Chapter 6 Bloodbath

• The good thing about ceremonies maintained for over millennia, the higher-ups would respect them to the point of avoiding the usage of the rising technology—and Diana took this blind spot and used this to her advantage. After separating herself, she immediately situated herself atop a Willow Tree.
• Having been in siesta mode for over three hours since the Tribute Ceremony began, Diana heard the rustles and howls within the misty forest. The sound of claws hitting the moldy forest floor did not leave her heightened senses. And the smell of blood grew stronger as time passed.
• Diana, who was leaning against the tree trunk with her legs hanging on the topmost branch, could not help the cold grin on her face. Staring at the light blue sky, she inched her arm beneath her head as a pillow while listening to the cries of the women in the Tribute Ceremony being slaughtered one by one.
• Like a symphony of the devil himself, Diana waited for the entanglement of blood and desire to reach her temporary domain. After all, she was sure that Amber—her lifetime’s Tribute Ceremony winner and Alpha Dylan’s supposed second chance luna—would walk past this tree which was situated right next to the stone where the flag should be placed.
• “Peeping on a lady is considered rude,” said Diana, “Alpha.”
• Without shifting her gaze from the cloudless sky, she heard the snapping of the twigs as the forest floor trembled. A low growl followed, warning her yet Diana could not miss the tinge of curiosity from it. Humming, she said. “The males are not allowed to intervene among women as per the rule or the male shall be disqualified from the ceremony.”
• “I heard you are not supposed to be in this ceremony. You are neither mateless nor rejected. Why are you here? Why are you desperate to tie yourself to me?”
• Alpha Dylan’s bare torso basked under the sunlight sheen. His Adonis belt showed trophies of war above the perfect v-shaped eye candy. His disheveled hair gave him a roguish vibe, maximizing his dangerous aura that would ignite the night fantasies of countless mateless girls.
• Finally, Diana glanced to her right—eyes daringly meeting a pair of predatory eyes. Though it was for only a moment, beads of sweat trickled down her nape yet her nonchalant tone did not give away her pounding heart. “Why? Because I want to live. I want to save my people.” The corners of her lips tugged. “You want to see my resolve? Watch and watch carefully, Alpha Dylan Cain.”
• On cue, the smell of blood permeated between the two.
• As per the rule, no matter how he was forced to attend the Tribute Ceremony, Alpha Dylan was an alpha and alphas worshipped the Moon Goddess’ traditions. He immediately retreated behind the trees while making sure to hide his presence from the two women.
• On the other hand, Diana jumped right in front of Amber just when the latter was about to race toward the stone table.
• “Diana?”
• Grinning from ear to ear, she cocked her head and spoke in a friendly tone. “I have been waiting, Amber. You were so late that I thought you died already.”
• “You! Did you know about my plan? B-But… how?” The butcher knife she held shook. Blood trickled from the tip of its blood while confusion colored her face blue apart from the crimson ink splashed on it.
• Diana shrugged playfully. “Maybe because a bird can easily spot those with the same feather among the crowd?”
• The confusion on Amber’s face was distorted. “Shut up! You don’t anything about me, so stop spouting some nonsense!”
• “Oops! Be careful or you will cut yourself, dearest Amber.” Diana sidestepped when Amber aimed the bloody cleaver at her stomach, intending to slice her horizontally. Her footsteps were light, easily dodging the erratic onslaught of attacks from the half-crazed Amber.
• ‘Who would have thought that the hellish days I spent training with the Crescent Pack’s elite gamma warriors will be helpful in this life? Before... I only hoped to pass the test and be accepted as the pack’s luna… now, I am using this skill to kill,’ Diana pondered.
• “As a tribute to your effort to collect this flag, I am giving you five minutes to kill me with all you got. I won’t counterattack. For five minutes, you must catch me and kill me for good,” said Diana in a sing-song tone, “or else, you won’t be leaving this forest alive.”
• “Curse you! Just because you are the beta’s daughter doesn’t mean you can play me like this!” Veins bulged around Amber’s neck and forehead as she toned down her beast not to shift and tear Diana to pieces—there was an enchantment plastered on each lady, restricting the occurrence of any shifting during the duration of the Tribute Ceremony.
• And so, the five minutes began…
• “Aaaah! Curse you! Curse you and all the privileged bitches like you!” The sound of the air being cut by the cleaver increased over the passage of time. Though the forest had been eerily quiet, the hysterical heaving and cursing increased in a dramatic tempo.
• Three minutes passed by like a blink of an eye…
• Amber’s sweat trickled down her chin and neck while Diana remained spotless. Though she was dodging the entire three minutes, her back remained against the stone table as if she was guarding it for herself while leading the erratic Amber by the nose.
• “Tik tak, tik tak! Less than two minutes more, dearest Amber!”
• Diana’s sing-song voice ignited the flame of disparity inside Amber. Her reddened eyes grew more insane.
• “Die! Stay still! Die! Die! Die! Don’t move, aaaahhh!” Clutching her head as she screamed, she almost dropped her weapon.
• Diana took this chance to cross the distance between them. Leaning closer to the crouching Amber, Diana pressed her finger lightly against Amber’s chapped lips. “Ssshhh! Or else you will wake those whom you have slaughtered like livestock.”
• Remembering this event from her past life, Diana could not help but shake her head at the grotesque kind of death that Amber had given to the other female participants of the Tribute Ceremony—they were decapitated. Had it not been for the scents, the family members of the deceased would have had a hard time identifying the bodies.
• And now, by a twist of fate, she was confronting the notorious ‘Red Luna’—a befitting title for the woman who would slaughter her way to become the deadly Blood Claws Pack’s luna.
• ‘I will never let you have the key of my revenge, Amber. Never.’ Diana promised as she stepped backward.
• A strand of her bangs had been cut down. If she was late in stepping backward from Amber, she was sure that the blade would have sliced her neck already.
• “Whew! You almost got me there, Amber. You almost got me. I’m impressed… One minute more before I silence you forever, so… Please, do your best without any regrets.”
• “Bitch! Die, Bitch! Die! Stop moving and die!” Amber attacked once more—fiercer.
• Like dancing against the butcher blade in a waltz called death match, Diana’s smile did not falter as she dodged Amber’s series of attacks.
• When the last second of the given time finally slipped, Diana’s smiling face vanished. “My turn.”
• For the sixth aim on her stomach, Diana finally got tired of dodging and went straight for Amber’s chest by kicking it in full force.
• Amber was forced to take a few steps backward upon the sudden offensive. “You, liar! Why did you attack me? Why? Why won’t you die like a vermin!” The last string of sanity snapped for the bloodshot-eyed Amber.
• “Why?” Diana hummed as if she was really contemplating Amber’s questions. “Maybe because… like a vermin, I refused to die… Not this time. Not now, not ever.”
• Shifting into her spotted grayish wolf, the middle-sized Amber leaped right into Diana’s direction without wasting any minute.
• Diana raced to meet the snarling wolf halfway. When she was about to be attacked, she slid down the forest floor. The moment she turned around, Amber’s jaws were about to aim for her nape.
• Splash!
• With the butcher knife she grabbed when she slid down, Diana aimed for the wolf’s jugular, effectively killing the wolf with one fluid motion.
• Disbelief. Despair. Anger. Sadness. These were the emotions that Diana read from Amber’s eyes before the latter fell into her death.
• Wiping the blood from her hand, Diana dropped the butcher knife and strode to the red flag that Amber dropped a moment ago. She did not hesitate to place the flag on the stone table before hitting the drum beside it to announce that the Tribute Ceremony ended.
• “You win.”
• A deep sexy voice resonated behind Diana.
• “I win.” She turned around and offered him her winning grin. “You won’t be able to push me away. I will become your luna, Alpha Dylan Cain.”
• There was no hint of emotion beneath his cold exterior as he assessed Diana. “You said you want to live yet you risked your life for a mere prize.”
• “Because you are the key for everything to me, Alpha. Leave it at that.” Diana turned away from the frowning ruthless alpha.
• “I will never accept you. I only have one mate and she is dead already.”
• Diana stopped in her tracks. Without looking back, she answered with a mocking grin. “If I believe in love and mates, I would have not chosen you, Alpha.”