Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter 38

Edgar

The truth never comes gently.

It crashes in like a winter storm, sudden, merciless, and always colder than you expect.

I sat alone in the war room, fingers clenching the edge of the wooden table, teeth grinding against a scream I couldn’t release. The parchment lay open before me, its contents scrawled in a rushed, slanted hand. Anonymous. But clear. Brutally clear.

“Connor Dexter is your half-brother.

Your mother had an affair with Alaric Dexter twenty-five years ago.

She orchestrated the plot to kidnap Lia Mason.

Quinn Colby was only the messenger.”

The ink burned hotter than fire.

My breath caught in my throat.

Connor. My enemy since the day I learned how to hate. My rival in every battle, every negotiation, every drop of blood spilled between Ironclad and Frostwood. And now, my brother?

I shoved the chair back so hard it scraped across the stone floor with a deafening screech. Rage twisted in my chest like a feral beast, clawing to be let loose. I stormed down the halls of the manor, my boots thudding against the stone like a war drum. Every wolf I passed stepped aside without a word. They felt it, the shift in the air. The coming storm.

I kicked Brie’s door open without knocking.

She stood by the hearth, draped in a crimson shawl like it was any ordinary evening. A half-full glass of wine trembled in her hand as I approached.

“You lied to me.”

She didn’t flinch. “I’ve lied about many things, Edgar. You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Connor,” I snarled, voice breaking. “Is he my brother?”

Her gaze darkened, the mask slipping slightly. She said nothing.

I surged forward, grabbing her wrist and wrenching the glass from her hand. It shattered against the stone floor, red wine bleeding out like spilled blood.

“You slept with Alaric Dexter?” I roared. “The man who destroyed our family? The man you told me ruined your life?”

Brie didn’t answer. She turned slowly to face me, lips pressed in a thin line. “You were three. You don’t remember what kind of man your father really was.”

“You’re changing the subject!” I bellowed.

“Am I?” she whispered, too calm. “Or are you finally learning the truth about the perfect man you’ve idolized your whole life?”

I stumbled back, heart thundering. “You planned Lia’s kidnapping.”

Brie’s silence confirmed it.

“You used Quinn.”

“She was convenient,” Brie said coldly. “Weak. Hungry to be loved by someone, even if it was just your shadow. I gave her purpose. Told her Lia would destroy everything.”

“And you believed that?”

“She already was,” she hissed. “You think I didn’t see how you looked at that girl? How did you stop listening to your elders? Started questioning everything we built?”

“She was my mate!”

Brie’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Exactly. She was going to take you away from me.”

I stepped forward, fists shaking. “You tried to have her killed.”

“She survived,” Brie said, eyes flickering with venom. “Because you were foolish enough to mark her. And now look at you. Look at what loving her has done to you.”

My vision pulsed red.

Something inside me snapped.

I didn’t remember drawing the dagger from my belt. I didn’t remember the steps between us. I only remembered the flash of her eyes, shock, not fear, as the blade slid between her ribs.

Brie gasped, fingers trembling as she touched the blood blooming against her dress.

“You…” she rasped, stumbling back.

“You lied. You betrayed me. You tried to kill the only person who ever gave a damn about me,” I growled. “You deserve worse.”

She slumped into the chair by the fire, laughing weakly as the blood dripped from her hands.

“You fool,” she whispered. “You don’t even realize what you’ve done.”

Then I felt it.

A slow, burning chill coiling up my spine. My limbs trembled. The heat in my blood began to drain, replaced by something heavy. Hollow.

Brie smiled through bloody teeth. “You’ve triggered it.”

I staggered back. “What?”

“The blood curse,” she breathed. “Bound to my life. Bound to my betrayal. If my blood is spilled by your hand… your wolf dies.”

“No…”

“You’ll lose your sight. Your strength. Your power. And eventually… your mind.”

I fell to my knees as the first wave hit me. My wolf, once always whispering at the edge of my thoughts, went silent. So silent it felt like a part of me had been cut out.

“Make it stop,” I croaked.

Brie’s voice was fainter now. “Only I can remove it. And I won’t. Not now.”

I watched her eyes dim, the blood soaking through her shawl as she slumped forward.

I didn’t know if she was dead.

I didn’t care.

I staggered out of the room, the manor spinning around me.

Every step felt like sinking through ice. I clawed at the walls, barely able to see where I was going. My legs gave out somewhere near the great hall. I collapsed to the cold floor, gasping for air.

Whispers filled the air. Guards rushing. Wolves howling. Voices calling my name.

But I couldn’t answer.

My wolf was gone.

And with it, half of who I was.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a bed of herbs and furs. The healer’s chamber. Everything was dim, like the light itself was struggling to exist around me. A strange ringing echoed in my ears.

“Alpha,” a soft voice called. “Can you hear me?”

I turned my head with effort. It was Garen, the old healer. He looked grim, hands stained with ash and blood.

“What… happened?” My voice was a rasp.

“You collapsed near the hall. Your wolf… it’s silent.”

“I know.”

“We’ve tried every known ritual. Moonstone balms. Sacred chants. Nothing works.”

My throat tightened. “Is she dead?”

“No,” Garen said. “But she’s missing. No one has seen Brie since the incident. We think she ran.”

Coward.

But maybe it was better this way. If I saw her again, I’d finish what I started, and this time, not with a dagger.

I tried to sit up, but pain tore through my spine and ribs. My hands trembled like a man twice my age.

“I can’t feel him,” I whispered. “My wolf. It’s like, he's gone.”

Garen nodded slowly. “It’s the curse. She anchored it to the bloodline. A betrayal punishment spell. Very old. Very dangerous.”

“Can it be broken?”

The healer hesitated. “There’s a chance. The moon goddess… she might intervene. But it will take a sacrifice. Something powerful. Or someone.”

My breath stalled.

Lia.

No. I wouldn’t involve her again. She had already sacrificed enough for me.

“Try everything,” I said, voice firmer now. “Even if it kills me.”