Chapter-HundredTwenty Two, Part Three

Chapter-HundredTwentyTwo, Rejection,The Kings Visit
Alpha Asher’s POV

Locking Gemma away was the hardest thing we had ever done.

She was supposed to be beside us, not trapped underground like some dangerous animal. She was our mate. Our equal. Our queen.

Ever since she triggered her vampire side, everything had changed. The sweet, stubborn girl we knew was buried beneath bloodlust and darkness. She’d become cold, ruthless… heartless. Yet somehow, she was still the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen.

And her wolf…

The fact her wolf had awakened shocked all of us. She was stronger now than any supernatural I’d ever encountered. Part vampire. Part wolf. Part witch. A true tribrid.

Deadly.

Perfect.

Terrifying.

Part of me regretted letting her trigger her vampire side at all, but we’d had no choice. War was coming, and we needed her power if any of us wanted to survive what was heading our way.

The sky itself looked cursed now.

Dark clouds swallowed the sun day and night while red cracks streaked across the heavens like the world itself was breaking apart. The dead were returning. Creatures from the Other Side were slipping through the cracks. It felt like the beginning of the end.

And somehow… Gemma stood in the centre of all of it.

For the past four days, we’d kept her locked inside the bunker beneath Maggie’s property. Four days of screaming, threats, rage, and silence.

Nothing was working.

Sean had insisted on being the one to push her humanity back on. He claimed he knew his sister best, but every time he came upstairs after visiting her, he looked more broken than before.

The rejection still haunted me too.

Gemma’s words replayed inside my head constantly.

I reject you.

Even knowing she had her humanity switched off didn’t lessen the pain. My wolf howled every single time I thought about it.

We hadn’t accepted it, of course. She wasn’t eighteen yet, and until then, the rejection couldn’t fully take hold.

Still…

Hearing her say she hated us nearly destroyed me.

Maggie’s black magic shackles were the only reason Gemma remained contained. Without them, she would’ve ripped through the bunker walls within minutes. Uncle John had spent thousands converting the underground shelter into a supernatural prison strong enough to hold her.

Even then, none of us truly believed it would last forever.

“She’s starving,” Logan muttered from across the living room. “Half a blood bag isn’t enough.”

“It’s all we can risk giving her,” Jayden replied grimly. “If we let her feed properly, she’ll regain too much strength.”

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my face with exhaustion.

None of us had slept properly since this nightmare began.

Suddenly, my mind-link buzzed sharply.

“Alphas,” one of my warriors said urgently. “Heavy rogue movement outside the southern border. Some of them… they used to belong to our pack.”

Jayden shot to his feet instantly.

“We need to move. The Supreme Alphas and Kings are almost here too.”

“We also need more patrols on the borders,” I added immediately.

Logan nodded before turning toward Maggie.

“We’ll be back soon. And… thank you. For helping Gemma. For helping all of us.”

Maggie gave a tired smile, though worry filled her eyes.

“She’s my daughter. I’ll never stop fighting for her. But we need to close the doors to the Other Side before things get worse.”

“The sacrifice body is secure in the dungeon freezer,” I assured her.

“Good,” Maggie replied softly. “Because if that body decomposes, the ritual fails.”

Sean looked like he wanted to say something about Carla, but before he could—

The pack alarms exploded throughout the territory.

Every single one of us froze.

Attack.

Jayden, Logan, and I bolted from the house instantly, shifting mid-run into our wolves as we tore through the forest toward the southern border.

The closer we got, the stronger the scent of rogues became.

And beneath it…

Magic.

Dark magic.

A female voice echoed through the trees, chanting something in a language I didn’t recognize.

Then we saw her.

Khloe.

The witch stood just beyond the border with dozens of rogues surrounding her.

She smiled wickedly when she saw us.

“Alphas,” she purred. “Perfect timing. You’re just in time for the surprise.”

Pain suddenly ripped through my chest.

I collapsed instantly, shifting back into human form as agony tore through my soul.

My bond.

“No…” I choked out.

Logan screamed beside me.

Jayden dropped to his knees.

Our wolves howled in unbearable grief.

“MOTHER!”

“FATHER!”

The entire pack collapsed in mourning around us.

The Alpha and Luna bond had snapped.

Our parents were dead.

The pain nearly destroyed me.

Every breath felt like glass ripping through my lungs.

Then suddenly—

Silence.

The bond vanished completely.

Khloe laughed.

Logan and Jayden lunged toward her in fury, but before they could reach her, she disappeared into black smoke.

Coward.

Rage consumed all of us after that.

We shifted again and tore through the rogues without mercy.

Blood soaked the forest floor.

Bodies dropped one after another beneath our claws.

By the time the last rogue fell dead, the border looked like a battlefield.

Beta Nathan approached us carefully as we shifted back.

“One rogue survived,” he reported. “We locked him in the cells, but he isn’t talking.”

“I want answers,” I snarled. “Find Richard. Find Khloe. I want them dead.”

The warriors immediately scattered to follow orders.

Jayden stepped forward, voice cold and deadly.

“Double border patrols. Cover every blind spot. No one moves alone.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

Nathan nodded again.

“The Supreme Kings and Alphas just crossed onto pack lands.”

Perfect timing.

Three black SUVs rolled down the driveway moments later, stopping in front of the packhouse.

Four men stepped out.

Power radiated from them instantly.

The older Alpha moved first.

“Alpha Mason,” he introduced himself. “This is my brother Alpha Jason, and my sons, Kings Larry and Barry.”

Jayden bowed his head respectfully.

“Welcome. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“You’ve suffered a loss,” Mason said quietly, clearly sensing the grief hanging over the pack.

I clenched my jaw tightly.

“Yes.”

We led them inside the packhouse toward our office, but as we passed our parents’ office, I stopped cold.

Blood covered the walls.

The scent alone nearly made me sick.

Furniture had been overturned. Papers destroyed. Deep claw marks scarred the wooden floorboards.

Several omegas were already cleaning.

Rage surged through me instantly.

“Stop.”

Every omega froze.

“Who told you to remove anything?”

Mayo, head omega, lowered her eyes nervously.

“We only wanted to help, Alpha.”

“Clean the blood. Nothing else moves until we investigate.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I walked away before my grief turned into something uglier.

Once inside our office, Mason spoke first.

“I want to meet the girl.”

I exchanged a glance with my brothers.

“Gemma?” Jayden asked.

Mason nodded slowly.

“If she truly is my daughter… I need to see her.”

King Larry frowned slightly.

“Why is she imprisoned?”

Jayden sighed heavily.

“Because she turned off her humanity and started killing humans.”

Neither King looked frightened.

Only curious.

“We can handle ourselves,” Barry said calmly.

After a long pause, Logan finally stood.

“Fine. But don’t take anything she says personally.”

The walk to the bunker felt painfully long.

As we approached, the scent of blood grew stronger.

Gemma.

The Kings suddenly moved ahead of us the moment Jayden opened the bunker door.

Gemma sat chained on the bed, pale and furious.

The second her eyes landed on Larry and Barry—

Everything changed.

All three of them spoke simultaneously.

“We are one. We are complete.”

The words sent chills through me.

Mason stumbled slightly behind us.

Tears filled his eyes.

“She looks exactly like her mother…”

Gemma immediately bared her teeth.

“Take one more step and I’ll rip your throat out.”

“Gemma,” Mason whispered brokenly. “I’m your father.”

Silence.

Then she laughed bitterly.

“No. My family died a long time ago.”

Barry stepped forward carefully.

“We’re your brothers.”

“You’re strangers.”

Pain crossed Mason’s face.

“Richard lied to you,” he said softly. “He started the war. We believed he murdered you and your mother. We thought you were dead.”

Gemma’s expression flickered for half a second.

Then the coldness returned.

“Well congratulations,” she snapped. “You can all keep believing that.”

Her eyes darkened as she inhaled sharply.

“I can smell your blood from here. It’s driving me insane.”

“Gemma—” Mason tried again.

“No.” She pointed toward the door. “Either release me or get out.”

Logan folded his arms.

“You’re not leaving until your humanity comes back on.”

Gemma’s eyes burned with hatred.
“Go to hell.”
The entire bunker shook slightly from the force of her power trying to break free.

I could see how much this was hurting Mason and the twins already.

Logan finally sighed heavily.

“Come on. Let’s leave her.”

As we walked out of the bunker, Gemma’s screams echoed behind us through the underground halls.

And for the first time since all this began…

I truly wondered if we were already too late to save her.