The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate-Chapter 135: Going To The Fortress

Within the keep, the non-combatants were swiftly ushered toward the hidden, underground shelter. The entrance was a narrow, concealed tunnel marked behind the fortress, and it descended deep into the earth, offering a sense of safety from the chaos above.

Mother’s clutched their children tightly, while the elderly men and women moved as quickly as they could with the assistance of young volunteers. The faces of the civilians were pale with terror, fear flickering in their eyes, but they relied on the warriors fighting above to protect them.

Suddenly, a violent tremor rippled through the ground, followed by the thunderous explosions echoing in the surface. Panic gripped the frightened crowd, and their cries of alarm filled the air.

"Keep moving!" Urged one of the women at front, her voice steady as she guided them forward. "Once you’re inside, stay close to your families and wait for the signal."

The ground trembled once more, but the people moved swiftly, gathering their families and rushing towards the shelter with practiced urgency. Once they crossed the threshold into the underground chamber, a palpable tension hung in the air, as if the very walls held their collective thoughts and fears. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

The chamber was dim, and it was lit only by the faint glow of torches, their erratic flames sending shadows dancing across the cold stone walls.

The air felt unnecessarily close, heavy with the scent of earth and the faint tang of smoke. It was surprisingly warmer.

Around the perimeter, provisions had been carefully stockpiled in preparation for a long siege; barrels of water, sacks of grain, and crates filled with bandages and herbs. Healers stood at the ready, their faces grim, while priests murmured quiet prayers.

Their hands shook despite their attempts to remain calm.

Everytime the earth rumbled, the people huddled closer together, bracing themselves, as they were too terrified to wonder aloud what horrors might be unfolding on the surface above.

Simon also huddled in a corner, with Finnian and Luca seated beside him. The tension hung heavily in the air, but it was Finnian who broke the silence first, letting out a deep sigh as he leaned back against the wall.

"Why do we always end up fighting ourselves?" he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. "Is it really impossible for everyone to live in peace, without the endless cycle of war and hatred?"

Simon cast a glance at Finnian, his expression thoughtful but calm. When the earth trembled beneath them again, none of them flinched, as they were already accustomed to the chaos.

"I’ve always heard that if good exists, so must evil," Simon said, his tone reflective. "It’s like two sides of the same coin. One can’t exist without the other. Without darkness, there’s no light, and without light, we wouldn’t even recognize darkness."

Luca leaned back, frowning at the idea. "That logic is more confusing than comforting," he muttered. "I’ve seen too much darkness to ever be considered light. My father began my training when I was six. By the time I was ten, I watched someone get beheaded after they turned into one of those ugly freaks."

He paused, the memory of it sharp in his voice. "He said it would toughen me up so I wouldn’t give in to the curse, and when I saw death for the first time... I wasn’t scared at all."

"You’ve been a maniac long before you even noticed," Finnian teased, his tone light but laced with mischief. Luca, however, shot him a sharp glare, clearly not amused.

"Who are you calling a maniac? At least I don’t have weird hair like yours, you freak! What, are you trying to be a girl or something?"

Simon observed the two of them with quiet amusement, a small smile tugging at his lips. Despite the situation surrounding them, there was something comforting about their playful bickering.

It was a small, familiar distraction, and for a brief moment, their banter allowed him to forget the turmoil outside, grounding him in the fleeting sense of normalcy they created together.

Meanwhile, Esme moved swiftly through the crowd, ensuring everyone, including her brother and his friends were accounted for and safe. As she passed by, her attention was caught by the soft voice of a little girl speaking to her mother.

"Will father come back to us?" the child whispered, her voice barely audible, as if she feared the beasts above might hear her.

The mother, uncertainty etched on her face, pulled her daughter into a tight embrace to hide the tears welling in her eyes. "Your father is up there, fighting to protect his little angel so you won’t have to be afraid of those beasts," she murmured gently. "And when he returns, you’ll tell him how brave you’ve been, won’t you?"

The girl nodded eagerly, her eyes bright with hope as her mother cupped her small face. Esme watched them in silence, and it brought back memories she didn’t want to recall. She, too, had once waited for her father’s return, only to be devastated by the news of his death.

The loss had shattered her, driving her to such despair that her health nearly failed, and for a time, many believed she wouldn’t survive the grief. Now that she thought about it, her death was always interrupted by something, and when she wakes up, she doesn’t remember exactly how she survived.

However, it always felt like someone was interfering with her death.

Esme simply swallowed the sorrow that resurfaced with the memory, silently praying to the moon goddess that the little girl would never have to endure such a loss.

The earth shook faintly, but everyone fought to stay distracted, desperately avoiding the creeping sense of fear.

Esme knew she hadn’t been there in her own pack to witness the attack, since they arrived after the damage had been done, but recalling the devastation filled her heart with dread.

All those lives, all those innocent–

"I can’t find my son!" A woman’s frantic voice pierced through the murmur of the crowd. Panic laced her words as she called out, "Zach! Zach! Where is my son?"

The ladies who had led the civilians to the shelter took note of the woman’s distress. One of them, her heart-shaped face drawn in concern, stepped forward to speak. "I announced earlier that everyone should stay close to their families as we moved into the keep. If you can’t find your son, I’m afraid it’s too late to go back up, the war has already begun."

The average-looking woman, with tears in her eyes, shook her head in refusal as she turned, wanting to head back up to find her son.

"You can’t go there!" A rough hand immediately seized her wrist, and she instinctively turned to face the man whose eyes narrowed with a stern warning.

"Maybe if you’d kept a close eye on your son, you wouldn’t be in this situation. No one is going back up, and if you do, the doors would be shut on you as well!"

"It’s understandable to think it’s her fault, but that doesn’t give you the right to treat her so severely," Esme cut in, prying the woman’s wrist free from his harsh grip. "You’re hurting her."

"Watch yourself!" The man’s voice boomed as he jabbed a finger in her direction. "You’re not one of us, not a Northerner, and you come from a respected pack, that’s the only reason I’m keeping my temper. But don’t think for a second that you can tell me how to act! You don’t understand how we do things here."

"Well, instead of raising your croaked voice at me to flex your temper, why don’t you prove how manly you are by joining your mates who are up there fighting!"

Esme didn’t hesitate to snap back, her tone calm and composed, laced with a subtle hint of what one could consider the audacity she was searching for in front of the man before her.

The man in question scowled at her retort, her words striking a blow. The silence that followed was so deafening, it was as if the intense battle happening at the surface had taken a sudden pause just to intensify the man’s embarrassing moment.

Esme understood that the men held the upper hand in this place, their arrogance spilling out unchecked. She was hundred percent sure that they would have shoved her out of the way if they hadn’t spotted Donovan on time.

That alone gave her the idea to bait them into believing that their Alpha was dead. She needed to fabricate that lie to make them bend, ensuring that they would listen to Donovan if she told them he conquered their Alpha.

"Like you said, I’m no Northerner, so you’d better watch your tongue," Esme warned coldly, and it was her final words to him before she turned to the innocent woman who was sobbing quietly in a corner, a few of the civilians consoling her.

Esme turned to the courtesan’s who had guided the group here, her eyes locking onto Cora, who was attending to other terrified civilians.

"Pardon," Esme called out, successfully catching Cora’s attention, and she took her somewhere private before whispering. "This shelter must be connected to the fortress, right? Surely, that door isn’t the only way in?"

Cora paused, considering her question before shaking her head. "It’s not, but it’s dangerous to be up there."

"I know it is, but I have to go up there, the fortress I mean," Esme explained. "That woman’s child might still be alive, and there’s something crucial I need to verify from someone up there."

"Can you handle a weapon, then?" Cora asked, and Esme hesitated, uncertain on how to respond. The weapon that Donovan had given her remained dormant, to the point she didn’t consider it a weapon anymore.

The only spare arms she had were a vial of Lycobane serum and cursed daggers.

"I can try." She answered, and Cora suddenly turned, plucking a torch from the wall and heading down a different layne, the flickering light illuminating their path.

"Come with me."