Chapter 196: Rain Hell

May’s POV

The main targets were the wolves living with me in the mansion. The plan was to fuck them over, and I mean that in every way the plan allowed. But I wasn’t about to wait around to be deflowered. Twelve months was such a long time, and I was tired of being patient with my own body.

Everything was in the process, though. In the meantime, the wolves were already taking wolfsbane, the suppressant. It was supposed to take effect from the very first dose and keep working over the months ahead, and it was brought to them fresh from the laboratory.

"You’re supposed to take two doses of it every day, but so that you don’t forget, the daily dose will be added to your food. Have a great time," Tony told them.

If you asked me, this was outright slavery. It was tyranny, forcing them into something they didn’t want, something I could feel they didn’t want, even deep down where they were pretending not to.

"Okay, Tony," they said.

"And please, what is May’s role in all of this?" Zeno asked.

"She’ll be watching you guys. She’s your teammate and she’s on your side. She’ll be looking out for you in everything you do," Tony said.

Zeno turned to me with a slow, crooked grin. "Good thing, looking out for us, May. Be careful though. I’m still a wolf, and I can bite."

Everyone burst into laughter, and I laughed along. But I knew instantly that he was the one I would meet first to shoot my shot. A man who joked about his teeth in front of his captors had nerve, and I had always had a weakness for nerve.

Their meal was brought in, the first one laced with wolfsbane, and it smelled exactly the same as always. You would never know the poison was in it unless someone told you. The texture was intact, and so was the taste, according to them.

They ate like animals, mouths moving to the food and to the rhythm Tony was playing in the background, swaying like nothing was wrong. I watched them, and something inside me began to sour.

I despised the idea of slavery. I despised the idea of making people do things they never chose. I had been a slave all my life, and I had never felt like this before. I didn’t know why it had to be now, of all times, when the leash was finally around someone else’s neck.

While they feasted, I went to take my own food from the microwave, the plate that wasn’t laced with wolfsbane. Yes, I had checked it myself. I couldn’t take such risks, and I wasn’t going to let Tony treat me the way he treated them. They were animals to him. I was a national treasure.

The next day was the much-anticipated burial ceremony of Draven Blackstone, the wolf who had been their leader before he died. Lucas had been their leader too, but he was an outcast who abandoned his own family, so they threw him out like trash.

Lucas’s body had been thrown into a shallow pit on the outskirts of Bernia, treated as casually as garbage. Tony had said he wanted it done that far out because Lucas was a traitor and a bitch, and he didn’t want that kind of presence anywhere near him. The other werewolves had no issue with it.

They needed to cooperate more. Fuck. Or it would be their end, just like Tony was planning.

But Tony changed his mind about the burial site. He chose an open field belonging to the government, not far from the mansion. He said he thought of Draven as a soldier who deserved that much respect, and that was the only mercy I ever saw him give.

It was a dark, rainy morning like no other, but we weren’t going to stop our plans. We went out under our umbrellas, dressed in black. It was a truly sad day.

The ground had already been dug deep, and Draven lay in his coffin. I didn’t think any of them would ever forget who was behind his death: Selene, Luna of Icefang. That, I think, added to their anger and their pain, and fed the will to obliterate all werewolves. I could see it in the way their jaws clenched.

The wind blew harder as his loyal people gave their speeches. I could barely hear what they were saying, but I did know one thing for certain: he was a fearless wolf.

Then they asked me to speak. I turned it into a condolence message to everyone there.

"He was a good person. Take heart, all of you. But remember to do right by him, and you’ll be doing right by him when you do what he most desired while he was alive."

I didn’t know what the fuck his desire was when he was alive, but at least they understood me, if they could hear me at all. Oh, I almost forgot. They had supernatural hearing. Good for them, because at that point, I was nearly deaf from the wind.

They lowered him into the ground as the rain beat harder and the thunder roared like a lion, like the sky itself had gone unhinged. Tears flowed as his body went down. I could only hear voices wailing and crying, but the rain washed it all away, as if it wanted to hide their grief from the world.

The men who lowered him started digging to cover him up. We stood and watched the whole thing. When it was done, we planted a statue for him, already prepared and dried indoors, stuck firmly into the sand and decorated with ornaments. On it were the words: Legend warriors never die. They keep fighting.

Rest on, Draven.

We went back to the mansion and gave the werewolves space to cry. They were the ones about to be reduced to something human, and the least we could give them was a moment to grieve what they were losing. Then Tony and I took to our heels to go see the president. We had very important information to both receive and deliver.

The journey to the presidential suite wasn’t far at all, just a forty-five-minute drive. I had been there a couple of times on official duties, and nothing had changed. It was still the same.

"Hello, President Jackson, good day." Tony shook his hand. I only saluted, and the president asked us to sit down.

I remained standing and told him it was my duty, but he insisted. So I sat.

"I received your mail about the threats and the security attack by the werewolves," Mr. President said.

"Yes, sir. This is a very serious case, and we would like you to intervene. They’ve posed a very dangerous threat, and I know you don’t take that lightly, sir," Tony said.

"We’ve been at peace for years. They should never have tried to kill my people. I and my team of defense will look into it." He stroked his chin slowly, his eyes distant, already planning.

"We’ll be sure to keep you updated and involved," he added.

We stood and took our leave. I glanced back once at the door closing behind us, and I felt it settle in my chest like a stone.

It was about to rain hell on the werewolves.