Chapter 69: In the South

"Can you all stop fidgeting? It's been four days, and he still hasn't attacked or said anything," Hunter muttered, staring at the assembled leaders of the southern packs.

Alpha Raymond, leader of the largest southern pack, glared at him. "Don't you know who Alpha Damon is? He's the Death Viper! The silence is exactly why we're fidgeting. He will attack, and you'll suffer the consequences for this mess!"

Hunter sighed. "I didn't attack anyone he cared about. Haven't you heard the rumors? He's estranged his wife and plans to divorce her. He doesn't care about her."

The others scoffed. "Then why did you attack her?" Raymond demanded.

"Because he killed my wife, my mate! Do you understand the agony I've been through? I couldn't just let him live as if he hadn't destroyed countless lives. I needed revenge," Hunter explained. Raymond sighed, placing a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

"We understand your anger. Alpha Damon has hurt all of us, but we're not strong enough to fight him. That man killed an entire army single-handedly. We can't defeat him alone. We need to conquer the east and west first, but you've started a war against him and the entire north. If he attacks, you'll be held accountable."

Hunter frowned. "It's your fear that makes him seem like a god. We need to show him we're not afraid."

"But we are afraid! Remember what he did to you, to your family? He was only twenty then. How powerful do you think he is now? He's been quiet, and we shouldn't have provoked him until we were stronger," Raymond argued.

"He already killed the man I sent after his wife. I doubt he'll come after me," Hunter said. Raymond sighed; he truly didn't understand the Death Viper.

Suddenly, a guard burst in, limbs torn and riddled with bullet holes. "Death Viper," he gasped before collapsing. Screams erupted from outside.

"You've killed us all," Raymond murmured, turning to a pale-faced Hunter. He dispatched the northern army, but they were losing badly.

"We need to go to him," Hunter said to the other Alphas gathered at Raymond's mansion.

"You should go and offer yourself as a sacrifice! Why is he attacking us? Hunter is the only one who provoked him!" an Alpha from a smaller pack shouted, gaining agreement from others. "This is all your fault, Hunter! I should have known he'd attack us all because of your stupid mistake," Raymond raged.

"We need to reach him. The longer we wait, the more of our people die. Our army is being slaughtered. We, the Alphas, can't run. We need to surrender," Alpha Jacob, the level-headed leader of the second-largest pack, declared. These grown men were terrified of a man five times their junior. Damon was a menace.

"You'll lead the way," Raymond told Hunter as they left the mansion. They were met with carnage—dead and dying everywhere. Damon had nearly annihilated the south in minutes.

"Are you finally man enough to face me, or do I have to kill your family?"

They whirled around to see their families kneeling, bound. Hunter growled at the sight of his children. He lunged, but Raymond held him back.

"Alpha Damon, we—"

"You have no right to speak my name. You hurt my wife," Damon interrupted, turning to Hunter.

"You killed my wife, my mate! I've been in agony," Hunter retorted, glaring. Damon's demonic aura sent shivers through them.

"So, you tried to kill my wife for revenge?" Damon asked. Hunter remained silent, his gaze fixed on his children.

"Do you know your stupid act cost me my first child?" Damon's words froze them.

"What?" Raymond whispered, turning to a frantically shaking Hunter.

"I I didn't know! I swear I wouldn't have"

"You wouldn't have tried to hurt my wife if you knew she was pregnant?" Damon demanded, appearing before Hunter and seizing him by the throat.

"My wife means everything to me, and you've crossed the line," Damon hissed, releasing Hunter. Hunter coughed, collapsing to his knees.

"Spare everyone, my children! Kill me instead," Hunter pleaded as his children cried.

"Killing your children isn't enough punishment. I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself," Damon said, handing Hunter a gun.

"What what am I supposed to do with this?" Hunter stammered.

"Ten seconds to kill the families of the other Alphas. If they're not dead in ten seconds, I'll kill your children, starting with your daughter," Damon declared. Gasps filled the air.

"Alpha Damon, this is unreasonable! We did nothing to you!" Raymond protested, his voice laced with fear for his family.

"Then you shouldn't have let him hurt my wife. One" Damon began the countdown.

With trembling hands, Hunter aimed at Raymond's wife. "I'm sorry, Raymond," he whispered, about to pull the trigger when Raymond stabbed him from behind, ripping out his head. Hunter fell dead, his children screaming.

"Bravo! I thought you were going to let him kill your family," Damon clapped, amused. He twisted Hunter's fingers, took the gun, and pointed it at Raymond's wife.

"Please, I beg you!" Raymond pleaded, falling to his knees. Damon pulled the trigger—click. No bullet.

"This is a lesson. If you touch anyone close to me, especially my wife, I won't be lenient. Thank my wife for sparing your lives. Take Hunter's children; they're coming with us," Damon declared, sparing the Alphas one last look before departing. His guards released the families. Raymond's wife rushed to him, sobbing.

"I was so scared," she whispered, trembling. Raymond clenched his fist. I was going to kill that bastard, even if it took me years!

(Note: I removed the excessive use of "for crying out loud" and other informal exclamations, as well as the censored words, to create a cleaner, more professional narrative. The remaining profanity was kept to reflect the raw emotion of the scene, but could be removed for further refinement.)