Chapter 146

Chapter 146
Autumn’s POV

The air was heavy with the stench of blood and smoke. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst through my chest. Rogues surrounded us, and Agatha’s cruel laughter still rang in my ears. The brothers tried to stand strong, but I could see it. The powder the rogues had thrown earlier was still weakening them. Their claws were slower, their movements less sharp. They weren’t at their best.

I knew it. If we didn’t find a way to buy time, they would all fall. And I couldn’t let that happen.

So I stepped forward. My voice came out strong even though fear clawed at me inside. “Agatha! Why are you laughing as if you already won? You’re nothing but a pawn. You don’t even have the courage to face me on your own.”

She sneered, her eyes glittering with arrogance. “You’re the one who should be scared, Autumn. You don’t deserve to even breathe the same air as me. And you think you can challenge my leader? You’re not even close to his level.”

I clenched my fists. My silver wolf stirred inside me, restless, begging to fight. But I couldn’t just rush blindly. No. I needed to distract them. 

“Then let your so-called leader step out of the shadows,” I said, raising my voice. “Why hide under a mask like a coward? If he’s truly powerful, let him show his face!”

The brothers glanced at me, their faces pale, their eyes flickering with shock. I knew they understood my plan. I was trying to stall. To give them a chance to recover from the neutralizing powder. But still, I felt their silent fear, because provoking a leader whose ability I didn't know like that was dangerous.

Agatha burst into laughter, clapping her hands together as if I had just told a joke. “You think you deserve to see his face? Someone like you? You’re not even worthy of standing in his presence, let alone—”

“Enough,” a deep voice cut her off.

The sound sent a shiver through me. The leader finally stepped forward. His movements were calm, deliberate, as if he already owned everything around him. The mask covered his face, hiding his identity, but his aura alone was terrifying.

“You are bold, Autumn,” he said, his voice echoing in the night. “Very bold. Since you’re so desperate to see me, and since I am about to win this war, I will grant you that wish.”

His voice sounded so familiar to me and even his structure. My heart hammered as his hand reached up. Slowly, he removed the mask. And what I saw froze my entire body.

The brothers gasped in unison, their eyes wide with horror. It was him.

The former Alpha. The man who had adopted me. The one who had raised me like his own. The older brother of the alphas. The one who was supposed to be dead.

“No…” I whispered, my throat tight. “This… this isn’t possible…”

Agatha’s laughter died instantly. Her eyes widened, her lips trembling. “You—you tricked me? All this time... you were supposed to be dead! Why did you lie to me?”

Her voice cracked with anger and disbelief, but before she could say another word, he swung his hand and struck her hard. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

“How noisy. I've helped her for a long time and now she's mad just because I didn't tell her my identity. How stupid.”

I flinched. My chest ached. I didn’t know what to feel. Was it fear, betrayal, confusion or sadness? Everything was a storm inside me. My adoptive dad was alive all along? 

“You…” Adonis’s voice shook as he stepped forward, his fists clenched tight. “Why? Why would you do this to us? You were our brother! You raised us!”

He smirked coldly. “Shut up. I am not your brother. The man you knew... the one you called Alpha. That was not me.”

Knox’s eyes darkened. “What are you saying?”

The leader’s expression twisted with bitterness. “I am his twin. His forgotten half. He lived in luxury, adored and loved by all, while I was thrown away like garbage. Do you know what it feels like to starve while your brother feasts? To suffer while your twin is praised? I endured it all thinking I didn't have any family but I was wrong. And when I finally found him, I poisoned him. He died because of me. That man was never your Alpha, it was me, all along. The real one. The one you all should have served.”

His words cut through the air like knives. I felt sick. My knees trembled. He killed his own twin… the man who was the Alpha, the one who raised me. That man was gone... murdered by the one standing in front of me.

“You…” my voice cracked, but I forced myself to stay strong. “You could have told them. You could have told your brothers the truth. But instead, you chose murder. You chose lies. You chose to build an empire on blood. Do you really think that makes you worthy?”

His eyes snapped to me, blazing with fury. “Shut your mouth! You know nothing of my suffering! Nothing!”

I met his glare, my heart racing. “You’re just using your pain as an excuse. You’ve killed countless people. You betrayed the only family you had. Whatever you suffered in the past, it does not justify this. It never will.”

“Autumn…” Dante’s voice was low, warning, but I didn’t stop.

I kept provoking him because I saw something—movement in the distance. It was George. He was coming. Somehow, he had survived, and he was approaching quietly from behind.

I had to keep the leader distracted.

“You act as if you are a victim,” I said, my voice sharp, “but you are nothing more than a monster. The moment you killed your brother, you became worse than those who abandoned you. You don’t deserve pity. You deserve nothing but punishment.”

He roared, his fury shaking the ground. “I was the victim! I was the one robbed of my life! And you—” he pointed at me, his hands trembling with rage, “you dare stand there and judge me?”

Before I could reply, the brothers’ anger exploded.

“You evil bastard!” Knox shouted, his eyes glowing as his claws shot out. “You killed our brother! You murdered him! Do you think we’ll ever forgive that?”

Adonis growled, his body shaking with fury. “You’ll pay for this with your life!”

Dante lunged forward, his teeth bared. “You are no brother of mine!”

They attacked him together, their rage fueling them. But even weakened, he was powerful. His strikes were brutal, his claws tearing through their defenses. One by one, he pushed them back, knocking them to the ground. Blood dripped from their wounds, their bodies struggling to keep up.

I couldn’t just stand there. I couldn’t let him kill them.

With a snarl, I shifted into my silver wolf and leapt at him. My claws slashed across his chest, my fangs sinking into his shoulder. He roared, slamming me to the ground, but I forced myself back up. We clashed again, my power against his, both of us refusing to yield.

But I was getting tired. My body screamed with pain. Every movement felt heavier. Still, I couldn’t stop. Because if I stopped, everyone would die. Then it happened. Just as he raised his claws to strike me down, a blade tore through his back.

He froze, his eyes wide with shock. Blood poured down his body. He staggered, turning slowly. George stood there, his dagger dripping with blood, his eyes blazing with fury.

“You picked the wrong family to mess with,” George said coldly.

The leader staggered, his strength finally faltering. His men looked shocked, panicking as George’s reinforcements surged into the courtyard. They fought with deadly precision, cutting through the rogues one by one.

The battle turned quickly. The rogues lost. The survivors were captured, bound in chains, dragged toward the prison. Agatha, still weak and unconscious, was seized too, her body limp as they pulled her away.

The leader collapsed, his eyes dimming with rage and disbelief.

And me… I couldn’t hold on anymore. My body was shaking, my wolf exhausted, my vision blurring. The last thing I saw was George’s face moving toward me, his lips parting to call my name.

Then everything went dark.