Chapter 103

"We had an agreement, you damn worm!" my father snarled.

Caspian laughed loudly and forcefully.

"We never had an agreement."

"What?"

I couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but stare at Hunter, incredulous.

I could see, through his eyes, something I had never seen before. Anger, disgust, contempt.

My heart broke in that moment, with the obvious realization that I had been deceived my entire life. That I had always been nothing but a puppet, shaped by my parents and deceived by the male I swore to love.

My entire life, all the upbringing I had, filled with limitations to make me the perfect wife for him. Everything. It was all a lie.

"I never planned to marry our pups, you bastard. I would never marry one of mine to a bitch from your bloodline!" Caspian confessed, sounding so filled with contempt that I felt my skin crawl. "All of this was just part of my plan for revenge."

"Are you crazy?" Alpha Bason interrupted.

"I know about the affair you had with Lily, I know you loved to fuck my wife behind my back," he laughed, full of mockery. "I killed her the moment I found out the truth. In front of Hunter, so he could see the truth about the bitch of a mother. I buried my hand deep in her chest and ripped her heart out."

"Then, I came up with the idea to bury the body and make it seem like she disappeared, causing the sensation that we were in danger, so you would agree to give one of your islands in the deal," Hunter said, his firm voice echoing through the forest.

I swallowed a breath and let the first tear slip down the corner of my right eye.

"And now, I’ll finally have the pleasure of killing you," Caspian continued. "After humiliating you in front of everyone, knowing you had a used and worthless bitch for an island, just like you used my wife." He laughed. "But don’t worry, James. I’ll make your islands my pack's bitches, they’ll serve all my men, always ready to satisfy them, until they are no longer useful."

A strong growl echoed from my father’s chest, making me shiver. He was using his alpha power, exuding a blind, raw fury.

Hunter turned me to the opposite side, pressing my back against his hard, unyielding chest, not removing his fingers from my neck, forcing me to look at our parents.

He leaned in, bringing his lips close to my ear.

"Don’t worry, Sava..." he whispered, kissing my ear. "I’ll be one of your clients, I like what you have to offer between your legs. A good pussy shouldn’t be wasted."

I hissed quietly, exhaling all the pain I felt through it.

My father broke free from Caspian and threw himself at him, ready to kill him, blinded by his fury and thirst for vengeance.

But he didn’t get far. The alpha of the Eclipse wolves held the silver knife and didn’t hesitate before sinking the blade into his neck.

The blood from the ruptured vein sprayed onto my face and the rest of my body, staining my white dress red. It was hot, thick, and had a strong smell that made my stomach turn.

I gasped, parting my lips in a heavy breath. My mother’s scream broke the silence, permeating the air.

James staggered a few steps back, placing his hands on his pierced neck, trying to stem the hot blood pouring from the wound.

The pungent, rusty smell spread through the air, reaching my nose.

His blue eyes lost focus little by little as life drained from his body. Caspian’s laughter echoed.

"And finally, after all this time, I’m getting the pleasure of seeing you die," he said, pulling the knife from my father’s neck. He stared at the red liquid covering the blade and brought it to his lips, rubbing his tongue on it and tasting it. "Now I know what your blood tastes like, James. Enjoy my wife’s pussy in hell."

He kicked the wounded alpha with force, throwing him far away. He hit one of the trees, falling lifeless to the dry leaf-covered ground.

I covered my mouth with my hands.

Dead.

My father was dead.

The alpha of the pack I belonged to. And I was a hostage of the psychopathic male who killed him and the damn pup who ruined me in so many ways that I couldn’t even measure.

My mother dropped to her knees, emitting a hollow, deep sound of pain. She lifted her face and looked at Caspian, her expression twisted with rage. Her eyes glowed emerald green, her wolf taking shape. In a surge, she stood and ran toward the alpha, her hand deformed with elongated claws from the transformation, striking Caspian’s arm, tearing through skin and muscle, injuring him.

Hunter released me, growling loudly, and ran toward my father.

Caspian grabbed his arm, baring his elongated teeth and eyes glowing dark brown.

"I’m going to kill her," he hissed.

"No," Hunter cut in. "I’ll have that pleasure."

My mother’s face was twisted. She was in the middle of her transformation. Glowing eyes, elongated canines, prominent nails, and some fur scattered across her body.

Hunter stared at her, growling, exhaling his fear pheromone, trying to make her kneel before him, before an alpha.

I felt a cold hand grab my arm. I looked to the side and found Selena with wide eyes and lips as white as paper.

Diana gave in, kneeling before Hunter, though every muscle in her body showed the effort she was making not to submit to him. Her eyes were dull, her pupils dilated and lifeless.

"I was going to let you live, so you could see your islands become the pack’s prostitutes. But I won’t forgive your offense against my father."

"You betrayed my husband, our pack, my island. You’re nothing but treacherous dogs who wouldn’t honor the agreement you sealed."

Hunter laughed.

"And you, an unworthy wolf. You couldn’t give your husband an alpha, nor please him in bed, since he had to go after others."

I felt Selena’s tug on my arm, guiding me to take a few steps back. They were light steps, so light that neither Hunter nor Caspian noticed.

Mom smiled at him, lifting her lips in a sharp smile.

"At least my husband died knowing he was never dishonored, since he was my only male, while your father was the biggest cuckold."

Exhaling a loud scream of fury, Hunter threw his arm forward, tearing her neck with his claws. The blood sprayed on me, mixing with the mess already on my dress.

I looked down, observing the fabric splattered with red. The dress I wore on the day that should’ve been the happiest of my life, completely ruined, stained with the blood of my parents' lives, taken by the male I loved.

Hunter placed me in his revenge plan, even though I had nothing to do with what had happened. He was crucifying me for the sins my father had committed.

She gargled, choking on her own blood, before falling backward to the ground. Dead.

I heard murmurs around us, footsteps echoing from all sides.

"You killed our alpha, now you deserve to die!" someone shouted.

"I’m waiting," Hunter mocked, inviting the wolves for a challenge.

I took a few more steps back, increasing the distance between us. My gaze met Alpha Bason’s, who seemed devastated by the situation. With a single head gesture, almost imperceptible, I caught his command to me.

Run!

Staying wasn’t an option. Hunter had already made it clear what plans he had for me and my sister. And he had already taken so much from me.

My heart; my freedom; my honor.

I wouldn’t let him take the little, or almost nothing, that remained.

I grabbed one of the lamps, yanking it from one of the branches, and threw it to the ground with all my might. The glass shattered, and the candle’s flame quickly spread across the dry leaves, creating a barrier between us.

Hunter’s eyes flickered toward me, momentarily diverting his attention from the wolves of our old pack, who were advancing toward him, challenging him.

“Don’t even think about running, Sava,” he growled, his threat clear. “I will hunt you down wherever you are and bring you back home, no matter the circumstances.”

“I’ll never go back!”

“Don’t do this, my love. Things will be much worse for you and your dear sister when I get my hands on you again.”

I grabbed the hem of my dress, pulling it forcefully and tearing it, reducing both its weight and length. It would be much easier to run without a long cloth in my way.

“We’ll be free, Hunter, or we’ll die trying.”

“You bitch’s son!” Selena spat, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You’ll still pay for everything you did to my sister and our pack.” She threw another lamp to the ground, intensifying the fire that was rapidly spreading.

“If you run through this forest, you’ll be treated as traitors. You know it’s forbidden to flee from the pack. Everyone will hunt you down, and death will be the least of your problems.” His eyes locked with mine, full of rage. “And you, my lovely fiancée, will suffer all the consequences of that.”

“Fuck you!” I hissed.

I was nothing now. Thanks to him.

The first wolf leaped at Hunter, and with all my might, I hoped it would strike the vein pulsing next to his neck. But as the superior alpha, he was much faster and stronger. He quickly dodged the blow and snapped the wolf's neck.

I didn’t wait to see if the others would succeed. Selena yanked me by the arm. I spun on my heels and began running deeper into the forest.

I had no idea where we would go or how long we could keep him away, but... it was our last hope.

Freedom.

Deceived, rejected, despised.

I just wanted to be free and try to live in peace, even if just for a while.

I ran away from the chaos, away from Hunter, alongside Selena, with my hair disheveled, my face stained with tears, my wedding dress torn, and my skin marked with the blood of my parents.

I wanted to cry until there were no more tears, but there was no time for that. I just needed... to run. Nonstop, without looking back. Put as much distance as possible between Hunter and me.

All I had left was my sister and the hope that we could have some freedom.