Chapter 45 Paint The World Red

Chapter 45 Paint The World Red
There was no rest for the weary. Once Kian had instructed the perimeter to be on high alert in case of retaliation. He, his Gammas, and his Deltas had quickly helped the rest of the pack members by treating the injured and moving the dead. Those brave souls had fought to bitter end for him and their pack. They would not be forgotten.

When he stood under the stream of water alone in the shared bathroom, he tried not to think about it. He tried not to think about what waited for him there. He didn’t want to think about her lifeless body. He didn’t want to think about how she no longer was here for him to hold. He didn’t want to think about how his soul would continuously call for her even when he knew she wouldn’t come back.

He swallowed thickly as the first of his tears fell as he gave into the pain threatening to consume him. For years, he hadn’t felt her. For years, she had felt him. Yet now, it just felt strange not to feel her there. Their bond was only beginning to grow and they would never know the depths of it and what other gifts they would be blessed with.

She was gone. That feeling haunted him, because all he felt was emptiness.

Hollowness.

He never felt this alone before… until he woke up and felt nothing but absolute physical pain.

Poppy had sent a live link of the event to all known werewolves that had an electronic device. She shared the recording of the event with all the packs just to make sure they had witnessed what had happened today. She had hacked into the database and distributed it through the server that the World Council would utilize to make announcements to all known werewolves and packs.

He could at least be happy that the word would spread about the World Council’s sins and how he and his pack refused to bow down to their corruption. He would no longer be a pawn for them to use. He was his own wolf and he would lead his pack and the world against them.

Right now, he needed to prepare for the heart shattering inevitability of burying Raina. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. He wasn’t ready to ask questions on what had happened in his absence. What had happened that caused her death?

The grimness of what was in store for him was something he knew he wasn’t ready for. He knew he would be angry and there was high chance that the rogue kingdom would be bathed with blood. His eyes gazed down at the sigils carved his flesh. 

What have you done Jacqueline?

Was the cost worth it?

His hand curled into fist and he shouted as he slammed them down the tile of the shower wall, effectively shattering the tiles on impact. His eyes stared at the brokenness of the ceramic. Blood splattered over the surface until the water washed it away. Even water couldn’t let him wallow in his pain, it washed away the physical impact of his heart break. How can the world still carry like a light hadn’t gone out in the world?

Pressing his back against the wall, his back slid down the wall. His skin catching and nicking his flesh as he went. He felt the sting of the cuts and scratches, the burn of it set fire to his skin as the scolding heat of the water poured over him.

He looked at his hands, busted open and swollen. He watched in despair as the flesh started to stitch together. It made it seem so easy for the broken to be mended again. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing was going to fix a wound that could never heal.



His wolf continued at breakneck speed through the forest. Only a few trusted warriors trailed after him at a distance. This would shatter his sanity, but he had to see it for himself the truth. He had to know the truth, because it was eating him up inside.

He had tasted heaven. He had seen it. He had felt it.

And then it was torn from him.

Someone had ripped his heart of his chest and left him a broken wolf. Somebody needed to pay for it. His blood thirst for revenge had already begun at the expense of Octavius. He had watched Mia shatter soaked in her brother’s blood and it didn’t sate him.

Only one person could soothe his vengeful spirit now and she was gone. Blood would soak the ground until he took his last breath. It was a vow that he tied his fate to. He would get answers and he would make the world pay for the injustice.

The rogue wolves didn’t even bother him. Maybe they sensed he reeked of danger and blood thirst. Maybe his aura was a threat, a warning that was just a glaring red flag to those to not interfere. He continued on, punishing his body for not being where he should’ve been. He should’ve been right by her side.

Fuck the World Council. 

Fuck the expectations and the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Nobody welcomed him like last time. Nobody stopped him either. The royal guard lined the entrance way, but they were held at bay. He could sense their fear and anticipation. They knew he would ruin the kingdom they built in the wake of a deranged wolf.

He transformed back into his human form. He didn’t even bother to put on his clothes. Why bother? He walked through the castle until he found Luna Jacqueline and Alpha Mack sitting on their thrones with both Betas standing by either side of them. His fingers were still in mid transformation with claws as nails.

Sebastian quickly rushed forward to stop him. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was also his best friend, he would’ve shoved him aside for his recklessness.

“Is this smart of you?” Kian growled at him. “Have you abandoned your position as my Beta to align with them?”

His Beta shook his head. “Of course not, but you need to listen.”

“I’ll listen.” His eyes flashed. “And then I’ll slaughter everyone here. Does that please you?”

“She wouldn’t want you to that, Kian. You know she wouldn’t.”

He saw red at that. His anger raged to the front. “She’s dead! She’s no longer here! It doesn’t matter anymore!” He glanced to the side to see Meri standing there. “Where were you?”

Meri shuddered as his intense aura forced her to submit. Sebastian tried to stop Kian when he rushed at her. Meri didn’t even bother fighting him off as his hand wrapped around her throat and lifted her in the air.

“I trusted you to protect her!” he shouted at her as she started to struggle against him. Sebastian tried to fight him off, but he refused to stop choking her. He wanted her face to be blue. “You allowed this to happen--”

A large black wolf pounced on him, catching him off guard and sending all of them to the ground. Kian tried to grab at Meri again as Sebastian quickly shielded her from him. The wolf sank their teeth into his forearm and dragged him away from both Meri and Sebastian.

He immediately turned his attention on the wolf and he punched the wolf in his face, causing the wolf to lose grip on him. He immediately transformed into his own wolf. Both he and the black wolf circled around one another, sizing each other up. The black wolf was large and very familiar, but he didn’t care anymore or question why Samson would interfere with his own affair. He wanted blood tonight and he wanted it now.

Soon, they were rushing at each other. He was bigger and stronger by nature. It didn’t take long before the black wolf to begin to falter. He saw his window of opportunity — a weakness that would cost Samson his life. As he went in for the kill, Meri threw herself in front of the black wolf, covering his body with hers.

“No!” she cried out. “Hurt me,” she sobbed. “Please, Alpha. Hurt me. Kill me. Not him. Please not him.”

He froze, staring at Meri as she shattered before him as she continued to protect Samson. It broke his blood thirst, because he saw the same heartbreaking pain in her voice and body. He recognized it… and it all made sense.

He howled until he transformed back into his human form, shouting in his anger and pain. He slammed his fists down on the floor, leaving deep cracks in the surface.

“She’s not dead,” Jacqueline’s voice pierced through the air like a lightening strike.

Everyone froze at those words. All eyes snapped to her including his. The entire world seemed to stop. Mack even looked shocked at her statement. Jacqueline scanned the hall and she rose from her throne. Mack immediately followed her as she walked over to where Kian still kneeled on the ground.

She kneeled down in front of him. Mack warily stood watch, ready to protect her if all went wrong.

“She’s very brave,” she told Kian. “She did put her life on the line in order to complete a very powerful but lethal spell if it couldn’t be completed.”

Kian frowned. His heart clenched at that. “Why? Why would she--”

“You,” she told him simply. “She didn’t want to be the reason for your downfall. She didn’t want to be used in order to shackle you. She made a difficult decision to make sure that the ones that want to control you could never control you through her.”

His eyes widened in realization. “The World Council.”

She nodded her head. His heart raced. But why couldn’t he feel her? If she truly was still alive, where was she? Why did everyone else seem like they thought she had died too? Had Jacqueline kept this from everyone? Why would she have done that?

“Did it give you enough incentive to take care of business?” she asked him, giving him a sad smile.

His eyes narrowed for a moment. “You purposely wanted me to think she died?”

“I wanted you to know what you’d lose if they had won,” she told him simply with a shrug. “If you don’t live up to your fate, everything will perish including Raina. It’s time you become everything you were meant to become, but that’s for another time to discuss.”

She rose to her feet, looking down at him. There had always been this mysterious aura about her. She was like a sword, two edges of a blade. She wasn’t sweet nor was she forgiving either. She was akin to a weapon than a flower and he respected her for it.

“She made it through the night,” she told him. “But she and I both agreed it was best to keep it from you and everyone else.”

His breathing became ragged at the frustration building up in him. Raina actually agreed to making him feel like she died? Why had she allowed that to happen?

“Well, she hadn’t quite understood that it would make you think she died,” she confessed with a smirk. “But it was necessary.”

“Why?”

Her hand did a movement and it struck him. The impact of it crippled him for a moment. The intense pleasure burned through his veins and he sucked in a breath as he tried to think clearly. Fuck, she was in heat. Even though, he was getting turned on in the middle of the fucking throne room, he didn’t care one bit, because he could feel her again.

She was alive.

She was fucking alive.

That was all that mattered.