Chapter 183: The Red-Eyed Wolf Is Him!

Chapter 183: The Red-Eyed Wolf Is Him!
Zephyra's POV

Dashiell shrugged, seemingly unbothered by whether I knew his true feelings about Amara. "Amara understands she's nothing but a replacement. I couldn't exactly remain celibate for five years, of course. She helped satisfy my physical needs a few times, but she's always known she isn't who I really want."

I watched Amara's face fall despite her attempts to remain stoic. His words had cut deep, and I could see the pain flash across her features before she masked it with practiced indifference. What a bastard. I couldn't understand why she couldn't see through him.

"I already have a mate," I said firmly. "I don't know if Amara told you that."

Dashiell's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Oh, I know. But she also told me that once I mark you, his mark will disappear, and the bond between you two will be gone."

I couldn't help but laugh at his ignorance. "You can't mark me, Dashiell... you're not a werewolf."

"That's where you're wrong," he replied, his voice dropping to a growl that didn't sound human.

His green eyes began to change, turning blood red as black fur started sprouting from his skin. I watched in horror as his body contorted and transformed. Within a minute, a red-eyed wolf stood before me, emanating a foul, unnatural smell that made my stomach turn.

"Impossible," I whispered, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. This was the wolf Dominic had been searching for all along. The one who had been terrorizing our kind.

Dashiell shifted back to human form, his body as scarred as his face—half burned, half intact. Amara handed him some clothes, which he put on with casual indifference to his nakedness.

"Nothing is impossible, my love," he smiled, the endearment making my skin crawl.

"You see," he continued, "all those DNA samples I took from you were actually for experimenting on myself. Nothing happened at first, but I kept trying, wanting to merge my DNA with yours. It wasn't until the final year, just before Ophelia was born, that I succeeded. It was a triumph. I didn't tell the others—this was entirely my project. I wanted to be with you, and for that, I needed to become like you."

He paced slowly in front of me, clearly enjoying his moment of revelation. "At first, nothing happened. I couldn't shift or anything, and I thought it had failed. Until about a year ago, when I found out you were sleeping with that bastard. I got so angry that I shifted. That's when I realized why I had survived the fire and attack—your wolf DNA saved me."

I felt numb. My DNA had created this merciless killer. The thought was almost too much to bear. This was all my fault.

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "There's one thing I never understood. How did you know about werewolves in the first place? And why hunt other werewolves?"

Dashiell's eyes darkened. "I was eleven when I watched wolves kill my parents. Then those wolves turned into humans. I tried telling the police, but they thought it was PTSD and imagination. After all, werewolves don't exist." He laughed bitterly. "It got worse. I was sent to a mental institution. I didn't get out until I was sixteen. They tried convincing me werewolves weren't real, but I knew what I'd seen. Your kind is good at hiding in plain sight, I'll give you that. I thought all hope was lost until I saw you shift in the forest. I captured you, initially for revenge, but then things changed."

I realized Fiora had been right. My selfishness had led to Dashiell discovering our existence. If I hadn't insisted on running instead of driving, he wouldn't have had proof we existed.

I glanced at Amara, standing like a statue, as if Dashiell were her master rather than her mate.

Suddenly, wolf howls and commotion sounded in the distance. Relief washed over me—help was coming. Amara looked panicked, but Dashiell seemed unconcerned.

"You still haven't answered me about the other werewolves," I pressed. "If you wanted to be with me, why attack me that night?"

Dashiell shrugged. "It was fun. I enjoy the fear I invoke when they realize who I am. As for you, I wanted you to feel the terror I felt when I didn't know if I would survive... As for the others, it was amusing to mess with your head using those photos and notes. Amara found something that could mask our scents, so it was easy to slip in and out... You—"

Before he could finish, the door crashed open. Storm burst in, his eyes wild with murderous intent.

Dashiell shifted immediately and lunged. I struggled against my chains, but they wouldn't budge. The two wolves tore at each other, snarling and snapping. Dashiell managed to claw Storm, but the wound wasn't deep.

A minute later, Dashiell's agonized howl filled the room. Storm had torn a chunk from his abdomen, intestines spilling out. Dashiell shifted back to human form, clutching the massive wound in his stomach. Storm shifted too, revealing Noah.

Noah grabbed Dashiell by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"You really thought you could kidnap my mate and get away with it?" Noah growled, plunging his left hand through Dashiell's chest.

Dashiell gasped in shock, grunting in pain as Noah squeezed his heart. He was learning the hard way that killing an injured and frightened wolf was easy, but killing an Alpha was something else entirely.

As Noah began to withdraw his hand, Dashiell coughed blood. "If I can't have her, neither can you," he choked out, glancing at Amara.

Before I could process what was happening, I felt a needle pierce my skin. I instantly felt my insides begin to liquefy, my vision blurring. I watched Noah rip out Dashiell's heart and drop his lifeless body.

Noah turned and saw me, his face draining of color. He rushed toward me, shoving Amara aside. "No! No! No!" he kept whispering as he broke the chains.

I collapsed, but Noah caught me before I hit the ground.

"Zephyra, baby... hold on, please. Look at me." But I couldn't find the strength.

I knew what had happened. Amara had injected me with silver. It was killing me, spreading too fast—I knew we wouldn't make it to a hospital in time.

"I-I love you," I managed to say, my voice broken and wet with the blood rising in my throat. "Please t-take care of Ophelia. I-I love you both so m-much." It was getting harder to speak as blood filled my mouth.

Noah held me tightly against his chest, begging me to stay with him, but this time I had no choice.

As darkness began to call me, the last thing I saw was Noah's heartbroken face.