Chapter 2 THE FINAL BREATH

Not far from the burning city, there stood a grand manor, untouched by the flames. But the real terror was on its way, a terror that took the form of a massive white zamuda. This colossal white zamuda led a battalion of at least a thousand zamudas, all poised for battle. They were ready to unleash fury upon the vampires and reclaim the daughter of the Alpha King. Two days ago, the little princess had been abducted by the vampires who managed to infiltrate Xina's room and kill her. Now, the vampires would pay the price for their transgressions. The Alpha King's eyes burned with a wrath that sent shivers down the spine of anyone who met his gaze. Even Canan, the royal beta, struggled to speak with Gary. His counsel was no longer needed, for Gary had already decided how this would end. He would bring both the vampires and zamudas to their knees in a final act of vengeance. Mercy had no place in his heart, not even for the innocent. Every time Canan tried to reason with him, Gary would shut him down. ["So, this is it?"] Archer, the royal gamma, mind-linked Canan as they both remained in their beast forms. ["See you in another life, then?"] The brown zamuda tilted his head, casting a fierce glare at the smaller zamuda beside him. ["I don’t plan on seeing you again."] The gray zamuda whimpered, the voice in his head echoing with irritation. ["Don’t you love me anymore? I am your brother."] He complained. Meanwhile, in the city, chaos reigned as people tried to save themselves from the inferno. Fire trucks clogged the roads, their sirens wailing amidst the screams of terrified citizens and the blaring of car horns. But none of them knew about the hundreds of zamudas racing around them, unseen in their beast forms. This was one of the many ways the shifters kept their existence hidden from the human realm. The zamudas were there to hunt down the vampires trying to flee. The vampires had brought this calamity upon themselves by provoking the Alpha King of the zamudas. The flames devouring the city were nothing compared to the wrath that would be unleashed if the humans could see the zamudas amongst them. The night sky was ablaze with the firelight, reflecting the enormity of the disaster. Saving their homes or possessions was a futile effort for the humans. Meanwhile, the white zamuda lifted his gaze to the sky, where the opio birds flew high. A deep, menacing growl rumbled in his chest before he let out a roar that shook the heavens. At his signal, the zamudas charged, eager to sink their teeth into as many vampires as they could catch. Terror etched itself onto the faces of the vampires as they realized their doom was imminent. They should have seen this coming. For decades, the vampires and zamudas had been at odds. But what their leader had done now was beyond comprehension. It was an insult, an unforgivable sin. Tonight, it would not be the vampires hunting for blood, but the zamudas hunting them down… --- Every inch of the grand manor, from walls to ceiling, was stained with the blood of beasts. The remains of vampires littered the ground, a testament to the ferocity of the battle that had taken place that night. Flames illuminated the manor as an opio bird flew low, its mournful cry echoing above Gary’s head as he cradled his daughter’s lifeless body. "Daddy, I’m so cold," whimpered the five-year-old girl. Gary had failed again. He had failed his beloved mate earlier, and now he had failed his precious daughter. No victory, not even the slaughter of all the vampires, could change the fact that he had lost his little princess. "I’m here, my little one. I’ve got you," Gary said, his voice trembling with grief as his body shook violently. His heart was once again torn open by the sight of his dying child. Gary pressed his hand against the wound in her small chest, feeling the faint beats of her heart grow weaker and weaker. She was only half-shifter, and at her tender age, her healing abilities had not yet fully developed. There was no way she could survive this. "Daddy, where are we?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "I want to go home… Are we at home?" Gary felt as though a thousand hot knives were stabbing into his heart as he lied to his daughter. "Yes, we’re home now." "It’s dark… Is it night?" "Yes, it’s midnight." But at that moment, the warm light of dawn began to creep into the room through the window, casting a golden hue over the dreadful scene. "Oh… Daddy, I love you." "I love you too, Iris." Tears streamed down Gary’s face. He would give anything, sacrifice everything— his title, his power, his life—just to bring his daughter back. He didn’t want to be a king, or an alpha, or anything else. He only wanted to be a mate to Xina and a father to Iris. "Iris?" But her heart had stopped, even though her blood still seeped through Gary’s fingers. Gary remembered how Xina would always complain that he walked too fast and would get annoyed when he had to wait for her. But after Iris was born, he didn’t mind waiting. He would walk beside her, no matter how slowly she moved. And that was the only time Xina could ever outrun him. Gary had been there when Iris took her first step, and now he was there when she breathed her last…