Untouchable by Marii Solaria

Chapter 56 – The Puppeteer

“Every story needs its hero. And its villain. And its monster.“–Amle Kaufman

Third Person POV

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Bonu

03:29

Eyes, red as carmine, perused over the reanimated corpse of his puppet. The cadaver is motionless as a statue, put upon a steel table scintillating faintly under fluorescent lights. The owner of the ominous eyes cracked an amusing smirk, lips hiding the terror behind them.

The plan was working smoothly. His spider–like fingers traced the stitches of flesh, held together by a delicate string. Sharp nails nicked the slowly rotting dermis, the ooze of shamrock green dribbling out like droplets of rain. His marionette isn’t ready for its grand appearance for there was much to do. The thought of having what he always wanted aroused him, the vivacious heart of the one so close he could almost taste it.

Restless as he was, he knew the value of patience. He mustn’t act too hastily for his plan to work. He must take time. The waiting was mind–numbing, but it would all be worth it.

“My lord.” His head gently turned to see one of his many living, breathing puppets standing at the door to his morgue. “Many of the undead hellhounds returned to their cages. Our numbers suffered in the attack against Zircon Moon. What are your orders?”

The man grunted in amusement. “My little lambs will continue to construct more hellhounds. I’m not finished with those wretched dogs. They have something I want, and I won’t stop until I get it. The ashes of the deceased rogues are plentiful. No worry about the depleting numbers.”

“How many?”

“Quadruple the number of hellhounds we have. Sextuple, if you must. The more we have, the more we overwhelm our enemy.”

“Very well, but have you discussed this with Nadia? You know how she feels about being left in the dark.”

His lord’s face hardened; lips pursed. “She is to work on the hellhounds with my other lambs as instructed. Do not bring her name up again, Lucien.”

Lucien wanted to say something. So desperate and needed that it punched at the base of his throat, demanding an escape. However, he was agonizingly aware of his lord’s wrath at the mere mention of that name. All he could think about was the poor woman slaving over enchanted ashes and rotting stiffs of failed pack dogs. He wished he could say how Nadia was of value to him, not only for his blackened heart but for his soul. The touch of a beautiful maiden could do him wonders to steer him off this chaotic path.

In the end, he forced the words back down. He couldn’t risk his safety. With a last nod, the bleach–blond man left his lord to cogitate in his darkness. The stench of his toy was enough to trigger intense nausea.

As for the mysterious lord, he ran his hair through the puppet’s darkened hair, matted from his illicit resurrection. He was the centerpiece of his ambition, the key to his victory.

To get what no one else would claim.

The Moon will be his.

Chapter 56 – The Puppeteer

+10

Bonu

03:2:

Neron

The rogue attack two days ago left more questions than answers. As my Beta and Gamma sat in my office to discuss the aftermath, the end of the battle preoccupied my mind. It had persisted, pestering my thoughts day in and day out.

That howl. The howl that caused the ceasefire. I’ve heard it before. But it couldn’t be who I think it is.

“Those rogues weren’t ordinary. They reeked on death and decomposition.” Kwame spoke, pulling out his tablet. “After a thorough examination of the corpses by the pack embalmers, reports state each part of the rogues were in various stages of decay, some more advanced than others.”

“That brings forth another question,” Valerian spoke. “How are they able to have such immense strength during battle? Their fortitude was up to par with fully trained, full–bodied wolves. If they are rotting away, they should not have the tenacity to withstand our blowbacks.”

“The zombie rogues are under the control of someone,” I spoke up. “Armies always have a commander calling the shots from behind the chaos. The mysterious howl called back the rogues that escaped unscathed. This poses a problem if we’re facing an enemy we cannot see.”

“Magic must be involved.” I pull my attention to my Beta. “Maybe a witch is behind the attack.” He shot a childish smirk at me. “Pissed off any witches lately?”

“Not since my last visit to The Witching Hour a few months back.” I laugh to myself. The Witching Hour was a club in Las Vegas, frequented by the supernatural, a party hub for us to let loose. In all seriousness, I highly doubt a few butt–hurt elemental witches have enough power to pull off an attack of this caliber.

This attack was calculated. Whoever’s behind this madness was cowardly enough to hide their face. Anger sizzled in my heart at the thought of my mysterious contender in hiding. The bastard attacked my home, putting everyone I care about in danger.

My pack.

My friends.

My family.

My mate.

umpteenth time today. As usual, she continues to avoid me like the bubonic plague. One–word answers were the norm for her. My presence offended her so much that she distances herself than be in the same room as

She still carries a lot of pain from the past, especially from me. Yet, I knew for a fact she feels the sparks of our bond whenever we touch, I cannot be the only one. Onyx was still restless for her. He wanted her resting in our arms where she belongs. However, claiming her

challenge.

lucky for me, I love challenges.

back on the situation at hand.

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56 –

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undead rogues are the way they are. The pack embalmers will continue to examine the corpses to discover more about what we’re dealing with. We need to find this puppeteer because I have a strong feeling that w09:21 see more attacks like this.”

“If we could find a link between the onslaughts, we could assume we’re facing the same

Alphas; you both will go to The Witching Hour club to speak with witches. The last time I checked, using magic on the dead is a

to use

a club known for being a hub for the supernatural to ask witches for answers about zombie wolves?”

a

would go on a rampage if

shrugged. “Lorelai does not have that level of extreme jealousy, but she’d be

before leaving my office. The work to expose the identity of this challenger will be extensive, but it was all for the betterment and safety of the pack. I couldn’t

needed a strong leader, and a strong leader I

my original concern of the mysterious howl, I mind–linked my father to see if he could

Dad. Could you come to my

howl, isn’t it?”

to jump to conclusions, but I needed your opinion. That

on my way.

you,

once again, fell on Kiya, commanding the children with grace. Posing with various fighting

They follow her every command down to the letter. Not only was she authoritative, but she was also gentle and patient. She had all the markers of being the perfect Luna.

a bonus.

3/7

Chapter 96,

so bad. She’d thrive as my Luna, the position that’s destined for her since

+10

Banus

03:17

Kiya

bottled water from the kitchen. Was

into the kitchen, grab a crisp bottle, and walk back to training.

Nope!

Sapphire and her mate making out on the kitchen island. seconds away from doing the devil’s tango. Were

see a grown man pinch and pull

each other. Sapphire’s blue eyes widened like saucers as she struggled to put her shirt back on as her mate stared at me like

were gold! I covered my mouth to hide my smile because if I didn’t,

conceal the sin she was about to commit. “U–Uh, how long have you

long.” I snorted. “Listen, I know you both love each other, and…” I peeped the macks on their necks. “…you’re already mated. Wow, it hasn’t been three days! But regardless, you and Isaiah should be at training, not making babies in the

tossed carelessly on the kitchen floor. Giving me a full view of

firm and perfectly round

Kiya.” The male werewolf bowed to me, his chestnut

off. “No harm done. Just keep it in the bedroom next time, okay?”

nodded, standing straight. “Thank you, Delta. You are

that. I’m reasonable.” I smile, grabbing the bottle I was pining for. “Your

to see how much Sapphire glowed in her joy. Her mate was a good one. Isaiah was a warrior who recently returned from a visit to his family in Chicago right before the attack. I

at

56 The Puppeteer

+10

Ronu

at the training grounds, the pup trainees paired off to spar. Excitement oozed from their cheers and fist pumps, finding their friends to practice. After a couple of minutes of monitoring progress, 03:14 spot a lone pup sitting

the side, curious.

onto my presence and instantly flinched in fear. I don’t know why, but that action saddened me. “Why are you here, little pup? Shouldn’t you be sparring with your

“I don’t think I have what it takes, Delta Kiya. I