Chapter 25
My irises burned silver the moment I heard what Darius had said. My bones cracked. The air shimmered around me as my Alpha blood surged.
“Darius,” I snarled, struggling against the silver-threaded binds biting into my wrists, “what happened to my parents? What the hell did you do to them?!”
His shoulders lifted in an idle shrug, like we were discussing the weather and not the near murder of my Alpha bloodline.
“They had nothing to do with me,” he said calmly. “Blame Lexie. I merely… cooperated. She wanted those two old wolves dead. I wanted to lure you out. It was convenient. A mutual arrangement.”
My wolf roared in my chest.
“You son of a-”
“I know,” he cut in with a hollow chuckle. “A son of a bitch. And maybe I am. But everything- everything-I did, I did because I love you.”
The Darius I once knew-refined, elegant, an alpha of a powerful pack polished like obsidian-
was gone.
Now, he was feral.
‘Just wait, honey,” he murmured as if we were having coffee in some peaceful den. “The jet be here in thirty minutes. I bought an island off Bali. Private. Remote. Just the two of us. Remember when you used to say you wanted peace, to live with someone who adored you?”
I stared at him, revulsion rolling in my gut like acid.
‘That dream is about to come true,” he finished.
A groan echoed from the floor behind me.
Claire.
She stirred where she’d been tossed like a rag doll, her aura flickering weak but furious.
‘Ugh, you jerk think you’re worthy of her?” she spat. “Avelyn’s my sister-in-law now. She’s the Luna of the Ashton Pack. Let us go, or when my brother finds out-”
The color drained from Darius’s face at the name.
Riven.
My mate. My Alpha. The rouge feared the Alpha of the North.
Darius’s hands trembled slightly as he reached to his hip. “That bastard took my leg. I’ll return the favor-I’ll take hers.”
He cocked the gun and pulled it over Claire.
“NO!” I screamed, my wolf clawing at my skin, my eyes blazing silver. “If you so much as touch her, I’ll bite through my own tongue and choke on the blood before you even lift that trigger!”
Darius hesitated. My words stunned him-my power stunned him.
He stared at me, breathing hard, then let out a cold laugh. “Fine. I won’t shoot. I’ll let her go.”
7:09 pm
Relief rushed through me-until the door creaked open again.
And then I saw her.
Lexie.
Dressed like a queen in blood-red heels, her scent thick with perfume and deception, she strolled in like the villain in a play she thought she owned.
“Alpha Darius,” she said sweetly, “are those two old wolves dead yet?”
My claws extended with a metallic hiss, and I lunged against my bonds, my voice trembling with fury. “Lexie. They took you in. They loved you. How could you do this to them?!”
She smirked.
‘They only loved me because I played the broken pup. The poor orphan girl desperate to be part of the pack,” she scoffed. “Do you really think they’d care for me if they saw the real me?”
‘You’re sick,” I spat.
‘Maybe,” she said, shrugging. “But smart. I almost had it all. The Moonveil name. Their wealth. Their territory. Until they tried to force me to mate with this cripple.”
Darius’s head whipped toward her.
But even then,” she added, “I had a backup plan. Once you were out of the way, Avelyn everything would’ve been mine.”
That was her mistake.
At that moment, Darius turned his head, his eyes wide, rage churning in the depths of his broken
coul.
You lied to me too…” he whispered.
She blinked. “Darius-wait. Don’t tell me you’re seriously offended. You knew what this was.”
Darius’s lip curled. He raised the gun again-and this time, he didn’t hesitate.
lang.
The sound split the room. Lexie stumbled, eyes wide, staring down at the blood blooming across
er chest like a cursed rose.
She dropped to her knees. “We were… allies… w-why…?”
Darius didn’t even blink.
Did you think I didn’t know what you were doing in France?” he growled, his voice low and Inhinged. “I saw the photos. The married wolves. The power-hungry tricks. You seduced me, nanipulated me, tore my world apart-and I let you.”
He sneered.
I only used you to get to her. And now that I have what I want… you’re finished.”
_exie crawled, blood trailing behind her, trying to reach the door-but her strength gave out. Her body collapsed a few feet short.
Still alive. Barely.
Darius didn’t look at her again.
He turned to the guards standing just outside the doorway.
7:10 pm
“Get rid of that corpse. Feed it to the forest. Let the bears have her.”
They didn’t move fast enough.
Before anyone could react, a thunderous crash echoed from the hallway outside, so loud and jarring it seemed to shake the very foundation of the house. The sound was violent-raw power unleashed with no intention of restraint.
A split second later, every window in the room trembled in its panes, as if responding to the presence of something otherworldly approaching. The light fixtures above swayed, and the walls groaned under a pressure that hadn’t existed a moment ago.
Then came the howl.
It rose through the night like a blade through silence-long, guttural, and ancient. It wasn’t just a sound. It was a declaration. A warning. A promise of vengeance wrapped in the voice of a beast who had shed all pretense of mercy.
That sound tore through the room and wrapped around my spine like ice. My breath caught in my throat, and my heartbeat surged, pounding wildly against my ribcage.
I knew that howl.
Every cell in my body reacted, answering an invisible call only one soul could ignite in me.
Riven.
He was here.
And he wasn’t coming quietly.
The weight of his presence bled through the air long before his shadow ever reached the door. The hairs on my arms stood on end, my wolf stirring restlessly within me, sensing her mate’s rage-a fury that belonged to a true alpha to a predator no cage could hold.
The scent of smoke and steel was already seeping into the room, heavy and ominous.
Riven hadn’t come to talk.
He had come to burn everything down.
And I knew-no one who had laid a hand on me was walking away from this house alive.
7:10 pm
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.