Chapter 157 Cracks in the pack
Chapter 157 Cracks in the pack
Jace
The Academy’s courtyard felt hollow without the noise of its students. Benches stood empty, the fountains silent except for the faint drip of water. Parents had swarmed in the day after the fire, their voices raised, demanding answers from Principal Kieran. By morning, nearly half the dormitories were vacant—students whisked away under the excuse of “safety.”
I knew the truth. It wasn’t just fear. It was shame. Anger. Distrust. Zara’s fire, Atlas’s madness—it had scarred the Academy’s reputation beyond repair.
And in the middle of it all, my chest burned with a rage I couldn’t put out.
I stood by the gates as the last car rolled away, carrying more students who wouldn’t return until gods knew when. The moment the wheels disappeared down the gravel path, I turned and walked.
Not back into the school. But out.
If there was ever a time to face my father, it was now.
.
The pack’s estate loomed like a stone fortress, too large and too cold to ever feel like home. The guards didn’t stop me as I stormed through; I was still the Alpha’s son, after all. Still the one Father paraded when it suited him.
I found him in his office. The same desk, the same ledgers, the same wolf-hide rug underfoot. As if the world hadn’t just burned down around him.
He didn’t even look up when I entered. “I heard you left the Academy.”
“Half the school left,” I shot back. My voice echoed sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. “They’re gone because of Atlas.”
That got his attention. Slowly, Father raised his gaze. Cold. Calculating. “Atlas made his choices. He’ll answer for them.”
I laughed bitterly. “His choices? You pushed him there. You spent years comparing us, weighing us like livestock, forcing us to bleed for your approval. And when he broke—when he turned into exactly what you molded—you washed your hands of it?”
His brows furrowed, but only slightly. “Watch your tongue.”
“No.” My chest heaved as I stepped closer. “Not this time.”
For years, I’d swallowed my words, afraid to bite back. But the image of Zara—her body trembling in the flames, her Lycan form breaking free to save us—burned in my mind. And Atlas, my brother, sneering with blood on his teeth.
“You created him,” I said, my voice low, shaking. “You put us against each other until he cracked. You turned him into a murderer.”
Father’s jaw tightened, but instead of anger, I saw something worse: amusement.
“You think I regret it? Atlas was weak. His jealousy was his undoing, not my guidance. If anything, I regret not cutting him loose sooner.”
The words hit like claws to the gut.
“You don’t even care.” I stepped forward, fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached. “He killed Kai. He tried to kill Zara. He almost killed me. And all you can say is you regret not cutting him loose sooner?”
He leaned back in his chair, utterly unbothered. “Kai was reckless. Zara…” He smirked. “Zara is useful. That blood of hers is power waiting to be tamed. Do you think I’ll let that go to waste because you’ve decided to bed her?”
The growl ripped out of me before I could stop it. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
“Like what?” He rose now, his shadow stretching across the desk. “Like the cursed hybrid she is? You think the world will see her as anything else? She’s a tool, Jace. One that can be harnessed. And if you can’t see that—”
“Then what?” My voice broke into a roar. “Then you’ll use her like you used Atlas? Break her until she serves you?”
For the first time, I saw his eyes flashed, sharp and dangerous, but I didn’t back down.
“You won’t touch her.” My throat ached, but the words came like steel. “Not now, not ever. She’s not your pawn. She’s not mine either. She’s—” I exhaled hard. “She’s everything you’ll never understand. And I’ll protect her. Even if it means standing against you.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. I could hear my pulse thundering in my ears.
Then he chuckled. Low. Cruel.
“You sound just like your mother,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Pathetic. Emotional. Blind.”
I flinched, not at the insult, but at the casual way he said it. Like she was nothing.
Like we were nothing.
Something inside me cracked. The bond that had kept me tethered to him—the fear, the need, the desperate scraps of approval, it all snapped, clean and final.
“I’m done.” My voice shook, but it was final. “I’m not your son. Not anymore.”
His gaze narrowed. “You dare—”
“I dare.” My chest heaved, my hands trembling but strong. “Because I’ve finally figured out who I am. And it’s not your weapon. It’s not your heir. It’s the man who’ll stand by Zara. Always.”
His eyes blazed, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of waiting for a response. I turned and walked out, slamming the door so hard the frames rattled.
And for the first time in my life, I felt free.