Chapter 118 Chapter 118

Chapter 118 Chapter 118
Logan

My paws harshly thudded the ground as I chased the Lycan swiftly running ahead of me into the woods. He'd badly tortured one of my pack members; her scream had woken up the entire pack. 

I kept my eyes trained on him as our grunts echoed through the forest, neither of us relenting in the chase. He was the mastermind behind all the attacks, which was much obvious from the way he's wordlessly been commanding the other Lycan rogues.

He took a turn and I immediately followed, realizing he was very familiar with the woods. The earth moved under my paws as I hurled myself over the logs scattered around the forest. He ran in the direction of a narrow path but ended up taking another at the last minute.

Fuck.

My paws dragged across the ground as I immediately headed in the direction he'd taken. I was a second too late. I came to a halt, scanning the small area before me; it was almost like he'd vanished.

I zoned in on my hearing abilities, trying to pick up even the faintest movement. There was none. My wolf stepped back, bracing to head back to the pack. Just then a figure stepped out from behind a boulder. And it wasn't in wolf form.

I immediately shifted, keeping my eye fixed on him. He had long dark hair and bronze colored skin, but what stood out the most was how vaguely familiar he looked. As though he was following my line of thought, a humorless laugh escaped him.

“Finally nice to meet you… brother.”

The blood in my lungs froze. Brother? I narrowed my eyes, staring at him again in search of something I must have missed. I had no siblings, I was sure of that. 

There had to be an explanation for why he was claiming to be my brother.

Letting out a bored sigh, he leaned against the boulder and folded his arms across his chest. “You're making this reunion dry on all accounts, Logan.” He tsked. “I had my suspicions that you'd been kept in the dark but to actually be right about that…”

He tilted his head in pity.

I was tired of his games.

“Who the hell are you and why have you been attacking Iron Fang?” My voice boomed across the forest. Realizing I was only a second away from turning the situation to something else, he straightened, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Dorian Draven,” he introduced through gritted teeth. “Though I don't expect the name to ring a bell. Your dearest father had an affair with my mother when he visited her pack - Blood moon pack - for a treaty.” 

Surprise rippled through me. He laughed at the expression on my face. “I guess our dear father forgot to mention that little bit of information.” His hands fisted by his sides. “My mother traveled down here to inform him she was pregnant with me and guess what our dear father instructed  her to do?”

The wheels in my head were turning.

“Meet with a seer for a potion to wipe out the pregnancy, because your mother had just announced her pregnancy at time too.” He pushed his hair away from his eyes. “My mother decided to keep me instead, and we had to stay in the shadows while your cute little family got to be in the spotlight. Not anymore.”

I mirrored his stance. “What do you want?”

He took a step forward. “I’m glad you asked.” A hostile expression twisted his features. “For years I’ve remained in the shadows and watched you enjoy what rightfully is mine, all because my mother didn’t want to cause any trouble. Guess who doesn't at all mind causing trouble now that she's gone?”

The forest seemed to close in on us. It was clear what he wanted: to take over Iron Fang as Lycan King, with my head hanging on one of the walls of the throneroom. “Why now?” I questioned. “You’ve been at this for a long while now from the shadows, turning my pack members against me..”

Bruce must have been promised a spot in the Inner Circle. He hadn't exactly been subtle about wanting to be pack beta, but I'd made the decision that the role would go to Kael a long time ago. My lips pressed together. “Why choose now to come out of hiding?”

Dorian tapped a finger on his chin, angling his head to the side. “I was going to take out your pack right from under your nose. I didn't care how long it would take. Attack after attack, I was prepared to wipe them all out. But you see, the recent events had me pissed out of my mind. Just like your father, you were about to head off to cloud nine building the perfect little family for yourself. There was no way I was going to sit back and watch it happen…”

I darted a quick glance to the side, noting the broken branch sticking out of a tree. I was going to end this right here. Dorian followed my thoughts. “I’ve not come all this way just to let you win, and taking you out quickly wouldn't be as satisfying.” His lips parted in a feral grin. “I think you know to watch your back from now on.. Alpha.” He gave me a small salute. “Till we meet again.”

I shifted almost at the exact same time he did, determined to not let him get away. Leaves from the thick bushes of the woods slapped my face as I pursued him deeper into the woods. He took a sharp bend, I followed..

And realized I'd lost him.

My heart crashed in my chest as I surveyed the area. There were several smaller footpaths he could have taken, but neither of them were curbed and I should have spotted him no matter how fast he'd been running. Which left one other explanation…

He'd built a hideout in the woods.

Heading back to the pack, I realized we had more trouble than we imagined.

We had to act fast. 

Now.