Chapter 62: Chapter-62

I was going to kill the bastard. I had always looked for a way to put Hartwell away, not to kill him, for in the back of my mind, I always thought that maybe, just maybe, he’d come clean with where I could find Kira’s remains. But now, there was no reason to keep the worthless piece of shit alive. Kira was alive. So, morals? Be damned. I’d killed my fucking brother, why should Hartwell receive different. He’d been a flea beneath my fur for far too long as it was.

The chase was on. The forest floor flew beneath my paws, my eyes locked on his retreating figure. Hartwell was fast, I’d give him that, but he was no match for the rage that fueled me. The bond between Elysia and I was like a homing beacon, guiding me, making me even faster, stronger. The night air was filled with the scent of his fear, and I reveled in it.

Hartwell would pay for touching what was mine..

The trees flew by in a blur, the sounds of his frantic retreat growing fainter, but I didn’t lose the trail. It led me deeper into the woods, to a place I hadn’t been in years. The stench grew stronger, and my gut tightened. I knew this place. It was where Hartwell had held Kira, where he had done whatever sick, twisted things had left her scarred, both inside and out.

As the cabin grew closer, the rage that had been building since Kira’s revelation reached a crescendo. I could almost taste Hartwell’s blood in the air, and my mouth watered in anticipation. The prophecy was a lie, a tool used by that monster to control us all…. I just wished Kira hadn’t believed his bullshit about it. And now, he was going to face the wrath of the wolf he’d wronged.

The cabin came into view, and I skidded to a stop, my eyes narrowing at the flickering light within. Hartwell had led me to another cabin. Led me into a trap, no doubt, but it was a risk I was willing to take. For Kira, for Elysia, for all the innocents he’d harmed, I’d rip Hartwell apart.

I crept closer, my nose to the ground, my senses heightened. I could hear his breathing, rapid and shallow, and the rustling inside the cabin as he no doubt set his trap. But I was ready for him. The moment I saw his shadowy outline through the crack in the cabin door, I struck.

My body collided with the wood, sending splinters flying into the night. Hartwell’s eyes, now in his human-form, widened in terror as I barreled into the room. He reached for something, anything, but I was faster. My teeth clamped down on his wrist, and I heard a satisfying crunch as his hand went slack.

He turned, snarling, and I saw the madness in his eyes. The prophecy had driven him over the edge. But it was too late for him to realize the truth now. The cabin was a tomb of his own making, and I was going to be his executioner.

I lunged, knocking him to the floor, my claws digging into his shoulders as I pinned him down. The scent of his fear was thick in the air, mixing with the stench of his sweat and desperation. His eyes searched mine, and in that moment, I knew he understood. This was the end for him.

He struggled, his body writhing beneath me, but I had him, and felt the warmth of his blood on my tongue.

With one last, brutal snap of my jaws, Hartwell’s struggling ceased.