Chapter 52

"You've made me angry, dear sister-in-law," he said as he walked towards me. "You know what? Get out of my house, and I'll let you live," I said, propping myself up on my elbows. "I was going to tell you a story," he said, gripping my shoulders tightly, causing me pain. He lifted me in the air and threw me down the hallway towards my room. "Where shall we begin..."

My face hit the carpet, and I placed my hands on it, trying to get up, but a blow struck my ribs. "We shall begin with a king and queen, werewolves, of course," he said, turning me over, leaving his face just a few feet away. "The king and queen were happy, very happy, but there was a problem in their perfect life: the forest that surrounded their territory, a place inhabited by rogues.

"King Joseph and Queen Clarise, your now husband's parents and mate. The king, in a war on rogue territory, was gravely injured. All the warriors returned home unaware that the king was not among them. My body was in a state of rest, and the adrenaline that once flowed through me no longer did. The pain was subsiding gradually. All I could focus on was keeping him talking.

"They brought the terrible news to the queen that the king had died in combat. The queen sank into such deep sorrow that it is said even the sky wept with her. The injured king found refuge in the arms of an exiled woman who belonged to the rogues." His face displayed the bitterness he felt as he spoke those words.

"The king slept with the woman during his recovery, fully aware of who she was and where she belonged. Later, when the king was completely healed and ready to return to his beloved wife's arms, he didn't care about leaving a child fatherless, let alone what they would do to the woman for lying with the king." In his sudden burst of anger, he walked towards my room and kicked the door down with a single blow.

I knew he was talking about Dalton's parents, but I never imagined that the king could do such a thing, as one of the things you vow to your mate when you join the moon is fidelity. I dragged my body while Dominic was still turned away.

"You know what's worst? Upon returning home, the king was received with cheers and feasting, while the woman who served as his plaything was left forgotten like an old rag, along with the child. Sometime later, the illegitimate child was born, but no one knew because they were celebrating the great news that King Joseph and Queen Clarise were expecting a male heir." He said all this, staring fixedly at the door without moving.

During the entire time he took with his words, I crawled to what remained of the staircase railing. The pain in my abdomen prevented me from standing up. I placed my hand on my abdomen, and when I saw it, the tips of my fingers were covered in fresh blood.

"The prince was born and named Dalton, the sole heir to the throne, the sole heir of the pack. Unfortunately, eight years after the prince's birth, the palace was attacked, and only the king and queen were killed." He said, watching me as I tried to get up. "He stole everything from me. He stole my throne, he stole my father, HE STOLE WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY HOME!" He struck my cheek so hard that I fell over the staircase railing for the third time.

I landed face-first on the floor. I couldn't take it anymore. I turned over to look up at the ceiling. I heard Dominic's footsteps on the stairs.

"And you know what's best?" he asked as he approached me. "I'm going to make him pay with what he loves the most." His face began to transform.

But I closed my eyes, not before hearing a blow on the door.

DALTON

I pushed open the apartment door and saw a hallway. There was destruction all around, but that wasn't what angered me. It was Blair lying on the floor with someone transforming over her.

I growled and transformed faster than I ever had in my life. I ran towards the wolf and lunged at him, biting wherever I first made contact. I kept striking him, forcing him away from her. The wolf was gray with shades of gray, his fur and mine were opposites; mine was pure white.

I bared my teeth and ran towards him, just as he ran towards me. I leaped on my hind legs and caught him with my front ones, biting whatever I could reach. He struggled to free himself from my grip.

I let him go, and he made a sound like a run-over dog, which only made me angrier, so I pounced on him again, this time on his back, biting there and slashing at his face with my claws. I wanted to tear him apart, that's what I wanted to do. He turned around and bit my snout. I recoiled, but then I lunged at him again, ready to bite.

I stood on my hind legs and slowly extended my claws, and he did the same. He was smaller and thinner than me when standing. I swiped at the air as he backed away and lunged at my arm, his fangs sinking into my skin. With my free arm, I dug my claws into his back and slashed his skin from his shoulder blades to his hip until he let go. Blood dripped from his back, my arm hurt, but not enough to let this wretch live.

I lunged at him, and his body slammed into the wall. I swung my arm to strike him in the face; my first attack landed on his eyes, the next on his snout. He squirmed frantically and tried to bite me. He threw me off, but before he could hit me with anything, I dug my claws into the ground to stop myself.

I pull my claws out of the wooden floor and compose myself again. He runs towards me, hitting me and grabbing me by the waist, but before he can bite me, I sink my teeth into his neck, making sure to dig them deep into his flesh. His grip loosens, and he falls to the ground, howling in desperation and clutching his wound. The idiot is going to die; an alpha's venom is stronger than anything.

I transform and run towards Blair. Gwen is kneeling by her side, holding her face and talking to her. I reach Gwen and remove her. Blair's face is bruised with blows, and covered in blood, her eyes are barely visible, and her lips are destroyed.

"My love, it's me," I gently hold her face. My love, my queen, you're safe with me now. Those cursed bastards who did this to you will pay.

A tear slides down her cheek.

"I'm here, nothing can hurt you anymore," I embrace her lifeless body. "Please, my love, you're a warrior, you've made it this far, don't leave me now."

I don't want her to leave me; she is my world. I lost her once, and I won't let it happen again. I've come this far; please, Luna, let her stay with me.

"E...r...o...s," she murmurs something I don't understand.

"What?"

"Eros," Gwen says. "Where is Blair?"

Blair grabs my shirt and clenches it. She wants me to find him. If those scumbags did something to him, I'll kill them. I carefully place Blair's body back on the ground and notice a small green blanket on one of the sofas.

"Call an ambulance, Gwen."

The guy is convulsing on the ground, but I don't care. I step over him, making sure to trample him. I take the blanket and bring it to my nose; it will help me find him. A scent, indescribable but unmistakably that of a baby, fills my nostrils.

The smell is strange, but I still follow the trail upstairs. Upstairs, everything is worse. The wall is fractured, and the staircase has railings only in some parts, and that only infuriates me more for not having arrived earlier, for being enough of a bastard to get involved with Elsa. I want to tear those guys apart and make them beg not to be born.

One room's door is broken, but another one is intact. I hear a muffled whimper, like a cry. In this part of the house, the scent is stronger, but not enough to pinpoint exactly where it's coming from.

I open the intact door and reveal a nursery. The whimper is louder here, and without knowing why, I look down at my feet. The carpet is bunched up; he must be here. I move the carpet out of my way and see a small opening. Now I'm more certain than ever.

It's my child. I mean, my pup. I rip off the floor's cover, and I can see a small bundle in blue. He's crying; those cries break my soul. I pick him up gently, and instantly his tiny hands grasp one of my fingers. My pup.

For all that, my child has been through. I press him against my chest, and it's the most rewarding feeling in the world because he stops crying and sighs. His eyes are closed, but he keeps sighing. His little body trembles with each sigh.

I walk downstairs with him and approach Blair.

"He's beautiful, Blair," I hold Blair's hand, and she looks at both of us.

I squeeze Blair's hand to let her know that I'm here with her and that I'll never leave her side, never. To separate me from my family, it'll have to be over my dead body.

That makes my tears fall; now I'm complete, complete as I've never been before.

The storm is over; this is my rainbow after the storm.