Chapter 91 – Vows of Blood

Chapter 91 – Vows of Blood
Kori froze where she sat, her body trembling at the sheer force of Zeus’s roar. It wasn’t just sound—it was power, ancient and primal, echoing through the very walls of the farmhouse. Her skin prickled, gooseflesh rising as if every nerve inside her body had been struck like a live wire.

For one heartbeat, fear seized her chest. Not of Jared—never of him—but of the sheer savagery she had witnessed. The raw fury in his voice, the burning glow in his eyes… it was the kind of rage that promised devastation.

And yet, that same fear was quickly smothered beneath something else. Relief. Relief so sharp it brought tears to her eyes. Because beneath the fury, beneath the violent promise of blood and retribution, was something unmistakable.

Possession.
Protection.
A vow.

Jared—Zeus—wasn’t raging at her. He was raging for her. For Megan. For Carter. For the family they had somehow built within these walls.

Her lips parted, a shaky breath slipping free as she pressed a trembling hand against her chest, trying to steady the racing thud of her heart. The memory of Matt’s claws, of his feral eyes and twisted words, still clung to her like poison—but now it was being burned away by the fire of Jared’s wrath.

She dared to lift her gaze to him. He was pacing like a caged beast, golden light flickering dangerously in his eyes, his chest rising and falling in sharp bursts as he fought for control. And yet, even through the chaos of his fury, his gaze found hers. Locked with hers.

And in that moment, Kori knew one thing with absolute certainty.

Matt would never touch her again. Megan would never be handed to Alaric. Not while Jared lived. Not while Zeus drew breath.

Her throat caught, words trembling on her lips though she hadn’t realized she meant to speak. “Jared…” Her voice wavered, breaking through the storm that seemed to ripple off him in waves.

It was barely a whisper, but it was enough. His head turned sharply at the sound, the golden glow in his eyes dimming just enough for her to see the man beneath the beast. His chest still heaved with the force of his anger, every muscle taut and trembling with restraint, but he was listening. He was with her.

Kori swallowed hard, her lips trembling as if to say more, but the words stuck in her throat. She didn’t know how to soothe this kind of rage, didn’t know how to reach through the wall of fury that had erupted between them and everything else in the world. But she didn’t have to—his gaze never left hers, as though she were the only tether keeping him from tearing apart the farmhouse with his bare hands.

From the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Frank, who had stood silent and stone-faced since her revelation, shifted his weight. His expression was unreadable, though she thought she saw grief flash across his eyes before it was hidden again.

“I’ll… check on the children,” he murmured, his voice low, gravelly, as though burdened with more than just concern. Without waiting for a response, he turned and slipped from the room, his footsteps fading down the hall.

Kori’s heart clenched. Megan. Carter. She hated that they might have heard even pieces of what she’d said, hated that her past had painted a target on both of them. But at least Frank would keep them safe. 

The silence that followed his departure pressed down heavy and suffocating. It was just her and Jared now, and the bond between them thrummed like a live wire, his fury pulling against her fear, her fear steadying against his fury.

He stood at the center of the room like a predator caged, his hands fisted at his sides, jaw locked tight enough she could almost hear the grind of his teeth. And still, his eyes—those burning eyes—were on her.

“Jared,” she whispered again, softer this time, her hand pressing against her chest as though to ease the ache inside. “You can’t lose yourself to this.”

For the first time since Zeus’s roar had split the air, she saw his throat work as he swallowed, saw the faintest tremor of restraint ripple through him. But it wasn’t enough. She could feel it—his rage wasn’t done yet.

Kori rose slowly from her chair, her legs trembling beneath her as if they didn’t quite belong to her. Every instinct screamed at her to stay still, to not provoke the predator pacing just beneath Jared’s skin. But she couldn’t—not when she felt the storm threatening to consume him.

Her bare feet padded softly across the floor. Each step drew his gaze tighter to her, the gold still blazing in his eyes, the barely restrained power rolling off him in crashing waves. She stopped just in front of him, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body, the vibration of Zeus fighting to remain in control.

“Look at me, Jared,” she whispered.

He didn’t move. His fists remained clenched, shoulders drawn tight, his chest rising and falling like he was preparing to strike.

So she did the only thing she could—she reached up. Her hand brushed against his cheek, tentative at first, then firmer when his head tilted ever so slightly into her touch. His skin was hot, fevered almost, but beneath the wildness in his gaze, she saw it—her mate.

“You’re not alone in this,” she said, her voice steadier now. “I’m here. Megan, Carter—we’re all here. You can’t let the rage decide for you. You decide. Always you.”

A guttural sound rumbled from his throat, low and dangerous, but his body swayed toward her, just enough to feel like progress. She pressed her other hand to his chest, right above the frantic beat of his heart, grounding him with her presence.

For a long moment, nothing else existed. Just her breath mingling with his, her touch against his skin, the bond between them straining and pulling, demanding he choose her over the fury clawing at him.

Then, finally, the glow in his eyes dimmed, the tension in his body easing though it never fully disappeared. He exhaled hard, like he’d been holding back the world itself, and dipped his head so his forehead rested against hers.

“You steady me,” he murmured, voice rough, nearly unrecognizable.

“And I always will,” she promised.

He lingered there for a heartbeat longer before straightening, the Alpha sliding back into place as his beast receded to the shadows. When he turned toward the door, his expression was carved from stone, resolute and deadly.

“Sam,” he barked, his voice echoing like a command sent through the very bones of the farmhouse. “Summon the warriors. Every one of them. This ends now—before he can hurt her, or any of them, again.”

The words hung heavy in the air, final and unyielding. War was no longer a possibility. It was a certainty.