Chapter 7—The Edge of Madness

Theo stood frozen, his breath coming in sharp, uneven pulls. The message burned in his mind, the words seared into his mind like a brand.

“The fire-haired one belongs to us now. She will forget you. And when she does, she will destroy you.”

The paper crumpled in his fist.

The forest was deathly silent.

His warriors watched him carefully, their bodies still, their ears perked, waiting for a reaction. Waiting for their Alpha’s next command.

But Theo couldn’t speak.

He couldn’t breathe.

“She will forget you.”

The words rattled inside his chest like a cage, tightening, constricting, pressing down until it felt like his ribs might crack under the weight of it.

Atlas howled, his anguish ripping through their shared mind like a blade.

No.

No, she won’t. She can’t.

The mate bond was faint, but it was still there.

Wasn’t it?

He reached for it again, stretching his mind, trying to grasp onto anything.

Nothing.

A hollow emptiness.

Theo’s knees nearly buckled. His hands shook as he squeezed them into fists. His chest ached with something deeper than anger—something raw, something close to breaking.

For the first time since she’d been taken, a new emotion curled inside him.

Not rage.

Not bloodlust.

Agony.

It was crushing, unbearable. It was a pain he had never known—like something was ripping his soul apart, slowly, deliberately, piece by piece.

Atlas wasn’t just snarling anymore.

He was mourning.

Theo’s breathing hitched, his heart thundering so hard that it felt like the world was coming apart around him.

“The fire-haired one belongs to us now.”

“She will forget you.”

Theo’s eyes burned.

His entire body shook.

Then—

He lost control.

A roar tore from Theo’s throat, so vicious and raw that the ground beneath him trembled.

He spun, his fist slamming into the nearest tree. Bark splintered under the force of his rage, cracking apart like shattered glass.

The warriors around him flinched, but no one moved to stop him.

Another hit.

And another.

He pounded into the tree until the bark was soaked with his blood, his knuckles torn open—but he didn’t feel it.

All he could feel was her absence.

Atlas snapped.

He lunged for control, pushing past the thin, frayed line that separated man from beast.

Theo’s bones shook, ready to break. His muscles tensed, preparing to shift.

“Let me out,” Atlas growled. “Let me kill them.”

Theo’s vision flickered black.

He was slipping.

Losing himself.

Then—

A voice.

“Alpha.”

Theo’s head snapped up.

Luka.

Standing just a few feet away, his expression grim but calm. His voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of caution.

Theo’s chest heaved.

His body was still coiled, trembling with the need to attack, to destroy, to hunt.

Luka’s sharp gaze held his. “We need a plan.”

Theo bared his teeth, his blue eyes burning. “They are stealing her from me.”

Luka didn’t flinch. “I know.”

Theo exhaled sharply, his fists clenching and unclenching, his body fighting for control.

Atlas wanted blood.

But Theo just wanted her back. Safe.

So they ran.

Faster than before.

The rogues were ahead, but they weren’t far enough.

The first rogue they found was alone—a scout, trying to cover tracks.

Atlas didn’t hesitate.

He tore through him.

Not a clean kill.

Not mercy.

Atlas ripped his throat out.

The warrior holding the rogue had barely blinked before Atlas moved on, shifting back into his human form, his hands dripping red.

The next one tried to run.

Theo took him down in seconds.

No questions. No hesitation.

Just death.

Darius led them toward a rogue outpost—hidden deep within the trees, tucked into the side of a rocky ridge.

It was empty.

Too empty.

Theo sniffed the air, his heart pounding.

Something was off.

Then—

A mind-link cut out.

One of the warriors.

Theo froze. “Where did he go?”

No answer.

Then—

A scent.

Blood.

Theo followed it, heart hammering. He rounded a tree—

And found one of his own warriors, slumped against the trunk, his throat torn open.

Carved into his chest—a message, dripping with fresh blood.

“Turn back, Alpha, or lose her forever.”

Silence.

Darius stared, horror-struck.

Luka’s jaw tightened.

Theo just… stood there.

His chest rose and fell, too fast, too uneven.

The mate bond was still fading.

Fading.

Fading.

His breathing hitched.

“The rogues are stalling us.”

“Buying time.”

But for what?

Then—Darius spoke, his voice hesitant.

“…Or worse,” he murmured, “someone’s feeding them information.”

Theo’s stomach turned.

A traitor?

His pack?

His people?

Atlas let out a growl so deep it vibrated through Theo’s bones.

Luka’s gaze hardened. “If that’s true—”

Theo’s voice was a low snarl.

“Find them.”

His blue eyes flashed dangerously.

“And when we do… I’ll rip their heart out myself.”

Just as they turned to move, Theo felt it.

A whisper of something.

A faint, fragile thread.

Not strong enough to grasp, but—

“Theo…”

Theo’s entire body stiffened.

His head snapped up, his breath caught in his throat.

She was there.

Weak. Fading.

“Willow.”

He reached for her through the bond, desperate, clawing, begging.

Then—

Her voice.

Soft. Distant.

“Don’t forget me.”

Then nothing.

The bond snapped.

The forest spun.

Something inside Theo shattered.

Atlas lunged for control.

Theo didn’t stop him.

Theo’s body broke apart.

Atlas exploded forward.

A massive, raging beast tearing into the earth.

And as his warriors watched their Alpha completely lose himself, only one thought filled Theo’s mind.

They will not take her from me.

They will not steal my mate.

And I will not stop until every single one of them is dead.