Page 106 of Her Destined Alpha (Alpha #3)

Delsanra

I t had been a week since the ball, and everything was going great. Rayhan had found a lead on the witch hunter group, and last night he had gone to question his cousin, Alpha Zain, after finding some information on them too.

This morning we learned that he and Alpha Amir had questioned him and found out that although he wasn’t part of the group, he funded it.

Zain refused to give more information. That was not the smart thing to do when it came to someone like Rayhan.

Maria was worried, as Rayhan’s anger was well known, and Papa Raf was clearly concerned too.

Would Alpha Zain have the answers? Rayhan was adamant that he would know who he was funding.

I couldn’t even focus on anything as I stared at the periodic table. I was finally advancing a little to secondary education, but today nothing was helping me focus. My phone beeped, and I picked it up, glancing at Papa Raf, who was massaging his temples.

‘Want to go out for a bit? I was going to the shops anyway. Chris is working.’ Raihana’s message read. I could use a breakaway.

“Papa Raf, Raihana and I are going to go out for a bit,” I said, standing up. He looked up, concerned.

“Out?”

“Yeah, to the shops,” I said.

“I don’t think it’s safe. I don’t want to be controlling, but you are a target, Delsanra. Let Rayhan return at least,” he said, standing up and looking at me apologetically. I sighed.

“No, I understand. Then I’ll just go over to Raihana’s, and we’ll just chill together,” I replied. I quickly texted Raihana the update. He smiled, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

“That sounds good. Come on, I’ll drop you there,” he said warmly.

I smiled, not bothering to argue, as we both left the house. The sun was out, and the leaves on the trees rustled. Spring was here, and with it, plenty of warmth.

“Well, you girls have fun,” Papa Raf said, looking up at the house.

Although we saw Raihana daily, I knew he missed having her at home.

He followed me to the door, greeting Raihana before he left us, telling us to contact him when we wanted to leave the house.

We nodded before we went inside and shut the door behind us.

“Hey,” I said, walking through to the living room.

“Listen… Blake just linked, saying he wanted to have a word with me. He’s stopping by. Is that okay? We won’t be long,” she said apologetically.

I nodded. I knew that Chris had wanted him removed from the position of her bodyguard and that things had been tense between Raihana and Blake anyway, but I think they needed to talk.

“I still haven’t seen the man. Maybe I could say hi after you’re done,” I said with a smile. She smiled and nodded just as the doorbell rang.

“Shit, that’s him,” she said, sounding stressed out.

“Relax, it’ll be okay. He’s probably just a little hurt,” I whispered. She had told me what had happened between them, and I thought he was just having a hard time getting over her. “I should let you two talk alone before I show up,” I whispered.

She nodded, and I motioned that I’d go wait in the kitchen. I leaned against the kitchen counter, hearing her open the front door.

“Hey, Blake, come on in…”

“Hey, Raihana,” a man’s low voice answered, and I heard their footsteps go into the living room.

I tuned them out, not wanting to listen in on their conversation, at least giving them some privacy. I walked over to the kitchen sink, looking out at the small garden. Chris’ house was one of the larger properties and had its own garden.

I heard coughing and Raihana exclaim,

“Oh, are you okay? Del, can you get some water!” I grabbed a glass, snapping out of my reverie. Filling it, I rushed to the lounge where Blake was hunched over, coughing.

“Here,” I said as Raihana rubbed his back. “Is he okay?”

“I’m fine,” he coughed, taking the glass from me.

Our eyes met, and my blood ran cold. Blake… Blake was... he may never have shown me his face… but those eyes… I’d never forget those eyes. My heart thundered as a hundred memories returned to me. He dropped something he was holding, and it shattered on the floor.

“Shit… sorry.”

“No worries, I’ll get it cleaned up…” Raihana’s voice was distant. His eyes never left mine.

The one who had caused me the most pain had been right here in this pack all along. I could no longer hear anything, my heart pounding, my ears ringing, and the familiar nightmare of fear and helplessness threatening to consume me. I was stronger than that...

I knew from the look in his eyes that he knew who I was, and he knew that I knew who he was. The leader of the group that hunted witches... the one who had killed that couple who took me in, the one who had abused me time and time again. The sickest of them all…

My eyes burned with anger that had lain dormant, flames surrounding me, but he simply smiled.

“It’s too late,” he said cockily.

I glanced at Raihana, seeing her clutching her head as she held onto the wall. Realising that whatever he had accidentally dropped on the ground was making everything fade away.

Shit…

No. It fucking wasn’t too late. I took a deep breath, ready to send this bitch to hell where he belonged, when I felt my vision sway.

“I came prepared,” he whispered coldly.

I couldn’t move. My body was shutting down.

I watched as Raihana crumbled to the ground.

If I couldn’t move… I’d at least send a signal.

Summoning every ounce of willpower in me, I focused on my demon side, letting the fire roll off and travel through the house.

I dropped to all fours, my head pounding.

I’m sorry, Chris, but I have to cause some sort of signal.

“What the fuck?” he hissed.

My eyes flashed as I sent the fire blazing towards him, feeling my world darken, but before I succumbed to it, something painful hit my neck, making an agonising pain blister through me as I fell flat on my face. The last thing I remembered was hoping someone would come before it was too late…

Rayhan

I had spent the entire fucking morning trying to get information out of Zain.

He kept saying he didn’t know more, but that was impossible.

We had checked his records of payments after he had mentioned that he had funded the hunters, but they were made to an anonymous account. I had gotten Dad to probe into it.

“One fucking last time, Zain,” I hissed, yanking his head back roughly by his hair.

I had reached my fucking limit. If playing easy wasn’t working, I’d do things the hard way.

I tightened my grip on his hair and slammed his head onto his desk before hauling him backwards.

My Alpha aura rolled off of me in waves as I glared into his face.

He spat blood out of his mouth as his eyes flashed, glaring back at me with pure hatred.

“This is my pack. You can’t just show up and attack. You broke protocol, Rayhan!” he growled. He shoved me, but I didn’t give a fuck, slamming his head into the desk once more. My hair fell in front of my eyes, I used my other hand to brush it back.

“Fuck protocol. You know more than you are letting on, and if you don’t want to give answers, then I have no fucking use for you,” I growled menacingly. I raised my hand, ready to go for the kill, when a flicker of fear rushed through his eyes.

“Wait!” I paused, my claws out, ready to tear his heart out.

I wasn’t sure if I would have done it or not, but it clearly worked.

“I… I don’t know the name, but the leader of that group is part of your pack,” he said, smirking victoriously.

My stomach twisted, my heart thundering like a fucking drum as I dropped him.

“He’ll make sure that Raihana and your mate are taken care of. ” He laughed sadistically.

My eyes blazed. A growl ripped through me as I turned back towards him, lifting him up and ripping his heart from his chest before it even registered. I didn’t fucking care. He deserved it.

The door burst open and Grandad stood there, pale. His gaze flickered to Zain before he looked back at me.

“Rayhan, you need to go home. Delsanra and Raihana have been taken!”

Those words ran through me like a fucking storm. My worst fucking fear had come true.

I was running through the woods, trying to pick up a scent. I had gone on ahead without anyone else, using my abilities to try to sniff them out.

Uncle Al had contacted the witches to see if they could locate Delsanra and Raihana, but it seemed there was something blocking them. They were working on a spell, but I didn’t have time. All I knew was that Chris, Dad, Lola, and several others were also on their way.

It was Blake! Lola’s voice came through the link. He is the only one unaccounted for.

Blake… Mom’s voice answered, sounding shocked.

Mom, what are you doing here? I asked, frowning.

Those are my daughters. I may not look like much, but I am a skilled swordsman, she replied.

I didn’t argue. The weight of the realisation that Blake, someone Dad had taken in years ago, given a home to and treated like our fucking own, had betrayed us all settled in.

When I saw him, he was fucking dead.