Chapter 4: Thane

The faces haunt me at night. No matter how much I try, I see them trying to creep up and destroy me.

I can’t explain to them that I had to become this person to survive, that it was either me or them.

But the faces remain, a constant reminder of the costs of my survival, and the sacrifices I've had to make to stay alive.

I thrush around restless with the guilt and the blood of all the people I had to harm on my hands.

Families, bloodlines, gone because I had been trained to be a monster. A killing machine. All because I could not afford to be a weak alpha.

I suddenly jolted awake, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath.

The sound of rain pounding against the windowpane was a steady drumbeat, but it wasn't the storm outside that had roused me from my sleep.

It was the sound of footsteps, heavy and urgent, echoing through the hallway.

I blinked away the haze of sleep, taking in the familiar surroundings of my bedroom.

My gaze fell upon the bedside table, where my nails had scratched through the wood once again, and the pillows, their stuffing spilling out like entrails.

But it was the sound of footsteps that had me on high alert, growing louder with every passing moment.

My instincts kicked in, and I sprang out of bed, my bare feet pounding the floor as instinct led me to her room. My heart was racing, my senses on high alert, as I burst into the hallways of the room where my little bird was being kept.

The door was wide open, the key still attached to the lock, and a sense of dread washed over me as I realized that she was gone.

Crap.

I burst through the doorway, my senses on high alert, letting my primal instincts take over.

The killer within me emerged, driven by a singular focus; to catch my prey.

And then I sensed her, my awareness homing in on her presence like a predator tracking its victim.

I sprinted out of the door, my feet pounding the ground as I sprinted.

She was already halfway across the courtyard, her bare feet flying across the stone pavement as she made a beeline for the woods.

For a moment, she hesitated, looking back over her shoulder with a flash of fear in her eyes.

That was her first mistake.

I was already gaining on her, my longer strides eating up the distance between us. I knew she was no match for me, not when I was in full hunter mode.

As she vanished into the trees, I followed, my eyes locked onto her fleeing form.

And then, in a moment of perfect timing, her foot caught on an exposed root, sending her tumbling to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, but it was too late. I was closing in, my advantage now inevitable.

I grabbed her by the arm tossing her to the ground.

My wolf's instincts were torn, caught between the unfamiliar affection that threatened to undermine my control and the deeply ingrained conditioning that demanded I eliminate any prey that dared to challenge me.

As I gazed into her eyes, I saw a flicker of fear, her pupils dilating in horror as she realized the real danger before her.

But it was her actual eyes that caught my attention - a deep, forest green that seemed to bore into my very soul.

The same piercing green as her brother's, a detail that sparked even more anger within me.

The bond's gentle tug was no match for the fury that rose to the surface, fueled by memories of betrayals and the animosity between our packs.

My instincts won out, overriding any sentimental weakness that might have kept the aggression in me tamed.

“Fight.” I growled thinking about alpha Cameron’s smug face. The way he carelessly caused destruction and took what he could simply because he knew he could.

All the times he had waged battle and terrorised us. All the times he had made me feel inferior and weak.

She’s a Diamanté wolf. She’s of his blood. I could never love such a person.

“Fight!” I yelled, the anger making me see black.

I wanted her to show me she was exactly like him. That she would destroy me the second she got a chance.

Tears streamed down her face, her voice barely above a whisper as she pleaded, "Please."

She cradled her injured arm, her eyes welling up with tears as she gazed up at me.

I towered over her, my expression unyielding as I tried to read her intentions.

Was she playing a game? Feigning weakness to lull me into a false sense of security?

My growl was low and menacing as I issued the challenge, my words dripping with malice. "Show me what your brother has taught you." I sneered, my eyes flashing with challenge. "Shift and fight me, Diamanté. Shift and fight me dammit!”

The words hung in the air as I waited for her response.

She whimpered again now fully sobbing.

Weak and pathetic.

Fate couldn’t be this cruel. My Luna, my destined soulmate surely couldn’t be this weak.

She’s the alpha’s little sister and she can’t protect herself?

I threw my hand back and savoured the look of utter fear in her eyes but instead of striking her, I hit the ground right beside her head, my hand digging into the dirt.

She opened her eyes probably shocked that she was still alive. Rain water soaked through her clothes and her curly dark hair.

I was Alpha Thane. I wasn’t weak. If I wanted her dead right now, I could do it.

Screw the bond. I was strong enough to get through the aftermath.

But something held me back. Something stopped me from doing what would have otherwise come naturally to me.

“Get up.” I growled as I grabbed her arm not bothering to be gentle.

She stared into my eyes in fear. Like I was a monster that would hurt her.

I threw her over my shoulder and walked through the rain, ignoring the sounds of thunder. My feet digging into the mud.

I went up to my bedroom and tossed her onto my bed.

She immediately cowered back until she hit the head board.

I scoffed and grabbed a towel tossing it at her.

I walked over to the door and locked it.

I then walked back to her slowly creeping over the bed. I pounced on it until I was hovering over her small trembling form.

I could practically smell the fear on her.

I slipped a finger underneath her chin and tipped it forward.

“You’re so weak.” I spoke scoffing. “You don’t fight back. You don’t heal. And you’re definitely not fast.”

Our bodies were close to each other.

I noticed a cut on her lower lip and trailed my finger over the blood.

“Are you sure you’re a Diamanté?” I asked.

She swallowed hard.

Her round eyes entrapped me with their pleading and I hated myself for not being able to do what was necessary.

I let go of her and got off the bed running a hand through my wet hair sticking to my neck.

I turned to her and cursed.

“You’re going to be the death of me.”

It’s bad enough that my Luna had turned out to be so weak with tainted blood.

When I was growing up, weak pups got killed. That was the merciful thing to do.

Now here she was. Not even able to fight back and yet everything in me stopped me from hurting even a hair on her head.

It was sick that my body actually wanted her desperately and that made it worse.

I cursed and walked over to sit on the couch nearby slumping down ignoring the coldness the wetness had brought on and trying to get my wolf to get a grip.

There was nothing remotely enticing about Diamanté scum.

I studied the scared little bird as she hugged her body trembling.

The soft light of the moon seeping through the windows into the room danced across her delicate features, highlighting the vulnerability etched on her face.

“Sleep.” I ordered. “If you try to leave, I will hear you. And next time, I won’t hesitate to snap your neck.”

My threat seemed to hold enough weight.

She gulped and gripped the sheets definitely afraid for her life.