Page 25 of The Alpha's Crimson Vow (Eternal Oath Saga #2)

Katherine

Pain.

It hits me the moment I stir awake, a throbbing, nauseating ache that pulses through my skull like a drumbeat. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to steady myself, but the memories—faint and fragmented—start pushing through the fog. Flashes of movement. A dull roar of an engine. A plane. Then… a car? The disorienting sensation of being lifted, carried. And then—darkness.

I blink hard, willing my vision to adjust. But there’s nothing. The room around me is pitch black. The air is damp, thick with the scent of wood and something stale, almost rotten. The walls must be made of it—old, damp wood, soaking in the moisture of whatever godforsaken place this is.

I try to move but my wrists won’t budge. Panic lances through me as I realize I’m tied up. Hands bound. Legs bound.

I pull again, harder this time, but the restraints dig into my skin, biting into the tender flesh of my wrists. My breathing quickens. My chest tightens. I try to speak—to call out, to scream—but something is blocking my mouth. My lips part against the fabric of a gag, my muffled voice swallowed whole by the thick silence of the room.

Where the hell am I?

My heartbeat slams against my ribs, frantic and erratic. The last thing I remember is talking to Frank. And now—I’m here. Somewhere unknown. Bound. Gagged. Completely powerless.

And then there’s a slow, eerie creak. The door swings open. A harsh, blinding light spills into the room, searing my eyes. I squeeze them shut, turning my head away, my breath catching in my throat as I hear the slow, deliberate sound of footsteps entering the space.

The steps are heavy, unhurried. Every nerve in my body goes rigid.

I try to see, but the light is too much, my pupils still adjusting to the sudden brightness. My body tenses as the presence looms closer.

Whoever this person is finally speaks, his voice is low. Drawling. Dripping with something cold and mocking.

“So this is what the fuss is all about.” A pause, like he’s studying me. “You’re pretty. Looks like my little nephew has good taste after all.”

My stomach plummets.

Valerian. Alex’s uncle. The man who tried to have me killed.

A fresh wave of fear claws up my throat, raw and suffocating. My fingers curl into tight fists against my bindings, nails digging into my own skin. My pulse hammers as I force myself to stay still, to breathe, but my body betrays me—I’m shaking.

He exhales slowly, before speaking again. “I’ve been hoping we’d meet, you know.” His voice is silky, laced with something dangerous. “It’s a shame it had to be like this. But I suppose fate is funny that way.”

I try to speak, but the gag muffles the sound, turning it into a desperate, garbled mess.

He chuckles. The sound makes my skin crawl.

“You must be so confused,” he muses, taking another step closer. “Thrown into all of this without even knowing the full story.” He clicks his tongue, as if pitying me. “But don’t worry. You’re about to play a very important role in all of this.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself as he crouches down beside me.

“I have to thank you, actually,” he continues, his voice dropping lower. “Because of you, an old injustice is finally going to be corrected.”

I freeze.

He leans in, just close enough that I can feel his breath against my skin.

“Because of you,” he murmurs, “I will get back what’s rightfully mine.”

What does he mean?

He straightens up, his tone switching back to that terrifying amusement. “I’ve given Alex an ultimatum,” he says. “He has 24 hours. Either he abdicates the throne… or I kill you.”

The words slam into me like a blow to the chest. My breath catches. I can hear the absolute certainty in his voice. He’s not bluffing. He’s serious.

“24 hours,” Valerian repeats. “That’s all he gets.” His voice turns colder, sharper. “So if he doesn’t play along…” He exhales, mockingly thoughtful. “Well. You can’t say I didn’t warn him.”

I struggle again, my breathing coming faster, more erratic. The gag is suffocating, cutting into my mouth, stifling the desperate words I need to say.

Valerian watches me for a long moment. “Oh?” A smirk laces his voice. “You want to say something?”

There’s a brief pause. And he yanks the gag from my mouth.

I gasp, sucking in air, my lips chapped and raw. My throat burns as I force the words out, my voice hoarse but sharp. “You don’t have to do this.”

Valerian just stares.

“You don’t,” I press, ignoring the tremble in my own voice. “The kingdom isn’t yours. But you can fix this. You can make peace with Alex and—”

Valerian laughs. The sound is so sharp, so cold, it cuts straight through me.

“Oh, you really are stupid,” he says, his tone dripping with condescension.

I clench my jaw, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

Just then he stops, going completely still. A strange look crosses his face. Then—his nostrils flare slightly, like he’s smelling the air.

And then, his lips curl. “Oh,” he murmurs.

Something in his tone makes my stomach drop.

His voice turns icy. “You’re carrying his child.”

My breath stops.

He tilts his head, his expression unreadable in the darkness. “I can smell it on you.”

“How?”

The question slips out before I can stop it, my confusion evident. Even Alice couldn’t just smell it off me, how can he? But he doesn’t hesitate, his voice cutting through the air, edged with something dark and knowing.

“It’s one of my powers,” he says, his tone carrying that dangerous, ice-cold bite. “Most wolves have a strong sense of smell. But me? Mine’s sharper than most. No matter how faint, how subtle… I catch it.”

His gaze locks onto mine, unblinking, unwavering. And then—

“I can smell a tiny little wolf beginning to brew inside you.”

And just like that, he erupts into laughter then. Not just laughing—maniacally laughing, his voice bouncing off the wooden walls like some kind of deranged symphony. His amusement feels sick, twisted, completely wrong. The laughter continues, stretching out for too long, as if he can’t contain himself, like my existence—my pregnancy—is the funniest thing in the world to him.

The world around me sways, my stomach flipping, and for a moment, I think I might actually throw up. But Valerian finally settles, his chuckles fading into a lingering, eerie smirk as he tilts his head, studying me like I’m an insect pinned beneath glass.

“You don’t know, do you?” His voice is almost… soft now, like he’s genuinely curious.

My lips part, but no words come out. I don’t know what he means. And I hate that it shows on my face.

His smirk widens, a cruel, knowing grin.

“You don’t know what carrying a shifter’s child does to humans.”

Something cold slithers down my spine.

“What—” My voice is hoarse, barely there, but he doesn’t wait for me to finish.

“You’re human, Katherine,” he says, the word rolling off his tongue like it’s a curse. “Weak. Fragile. And now, you’re carrying something inside you that’s stronger than you. Faster. Wilder.”

I shake my head, trying to reject the words, but he keeps going.

“A shifter’s child doesn’t grow like a normal baby. It doesn’t just sit quietly in the womb, waiting to be born. No, no, no.” He leans in, and I can see the amusement in his dark, soulless eyes. “It demands space. It takes what it needs. And your pathetic human body?” His lip curls. “It won’t survive it.”

My breath catches. A sharp, stinging pressure starts building behind my eyes, and my heartbeat stumbles.

“No,” I whisper.

“Oh, yes.” He grins wider. “And that is what makes this so delicious.” He spreads his arms as if presenting some grand, cruel joke. “You think Alex is coming to save you? You think he’s going to rescue his beloved Katherine?”

He clicks his tongue, shaking his head.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but he’s already killed you.”

My stomach plummets.

“He put a baby in you,” Valerian says, tilting his head, almost thoughtful. “He knew what it meant. And yet, he still did it. What hope do you have now?”

My mind floods with memories instantly. The way Alex’s body stiffened on the eve of my birthday when I mentioned how much I have wanted a child of my own. The hesitation in his eyes during our last date. The way his fingers tightened ever so slightly when I had asked him about children.

I thought it was reluctance. Cold feet. A lack of enthusiasm for something I wanted so badly. I had resented him for it.

But now…

Now, I know.

He wasn’t reluctant. He was terrified. Because he knew.

A lump forms in my throat, thick and suffocating.

He was trying to protect me. And I—I was angry at him for it.

The guilt crashes into me, raw and brutal, mixing with the fear that’s already swirling through my veins.

Valerian watches me, his smirk unwavering.

Then he exhales, as if reminiscing. “It’s funny, really. How life comes back around like this.”

I don’t respond. I can’t.

But he doesn’t need me to. He keeps going, voice dipping into something almost distant, lost in the past.

“You see,” he says, “I was supposed to be king.”

I blink, thrown off.

He takes a step back, pacing now, his fingers trailing absently along the rough wooden walls.

“I was the oldest. The older brother of Alex’s father. The rightful heir. It should’ve been me on that throne.” His jaw clenches. “But then I fell in love. With a human.”

He lets out a quiet, humorless laugh.

“They warned me,” he says. “Everyone warned me. Told me it was a mistake. That a human and a wolf could never truly be together. But I didn’t listen. I loved her. And when she got pregnant, I thought—” He swallows, his hands clenching into fists. “I thought it was the start of something beautiful.”

A beat of silence. Then his voice drops.

“But she died.” A sharp pain echoes in his voice.

“She died in labor,” he grits out. “And so did the baby.” His eyes flash. “And because of that, the council denied me the throne. They said I was unfit to rule. That I had no heir, no queen. So they gave it to my brother instead.” His teeth grind together. “And I lost everything.”

I swallow hard, my pulse pounding.

He turns back to me, eyes dark, full of something cruel.

“It’s funny,” he murmurs, almost amused again. “Alex is in the exact same situation now.” He crouches beside me, his lips curling. “And let me ask you, Katherine…” He tilts his head. “Do you really think he’ll make the same mistake I did?”

I glare at him, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Alex will come for me.” My voice shakes, but my conviction is solid.

His smirk vanishes.

Then— A sharp crack.

Pain explodes across my face, blinding and searing as my head snaps violently to the side. For a second, I can’t hear. Just a loud, ringing static in my ears. My cheek burns, my skin stinging, and my vision blurs.

A cold, rough grip wraps around my throat. I choke, gasping, as Valerian squeezes, pressing his fingers into my skin, cutting off my air.

“You know nothing of this world,” he hisses, his breath hot against my face. “You don’t understand what power does to people. What it will do to Alex.” His grip tightens. “You think love is enough? You think he’ll throw away everything for you?”

Spots dance in my vision. My nails dig into his wrist, but I’m too weak. My body is already exhausted.

The edges of my world start to darken.

But out of nowhere, I hear a sound. A roar. Distant, but powerful.

Valerian’s grip loosens, just slightly, his head snapping up.

More noise. A clash. A howl.

And finally, a voice. Loud. Furious. Unmistakable.

“Valerian!”

Alex.

My heart lurches.

He’s here.

For a moment, Valerian just stares.

His dark eyes flicker with something—confusion? Frustration? It’s brief, barely a flicker across his sharp features, but I see it. His brows furrow, his lips part slightly, and then, just as quickly as the doubt appears, his expression hardens.

“How?” he mutters, his voice low, almost to himself. “How did he know I was here?”

His fingers twitch at his sides, his body rigid, like he’s running through every possible explanation in his head. A man who always thinks he’s three steps ahead, suddenly realizing—he’s not.

But then his eyes darken again, and slowly, a smile creeps onto his face. A wicked, knowing smile.

“Well,” he murmurs, voice dropping into something almost pleased, “it doesn’t matter, does it?”

He turns to me again, and there’s something new in his expression. Something even more dangerous.

“Now,” he says, drawing the word out, savoring it, “both of you will die.”

Before I can even move, his hand snaps out—grabbing a brutal fistful of my hair.

Pain explodes through my scalp as he yanks, dragging me forward so fast my legs barely keep up. A raw, gut-wrenching scream tears from my throat.

“Let go—” My hands fly to his grip, clawing at his fingers, but he’s too strong.

He doesn’t stop. He just drags me, my feet stumbling, my body lurching forward as he hauls me like I’m nothing more than a ragdoll. Tears blur my vision from the sheer agony radiating from my scalp, but I fight. I twist, thrash, my nails digging into his wrist, trying anything to loosen his grip, to make him stop.

He doesn’t even flinch.

“Struggle all you want, little human,” he sneers, voice thick with amusement. “It won’t change a thing.”

The wooden door bursts open, and suddenly, we’re outside.

And everything erupts.

The air is thick with the scent of blood and earth and something almost electric, like the charge before a storm.

Wolves.Everywhere.

Massive, snarling beasts locked in vicious battle. The ground is already soaked with blood. The sound of it all is deafening—snarls, howls, the sickening crunch of bones breaking under the force of brutal attacks.

A gasp escapes my lips at the sight of the sheer violence.

My eyes dark around the scene, dizziness threatening to overwhelm me. But then my eyes land on a human figure, a man a few feet away. I squint my eyes to see clearly through the haze of the battle raging. It’s Alex.

He stands just feet away. Battered. Bleeding.

His body is littered with cuts and bruises, deep gashes carving into his flesh, staining his skin with crimson. His hands are bloodied claws, his lip split, and blood drips from his temple, trailing down the side of his face. His shirt is torn, barely hanging onto his frame, soaked in blood.

But he’s standing. Tall. Defiant. His eyes are locked on Valerian, burning with something fierce.

My chest tightens, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

“Alex…” The word barely escapes my lips.

He doesn’t look at me. His gaze never wavers from Valerian.

For a moment, everything else fades. The battle. The chaos. The wolves tearing each other apart around us.

All that exists is this. Them.

And I don’t know how this is going to end.