True Alpha's Chosen Mate-Chapter 257: What are you fighting for?
"Hugh!"
Hugo could only watch the palm approaching his face, hearing Daniel’s yell from a distance. Azazel was quick; he was even faster than the first, making Hugo hold his breath.
CRASH!
The next thing he knew, the back of his head slammed against the ground. The hard soil around it cracked until it eventually made a shallow hole. He felt his skull crack, blood oozing from his nostrils.
Time seemed to stop for Hugo, feeling every fiber of his body trying to repair what was damaged inside. Despite the fast regeneration ability, it hurts.
The pain was real; he didn’t die, but he would’ve writhed in pain if not for the fact his body was trained. Thanks to Ida, who taught him an effective way to keep themselves sane against their battle with fate, Hugo would’ve at least winced.
Still... the pain he was tolerating somehow brought him to a particular memory in the past.
"Mother!" A young boy’s face brightened up, rushing towards the woman who came into his sight. The woman, a beautiful woman, slowly turned around in his direction.
Golden and soft eyes that looked like the first peek of the sun met his shimmering eyes. Her plum-colored lips curled up warmly, squatting down to welcome her son running through the hallway.
"Hugo, careful," came out a soothing voice while the young Hugo stood in front of her. He clutched his dirty hands near his chest, which his mother noticed.
"Have you snuck out again?" she narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Don’t lie, or Mother will get angry."
He frowned, eyes shimmering to gain sympathy. "I just want to see father spar with Bernard! Daniel, Silas, Cora, Alice, and Sally are also there! I just want to watch and get stronger. They said I’m the weakest among Father’s children. I don’t want that!"
"Hugo." His mother sighed once again, reaching for his hands, eyes searching for his. "Being strong doesn’t necessarily mean you can throw a fist easily."
She pressed her lips and smiled warmly. "Being strong is knowing how to throw your fist, but choosing to keep them on your back while standing tall and proud." She raised her hand and ruffled his dark ash hair lovingly.
"Werewolves has a quick regeneration ability, it’s a gift. However, it can also be a curse."
"A curse?" the young boy tilted his head, blinking innocently.
"Yes." Her smile persisted while patting his hand. "Because even if we regenerate, we cannot deny the pain. We can hide it with a smile, but it is never the same. So, you should always be careful."
She breathed out heavily, shaking her head. She guided his hand to her lips, planting a peck on the dirt stuck on his skin without care. A huge smile turned up on her face, caressing the back of his hand with her thumb.
"Feel better now?" she inquired. "Do you think I will not notice that you were injured?"
"Mother..." he frowned, sulking in guilt. His mother was correct. He had accidentally slashed himself when he challenged the emperor while swinging a sword recklessly. It healed now without a trace, but his mother, the empress, still knew about it.
"Goodness. My children never stop worrying me..." she sighed for the umpteenth time, pushing herself up to stand whilst holding her son’s hand. "... but there is someone who is a bigger headache."
Hugo gazed up at his mother, watching her take a deep breath. All he could do the next second was cover his ear while the empress yelled her lungs out. Her voice was so loud that the thick walls of the castle shook along the ground.
"Mo!!!!!"
Mo. That was what their mother called their father, the emperor of the Ronmin Empire, and her husband. Hugo smiled warmly, watching his mother angrily call for his father’s name. He was certain Deimos was already looking for a place to hide.
The young Hugo, who always sought strength and power, slowly changed his ways of why he was seeking it. At first, he simply wanted to get back on those people who were teasing him and proved he was worthy of bearing the name Tempest.
But because of his mother’s constant advice, he trained twice as harder. This time, his determination was to protect. He needed to be strong enough to protect his loved ones and this kind of peaceful life.
He didn’t know, or rather, he was always aware... that his strength was always from the fact he had someone to protect.
******
Azazel pressed Hugo’s head against the ground, blood oozing from the gaps of his fingers. And yet, Hugo didn’t move a muscle, completely spacing out.
"The wolves regenerate, but they cannot grow their limbs back if it was severed," Azazel smirked, taking advantage of this opportunity. He stretched his fingers, sharp claws approaching Hugo’s throat.
His claws were moving at the lightning speed toward’s Hugo’s throat, but for reasons unknown, it looked too slow in Daniel’s perspective. The crown prince, Daniel, held his breath as he pivoted on his heel, opening his mouth as it slowly turned into a wolf’s mouth.
He couldn’t make it, Daniel thought, but still made his attempt to rescue his brother. Hugo couldn’t die — not that easily. He knew Azazel was strong. But even though Hugo was a true alpha, his chance of winning against Azazel was slimmer than the gap between the door and the floor.
The second Azazel’s claws pressed against Hugo’s throat, a gigantic figure appeared beside Azazel. His eyes dilated as Azazel didn’t sense his presence until the wolf’s enormous mouth and those razor-sharp teeth loomed over his side.
Azazel raised an arm as a shield before that beast’s mouth clutched. He and the gigantic silver wolf with black steak rolled over several meters from Hugo’s figure. Because of the powerful bite, his arm was severed once again, gliding back further than the wolf.
While Azazel dug his claws into the ground to stop himself from flying back further, the gigantic wolf tossed the severed arm to the side. He slowly morphed, standing on his human feet with a head of a wolf, and buffed furry arms.
"Deimos Tempest," called Azazel through his gritted teeth, watching the emperor’s figure through the thick fog around them. "... you finally came out."
