Chapter 176: Vicious Satisfaction

Kaelen's POV

Vespera's face was pale beneath the bruises, her breathing coming in short, panicked gasps. But even terrified, even staring at her own death, she couldn't help herself. Her lips curled into something that might have been a smile if there wasn't so much blood involved.

"You want to know where your precious Luna is?" Her voice was a rasp, but the malice came through crystal clear. "She's probably already back at Ravencrest by now."

My grip tightened. "Tell me everything. Now."

"Damien has her locked in a silver collar," Vespera said, and there was sick satisfaction in her tone. "A collar around her pretty little neck, blocking the mate bond so you can't sense her. You'll never find her. Not unless he wants you to."

"He's going to parade her through Ravencrest," Vespera continued, her voice getting stronger despite the pain she must be in. "Let everyone see what happens to Shadowmere's Luna when she's separated from her precious Alpha."

My vision was turning red around the edges. The beast was so close to the surface now that I could feel my bones starting to shift, my humanity slipping away with every word she spoke.

"They'll chain her up like the bitch she is," Vespera hissed. "Pass her around to anyone who wants a turn. Damien promised he'd let his entire pack have a taste before he's done with her."

I heard a sound like an animal in pain and realized it was coming from me. My free hand drew back, fist clenched, ready to—

"She'll beg for death," Vespera's voice rose to a shriek, even as she stared at my raised fist. "Beg for someone to end it because the pain will be too much! And you won't be there to save her! You won't—"

My fist connected with her face with a sickening crunch. Bone gave way under my knuckles. Blood sprayed. Vespera's head snapped back, and I drew back for another hit, another, needing to make her stop talking, stop breathing, stop existing—

"Alpha, no!" Lucian's arms wrapped around me from behind, his full weight trying to drag me back. Cordelia grabbed my raised arm, her smaller frame adding what strength she could to keep me from delivering the killing blow.

But I was too far gone. My wolf had control now, and all it wanted was blood. I threw my shoulders back, trying to dislodge them both, my entire body starting the shift into something that could tear them apart if they didn't let go.

"Kaelen, stop!" Lucian's voice was desperate in my ear. "You can't kill her! Not yet! We need her alive!"

"Get off me!" The words came out garbled, my vocal cords already changing.

"Listen to me!" Lucian dug his fingers into my shoulders hard enough to hurt. "Killing her won't help Seraphine! We need information about Ravencrest's defenses, about where they're keeping her!"

"We have to get Luna back!" Cordelia's voice cracked. "If you lose control now, if you kill Vespera before we get everything we need, how are we supposed to plan a rescue?"

Sera. Seraphine. Luna.

The name cut through the red haze like a silver blade. My Sera, locked in silver, terrified and alone, waiting for me to come for her. Waiting for me to save her while I stood here wasting time on revenge that could wait.

She needs you. She needs you alive and thinking, not lost to the beast.

I forced myself to take a breath. Then another. Each one was agony, like swallowing broken glass mixed with nails, but slowly—so fucking slowly—the gold started to recede from my vision. My bones stopped shifting. My canines retracted.

Lucian and Cordelia didn't let go until they felt my muscles unlock, until my breathing evened out enough that they were sure I wasn't going to immediately lunge for Vespera again.

I looked down at my hands. Blood dripped from my split knuckles. Vespera's blood. Her face was a mess of torn flesh and shattered bone, her breathing shallow and wet-sounding. She was still conscious—barely—her remaining eye rolling wildly in its socket.

"Lock her in the dungeons," I said, my voice flat and empty and more terrifying than shouting would have been. "Silver chains. Twenty-four hour guard rotation. If she tries anything—anything at all—they have permission to make her suffer."

I turned to look at Lucian. "Get every piece of information out of her you can about Ravencrest's layout, their patrol schedules, where Damien would most likely keep prisoners. Use whatever methods you need to. I don't give a fuck if she's comfortable."

"Understood," Lucian said quietly.

"And when I bring Seraphine home," I continued, still staring at Vespera's broken form, "when she's safe and healed and back where she belongs—then we'll deal with you properly. Then you'll face pack justice for what you've done."

I didn't wait for a response. I turned and walked toward the door, each step requiring conscious effort because every instinct I had was screaming at me to go back and finish the job.

"Kaelen." Cordelia's voice stopped me at the threshold. "What are you going to do?"

I looked back at her over my shoulder. "I'm going to get my mate back."

The hallway outside the medical room was empty and echoing. My footsteps sounded too loud in the silence, each one a countdown to action, to war, to whatever I had to do to bring Sera home.

Hold on, baby. Just hold on a little longer. I'm coming for you.

"Lucian," I called out, not bothering to turn around. I knew he'd followed me out. "Ten minutes. War room. Get Jason, Derek, anyone with combat or strategic experience."

"Already on it," he replied, and I heard him pulling out his phone.

"Cordelia," I continued, "prepare medical supplies. Enough for major injuries. Silver burns, trauma, whatever Damien might have done to her."

"I'll have everything ready," she said, her voice tight but steady.

"Mobilize our best fighters. I want them armed and ready to move within the hour."

"Alpha." Lucian's voice made me pause. "Going in hot might not be the best strategy. Ravencrest is Damien's territory. He'll be expecting retaliation."

I finally turned to face him. "I don't care what he's expecting. He took my mate. He declared war the second he put his hands on her."

"I know," Lucian said carefully. "But charging in without a plan gets us all killed and leaves Seraphine in worse danger. Give me an hour to work with what we can get out of Vespera, to coordinate with our intelligence network. Let's do this smart."

Every second felt like an eternity. Every moment Sera spent in Damien's hands was another moment too long. But I forced myself to think past the rage, past the desperate need to act.

Smart. We need to be smart about this. For Sera.

"One hour," I ground out. "You have one hour to get me everything I need to bring her home. After that, we move whether we're ready or not."

"Understood." Lucian nodded sharply and immediately started firing off messages on his phone.

I continued down the hallway, my pace quickening with each step. The beast inside me was still howling, still clawing at my control, demanding immediate action. But beneath that primal fury was something colder, something more dangerous.

Planning. Strategy. The calculated ruthlessness that had made me Alpha in the first place.

Damien wanted a war. Fine. I'd give him a war he'd never forget.

But this wouldn't be some reckless rescue attempt that got my mate killed. This would be surgical. Precise. Overwhelming force applied exactly where it would hurt most.

By the time I brought Sera home, Ravencrest would be nothing but smoking ruins and Damien would be begging me for a death I wouldn't grant.

I'm coming, Sera. I swear to god, I'm coming. And hell itself won't stop me from bringing you back.