Chapter 76: Chapter 76
Kieran’s POV
Broadening my authority as Alpha of the Raven Shadow Pack, strengthening my influence among the neighboring wolf territories, and establishing my organization’s dominance in this region would make finding Kyra far easier. Manipulating the higher-ranking Alphas and Betas for my own benefit would be crucial, and I was willing to do whatever it took—even if it meant striking deals with those I despised.
Beyond cooperating with established packs, the powerful rogue wolf factions operating along pack borders were also my intended targets for alliance. Though I had inherited my birth father’s rogue faction, it was still far from sufficient.
To achieve that, I needed the connections of Alpha Liam, Emily’s father. Not only did his rogue faction hold significant influence in this region, controlling most of the underground networks, but his pack also commanded the largest legitimate territory among all rogue groups.
I had come here to negotiate with him, but the old wolf had demanded I take his stubborn daughter as my chosen mate in exchange for a formal alliance between our packs. It wasn’t a terrible arrangement—Emily had been infatuated with me, and her father’s resources would be invaluable. I could use her until I no longer needed her. But I hadn’t expected her to outright refuse me, snarling in my face like a defiant girl.
When I returned to the mansion, the warriors and omegas were in chaos. My forehead creased.
"What the hell is going on?" I growled, my wolf, Ronan, bristling in my mind.
"A-Alpha Kieran!" one of the omegas stammered. "Luna Amanda—she attacked Alpha Darian!"
"What?" My blood ran cold. If that bitch had harmed him beyond recovery, Kyra would never return to me. I stormed upstairs to Alpha Darian’s room, my head filled with fury.
The sight of him in his wheelchair, his cheek swollen and red, sent irritation through me. His eyes burned with defiance as he glared at me.
"Alpha Kieran," one of the omegas whispered fearfully.
I clenched my jaw. "Where is Amanda?"
"She’s in her room, Alpha."
I didn’t hesitate. I strode to her room, my dominant Alpha aura making the air thick with tension. She turned to greet me with a smile, but before she could speak, I grabbed her by the throat and backhanded her across the face. She collapsed onto the bed, clutching her cheek, her eyes wide with shock.
"W-Why...?" she whimpered, her wolf cowering.
I leaned in and whispered, "Did I give you permission to lay a hand on him?"
She swallowed hard, her scent thick with fear. "H-He wouldn’t tell me where Kyra went! He’s protecting her—"
"DID I ALLOW YOU TO HURT HIM?" My roar shook the walls, my wolf snarling in my mind.
She flinched, tears spilling over. "N-No, Alpha..."
"I need him alive, Amanda," I hissed, my grip tightening. "If he dies because of your stupidity, I’ll bury you alive beside him. Do you understand?"
She nodded frantically, but I wasn’t satisfied.
"DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?"
"Y-Yes! I’m sorry!" she sobbed.
I released her with a snarl, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension. That conniving she-wolf would ruin everything if I didn’t keep her in check. Kyra would never come back to me if her father died. And I refused to let that happen.
***
Emily’s POV
I lay on my bed like a corpse, staring blankly at the ceiling. My life had been hell ever since my father, Alpha Liam, had interfered with my mate bond. The memories were still sharp—the way he had snarled at Leo, the man I had chosen, the way he had forbidden our union.
My wolf, Nova, whined softly in my mind. He took everything from us.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the pain. But the past refused to stay buried.
"I’m pregnant!" I had whispered excitedly to Leo, my hands trembling as I clutched the test.
His amber eyes had lit up with joy, and he had swept me into his arms, laughing as he rained kisses over my face. "You’re carrying my pup," he had murmured against my lips, his voice thick with emotion.
It had been the happiest moment of my life. And then, right there in our little apartment, he had dropped to one knee and asked me to be his Luna.
I had said yes without hesitation.
And that was when my father had destroyed everything.
I thought it was just another ordinary day in my apartment, but when my father, Alpha Liam, unexpectedly visited, I suddenly felt dizzy and feverish. My vision swam and my head spun unnaturally. This wasn’t normal—my wolf senses should have detected any illness or poison immediately.
The horror struck when I woke up naked in the bed of a brutal Alpha my father wanted me to mate with. He was rutting against me with animalistic fury, his claws digging into my hips. A sadistic growl rumbled from his chest as he took me without mercy, ignoring my whimpers of pain. My wolf, Nova, howled in agony inside my mind, but whatever drug they’d given me had severed our connection.
"Stop! You’re hurting me!" I screamed, but he only laughed, sinking his teeth into my shoulder in a mock mating bite. The pain was unbearable—I could feel my skin tearing, my blood soaking the sheets beneath us.
When he finally finished, I curled into a ball, trembling as I realized with gut-wrenching horror that I was losing my pup. The scent of blood filled the room. My wolf Nova finally broke through the drug’s haze, her mournful howls echoing in my mind.
"Our pup... our mate... gone..." Nova whimpered, her grief mirroring my own.
As the bastard washed off my blood in the bathroom, I spotted his hunting knife on the nightstand—the same one he’d used to cut the ropes binding me to the bed. My hands shook violently as I gripped the handle. Silver blades are lethal to werewolves, and the pain is excruciating.
When he emerged, still dripping water and smirking, I plunged the blade straight through his heart. His golden eyes widened in shock as he collapsed. I didn’t stop stabbing until his chest was a ruined mess of flesh and bone, until his arrogant smirk was forever wiped from his face.
Panting heavily, I stared at the bloody corpse. Nova snarled with satisfaction. "Good. He deserved worse."
Miraculously, his pack members let me leave—not out of fear of my father’s status as High Alpha, but because they’d witnessed their leader’s dishonorable actions. No true werewolf would defend a male who forced himself on an unwilling she-wolf.
But my survival meant nothing when I found Leo’s body in our apartment. My mate lay cold in a pool of his own blood, a single silver bullet between his eyes—the only sure way to kill a werewolf instantly. The scent of gunpowder filled the air.
"Why?" I screamed when confronting my father later, my voice thick with grief.
"He was a rogue spy from a rival rogue faction, daughter," Alpha Liam said coldly. "Sent to destroy us from within."
I knew the truth—Leo had been working with the Council to expose my father’s illegal wolfsbane trade. Wolfsbane, a deadly nightshade to werewolves, was being smuggled and refined into toxic weapons, used to eliminate rival packs in covert warfare—all strictly forbidden by the Council.
Leo’s kindness, his bravery... that’s what got him killed.
The tragedy brought me to the pit of darkness, almost falling to the depth of hell.
The double loss shattered me. I took lover after lover, flaunting my ruined reputation to spite my father. Each empty encounter made Nova snarl in disgust, but I didn’t care. I lost the will to survive. God knows how many times I tried to kill myself, wanting to end the misery of the memories that had been tormenting me, but even that freedom was stolen from me—my father’s guards watched me constantly. Even death was denied me.
Then Kieran arrived like a dark savior. His dominant aura called to my broken spirit. For a brief, foolish moment, I thought he might be my second chance mate.
How wrong I was. The moment he revealed his true nature, I realized he was worse than my father—because at least my father never pretended to be anything but a monster. Kieran wore his cruelty like a crown, and I’d been stupid enough to kneel before it.
Nova growled low in my mind. "We survive. We always survive."
But this time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
