Chapter 170 - Peak Form: Berserk
Chapter 170 – Peak Form: Berserk
"I will — Perci, Silas!"
As if they were expecting Hugo's action, Percival and Silas, one of the strongest warriors in the empire, came into the scene to restrain a werewolf going feral. But even when the two attacked all at once, Hugo shrugged them off.
HOWL
The dreadful howl resonated in the air, making Ida stagger back. Hugo was going beyond his limits and just now, that howl sounded more like death. Those who weren't as strong as Hugo couldn't help their knees from trembling.
But what was fearful of all was the form Hugo was shifting into. A wolf standing on his two feet with a mixed characteristic of a human and a wolf.
A werewolf's true form that only true Alphas could shift into. Berserk.
But the only difference was that Hugo's mind was completely in a primal state of a beast. He wasn't thinking anymore, and the bloodlust he was permeating was suffocating.
"Ida." She flinched when Alice suddenly came to her side. "Run away as far as possible. Ivo! Take her with you. We will handle him."
Alice didn't waste a second since time was their main enemy. If they couldn't subdue Hugo now, no one would later. A wolf going feral only had one ending: death. Because they would never regain their right mental state ever again. They had to restrain Hugo before he completely lose his mind.
As ordered, Ivo assisted Ida away. They didn't idle, for the auras of the Tempest were suffocating lower class wolves like them.
HOWL
"Dan." Alice already stood beside Daniel before she glanced at her other brothers, Percival and Silas. The two were already prepared to shift as well as they cautiously surrounded Hugo.
"Tito, help us," Daniel ordered after sizing up Hugo. It was a good thing he brought his other brothers and Tito was present. He couldn't do it alone unless their aim was to kill Hugo.
"Silas, Percival, Alice, Tito, we do not aim to kill him. We have to knock his unconscious in ten minutes." His voice was solemn and full of authority, hair growing from his jaw. "If he stayed in that form with his current state of mind, we'll have to kill him."
Upon dropping those remarks, Daniel slowly shifted into the same form as Hugo. Meanwhile, their siblings, who hadn't reached that form yet, changed into their wolf form.
Ten minutes. But for them, that ten minutes felt like it was over ten hours because a fierce battle ensued right after. Hugo attacked them viciously as if he couldn't recognize them anymore.
That painful ten minutes… Hugo's every dreadful howl sounded, he was in excruciating pain. But even in that state he was in, one could tell that the pain they were hearing wasn't because of his wounds.
It was his heart, howling.
They barely knocked him unconscious before the clock hit the ten-minute mark. It took four members of the royal family to subdue Hugo, and it wasn't easy. They inflicted major injuries, as the latter didn't hold back at all.
But that wasn't important, for they had to lock him up in the castle's dungeon. Hugo lost consciousness after going all out in his already weakened state. They couldn't be complacent yet.
So that was what happened. Instead of treating Hugo like a patient, they chained him in the dungeon like a prisoner. This was proven to be the right decision because the second he regain consciousness, the sound of his howls shook the castle.
"Will he be fine like this?" Percival, the fifth prince, inquired with arms crossed. He was watching Hugo free himself from the chains through the bars separating them from him. With him were Silas, Daniel, and Alice.
"Hugh…" Alice called worriedly as she approached the cell. She clung onto the metal bar, gripping it tightly. "Hugh, please calm down for now."
"Bring her back!" Hugo roared, eyes changing from gold to red, then red to gold. "Rinnie!!"
"Hugo, you will never find her or bring her back in that state." Silas, the third prince's eyes, darkened. They were pretty exhausted themselves and there were still recovering from the wounds this wild wolf inflicted on them. If Hugo wasn't restricted and managed to get out of this cell, if not Hugo, one of them would die for sure.
But alas, he wasn't listening. Their voices paled in comparison to the echoing shouts across the underground dungeon.
"It's useless." Daniel shook his head lightly. "It's better that it seemed he can't shift just yet. He'll get exhausted. We'll leave him alone until he cleared up his head."
Daniel glanced at the other three, and they all nodded in agreement. With that being said, they left the underground prison. Even when they were near the exit, they could hear Hugo calling for his wife. It was almost impossible for someone who had already found his destined mate to call for another woman's name.
When they departed the prison dungeon, the four of them paused. Outside was Ida, pacing back and forth. She stopped and came to them in a hurry the second she heard the faint shouts from the door sound louder when the door opened.
"Your Highness!" she called as she approached.
"You can't." Daniel coldly rejected even before she could ask.
"But if this keeps up, His Grace's life will still be put at risk!"
"Lady Ida." This time, Alice spoke sternly. "I understand your concern for my brother, but as you can see, he isn't in his best state. Although your presence will soothe his pain, it might also heighten his desire to escape. Please understand that we're not only protecting you, but Hugo as well."
Ida clutched her hand into a tight fist. "But… I… I want to help him."
"If you truly want to help him, let him be." Silas nonchalantly shrugged as he walked away, leaving them behind. "Perci, let's go find Reks and spar with him."
"Uh, sure." Percival glanced at Daniel and then at Ida. He didn't say anything as he jogged away.
When the two were already at a distance, Ida took a deep breath. "Please, Your Highness."
"Lady Ida, I understand you are my brother's mate. However, why are you so persistent in meeting him, even if it puts you in danger?" Daniel arched a brow.
One would think his question was stupid. Was there any other reason for Ida not to care about her mate? But for some reason, he found it suspicious. It wasn't that Ida showed any other interest in Hugo. She cared for him, no doubt. But other than that, Daniel couldn't pinpoint something.
"Will you allow me to meet him if I tell you?" she looked at him straight in the eye, sporting a brave look. She darted her eyes between Daniel and Alice before her lips parted.
"Because I…"
As she uttered her explanation, both Daniel and Alice furrowed their brows.. That wasn't what they expected from her, but with that, they allowed her to visit Hugo only if Alice or Daniel were around.