, dragging out his heart and causing blood to gush out like a fountain. Terror filled Tonka’s face, his eyes shaking with confusion as Ryker grabbed his right shoulder and brought his mouth close to his ears before he whispered. "I’ll be taking the hybrid gift bestowed to you and giving it to someone else. Unfortunately, to do that, you’d have to leave this plane of existence. Permanently." Tonka’s eyes lost their light as he slowly fell to the ground, his blood spilling like a river from the gaping hole in his chest. Ryker stared down at him with a plain expression. He was a good soldier but it was clear he was lacking in tactical skills, something required of a leader, most especially members of Ryker’s hybrid soldiers. Anyway, Ryker shook his head before closing his eyes, reaching out telepathically to someone on the other side of the continent— his most trusted and powerful hybrid. "Marcellus. I’ve got news."