The Alpha's Blind Fate
Chapter 234: The Spy House Z’s

Chapter 234: The Spy House Z’s

PS: Refer to Chapter 34 when the characters in this Chapter first appeared.

DAEMON

The core leaders of the Zorch and Zedd house stood before him, their heads turned to the ground in a bow that Daemon had no intention of receiving.

Gripping the jaw of Mandem Zedd, the head of the Zedd house, Daemon gritted at the woman. "Is it Yaren’s absence that has caused you to lose your touch?"

"Of course not your Majesty." The woman answered in a strong voice that held a tinge of fear.

Daemon harshly released the woman’s jaw. He stalked the other woman who stood beside her, Malik Zorch, the far too young leader of the Zorch house and a woman who was as ruthless as she was efficient.

Although that knowledge didn’t stop Daemon from taunting the woman. Gripping her by her jaw until her vibrant blue eyes were on him, he spoke. "I’ve always had doubts as to your ability to carry out your role. Save for the fact that you’re younger than the kind of people I would normally work with... you’re a hothead at that. Are you trying to tell me that what I mistook as your capabilities was just Yaren covering for your incompetence?"

Anger flared in the woman’s vibrant blue eyes. "Of course not, your majesty. I’ve just clocked nineteen, believe me, I am not that young."

And she didn’t look it, but Daemon was not about to comment on how she looked far more mature than her age. "Then you both must have forgotten the vow your houses made at my mother’s grave. And your vow of loyalty to me afterwards."

Mandem Zedd, being the more level headed one, bowed her head, eyes cast to the ground. "You must forgive us for our incompetence. We will bring you the information you need as soon as possible...."

"Excuses," Daemon said darkly, clutching them both by their collars and slamming their body together as though he was just carrying air. "You mean to say that some unknown man can come into my castle as he wants while leaving a long trail of threats."

"He seems to not be just an ordinary shifter...." Malik protested harshly, shutting up when Daemon shut her a dark expression. Already, they were well aware that he was in a mood dark enough to cause a solar eclipse, so they weren’t willing to raise his ire all over again.

"So I should do your job because the man whom you’re to gather information on is a powerful shifter...." Daemon said, digging his bared claws into their shoulders while inserting wolf venom in their bloodstreams.

Long sinewy greenish veins popped all over their skin, and the venom started to act immediately. They fell to the ground, losing the ability to walk or hold their weight while Daemon knelt before them, not taking off his claws as he only dug deeper until he reached their bones.

He believed he was losing his touch. Hell, he’d gone so soft; and that only started when he had returned back to the Arctic North. He didn’t know if it was just the smell of home, or even worse the presence of Zina WolfKnight in his life. But whatever it was, he was about done with it.

Whether it be the incompetence of the Double Z House, or the maddening stubbornness of Zina WolfKnight, he was prepared to tame them all. Even if it meant he had to clip the wild wings of his mate to achieve his mission.

"We know that we have failed...." Mandem Zedd managed to gasp even as the woman’s face turned purple from the venom running through her veins, "but our ultimate loyalty has been pledged to you. Our families vowed to find out who took the late Luna Queen’s life. Forgive us, but recently, the missions you’ve given us have greatly derailed from our ultimate goal...." Mandem trailed, realizing that she was only digging a far deeper hole for herself by speaking of something else when her crime was being called out to.

Daemon chuckled darkly, "so now you question the missions I give you."

"We don’t mean that your highness!" Malik Zorch managed to growl amidst her pain, while her body bent into an unnatural form. "I apologize for my own incompetence. And I promise that it won’t happen again. I shall find out who this man is, even if I must tow the paths of hell to do so."

"Towing the Paths of Hell is simply not enough, Z’s." Daemon tsked, retracting his claws and revealing the ransom letter that the man who remained unknown had sent him. "I fear you must become the devil yourselves."

Their eyes bulging from their now receding pain, the two women said in the same voice. "What will you have us do, your highness?"

Daemon tossed the letter to them and they read it with eyes that glinted with hatred.

"First things first, do not allow me to ever again stoop as low as having to handle you both myself. You’re both mistresses of your fiefs, and it will be a truly sorry sight should your subordinates see you like this."

The two women both nodded, saying nothing otherwise.

"Secondly, I shall give you the grace of a week to find this man, whoever he is. In fact, I shall be magnanimous enough to give you a lead; concentrate your forces on the men competing in the tournament."

The two women gasped. "The tournament, my lord?"

"What about it?" Daemon retorted irritably.

"You asked us to investigate Freya Fergus too, hinting that she could have had someone she was communicating with during her stay at the Castle." Mandem answered.

"And?"

"Well, we were able to track this man to the tournament too. Whoever her partner was, he must have been residing in the palace as well."

"Hmmm...." Daemon said as he made a quick mental note of the thousands that resided within the Ice Palace. Getting all of them to pack out would be a rowdy hassle, especially since most of them were distant relatives and Houses with an ancient pact with his ancestors.

Which was why he intended to use the pretense of renovating the Ice Castle to eliminate that problem. As pretentious as it sounded, he simply could not let unknown rats run around in his own house.

Not when they existed the possibility that these unknown rats might be an enemy bearing a sharp pointed sword.

"What about the Theta’s staff? Have you found out who might have given the direct order to Freya and for what reason he or she needed the staff?" Daemon asked.

Malik shook her head grimly. "No we haven’t. But we found a powerful clue as to who we might be dealing with by following the trails of your last investigation in the Iron Coast."

Daemon leaned down. "And what clue might this be?"

"Big, powerful paws. Shedded vibrant red fur. The man you were looking for, my lord is not only a Red Wolf, but probably a Supreme Shifter."

Daemon chuckled. "In the book of Shifters, only seven currently living Supreme Shifters have been recorded. And none of them possess vibrant red fur."

"Exactly, we are dealing with someone unknown, and possibly very dangerous."

"Could he be this Master himself?" Daemon mused out loud, "I doubt that though. Probably his helper. You’re both dismissed for now. Have the core members of your houses know that they will be moving to the Ice Palace permanently. I shall be anticipating a more put together report from you. Trying to piece together your information gives me a bad headache."

Even though the abrupt command to move into the palace surprised them greatly for their houses while affiliated with Daemon were low Houses, the two women simply bowed and took their leave from Daemon’s office.