Chapter 37

My voice shook as I spoke, the words hitching in my throat. “You did what?”

My eyes locked on Jaden, searching for a flicker of doubt, wondering if it was my ears tricking me. But his lips curled into a smirk, his shoulders squared with a smug confidence.

“How could you, Jaden?” I said, my voice barely above whispers, my fingers clutching at the edge of my sleeves.

“We are not here for long talks!” Jaden’s father's voice was a low growl as his claws elongated in readiness. “Start saying your last prayer because your end is now.”

I stepped back, my heels hitting a splintered wood. “My father trusted you,” I muttered, my breath hitching. “He made you his Beta because he believed in your loyalty. Are you really going to ambush his daughter?”

His laughter was sharp, like shattering glasses. “You brought it on yourself when you decided to embarrass us and make a mockery of us in the pack’s eyes!”

I could feel my pulse racing as he leaned in closer, his hot breath fanning my face and the stink of whiskey clinging to his words. “You rubbed our faces with shame and trashed us like useless garbage! Don’t try to act like you didn’t deserve this, you evil little bitch!”

Jaden cleared his throat as he prowled closer too, his smile like he was already imagining my death.

“The vampires were happy to help, expecting you as their prize,” he whispered, his voice dripping with glee. “But we’ll save them the trouble and end you ourselves.”

“No….No you won’t. You can’t kill me!” My voice faltered, cold sweat breaking out of my face. My eyes wandered around the forest for help but all that surrounded me were a pair of cold eyes.

Jaden let out a dry chuckle, his eyes glistening. “Just like your slutty mother, you will die off. We will all grieve you as though it was the vampire that killed you, because that’s what we will make it look like.”

Hearing him call my mother a slut sparked a rage like fire inside me, but my muscles seemed to be against me. Useless and leaving me at their mercy.

“I don’t even know why we brought twenty men when only both of us were enough to finish her. The charm is really stronger than we thought!” Jaden’s father said, a smirk on his face as he dropped the incense stand and rolled up his sleeves.

“You are right…” Jaden winked and quickly shifted into his big, furious, brown wolf. Same with his father, and both of them ran a sudden attack on their own men.

In minutes, the ground was a mess of torn flesh and shattered bones.

“Your father will think these men were killed alongside you,” Jaden snickered, wiping off the blood on his mouth.

My chest tightened, my voice suddenly hoarse. “You shouldn’t do this, Jaden. We can talk things out in a better way than this. Killing me won’t make you Alpha!” My hands trembled, clutching my sleeves as I watched him shift back into his human form.

“It will. Don’t worry.” His father cut in. “We have it all sorted out, princess!” He stepped closer, muscles tensed. But as he started to pounce on me, Jaden held him to a stop suddenly.

“We shouldn’t waste time.” His father muttered with a hiss.

“Dad, you know, the first thing that caught my attention when I first saw her was how sexy she was.” Jaden said to him, his eyes lingering at my breasts. “Her banging body made me hard, and I couldn’t help the thought of having her under me, moaning and screaming my name while I ram her hard.” His words made my skin crawl and those eyes glistening with lust only made me want to kill him.

His father pulled a long stare. “You mean you want to have sex with her before we kill her? Won’t that waste our time and put us at risk? I don’t think we should take such dangerous risks! Someone might…”

“No, no, no… . It won’t!” He interrupted with a low growl. “You just have to keep watch for me because I won’t be satisfied with her death if I don't do it!”

My pulse hammered against my chest as I figured out what he meant. My legs were even useless to run as the incense drained out every strength in me.

As they exchanged words, I silently prayed for strength. At least a bit to let me escape, but it was totally impossible. My legs felt like they were in chains, and my inner wolf seemed sedated.

All because of the incense that filled my nostrils. I wonder why it didn’t affect them. I guess they already have the antidote with them or something.

I couldn’t hear all their arguments, but in the end, they concluded to kill me off. Jaden agreed not to take the risk of raping me and getting caught.

My mind link had also been shut down by the incense, so there was no way I could calm the guards at the entrance to come and help me.

Jaden had been stalking me and found out I’d come here every night for the past few days, so he hid with his father to kill me.

They were going to betray their loyalty to the pack and kill the daughter of the Alpha. It was a forbidden act which was likely to bring a curse on them, but it seemed that was the least of their concern.

“Don’t worry about the curse. The vampires made sure we are able to avoid that with their elixir.” Jaden winked as if he could read my mind.

“How are you believing those evil people?” I shouted, a cough bursting through as smoke from the intense hovered around me, choking.

“Because they are desperate to have you.” Killing you was the sole reason they sent their prince Leo to this place in disguise. They will do anything to have you, and we offered them a better option!” Jaden replied, and his impatient father struck the first blow that landed me on the ground, my head hitting a rock.

Pain exploded inside my skull, a sharp gasp slipping as I tried to contain it. I was struggling to breath, and his strike on my chest had seemed to

Jaden came forward and kicked me hard in the stomach, the sickening crack of my ribs sending unbearable pain that made death flash through my eyes.

“Please… I beg…you…”

“Remember when I was begging you? When I was the one beside your bed asking for a chance to prove my love and prevent this from happening! You were hotheaded and flung me out like the proud slut you are!” He roared, his boot landing on my face and breaking my nose.

Blood gushed from my numb face uncontrollably, and I could tell in that instant that I wouldn’t survive this.

My gaze turned to the incense burning, and it wasn’t even close to burning out. They had enough to keep me drained till I was murdered.

Each blow blurred into the next, life slipping away. The incense burned on, its smoke keeping my wolf caged.

Why was I here?

How did I end up in this mess?

The question made his face resurface in my head, and I wondered if it was worth it.

My thoughts drifted to him—the man whose face had pulled me here every night, his quiet presence sparking something I couldn’t name.

Love? Obsession? My father’s warnings about leaving the house alone echoed in my head as pain drowned me.

Who was to be blamed?

The man who had taken control of my heart without having to do too much or myself who left home to check on him every day because I was hoping he would show up again.

In the end, it seemed I had put myself in a deadly trap I wouldn’t escape from. My father warned me. But love made me turn deaf ears.

How did I fall in love this deep?

Was it even love if I haven’t even known anything about the man?

Jaden’s voice cut through, mocking. “This is too easy. No fun if she dies like this.” He swaggered to the incense stands, snuffing them out with a flick.

The smoke cleared, my lungs spasming, as a faint spark of strength stirred. My inner wolf twitched, waking.

I struggled to sit up, agony bathing me from head to toe. My head lowered to the ground as blood dripped.

“Stand! My queen,” Jaden taunted. “You can’t die off like a coward! The incense is gone! Stand up and fight like the warrior your father claimed you are!” His father's smirk widened, their eyes shimmering with an unshaken confidence, knowing I was broken.

If they had put off the incense a bit earlier, I would have had a chance.

Just then my mind crossed the bracelet I had picked from her the other day. It was like a gift from my first love.

I decided to wear it for the first time and die with it. But as I slipped it out and put it on my left wrist, magic happened.

My bones cracked and went back in shape before realigning like I was about to shift. My muscles tugged and enlarged, my wounds healing up so fast.

Jaden and his father were unaware of this change as they approached me, their booth shuffling on the ground.

“Let’s finish this up!” I heard them say to themselves, and as they were close, I rose like a phoenix, shifting into my big ash wolf in their bewilderment.

“What the f—“ Jaden’s curse choked off as I lunged, my jaws tearing through his father’s throat in a spray of blood. He collapsed, lifeless, before he could scream.

Jaden stumbled back, his voice a desperate rasp. “Mercy… please…” His legs were already severed, blood pooling as my growl rumbled.

“You didn’t spare me when I pleaded earlier,” I snarled, my teeth snapping his neck, gutting him with a final rip.

Just then someone came out, clapping.

I spun, and my eyes widened seeing it was him. The man who had snatched the key to my heart