The Perfect revenge

RYKER POV

"What do we do with the girl, Alpha?" one of my men asked, bowing his head respectfully.

I stopped walking and turned back to look at the unconscious girl. She was draped weakly across the back of my horse, her long hair tangled and pale against the dark leather.

A cruel smirk spread across my face as I stared at her. You look so peaceful right now, little wolf. Enjoy it while it lasts.

"Throw her in the dungeon," I commanded, my voice cold and unyielding.

The guard bowed immediately and barked orders at two other men. They lifted her limp body from the horse, dragging her toward the dark, damp stairs of the castle's lowest levels.

I watched them carry her away, my chest tightening with a familiar, burning rage. I had intended to kill Alpha Gideon Winter from the very moment I stepped into his territory.

We had hated each other for years, always staying far away from each other's borders to avoid bloodshed. We had a silent agreement to never cross paths, and it worked until three months ago.

Everything changed on that cursed afternoon during a routine hunt. I was out in the deep woods with my beautiful, heavily pregnant wife, Lola.

The sun was warm, and the air was thick with the scent of pine and fresh earth. A messenger had approached us on the border, delivering a strange, sealed letter addressed directly to me.

Lola smiled warmly, her hand resting protectively over her round, swollen belly. She offered to hold the letter for me while I finished tracking a deer with the rest of the warriors.

"Go on, my love," she had whispered, kissing my cheek. "I will wait right here under the shade of this oak tree."

I assigned two of my strongest elite guards to stand by her side and protect her at all costs. Then, I shifted into my wolf and ran into the woods, feeling completely at peace.

*If I had only stayed. If I had just ignored the hunt and stayed by her side, everything would be different.*

When I returned an hour later, the peaceful woods had turned into a horrific slaughterhouse. The copper stench of fresh blood hit my nose first, making my stomach drop in pure terror.

I sprinted through the trees, shifting back into my human form as I broke into the clearing. The two elite guards lay on the grass, their bodies brutally ripped apart in their wolf forms.

But my eyes instantly locked onto the center of the clearing, and my heart completely shattered into a million pieces. My beautiful Lola was lying flat on the cold earth, her eyes wide and lifeless.

The ground beneath her was soaked in dark, cold crimson blood. The strange letter was gone, snatched from her lifeless fingers.

I fell to my knees, letting out a raw, agonizing howl that shook the very trees. I pulled her cold body against my chest, weeping like a broken child as I rocked her back and forth.

Our pup was supposed to arrive in the next moon cycle. We had already picked out a name, bought the crib, and dreamed of our future.

In a single, brutal moment, my wife and my unborn heir were stolen from me. I swore a blood oath to the Moon Goddess that night that I would find the monster responsible.

When my trackers investigated the clearing, they found a distinct, undeniable trail left behind. It was the specific scent and tracking markers of the Winter pack.

Gideon Winter. He took my family, so I will take everything from him.

When I finally captured him tonight, the damn bastard kept screaming and claiming he didn't do it. He looked me in the eyes and swore on his wolf's life that he was innocent.

I didn't believe a single word coming out of his pathetic mouth. I raised my sword, ready to slice his head off and watch his blood pool on his own living room floor.

But right before my blade could strike, his daughter interrupted us. She burst out from the shadows like a sudden ray of light in a dark room.

Iris.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, completely innocent, and utterly defiant. She threw her small body right in front of my sword, shielding her father without a single ounce of fear.

The moment our eyes locked, a violent jolt of electricity rushed straight through my veins. My chest burned, and my inner wolf suddenly woke up, letting out a thunderous, demanding howl.

Mate! She is our fated mate! Claim her! 

I choked back a gasp, gripping my sword tighter until my knuckles turned white. No. This has to be a sick, twisted joke by the Moon Goddess. My second chance mate is the daughter of the monster who murdered my family?*

Gideon had really hidden her well from the rest of the werewolf world. I never knew he had a daughter, let alone one he cared about this deeply.

As I watched them, I noticed the raw terror and absolute devotion in Gideon's eyes. He didn't care about his own life anymore; he was only begging for hers.

He looked at Iris like she was his entire universe, his proudest achievement, and his absolute life. Seeing that look gave me the most perfect, wicked idea for the ultimate revenge.

Killing Gideon right then and there would be too easy, too quick. Death was a mercy he didn't deserve after what he did to Lola.

Instead, I decided to inflict the exact same agonizing pain he gave to me. I claimed her right in front of his face, dragging her against my chest while he screamed in absolute horror.

"She is my breeder now," I had sneered at him, watching the light completely leave his eyes.

A life for a life. A child for a child.

He killed my future heir, so his precious, beloved daughter will be forced to carry my next one. This was the perfect payback, a slow torture that would drive Gideon completely insane inside his prison cell.

I walked down the dark hallway of my pack house, my heavy boots echoing against the stone walls. My wolf was still scratching at my mind, whining and protesting the fact that I had thrown our mate into a cold dungeon.

Shut up, I growled back at my wolf internally. I don't care if she is our fated mate. She is a Winter. She carries the blood of a murderer.

I stopped outside the heavy iron door that led down to the cells. I could hear the distant, faint sound of chains rattling from the darkness below.

The revenge I planned was going to be sweet, slow, and absolute. I was going to break her pride, strip away her comfort, and make her pay for the sins of her family.

Oh, little wolf, I thought, a dark, heartless smile spreading across my lips. I am going to make your life a living hell, and every single day, I will remind you exactly why you are here.