Chapter 398: Cowboy Cult 2

Not only did the group realize they were standing in the middle of a cult, but the cult also happened to be worshippers of Hija Dela Luna.

The Moon Wolf.

Faye did not have time to process what was happening before the front of the line began to move.

Two guards step up beside a low iron stove. They pull out a heavy rod of metal from the glowing embers, the tip glowing red-hot. It is shaped like the exact mark Faye had always thought was just a tattoo. They slam it straight onto the shoulder of a young guy at the front. The smell of burning skin hits the air, and the guy lets out a high scream that rattles the roof.

"Faye, looking at the way that guy is screaming from that... I swear I’m going to pass out when it gets to my turn." Malo has been mumbling into Faye’s ear ever since the line started moving.

"We can’t leave. They’re going to notice us," Faye says under her breath, her eyes locked on the smoke rising from the front.

"Faye, these people here worship you. If you just tell them what you are, I’m sure they’ll let us go," Malo cries, grabbing her elbow.

"Really?"

"Okay, fine. They won’t. But we can’t do that. It’s not just going to hurt, it’ll scar forever..."

"I don’t want that either. I used to want it, but I thought it was just a tattoo... and it’s a fucking symbol," Faye mutters. She steps back an inch.

Malo doesn’t wait another second. The line is getting shorter fast, and he is not ready to have a burning piece of silver pressed into his flesh.

He makes a quick U-turn and marches right out of the line, keeping his knees bent.

Faye sees this and does the same, spinning around to catch up with him.

"Come on, guys. Let’s leave," Faye says, waving her hand low to catch the rest of them.

Bambi hesitates, her boots glued to the floor as she stares at the front platform. But she has no choice after Faye speaks up. Everyone follows, ducking their shoulders and trying to keep their heads low to avoid being noticed by the sea of colored hats around them.

They make it past two rows of red hats before a figure steps right into their path.

"Where do you think you’re going?" one of the men guarding the exit asks. There is no ribbon on his hat, so he must be one of Boar Don’s personal hired guards.

He shifts his hands down to the belt on his trousers.

"We want to use the restroom," Malo says, crossing his arms over his stomach and shifting his weight from foot to foot.

He lets out a small cough, trying to signal the others to play along.

And they all do, stepping in close behind him.

"You all want to use the restroom? Did you all drink a ton of water?" the guard asks, narrowing his eyes as he steps closer.

"Our bladders are funny, and we can no longer hold it. Just let us pass through, or we’ll do it right here on the floor," Sasha says. She squeezes her legs together and drops her face, acting like she is about to lose control right in front of him.

The guard drops his head back in disgust and shakes his wrist, about to step aside to let them pass.

Then his eyes shift over Sasha’s shoulder and land directly on Bambi.

"Hey, you look familiar..." he mutters, his voice dropping as his brow folds.

He stares at her jawline, and then his eyes go wide. He remembers who she is.

Before he can open his mouth to call out, Bambi drives her boot straight up into his balls.

The breath explodes out of his mouth in a loud gasp. Before his knees can hit the floorb, the group rushes past his falling body. Four more men step out, raising their short shotguns.

The group is surrounded instantly.

"Okay, how many guts do we have to kick now?" Sasha says, lifting her hands up near her chest, her chest rising and falling fast.

They drop into stance, ready to fight despite the men holding guns. But then a sudden hush falls over the room behind them, and they realize they have been spotted.

Eyes in red, blue, and yellow hats stare through the gap.

"We should have just accepted the damn scar," Peamah says from the back of the group. His face is pale, and he does not look happy.

"Guys, we should stick together, okay?" Faye says, stepping back until her shoulders touch Malo’s.

"What is happening in the back over there?" Don shouts from the far end of the room. His fat face is red, and he clearly isn’t pleased with the sudden noise breaking up the ritual.

He waves a hand, and the guards halt the branding at once.

He steps down from the platform, his boots thumping hard against the floor as he walks over to see what is causing the disturbance.

"We’re fucking screwed," Faye gasps..

"Should we attack?, let’s attack..." Henry asks, he was ready to shift.

Kali, who has been hiding underneath his wide-brimmed hat the whole time, crawls out, her eyes wide as she looks at the guards around them.

"What is the meaning of this disturbance in my house?" Don asks the moment he gets close enough, his small eyes cutting through the group.

"They were all trying to leave sir, and they also kicked Gario in the balls," one of the men says, pointing down at the guy still groaning on the floor, trying to explain the situation to his boss.

"We just wanted to use the restroom. He didn’t want to let us go," Malo says, lifting his chin and trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"That is a lie, boss. Look, it’s that Butcher’s girl," Gario says, his voice raspy as he rolls onto his side, pointing a shaking finger directly at Bambi.

Bambi doesn’t even care about the fact that they might all be dead in a matter of seconds.

She steps right past Malo and glares down at the small man in front of her, her jaw working hard.

Don looks at Bambi.

At first, his eyes stay blank, not recognizing the dust-covered face. Then his head tilts, and memory hits him.

She was supposed to be dead.

He looks back over his shoulder at the numbers of followers watching him. He is in the middle of something special, and his reputation is at stake. The people around him aren’t just regular muscle. He is the leader of this community, so he has to keep up his image in front of the lines.

He knows why she is standing here. She has come for revenge.

"Bambi, my girl... you should have told me you were coming today. And you even brought people with you. This is unexpected."

A slow smile spreads across his wide face, pulling at his thin mustache.

"But now that you’re here, would you and your people like to join our pack?"

"Pack?" Faye mutters under her breath. She had been expecting to hear the word cult, but the word hits her cold.

"Oakland has a pack, and this is Oakland. We do not wish to join whatever this is," Bambi says, her voice flat and sharp like a knife.

"Oakland has no pack," Don replies with a wide grin, showing a row of crooked yellow teeth.

The group looks at him and quickly labels him creepy in their minds, shifting their weight away from him.

"That is amazing... You and your pack should continue. We were just leaving. We thought this was a teenage get-together, but apparently it’s not," Malo says, taking a small step back and looking down at the shorter man.

"How did you all get in here if you did not want to join in the first place? This is a secluded place. The people here are either invited by the believers or..."

Don pauses, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits as his smile fades away.

He sees it right then. He can use this exact moment to clean up his mistake, paint them as outside spies to the crowd, and have them killed right here without losing his grip on the room.

Faye’s eyes dart around the room, jumping from faces.to faces, until they land on the red line near the front.

She spots the familiar face standing next to her girlfriend.

"We followed her," Faye shouts, raising her hand and pointing directly at Jessie. "We all thought it was a party and just wanted to sneak in. We had no idea..."

"Yes, we followed her," Sasha adds, nodding her head fast as she steps up beside Faye.

"And she knows us," Malo says, pointing at her too.

"What the hell?" Jessie mutters in sheer disbelief as she steps out of the red line and walks closer to the scene, her hat pulled low over her brow.

"Is this true? You know them?" Don asks, turning his chubby neck to look at Jessie.

"Yes, Don. I know them. They’re my sister’s friends. But I don’t know how they followed me... This makes no sense."

"It makes sense. That’s why we’re here," Malo says, throwing his hands up in the air like it solves everything.

"Look, we don’t want trouble. We walked into the wrong place. We’re just teenagers. We promise not to tell anyone. Just please let us go," Faye begs, dropping her shoulders and making her voice sound small.

That is the only reasonable thing to do right now. If these people have any tiny bit of sympathy left in them, they will just let them walk out the front gate and forget this ever happened.

Don steps closer, he looks at the 6 of them.

"You 6 have two options," Don says, his voice carrying clearly across the silent hall. "Join our pack and swear to hate Alphas, or you all walk out of here with your hearts ripped out and packaged at your family’s doorstep."

Don gives them his ultimatum...

Jessie lets out a dry scoff, staring straight at Faye with a cold smirk.

"She can’t hate Alphas. She bears their pups."

"Oh, really?" Don sneers, turning back to Faye, his dark eyes filling with instant hatred.

Faye feels the heat rise in her face, her hands balling into fists at her sides.

"So what if I have children with an Alpha? And all my children are Alphas? I still love them."

"I’m sorry to inform you, Faye. Your friends may live if they choose to hate Alphas, but I plan on ripping your heart out and sending it to that bitch of an Alpha," Jessie says.

She steps forward, her face lit by the dim hall lights. Her eyes, once filled with warmth and generosity whenever she saw Faye around the house, are now filled with raw, dark hatred.

It is the exact same look Yuki had given Faye right after revealing her true colors.