The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 42: Charmer Demon Wraith ()

’What strong demonic presence!’ Zariah thought as her eyes narrowed, snapping to the source of the demonic scent.

Zariah’s eyes scanned the crowd of guests till it landed on a certain silver skinned man who was seated amongst the representatives from the merfolk.

The eyes of the merman also roved round till they settled on Zariah and the merman slowly rose to his feet and took slow steps forward passing through where a group of dancers had just begun their presentation.

"Prince Treyton, your merfolk has already offered your congratulations, what else could your party have to report?" King Askel asked as he also noticed the merman heading out from his position.

"Kristen? Is there something you would like to say?" Prince Treyton called out to the merman who had just interrupted the dance immediately as it begun, walking right through the midst of the dancers.

Zariah’s gaze trailed the merman as he walked, the dancers moving out of his path in confusion.

"Kristen?!" Princess Shariah also called out when the merman did not bother responding to Prince Treyton’s words.

The merman seemed to be making his way towards the Alpha King, his steps slow and purposeful, a few Royal Lycan warriors formed a wall before the throne, blocking his intended path.

"Alpha, it’s a charmer demon spirit!" Nile thought to Zariah through their mind link.

Charmer demon spirits were one of the highest ranked demon wraiths and were known to be malevolent and extremely malicious spirits.

They had the unique ability to possess the body of whoever fell victim to their charming spell and use the body of the victim as a host to commit their misdeeds.

They were also almost ten times as powerful as a basic demon wraith and were particularly difficult to subdue especially if they had previously been locked up for an extended amount of time.

"Alpha, the others seem not to have noticed, what are your orders?" Allen thought in concern.

"Remain at ease, it is not here for the others, it is here for us..." Zariah thought to her Crimson wolves.

From the demon’s gaze on her, Zariah knew the Crimson Moon was it’s target, it had only moved after it had identified it’s target and now intended to create a third diversion.

The first and second diversions being the attack at the border which had led the third in command away and the demon wraith which had led the second in command away.

"State your business or return to your position! You may be a respected guest but this is Royal Lycan territory! You cannot act as it pleases you!" One of the Royal Lycan warriors warned as the merman approached, undeterred by their presence.

However in a sudden move, the merman turned around, now directly facing Zariah.

"I only wish to bid greetings to the Alpha King’s new found mate." The merman said, his lips stretching into a slow, predatory grin.

"Don’t you dare take a step closer to my mate!" King Askel snarled ferociously, rising to his feet in warning.

"Greetings?" Zariah asked in a low tone as she slowly rose to her feet.

"The Crimson Moon honors all species equally, it would be wrong of me to turn down your good intentions." Zariah said as she turned to King Askel.

"The Royal Lycan warriors need not interfere." Zariah said dismissively before she returned her gaze to the merman.

"I have laid the floor for you, come...greet away." Zariah said as she stretched her hand, her long sword materializing in her grasp.

Gasps of outrage spread across the courtyard as Zariah displayed a weapon.

"Head warrior Zariah, this...this is inappropriate, you have just claimed to honor all species yet you raise a sword to my subordinate?!" Princess Shariah exclaimed in bafflement.

Zariah ignored the princess of the merfolk, her eyes fixed on the merman in question whose eyes had begun to glow strangely, the charmer demon realizing that Zariah had already recognized it.

"Others may not recognize you, but demonic energy never misses the notice of Crimson Wolves." Zariah informed the merman, her words sending the courtyard into silence.

At this point, the charmer demon spirit knew it had already been caught and so it rid itself of all pretenses, tilting it’s head back and releasing a horrifying shriek.

"Dieeeee!!!!!" The charmer demon spirit roared, although the voice came out from the mouth of the merman, the dark and scratchy tone certainly did not belong to him.

The charmer demon released a torrent of demonic energy from it’s hands, the ear piercing sounds of shrieking souls filling the courtyard.

Zariah ran a finger over her sword and lifted it up, she leaped into the air and slammed the sword in a downward arc,

A torrent of flames shot out of the sword, burning it’s way through the demonic energy and completely consuming it in seconds.

The demon wraith shrieked in rage as it leaped at Zariah, it’s hand outstretched with strong demonic energy pulsating around it. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

A ferocious growl resonated through the courtyard as the air borne demon froze mid air, Zariah raised a brow before she noticed a hand wrapped firmly around the foot of the merman possesed by the demon wraith... preventing him from getting any closer to Zariah.

A pair of glowing wolf eyes lifted to Zariah for a moment before the demon wraith was flung away, soaring through the air and crashing into a tree.

The sounds of cracking and shifting of bones could be heard as the Royal Lycans shifted and formed a perimeter around the shrieking charmer demon, circling it slowly but they did not attack, awaiting their Alpha King.

"I told you not to interfere!" Zariah growled out as she stormed up to the raging Alpha King.

"No! Never!...I am here now, you are not alone Mhíjani...I will shoulder your burdens for you, I will fight your battles for you and if anyone has to be harmed, let me bear the pain instead." He growled out in an animalistic tone but Zariah could feel the honesty of his words.

Both wolf and man making a lifelong declaration to their mate.

Zariah was stumped for words as King Askel lunged for the charmer demon spirit before it could rise to it’s feet again.

Now possessing the body of the merman, the charmer demon had access to all his abilities and thus nectar rose from all around the courtyard, the liquid manipulated by the merman and forming a sword.

The demon wraith also lunged at King Askel, shrieking when it was caught around the throat and tossed again like a rag doll.

Zariah watched the battle for a moment, numerous thoughts and emotions running across her mind.

"King Askel, the charmer demon spirit will live even if it’s host dies! Let the Crimson Wolves handle this!" Nile reasoned.

"Please King Askel, Kristen is my cousin! You have to calm down!" Princess Shariah supported in a pleading tone

"Alpha! If it stays any longer in the body of the merman, it will consume his soul and take permanent resident in his body. There will be no methods to save him then! The Alpha King will only listen to you!" Nile’s voice in Zariah’s mind shook Zariah back to reality.

Zariah walked up to King Askel who held the merman in a choke hold, the demon wraith still shrieking as the breath was strangled out of it’s host.

"Stop... King Askel, stop. If you don’t stop now, he will die." Zariah said as she stood at King Askel’s side.

"I don’t care! He tried to harm you! Death is his only fate!" King Askel growled.

Zariah could see the eyes of the merman slowly rolling to the back of his head and knew he would die any moment now.

Zariah bit her lip in annoyance, she knew exactly what to do to stop the raging Alpha King and to calm his wolf, yet simply could not bring herself to say the words.

"Alpha!" Nile pressed in Zariah’s mind.

Nile had always been a lover of life, Zariah understood it was unbearable for him to watch the merman die so unjustly for a crime in which he was also a victim.

Zariah swallowed her pride and focused her attention on saving the life of the innocent man.

The duty of the Crimson wolves was to ensure the safety of the realm from such malicious creatures, Zariah reminded herself that above all else, above hate and vengeance and rage... she was still Crimson Alpha, the protector of the supernatural realm.

If she allowed an innocent man die right before her eyes when she could easily save him by pushing her personal feelings to the side, then she was no different from this monster of an Alpha King.

"Askel...stop, please...I am unharmed, so do not hurt him, for me." Zariah asked in a low tone.

King Askel released a reluctant snarl but it was clear his resolve was waning.

Zariah lifted a hand and placed it over his hand in a comforting hold.

"Your wolf is raging and so are you, I understand..." Zariah sucked in a deep breath before she continued.

"You are scaring me Askel, hold me... I want you to hold me." Zariah murmured quietly but she knew he had heard, for in the next moment, he obeyed.