Chapter 79 THE FLASHBACK YOU DESERVE

Chapter 79 THE FLASHBACK YOU DESERVE
XAVIER'S POV

FLASHBACK

Kaiden stepped toward me, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he reached into his jacket, stuffed his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a folded piece of yellow parchment sealed with unbranded wax.

He thrust it toward me, pressing it firmly into my palm.
I tried to pull my hand back, but Kaiden’s grip tightened instantly, locking my fingers in place. Before I could yank away, he deftly tucked another smaller, crumpled scrap of paper directly behind the yellow parchment, his thumb pressing it hard into my skin.

He released me, taking a smooth step back.

I broke the unbranded wax, unfolding the yellow parchment with measured slowness. As I stared at the content and read it, every ounce of the bone in my body froze.

The words burned into my retinas:
“The only way to have the Northwood pack in our control is by making sure Xavier is too devastated to fight his dethronement. If his spirit is broken, the elders will sweep him aside without a single drop of blood. So, I will need you to complete the task you left unfinished during the trial. Kill Avrielle.”

A sharp, high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears. The blood drained from my face, replaced by a sudden, suffocating heat that roared through my chest. They were coming for her. They were going to slaughter Avrielle just to snap my spine.

No... I couldn't let them touch her. I had to rip them apart. I had to save Avrielle.

My pulse hammered wildly against my ribs, vision blurring at the edges as my wolf clawed at the surface, ready to tear this office into red ribbons.

Then, my fingers brushed against the second slip of paper hiding beneath the parchment.

The physical touch grounded me. I turned the paper, and only then did I remember Kaiden stuffing that second note into my hand. Keeping my face as rigid as stone, I pulled it open and read the rushed, frantic scrawl:

"We are being watched. I can't mindlink you because a seal was placed on me and Malphas can hear my thought so I can't even think of anything at the moment. The letter is false he is just trying to draw you out. Their real plan is to steal the throne and kill you on the altar. Don't react Adrian's men are in here watching."

The sharp ring in my ears vanished, replaced by the ice-cold reality of the trap laid before me.

Avrielle was safe. The murder threat was bait designed to make me act recklessly, to make me abandon my guard and run straight into their waiting blades on the altar.

I swallowed, forcing my muscles to relax, forcing the fury in my eyes to dim into mere quiet shock.

I almost scoffed internally. Did they really think they could end me? Did they truly believe a cheap psychological trick and a few hidden blades were enough to dismantle everything I was? Such vile thoughts. Stupid wolves.

I slowly folded both paper back along its original creases, keeping my hands perfectly steady, and looked up to meet Kaiden’s eyes.

"Who was stationed at the western borders when you received the letter?" I asked, my voice smooth, quiet, and absolutely lethal.

Kaiden immediately waved a dismissive hand, his voice rising slightly in a hurried, defensive pitch. "Not to worry, Alpha. I made absolutely sure no one saw me while I intercepted the courier. I handled it personally."

I stared at him. My eyes mapped every line of his face, the slight sweat glistening near his temple, the way his shoulders were hunched slightly forward as if he were waiting for a blow.

"Who was there, Kaiden?" I asked again, my tone dropping into a stern, unyielding growl that demanded submission.

Kaiden swallowed, his throat bobbing as he took a half-step back, a nervous, defensive chuckle escaping his lips. "What... what's wrong, Xavier? You're... you're doubting me now?" He stuttered, his fingers twitching against his thighs.

A faint, cold smile touched the corners of my mouth, though my eyes remained completely dead. "Not at all, my friend. It's just... we have discussed far more deadly things, far greater secrets, right in my private bedchambers. Yet, today, you insisted on mindlinking me to meet in this specific office. Why the sudden need for a formal venue?"

Kaiden let out a quick, nervous breath, his eyes darting toward the heavy velvet drapes of the window before returning to mine. "It's just... I do not think your chambers are safe anymore, Xavier. Not after the spectacular show the council put on today. If they were bold enough to call for your dethronement in the public hall, who is to say they haven't already planted listening devices or paid off the domestic staff? What if there are spies surrounding you right now?"

I nodded slowly, tapping my fingers against the folded parchment on my desk. "Right. A very logical assumption."

I leaned back in my chair, my eyes locking onto his with an intensity that made Thorne growl in the back of my mind. "Tell me, Kaiden... did you read the letter before you brought it to me?"

Kaiden shook his head immediately, his jaw tightening. "No."

My eyebrows rose slightly. "Why?" I let out a low, quiet chuckle that lacked any real warmth. "You normally check the content of every single piece of correspondence intercepted at the border before it ever reaches my desk. You've done it for years, Kaiden. You always say it's to ensure the paper isn't laced with contacts, traps, or miniature explosive seals. What... you don't care about your brother's safety anymore?"

Kaiden laughed, a dry, awkward sound that died instantly in the quiet room.

He rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze shifting away from mine. "Of course not, Xavier. It's not that at all. I was just... I was in an incredible hurry to get it to you, and in my rush, I completely forgot to verify the contents myself. The pack’s current problems... the instability... it's beginning to take a serious toll on me. My head is a bit of a mess."

"Right," I said softly, my heart dropping another inch into the dark abyss. "You should get some rest, Kaiden. Truly. You can leave this with me; I will solve the problem."

Kaiden nodded, his shoulders visibly sagging with relief as he bowed his head once more. "Thank you, Alpha." He turned on his heel, his boots taking two rapid steps toward the door.

"Kaiden," I called out.

He stopped dead in his tracks. His back went completely rigid, his hands clenching into fists at his sides before he slowly turned around to face me again, his expression carefully guarded. "Yes, Alpha?"

I picked up the folded letter, turning it over in my palm. "The content of the letter... it says it's either Avrielle's head on a platter, or my throne."

Kaiden swallowed, his face turning a shade paler in the dim light of the study.

He took a hesitant step back toward the desk, his voice trembling slightly. "What... why would he say that? Why would Malphas put you in such a corner?"

He paused, his eyes searching my face with a frantic, desperate intensity. "Are you... are you going to give up Avrielle to save your crown, Xavier?"

I shook my head slowly, my eyes never leaving his face. "I don't know, Kaiden. I truly don't. But I know I will figure a way out of this... as long as you're here with me. As long as my brother, my best friend, is willing to stand and fight by my side."

Kaiden’s throat cleared with a rough, dry sound. He forced a small, tight smile onto his lips, though his fingers were fidgeting frantically behind his back, out of my direct line of sight. "You know I've always got your back, Xavier. Always."

I stared at him, my eyes narrowing just a fraction as the silence returned, heavier and colder than before.

"You will never betray me, right, Kaiden? No matter what they offer you? No matter the cost?"

Kaiden swallowed hard, his gaze completely avoiding mine now as he looked down at the dark grain of the desk, his fingers twitching against his trousers.

"Never, Xavier. I'll never betray you, no matter the cost."

I sat in the high-backed chair, my hands resting flat on the cold wood, and stared at the man who had been my shield, my confidant, and my brother-in-arms since childhood, before I even dated to take the alpha mark.

My heart was breaking. It was cracking into a thousand jagged, silent pieces, the pain so intense I could barely breathe.

He was lying.

I swallowed and stared at him. "You can leave."

Kaiden bowed and walked out.

I stood completely frozen behind my desk, my fingers slowly curling into tight, bloodless fists. I ran a trembling hand through my dark hair, gripping the strands at the crown of my head as a sharp, agonizing squeeze seized my chest.

Kaiden.

The name felt like a mouthful of broken glass.

My own Beta. My brother in everything but blood.

We had crawled through the mud of the southern trenches together; we had sworn an oath of blood and iron to stand back-to-back until the goddess reclaimed our souls. I had trusted him with the keys to my kingdom, with the security of my pack, and with the fragile life of the only woman I had ever loved.

And he was betraying me.

“Why?” I whispered to the empty room, the word cracking in my throat. “Why, Kaiden?!”

The lack of an answer only fueled the terrifying, boiling storm rising from the dark corners of my soul.

Thorne was howling in my head, a feral, injured sound that demanded blood, demanded a hunt, demanded the head of the traitor who had dared to make Kaiden lie to our face.

My arm swept across the desk, the crystal inkwell, the leather-bound ledgers, and the folded parchment of Malphas’s letter—everything went flying across the room, smashing violently against the walls and shattering into a thousand useless pieces.

Just then I noticed movement behind the cabin. They were really watching me. It was time to give them a good show to watch.

I leaned forward, slamming both my palms flat against the edge of the desk.

I gripped the thick, solid wood, my claws tearing through my skin and sinking deep into it. I squeezed, my muscles locking, the raw physical power of my wolf flooding my veins until I heard a loud, groaning protest from the timber.

With a sharp, splintering crack, the corner of the desk snapped off in my grip, crumbling into splinters and dust under the pressure of my hands.

I let go of the ruined wood, chest heaving, and slowly stood up straight.

A cold, hollow laugh bubbled up from my throat—a dry, hysterical sound that echoed off the walls of my ruined office.

“Kaiden…” I muttered, wiping a hand across my mouth as the laughter died, leaving my face completely dead.

“Our brotherhood… it ends here. It ends today. I will deal with you, traitor. I will make you pay for every single word you whispered in this room. But first… I have to make sure she is safe.”

A smile grazed my lip as I walked out. That should be enough bait.

FLASHBACK ENDS