The hot blood gushing from Arthur's severed head had stained the White Tiger Clan's luxurious, white marble court a horrifying red. The sweet smell of wine in the air was replaced by the stench of fresh blood and death. The silence that engulfed the court was so deep that even the sound of blood dripping onto the floor could be clearly heard.
The Black Tiger Clan's warriors stood like statues, clutching their blood-soaked swords, while the remaining White Tiger Clan soldiers fell to their knees in terror.
In this silence, Noya, clinging to Rexon's massive, iron-armoured chest, made her next move.
She suddenly let out a loud, strangled scream and jerked herself away from Rexon's chest as if she'd been touched by a burning ember. She deliberately stumbled back, and upon seeing Rohit's severed head, she trembled as if in a terrible shock. She hid her face in her hands, and between her fingers came painful sobs and cries.
"No... no!" Noya cried out in a trembling, broken voice. She fell to her knees on the floor as if her legs had refused to bear her weight. "This... what has happened? I... I just begged for my life... I never imagined seeing this gruesome scene! Arthur... my mate... this blood... oh God, I can't bear to see this!"
Noya's performance was so precise and so effective that any ordinary beast in the court would have felt pity for her. She appeared to be a frightened, helpless, and weak female, losing her composure after witnessing the gruesome death of her own mate.
But Rexon was no ordinary beast.
Lowering his heavy, blood-stained sword, Rexon stared with his deep, red, and predatory eyes at Noya, who was curled up on the floor and crying. The blind rage and pride that had clouded her mind until a few moments earlier had dissipated with Arthur's death.
Rexon's sharp, discerning gaze was observing Noya's every move. He noticed that while her shoulders were trembling with pretended weeping, the genuine sweat and numbing fear were absent from her body.
Rexon was a ferocious hunter, and a hunter understood the difference between the fear of a true prey and the cunning of a fox.
"This girl is no frightened, helpless female..." Rexon thought to himself. His eyebrows furrowed in a harsh thought. "It fooled a cunning chieftain like Arthur, tried to turn me against my own brother, and used my own sword to behead its mate who had sheltered it. It is a poisonous substance capable of setting the entire Beast World ablaze for its own ends."
Rexon had fully understood that the girl lying on the ground in front of him was extremely cunning, devious, and dangerous. If this had been a male beast, Rexon would have severed her head from Arthur's body long ago.
But Rexon's hands were tied. There was a very ancient and strict rule in the Beast World, which the chiefs of all four clans had been following for centuries—"If a female beast comes to the chief of a clan and asks for refuge, she may neither be rejected nor harmed."
The number of females in this world was already very low, so their protection was considered a sacred rule. If Rexon had killed Noya or pushed her out, it would have been a grave insult to the clan's rules and his respect would have been tarnished throughout the Beast World. It was only because of this one rule that he had been tolerating this cunning serpent until now.
Rexon took a deep breath and, with heavy steps, stood very close to Noya.
Hearing the sound of his heavy boots, Noya slowed her sobs, hoping that Rexon would now bend down and support her, lift her in his arms, and take her with him to the main palace of the Black Tiger Clan.
Noya dreamed of entering Rexon's palace, wooing the other brothers—Kevin and Alex—and ruling as the most influential mate of the entire Black Tiger Clan.
But the next moment, the words that came from Rexon's lips shattered all of Noya's golden dreams.
"Stop the drama, Noya," Rexon's thunderous, cold voice echoed throughout the court.
Noya's sobs suddenly stopped. She jerked her head up. There were still fake tears on her face, but as soon as she looked into Rexon's eyes, she realised that her mask was not working in front of this dreaded Chief.
Rexon wiped his sword with Arthur's blood-stained clothes and sheathed it with a powerful blow.
"Do you think the chieftain of the Black Tiger Clan is so blind that he can't tell the difference between a fox and a lamb?" Rexon said flatly, yet venomously. "I didn't kill Arthur because you told me lies about him. I killed him because he dared to look at my clan behind my back. Your cunning only made my work easier, but that doesn't mean you can control me."
Noya's face turned pale. Her throat felt like thorns were pricking her. "C... Chieftain... what are you saying? I just—"
"Shut up!" Rexon interrupted her with a low growl. "You have come to me for refuge, and according to the laws of the Beast World, I will not reject you. Your life is spared. But that does not mean that you will come to my palace and poison my life and that of my brothers."
Rexon turned and pointed to the empty, blood-stained white throne on which Arthur had sat until moments earlier.
"From today, Arthur, the leader of the White Tiger Clan, is finished," Rexon announced in a hoarse voice, audible to every soldier in the court. "Since you are Arthur's only mate, and now under the protection of the Black Tiger Clan, from today on, the entire responsibility of this White Tiger Clan will be yours."
"What?!" Noya screamed involuntarily. She jumped to her feet, her entire pretence gone. Raghvendra's move was so precise and sudden that even Noya's cunning mind was stunned. She wanted to go with Rexon to his palace and rule as his queen.
But Rexon had announced his decision to leave her alone in the ruins of this very White Tiger Clan, its blood-stained palace.
"Chief, how can you leave me here... among these strangers and enemies?" Noya asked nervously. This time, the fear in her voice wasn't a play, but genuine. "I'm a weak female! Arthur's loyal men won't leave me here alive! My place is with you, in your palace!"
Rexon looked at Noya with a terrifying and sarcastic smile.
"You're not weak, Noya. A female who can have her mate's head chopped off fears no one," Rexon said. "As for these people... from today on, the White Tiger Clan will be under my control, the Black Tiger Clan. Some of my most feared generals and soldiers will stay here to protect it. No one will dare touch you. But you will not cross this clan's borders and step into my territory."
Rexon gestured to his commander. Immediately, dozens of giant fighters from the Black Tiger Clan appeared and took over the White Tiger Clan's court.
Noya clenched her fists. A volcano of anger and frustration simmered within her. She had the chieftain of a clan killed, taken such a huge risk, and what did she get in return? A desolate, occupied clan, where she would not rule, but merely remain a prisoner of Rexon, who was only superficially named "leader."
Rexon turned and walked heavily toward the broken door of the court.
Before leaving, he glanced back one last time at Noya, whose eyes no longer reflected fear, but the utter anguish of defeat.
"Enjoy your newfound power, Noya," Rexon said coldly. "And never forget that you can fool the chieftain of the Black Tiger Clan. If you even look at my clan or my brothers... next time the sword will be on your neck, not Arthur's."
Rexon mounted his giant bear and left in the darkness of the night with the rest of his army. His next target was now James's palace.
Noya stood alone in the White Tiger Clan's blood-soaked, morgue-like court behind her. She was now guarded by soldiers from the Black Tiger Clan.
Noya looked at Arthur's severed head and bit her lip in anger. Her plan had backfired.
Rexon had defeated her on her own chessboard. But Noya was not one to give up. A new, even more venomous plot burned in her eyes. If Rexon didn't give her a direct route into his palace, she would make the entire Beast World cry tears of blood, forcing Rexon himself to come to her on his knees.
The thump of Rexon's heavy, iron-armoured boots echoed through the ruined and blood-soaked court of the White Tiger Clan. He was moving towards the broken main gate, and behind him his dreadnought soldiers were also turning.
Noya stood there. Her fists were so tight that her nails were bleeding into her own palms. She had never given up in her entire life, and today, when she was so close to her greatest goal, this wild chieftain was leaving her, a mere prisoner, in this morgue!
If Rexon left this place today, Noya's dream would be forever buried within these blood-soaked white walls. The mask of a helpless, weeping mate was now useless.
Noya understood that this ferocious black tiger could be vanquished not with tears, but with his greatest need and his ego. She took a deep breath. In the blink of an eye, the expression of a frightened girl vanished from her face. Her spine straightened, the false moisture in her eyes dried up and turned into an icy, vicious glint. "
Wait, Chieftain Rexon!" Noya's voice was no longer a sobbing whisper. It was a resonant, clear, and authoritative voice, startling every soldier in the court.
Rexon's steps suddenly stopped. He turned his neck slightly and looked over his shoulder at Noya. His red eyes held a questioning and dangerous glint.
Noya lifted her skirt slightly with both hands and, without hesitation, stepped over Arthur's blood-soaked torso and his tumbled head, as if it were a mere stone. She nonchalantly wiped the tears and blood stains from her cheeks with her sleeve. This new, bold, and terrifying side of her stunned Rexon's generals.
"You've finished your play too quickly, Noya," Rexon said with a cold smile, turning fully to her. "Do you intend to tell another story?"
"Weak people tell stories, Chief," Noya said, standing right in front of Rexon. This time, she didn't lower her gaze; instead, she looked directly into the eyes of the towering leader of the Black Tiger Clan.
"And I'm not weak. I applaud you for recognising my trick. But you're making a grave mistake, Rexon."
Rexon's eyebrows shot up. No female had ever dared to speak to him in that tone. "Mistake? Mine?"