Alpha Damien's Trouble Maker (by Ruby Anne) novel Chapter 194

194 /239

Chapter 194

Miles

“Ahhh! Ahhhh! What the hell?! What the actual hell?!”

0:0

VPN

5 vouchers

My underling’s screams echoed behind me so loudly that they nearly drowned out the sound of the forest shaking around us, and if I were in any other situation, I might have found it amusing, but at the moment, I was far too focused on staying alive to care about his panic.

Branches snapped beneath my feet as I ran through the thick forest at full speed, leaping over every root, rock, and fallen branch that stood in my way while dodging every obstacle with practiced ease. One of my greatest advantages had always been my agility, and moving swiftly through terrain like this was second

nature to me.

Dodging was never my problem. Avoiding attacks was never my problem.

No, my biggest problem right now was the idiot behind me.

I jumped over a fallen tree before twisting my body slightly to glance behind me, only to see my underling sprinting right after me in complete chaos, his hair full of leaves and twigs as if he had run face-first through half the forest already, dirt smeared across his clothes, his entire appearance looking like someone who had been dragged through mud and thrown back out.

“Oh my Moon Goddess, why is this happening to me?!” he cried as tears streamed down his face while he ran. “Ahhh! Why is this happening to me?! What did I do to deserve this?!”

He tried to leap over a root in his path, but his foot caught on something and he stumbled forward, nearly crashing face-first into the dirt before barely catching himself in time.

A massive hand slammed down right where he had been a second later. The impact shattered the ground. If he had been even a breath slower, he would have died instantly.

My underling froze for half a second before looking back, and the moment his eyes landed on what was chasing us, another horrified scream tore from his throat.

Towering behind us was the largest monster I had ever seen in my life.

Its body dwarfed the forest around it, standing like a living titan among the trees, so massive that its mere presence made everything around it feel insignificant, while enormous tendrils of roots and thick vines coiled around its body like twisted armor forged by nature itself, wrapping around its limbs and torso in layers of living bark and wood.

Its mouth was massive, filled with jagged teeth sharp enough to tear through steel, and its glowing red eyes burned with a fury that sent instinctive fear crawling down my spine.

Every step it took made the earth tremble. Every movement caused the trees around it to shake and groan. It bulldozed through the forest without effort, crushing anything in its path beneath its overwhelming size.

There was no mistaking it.

12:02 Fri, Apr 10

VPN

Chapter 194

This thing was the king of every beast in this forest, and right now, it was hunting us.

5 vouchers

The moment my underling locked eyes with it again, his entire face turned pale as tears streamed down harder.

“I don’t want to die!” he screamed, his voice cracking from panic. “Please, I don’t want to die! I’ll do anything! I’ll worship the Moon Goddess wholeheartedly! I won’t drink again! I won’t smoke again! I won’t lust after women anymore! Please, just let me live!”

I shook my head and kept running, refusing to waste breath responding to him as my mind remained focused elsewhere.

I had not expected to run into a monster like this. I trusted in my strength. I knew I was strong, but I was not delusional.

Even I knew there was no surviving a fight against that thing.

And unlike some idiotic warriors who believed bravery meant throwing yourself at impossible battles just to die meaninglessly, I had no intention of standing my ground against something I knew I could not defeat.

If I stopped to fight that monster, I would die, and if I died here, Noah would be disappointed.

That thought alone made me grit my teeth.

No.

I would survive. I would make it to the finish line, and I would meet Noah there, brag to my oldest brother and make fun of everyone who thought I wouldn’t survive the rite.

With that in mind, I pushed myself faster, my legs moving harder as I prepared to put more distance between us, then suddenly, the scream behind me made my eyes widen, and I turned sharply

“AHHH!”

My underling had fallen. He was on the ground, screaming in agony, and my heart dropped when I saw why. The monster stood over him. Its massive foot had crushed his leg beneath it.

The monster’s eyes gleamed with savage excitement, the look of a hunter that had finally cornered the prey it had been chasing, and the sight of that cruel satisfaction on its face made the air around us feel even heavier as my underling screamed beneath it, clutching his shattered leg while tears poured uncontrollably down his face.

“Ahhh! My leg! My leg!” he cried, his voice breaking from pain as his hands desperately grabbed at the remains of his crushed knee, his entire body trembling violently while agony twisted his face into something almost unrecognizable.

The monster began to move toward him slowly, each thunderous step making the ground tremble beneath its weight, and the deliberate pace of its movements made it clear that it knew there was no need to rush because its prey was broken, helpless, and had nowhere left to run.

My underling’s face turned pale with terror as he tried dragging himself backward, using his arms to push

12:02 Fri, Apr 10

Chapter 194

VPN

5 vouchers

himself away while his ruined leg trailed uselessly behind him, blood staining the earth beneath his body.

“No… no, do not come closer!” he screamed, his voice cracking so badly that the words barely came out clearly. “Do not come any closer!”

His eyes found me.

“Boss!” he yelled desperately, reaching one hand toward me as if I were his final lifeline. “Boss, please help me! Help me, please! I do not want to die! My mother is waiting for me at home!”

My feet stopped moving. I stood there frozen, my hands clenching so tightly at my sides that my nails dug into my palms as I stared at him. The answer was obvious.

If I wanted to survive, this was the moment to run. The monster was distracted. Its attention was completely on him. If I left now, I could escape, I did not have to save him. I never asked any of them to follow me. I never forced any of them to become my underlings. They chose to follow me on their own, so if they died, it was not my responsibility.