CHAPTER 174: DON’T HIDE THINGS FROM ME

Gabriel flung the gun to the ground and turned, only to find ten or eleven beta hunters already on their knees, trembling and begging for mercy.

His gaze shifted to Karmen, who appeared shaken but unscathed.

"Answer my questions truthfully," Gabriel commanded, "and I may consider sparing you all, unlike this one," he added, nodding toward the lifeless body sprawled on the floor.

The man at the center stammered, "W-we hunt betas... down."

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "Why?" he asked sharply. "Aren’t you all wolves yourselves?"

The man swallowed hard. "We were cast aside... deemed useless by our pack. So we joined an organization that hunts betas. Please, Your Highness, spare us. We swear we won’t ever do this again."

"Who created this organization?" Gabriel asked.

The man on his knees trembled under Gabriel’s intense gaze. "W-we call him Master, Your Highness. None of us have ever seen his face. We’re only given tasks... and paid to carry them out."

Gabriel’s expression darkened. "And where does this ’Master’ reside?"

"In... in the capital," the man stuttered.

Gabriel’s jaw clenched at the revelation. ’The capital? Why is every activity happening there?’

’Denzel, are you near?’ Gabriel mindlinked his gamma.

’Just arrived, Alpha,’ came the response as Denzel stepped out of the vehicle.

Denzel appeared moments later, leading a squad of warriors as they filed into the dimly lit gambling centre. The hunters, still prostrate on the floor, scrambled to their feet and threw themselves at Gabriel’s feet.

"Please, Your Highness, forgive us this time!" they implored.

But Gabriel did not acknowledge their pleas. He turned away, his attention shifting to Karmen, who was leaning against a nearby pillar.

"I’ll see you later," he whispered to Denzel. Then, he vanished with Karmen.

Making Karmen sit on the hospital bed, the doctor stepped forward to tend his wounds.

Gabriel excused himself and went to the washroom. As he washed the blood from his hands, the thought of having such strange groups within the kingdom bothered him.

He pulled his hands back and dried them under the automatic dryer. Just then, his phone rang.

"Amelie," Gabriel murmured, seeing her name flash across the screen. He answered the call and brought the phone to his ear as he stepped out of the washroom.

"Is Karmen fine?" Amelie asked with concern.

"Yes. I’m at the hospital now. He got a minor injury. Nothing serious," Gabriel replied. "Don’t fret. Everything is under control."

"Okay."

Once the call ended, Gabriel walked back to Karmen’s room. He stood near the doorway, waiting until the doctor finished tending to him.

"We’ve taken a head CT scan to rule out any internal skull injury," the doctor informed Gabriel. "I’ll inform you as soon as the report is ready."

Gabriel gave a short nod, allowing the doctor to take his leave. Then he stepped closer to the bed.

"Why did you go to such a place without taking anyone with you?" he asked, his voice rising with each word.

"I was there to find a man who knows the witch from Elarion. I didn’t know some beta hunters would be waiting for me," Karmen replied with a confused expression. "But... how did you find out?"

Gabriel paused for a moment. He remembered the sudden tightness in his chest. He had been on a date with Amelie when the feeling hit, and without needing an explanation, he knew something was wrong with Karmen.

"We both vowed to protect each other when we were kids," Gabriel explained. "So whenever you’re in danger, the magic of that vow activates."

Karmen let out a small chuckle. "We did that just for fun. I never thought it would actually work. Then again, I’ve never been attacked by so many people at once."

"Yeah." Gabriel exhaled and sat down on the chair beside the bed, his gaze briefly scanning Karmen’s bandaged head.

"I ruined your outing with Amelie," Karmen said, guilt creeping into his voice. "I’m sorry."

"That’s not what matters right now," Gabriel replied firmly, brushing it off. "You’re safe. That’s what counts."

Karmen looked thoughtful for a moment. "Still... maybe you shouldn’t have killed that man so quickly. We could’ve found out who their master was."

Gabriel leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "I was in a rage. And when that happens... I stop thinking. I just act."

Karmen nodded slowly. "But Noa didn’t stop you this time. Last time, when you were furious at Alex, Noa held you back. You even told me about Skye’s theory, that your pup intervened by making Amelie feel the pain."

Gabriel’s jaw tensed for a moment.

"That’s because I was still in control. I spared the others, else I wanted to kill them as well," Gabriel affirmed.

"A lot is happening around. Now there’s a beta hunters organization operating right in the capital," Gabriel muttered under his breath, frustration seeping into his tone. "What the fuck is wrong with our administration that no one even caught wind of it?"

"It must’ve started recently," Karmen said, his brows furrowed. "But judging by their weapons and the silver bullets... they’re definitely well-funded."

He shifted slightly on the bed and tried moving his left arm, but a sharp pain shot through him, making him wince.

"Be careful," Gabriel warned quickly, standing up. "You were hit by silver. It’s going to hurt more than usual."

Karmen nodded, teeth clenched. "Yeah... I forgot how much that burns."

Gabriel glanced at the bandaged wound, his jaw tightening again. "Whoever’s backing them isn’t just hunting for sport. This is well planned and coordinated by someone."

"We will find about it soon," Karmen assured him.

"I need to visit the capital myself, I think," Gabriel murmured. "But I don’t want to leave Amelie behind. Already there are forces who want to harm her," he added.

Karmen remained tongue-tied how it was the Queen planned the kidnapping of Amelie last time.

"Don’t hide things from me even if my brothers or father ever ask you to. I was upset with you because you chose my brother over me. I am well aware of what my mother did, so you don’t need to hide things wherever she’s involved," Gabriel warned him.

Karmen was bewildered to know that Gabriel knew about the truth. "I’m sorry. It won’t happen again," he said, lowering his head in guilt again.