Chapter 146

My world tilted violently. A crushing force slammed into my chest, knocking the air from my lungs and ripping a pained growl from my throat. Hot, furious tears streaked down my cheeks, searing my skin, while my heart ached for the mother I had barely known. Yet through Oberon, I had learned that she had loved me, despite having no choice but to leave me. I had clung to the hope of seeing her again, of making things right, of freeing her from the grasp of the Southern Moon Pack. And now—now even that had been stolen from me.

“Oh. You didn’t know she was dead?” Merrick sneered, his voice laced with cruel amusement as he twisted the knife deeper into my wounds.

He scoffed, shaking his head. “This is priceless! All these years, and you didn’t even know she was dead?” His laughter exploded in sharp bursts, his body nearly doubling over with the force of it.

I gritted my teeth, fighting to keep myself standing despite the tremor of rage and grief wracking my body. Tears blurred my vision no matter how hard I tried to suppress them. I needed clarity. I needed to focus. My body was already pushed to the brink of exhaustion, and this—this brutal revelation—threatened to shatter me entirely.

“How did she die?” I forced the words through clenched teeth, my fists curling so tightly my knuckles blanched.

Merrick’s eyes gleamed with sick pleasure as he stepped forward. “That Drayton bitch actually thought she could challenge Alpha for leadership.” He let out a sharp bark of laughter. “She must have lost her damned mind to believe she stood a chance against him.”

“How dare you insult my mother!” I snapped, fury igniting like wildfire in my chest.

Merrick’s lip curled. “She was never fit to be an Alpha. Her pack was nothing until it was swallowed by the Southern Moon. What kind of Luna defies her mate?” His voice rose with disgust.

“She was more than worthy!” I shot back, my voice ringing with conviction. “It takes real strength to stand against your mate! She couldn't bear to watch him taint her pack with innocent blood.”

Merrick sneered, his gaze dripping with condescension. “You think she did it for the pack?” He spat at my feet, his expression hardening. “She did it for you.”

I faltered. My breath hitched painfully in my throat. “W-what?”

His smirk widened, relishing my torment. “When that traitorous bitch helped you escape, she begged Alpha not to hunt you down. She got on her knees. She sobbed like a pathetic mutt.” He let out a sharp chuckle. “And when he refused, she challenged him.” He tilted his head mockingly. “She died miserable and broken beneath his claws.”

Something deep within me cracked.

He killed her. His own mate. Their bond should have made such a thing impossible—or at the very least, unbearable. But he had done it anyway. He had chosen his power, his pride, over her life. Over me.

Unconsciously, my fingers pressed against my chest, as if I could soothe the unbearable ache clawing its way through my ribs. But the pain only sharpened. Grief tangled with fury, twisting into something dark, something burning. My tears dried under the weight of my rage. My gaze locked onto Merrick, seeing not just him, but everything I despised—everything I swore I would one day destroy.

Merrick stepped closer, his gaze crawling over me, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “You’ve changed, little bitch.”

Revulsion coiled in my stomach. The way he looked at me, the way his voice dripped with that sickening hunger—I wanted to carve the smugness off his face.

“I don’t know how you managed to seduce the Vampire King and the Alpha of the North, but I have to give you credit.” He clapped his hands mockingly before leaning in, his breath hot against my skin. “You must be a hell of a lay. I can’t wait to have my turn.”

My fist shot up before he even finished speaking. The crack of bone against bone rang through the air as my knuckles connected with his jaw, every ounce of my rage funneled into the strike.

“I’ll cut your dick off if you even try to touch me!” I hissed.

Merrick staggered back, rubbing the spot where I’d struck him. And then, he laughed. A slow, dark chuckle. “You’ve gotten feisty. Good. I like it when they fight back.”

Hatred seared through my veins, fueling me beyond the limits of exhaustion. The blood in my body pulsed violently, my heart hammering against my ribs like a war drum. I inhaled sharply, steadying myself, and then met his gaze with a wicked smirk. I raised a hand, curling my fingers toward myself in a silent challenge.

Come on.

The sneer on his face deepened. His pupils shrank, his red hair bristling as his features twisted into something monstrous. He lunged.

His fist aimed low, targeting my stomach, but I pivoted sharply, dodging with ease. Again, he swung. Again, I evaded. And again. And again.

The confidence in his expression faltered, irritation flickering in his eyes. His cocky smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. Each failed strike chipped away at his patience, his movements growing more reckless, more desperate.

Good.

The moment I saw the opening, I struck.

I threw my entire weight into my attack, squeezing out the last remnants of my strength, ignoring the burning protest of my muscles. Kick after kick, strike after strike—I forced him backward, forcing him to feel the weight of every moment he had tormented me.

No more running.

This time, I would finish what he started.

My fist connected with his nose, and blood spurted instantly. He staggered back, his face now a mask of crimson. My own knuckles were split, my hands trembling from the impact, but I forced myself to stay upright. The only thing keeping me from collapsing was the rigid tension in my muscles, fueled by pure, unrelenting hatred. But I was winning. I had hurt him. All I had to do was keep attacking…

Then he laughed.

A deep, guttural, mocking sound echoed from his throat as he wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand. His grin was nothing short of demonic as he snapped his broken nose back into place with a sickening crack. His eyes, dark and full of malice, locked onto mine.

“Do you know what your mother’s last words were?” He ran his tongue over his bloodstained lips, his voice dripping with cruel amusement.

I clenched my teeth, my entire body screaming for me to attack, to shut him up before he could say another word. But I hesitated. I had to know what happened to Oberon.

“She begged Alpha to spare the traitor who helped you escape…” He paused, savoring the moment as he twisted the knife deeper into my heart.

A shudder rippled through me. My breath turned shallow.

Merrick snorted in disgust. “Alpha agreed.” His lips curled into a sneer. “But only because he gave the traitor to me—to break, to play with, every single day until the bastard finally died.”

“No…” My voice cracked, the agony in my chest sharper than anything he’d said before.

In that instant, I realized the monster standing before me hadn’t just poisoned my existence—he had destroyed the only person I had ever considered family. If Oberon had died quickly, or in battle, I could have found solace in the thought that he had died fighting. But to learn that he had been tortured to death, reduced to nothing but a plaything before he succumbed to his suffering—my heart shattered into irreparable pieces.

I looked at Merrick and felt only one thing.

I wanted him to suffer.

I wanted him to feel every ounce of pain he had inflicted.

I wanted him dead.

Without hesitation, I drew my knife and slashed across his chest. He let out a feral roar, staggering back from the deep wound. I didn’t stop. I lunged again, dodging his counterattacks as I sliced into his shoulder and then drove my blade into his thigh. His howl of pain echoed through the battlefield, but instead of retreating, he retaliated. His fist crashed into my chest, sending me sprawling backward.

Then he shifted.

A massive red-furred wolf stood in his place, its hulking form radiating pure, seething rage. I inhaled sharply, stumbling back as its glowing eyes bore into me, its growl rattling my bones. Every instinct screamed at me to run, but I couldn’t afford the luxury of fear.

The beast lunged.

I barely ducked in time, its snapping jaws missing my throat by a hair. Claws raked across my stomach, carving through flesh. White-hot pain exploded through me as I stumbled backward, a strangled scream escaping my lips. My head swam. Blood loss. Exhaustion. My limbs felt heavy, sluggish.

I had one chance.

One precise strike.

I exhaled, then filled my lungs with air, trying to steady myself. My vision blurred as Merrick charged again, his massive jaws stretching open, his fangs hungry for my throat.

Could I kill him before he killed me?

The moment he lunged, I reacted.

I propelled myself off the ground, flipping over him and landing on his back. He let out an earth-shaking bellow, thrashing violently, but I had trained for this moment. My fingers dug into the thick fur at the nape of his neck, holding on with a death grip. In my other hand, I clutched my knife.

I was trembling. Burning with fever. Fighting for my life.

Then pain.

His jaws clamped down on my right arm, teeth sinking deep. A tortured moan tore from my throat as my vision flickered. My breath hitched. My mind reeled.

One choice.

Kill or die.

Gritting my teeth, I shifted the knife to my left hand and drove it deep into the side of his neck, right into his carotid artery.

Merrick’s wolf let out a wretched, agonized howl, his body convulsing as blood erupted from the wound. He reared onto his hind legs in a desperate attempt to shake me off, but I yanked the knife free and tumbled to the ground just as he collapsed.

I scrambled backward, panting, watching in frozen horror as his life drained away. The blood pooled, staining the earth beneath him. His massive form convulsed, then began to shrink. When the last breath rattled from his throat, what remained was no longer a beast, but a lifeless human body.

I sat there, shaking, tears slipping silently down my face.

Then—

“Thalassa! Thalassa!”

A familiar voice broke through the haze.

Leif.

I turned, my eyes finding him as he sprinted toward me. He was back in his human form, his chest bare, clad only in a pair of sweatpants. He crouched beside me, his hands cupping my face, forcing me to look at him.

“Thalassa, thank God you’re alive!”

I blinked up at him, my lips parting as I whispered, “I killed him, Leif…” My voice trembled. “I took his life.”

Leif’s expression remained unreadable, his voice steady. “This is war, Thalassa.” His gaze didn’t waver. “And I’d rather see that bastard dead than you.”

I searched his face, wanting to understand how he could be so calm. I wanted to think like him. To accept it the way he did. But I wasn’t there yet. I was still drowning in the weight of what I had done.

“Come on, Thalassa.” Leif grasped my hands and pulled me to my feet. “We’ve almost won. It’s just Alpha Kenzo against Alpha Iskander now.”

His lips curled into something resembling a smirk.

“And the real show is about to begin.”