Chapter 94: Chapter 94
Christian’s POV
The pack formed a perfect circle around us. No gaps. No escape routes.
This was it. The moment I’d been dreading and anticipating for years.
My father stood across from me, blood already covering his fur from the earlier battle. But his eyes were sharp. Calculating. .
I was exhausted. My shoulder throbbed where Tom had slashed it. Multiple wounds bled freely. I’d been fighting for hours.
Harold was fresh. Rested. Experienced.
But I had something he didn’t.
I glanced at Sophie standing at the front of the circle. Her hands were clenched into fists. Tears streaked her face. But her eyes blazed with faith in me.
*I love you,* I sent through our bond.
*Don’t you dare die on me,* she sent back.
I wouldn’t. Not if I could help it.
Harold struck first.
He came at me low and fast, going straight for my injured shoulder like I knew he would. My father always targeted weaknesses. Always went for maximum damage.
I dodged, but not fast enough.
His claws raked across my side. Pain exploded through my ribs. Blood poured hot down my leg.
The pack gasped.
Through our bond, Sophie’s anguish hit me like a physical blow.
*I’m okay,* I sent to her. *Stay strong.*
Harold circled me slowly, confidence radiating from every movement. He’d drawn first blood. In his mind, he’d already won.
"Tired, son?" he asked, shifting briefly to human form. Pack law allowed speaking during challenges. "Already giving up?"
I didn’t answer. Saved my energy.
"You were always weak," Harold continued. "Even as a child. I tried to make you strong. Beat the weakness out of you. But you kept disappointing me."
I remembered those beatings. The psychological torture. The constant message that I would never be good enough.
"You think you can lead this pack?" Harold laughed. "You can’t even finish a simple fight. That *girl* has made you soft. Pathetic."
My wolf snarled.
"After I kill you," Harold said casually, "I’ll deal with her, maybe I’ll let Tom have what’s left. Would serve her right for corrupting my son."
That did it.
I shifted to human form, breaking my silence.
"You lost the right to call yourself my father years ago," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "Everything you did to me—the abuse, the manipulation, the control—ends tonight."
"Big words from someone who’s bleeding out."
"I’m not that scared kid anymore." I shifted back to wolf form. "And you’re about to find out exactly what I’ve become."
I attacked before he could respond.
My speed surprised him. I’d been training with Sophie, learning new techniques, pushing my limits. While Harold had been sitting in his office plotting revenge, I’d been getting stronger.
My claws caught his face. His chest. His legs.
Harold stumbled back, blood flowing from multiple wounds.
The pack’s energy shifted. Maybe their Alpha wasn’t losing after all.
Harold recovered quickly, years of experience compensating for surprise. We collided in the center of the circle, both of us fighting with everything we had.
He was bigger. Stronger.
But I was faster. Smarter. And I had more to lose.
We broke apart, both bleeding heavily now.
Through my bond with Sophie, I felt her channeling Luna energy to me. Warmth flowed into my wounds, helping them heal faster than they should.
Harold noticed my renewed strength. His eyes narrowed.
Then he did something unforgivable.
He broke pack law.
Harold lunged—not at me, but at Sophie.
Time slowed. I saw his trajectory. Saw Sophie’s eyes widen. Saw Marcus reaching for her but too far away.
I intercepted Harold mid-leap.
We went down together in a tangle of claws and teeth. I pinned him, but he twisted free.
The pack erupted in outrage. Breaking challenge law by attacking spectators was unforgivable. Even Harold’s remaining supporters looked shocked.
But I didn’t care about pack law at that moment.
He’d tried to kill Sophie.
My mate. My Luna. The only person who’d ever loved me for who I was.
Something primal took over.
I attacked with a fury I didn’t know I possessed. Every strike was precise. Every movement is calculated. Harold had trained me to fight, but Sophie had taught me what I was fighting *for*.
Harold fell back under my assault. For the first time, fear showed in his eyes.
He shifted to human form, gasping for breath.
"You can’t win," he panted. "I’m your father. I made you what you are."
"No." I shifted too, standing over him. "You tried to break me. Sophie made me whole."
"Sentimental garbage." Harold struggled to his feet. "Love doesn’t win battles. Power does."
"Then why are you losing?"
His expression twisted with rage. He shifted and came at me one more time.
But he was tired. Old. The earlier challenge loss had weakened him more than he’d admitted.
I sidestepped his attack and struck his injured shoulder—the one I’d damaged in our first challenge.
Harold went down hard.
I was on him instantly, pinning him to the ground. My jaws closed around his throat. One bite. That’s all it would take.
The pack held its breath.
Harold shifted beneath me, still pinned.
He looked up at me, and for just a second, I saw something that might have been pride.
"Do it," Harold said. "Finish what you started."
I hesitated.
"You can’t, can you?" Harold laughed bitterly. "You’re too weak. Just like I always said."
"Christian." Sophie’s voice cut through my rage. "You’ve already won."
I looked at her. She had tears streaming down her face.
"Mercy is strength," she said softly. "Not weakness."
"Listen to your *mate*," Harold sneered. "Be weak. Prove me right."
I shifted to human form, still holding him down.
"You think killing you makes me like you?" I asked. "You’re wrong. I’m nothing like you."
"You’re exactly what I made you," Harold said. "A killer. A monster. You can’t escape it."
"I fight to protect people I love. You fought to control them. We’re not the same."
I raised my hand, knowing pack law demanded I finish this. Harold had challenged. Lost. Law required death.
But Sophie’s words echoed in my mind. *Mercy is strength.*
Could I show mercy? Should I?
Harold’s laugh broke through my thoughts.
"Pathetic," he said. "You’ll let me live, and I’ll come back. I’ll kill her. I’ll take everything from you. Because you’re too *good* to do what’s necessary."
And that’s when I understood.
This wasn’t about being weak or strong. It wasn’t about revenge or mercy.
It was about protecting my pack. My mate. My future.
Harold would never stop. Would never change. Would always be a threat to everything I loved.
I looked at Sophie one last time.
*I’m sorry,* I sent through our bond.
*I know,* she sent back. *I love you.*
I shifted back to wolf form.
"Goodbye, Harold," I said.
His eyes widened as he realized I’d made my choice.
"Christian, wait—"
I didn’t wait.
The killing blow was quick. Merciful. Final.
Harold’s body went limp beneath me.
The pack remained silent.
I stood over my father’s corpse, covered in blood—his and mine—and felt nothing. No triumph. No relief. Just exhaustion.
"Christian!"
Sophie broke through the circle and ran to me.
I shifted to human form and collapsed into her arms.
The weight of what I’d done hit me all at once. I’d killed my father. Ended his life with my hands.
"It’s over," Sophie whispered, holding me tight. "It’s finally over."
Marcus approached, his expression grim but respectful.
"Christian Knight is victorious," Marcus announced formally. "Harold’s challenge has ended."
The pack erupted in howls. Celebration mixed with grief. Relief mixed with trauma.
I tried to stand. Failed.
Everything hurts. My shoulder was shredded. My ribs felt broken. Blood loss was catching up to me fast.
"Christian?" Sophie’s voice sounded distant. "Christian, stay with me."
I looked at her beautiful face. I tried to memorize it.
"I love you," I managed to say.
Then everything went black
