Page 41

Scarlett

I sit there, my body suddenly feeling numb. Elijah’s battle cry of pure rage as he fights against the monsters surrounding us makes the walls tremble, but even as blood sprays across the ground from the wolves who had entered, I feel… frozen. Elijah kills them with no mercy, but it does nothing to calm the pain within my soul.

I stand up, watching Rafael slam Cade to the ground once again. The Beta is covered in injuries, beaten to within an inch of his life. I watch as he shifts to human form, no longer able to hold his wolf form.

He killed Liam, he killed Liam!

Rafael snarls, ready to rip his head from his body, but I step forward.

“Allow me…” I say. I need to do this. Cade looks up at me, fear in his eyes as he looks at the burning anger in my steely, silver eyes. I stand before him in my bra, my body drenched in mine and Liam’s blood. But it is when his eyes meet mine that his fear seems tenfold, as if I am the very harbinger of death. And for him, I am.

He killed Liam, our Liam.

Around us, dead bodies are scattered along the ground. A stark reminder of men who will never return to their families. Good men I knew and some who are the enemy, who deserved to die for obeying Zidane!

“He has my mate…” Cade whispers, as if that confession will right the wrongs he just committed. I shake my head.

“You could have taken it slow, eased up on your attacks… but you didn’t care. You wanted to kill,” I answer quietly, feeling no compassion for the man who has killed for Zidane.

I see the flicker of his eyes as he looks for an escape, and I almost scoff, knowing I am right. Cade really doesn’t care, he just wants to buy himself time.

“He would know,” he tries, but I’m not buying it.

My nails elongate, and I reach for him, plunging my hand into his chest. His scream of agony fills the air, and I keep my hand there.

“May Selene forsake your soul,” I spit, and then I rip his heart from his chest. It pulses in my hand once before I toss it aside, not even sparing the body a single glance.

I’m sorry, Liam, I wish I could have you here.

He’s really gone, but now isn’t the time to mourn. We have a battle to end.

Rafael, who is in wolf form, is already engaging another wolf in a vicious fight, clearly having the upper hand and I lunge at another one, clawing the wolf’s neck. I plunge my nails deeply into his neck before I rip his throat out. With my claws doing the damage, I know he can’t heal from that. He’ll be dead within seconds.

Zidane is now limping. Despite three wolves fighting Elijah and several more dead around them, Elijah has hurt him considerably. I growl menacingly as one of Zidane’s men bites into Elijah’s side. He barely even notices, moving on rage alone as he launches himself at Zidane once more, ripping into the darker wolf’s hind leg.

“Back down!” I hiss, my Alpha command clear in my voice as I glare at the two wolves surrounding Elijah. They hesitate. I’m not their Alpha yet, my command is second only to Zidane’s. But that moment of hesitation is enough, and Elijah seizes it, tearing them both apart, their mauled bodies flying across the cavern as Elijah mercilessly snarls at Zidane.

He’s hurting. He lost Liam, one of his closest friends. I can feel it, the pain beneath the rage.

His warning snarl at Zidane makes the older man growl in return before he readies for the kill.

“You’re dead,” I say coldly, drawing his attention to me. He launches himself at me and I’m ready. But before he can even reach me, Elijah intercepts him, sinking his teeth into his neck, yanking his large body back, and flinging him down like a sack of potatoes to the cavern ground.

Satisfaction at Zidane’s howl of pain rushes through me. He hurt me! He hurt so many people! He deserves pain.

I don’t waste any time. Jumping forward I land on Zidane’s body and go for the neck, sinking both hands deep into his skin, my claws buried within him, and then I twist them, feeling flesh, muscle and bone against them before I grab onto whatever I can and rip my hand out.

It’s not enough to kill him, but it’s enough to weaken him. Weaken him with the same power he loved so much, all for the wrong reasons.

I sneer as I step back, watching him writhe in pain before he is forced back to human form.

Just seeing him makes my blood boil. The anger that is creating havoc inside of me is growing ever stronger, fuelled by the death of all the wolves who have lost their lives. Our eyes meet. His, with their lack of humanity, are filled with venom that he makes no attempt to mask.

Elijah is by my side, his large wolf a shield to my back as he makes sure no one gets close enough to touch me. Rafael is at the door now, guarding it and making sure no one gets inside.

“You won’t make it out of here alive!” Zidane hisses, his eyes flitting to the entrance of the cavern. His brows furrow, his eyes scanning his dead. Elijah kills the final one, and the cavern becomes quieter. The sounds from outside are quieter too. Has he realised no more of his men will be coming to his aid?

“We will. You’re the one who won’t. Don’t you get it? Today you die. We came prepared. Your rage, resentment and greed for power caused the loss of so many lives today. You hated me and wanted to hurt me. What did you think? That I really don’t have anyone? Look around! I have family, friends, and a pack who loves me. You are the one who has nothing,” I say, spreading my arms.

His eyes flash with rage. “My men will end you and your pathetic team, and then we will hunt and destroy every pack who dared side with you.” If he could, he would make true to that promise, but he won’t get to.

“You really are a pathetic coward, Zidane. You can’t do anything yourself. You use your men to fight your battles. You were only able to hurt me because I was a helpless child. Now I have everything, and above all, a mate who loves me unconditionally. You are the one who has no one, and I’m not a child anymore,” I say, resting my bloody hand on Elijah’s golden fur that is matted with blood. My words only seem to fuel the anger within Zidane as he clutches at his bleeding neck. He knows it isn’t healing and what it means for him.

“You don’t deserve happiness! The witch told me you would try to take my pack from me! She was right! But you won’t succeed,” he hisses manically. I raise an eyebrow.

“Well, for once a witch was right,” I reply scornfully. “And I will succeed. This pack is now mine.”

“Never! You belong to me! You are nothing more than my property. To rule and to control! And you dare to think you can take control of MY PACK!” His voice is a roar, one coated with bitter poison.

I just watch him as he spews his nonsense.

“You’re delusional. Maybe you should have asked your precious witch about the outcome of today.” My voice is cold too.

“She told me about your ability. I bet your mother knew and wanted to use you for her own gain!” he spits.

Does he really think everyone has incentives?

“My mother protected me from YOU! She left so we could have a life that you tried to destroy! And guess what? You couldn’t destroy us. We survived!” I shout, my eyes blazing silver. He launches himself to his feet and rushes towards me, but I’m ready, knocking him to the side with all my force, my aura swirling around me.

His body falls to the ground and I walk over to him, Elijah, like a shadow of death trails behind me. He keeps his distance, respecting that this is my fight, yet ready to come to my aid if I need it.

“Look at you, so delusional that you think you’re worth something. You are just trash, like your mother and your pathetic little sister! You were part of my pack. I had every right to dictate your future, be it my toy or my slave!”

“I was not yours to control or to abuse! You enjoyed torturing me when you should have been my protector! You were supposed to be my father! If I could ask the Goddess why she blessed you with children, I would!” I growl, my voice shaking. “But it’s over. You’ve abused this pack for far too long. I’m here now and I will make up for that.”

Zidane chuckles coldly, but when he speaks, his voice is cold and cynical. “You won’t kill me. You don’t have it in you.”

“Oh, you really do underestimate me. I dream of killing you,” I spit.

“By killing me, it would just show that you are no different than I am. That you are my shadow!” Before I can even throw my rage back at him, he darts towards me, but I am ready.

My eyes flash as I catch him by his throat just as he raises his hand, his claws out – he is ready to plunge it into my chest, but I knock it aside and tighten my hold on his wounded neck.

For the first time, I see pain on his face and it feels good.

I slam him into the ground with everything I have, and raising my foot, bring it down into his ribcage, the sickening, yet satisfying, crunch of bones breaking as he groans in agony makes me drive my foot in harder.

But at that moment, as I gaze down at the monster who has tormented me all my life, as he lies bloody beneath me, I realise I won’t be able to torture him how I want to because that’s not me. I’m not him.

I crouch down, twisting my hand into his blond hair and wrench his head back, just as he had done to me a thousand times.

“I am nothing like you, because if I was I would torture you slowly and relish in it.” I shake my head. “But I’m better than you… and I don’t want to waste a minute more than I need to with you. No matter what you did, you will die knowing that you could never win over me because I am the alpha you never were.”

He tries to reach for me, but I grip his hand with my free hand and break it. He snarls in rage as he struggles to get up, but with broken ribs and his neck bleeding profusely, he doesn’t have long.

“How weak… look at you, just lying here pitifully,” I murmur as I drop his pathetic broken wrist. “I will never forgive you for what you did to us, what you put us through.”

With those words leaving my lips, I plunge my hand into his chest, wrap it around his heart and squeeze it. He hisses in agony, his eyes flickering between his own and his wolf’s as he gargles up blood.

“Fuck you,” he spits, gripping my wrist. But for the first time in our lives, the tables have turned. The little child is now the one in control. She’s the Alpha.

I simply offer him a cold smile of victory.

“How does it feel? Being on the receiving side?” I ask softly, twisting my hand in his chest. He hisses in pain but there is not an ounce of remorse on his face.

He opens his mouth to speak but nothing but gargled blood comes from it.

“May Selene send you to the pits of hell where you’ll burn until the end of time,” I murmur venomously, glaring into green eyes that mirror mine in colour for the last time. My words hold resentment as I pray for him to suffer for everything he has done. “May you never rest in peace, fucker.”

With those words, I rip my hand out of his chest, tearing his heart along with it and instantly drop the lifeless organ to the ground. I’m surprised it’s not black.

Zidane’s head drops to the ground, his blank eyes staring upwards, empty and hollow.

He’s dead.

The monster who haunted my nightmares is no more. It’s finally over.

We did it.

I did it.

I stand up slowly and turn away.

He doesn’t deserve even an inch of mercy. I hope you know that, Selene.

I feel a surge of power within me, feeling the pack-link snap into place. By default I am now Alpha of the Desert Storm Pack. A menacing growl leaves my lips.

Stand down! I am your new Alpha, and I command complete obedience, I say through the newly formed mind-link. I sense the confusion, fear, and relief, emotions seeping through me from different wolves.

Some congratulate me, some cry their thanks to Selene, some ask with fear in their voice about Zidane, and others are simply glad it is over.

“They will stand down, tell your men to apprehend those who continue to defy me,” I say to Rafael and Elijah.

Both nod and I know they’ve mind-linked them. Elijah then shifts back, pulling me into his arms tightly. Sparks rush through me and I feel as if a weight has been lifted.

“You did it,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head.

I hear a low whimper from a wolf who had come rushing inside, only for Rafael to block him. Seeing the dead Alpha, he scampers back.

I wrap my arms around Elijah’s waist, appreciating the spark of our bond sizzling through me. The comfort I feel in his arms eases the pain in my heart slightly.

“Liam…” I say quietly. I know he probably saw the kiss, but I don’t regret it.

“I know, Kitten… I’m hurting too,” he whispers. Liam was the backbone of their trio – Elijah, Liam, and Aaron. Liam was the peacemaker, the one with the heart of gold. I can feel Elijah’s emotions through the bond.

His pain, his hurt.

I’m not sure if it’s the relief, the pain of our loss, or the exhaustion, but I am unable to hold back the tears. He caresses my hair, allowing me to cry silently into his chest.

He kisses the top of my head, inhaling my scent as he whispers, “It’s over. It’s fucking over.”