Andrew’s POV
I was standing at the side of the room looking at Aiden, and he was handcuffed and seated on a chair in the middle of a slightly dark room. Seeing him like that gave me a grim of satisfaction. He didn’t know how long I had waited for this moment. The great Alpha Aiden Caesar, currently tied and gagged right in front of me, could have no clue of just how much dominance I possessed.
I gave a low chuckle, and Aiden pulled his head up. His eyes looked angry, bewildered, and perhaps scared a little. I couldn’t say.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked, my voice laced with mockery.
Aiden didn’t respond immediately, and his gaze locked on me as he tried to place my face. The anger in his eyes grew. I could see it dawning on him-realizing who I was.
“Andrew,” he spat, “Shenaya’s friend. You traitorous snake.”
I grinned at his words, crossing the room to stand before him. “Ah, so you do remember me. But I’m not just her friend, Aiden. I’m much more than that. You see, there’s something you never knew, something your father kept hidden from you.”
He looked at me, his expression still hard, not giving in to my taunts. He was also good at concealing his emotions; that had to be said.
“Get outta here,” he finally responded in a way that made it clear I was the last person he wanted to see. “I’m your brother,” I said again bitterly.
Aiden knitted his eyebrows; his face showed the expression of the unknown factor. He made a repealing movement with his head to dismiss what I had just said. “Lies,” he muttered. “My father never had another son.”
“He did,” I carried on, ignoring his denial. “He sent me and my mother out of the pack just because my mother was an Omega wolf. He never talked of me to you because he cannot bear the thought of anyone being aware of his infidelity. But I’ve known about you, Aiden, for years. Well, now, I am here to win back what is rightfully mine. I’ll claim the Cresent pack as the rightful Alpha, the power, and-most importantly-I’ll claim Shenaya.”
The shock on Aiden’s face was satisfying, but he quickly masked it with anger again. He struggled against restraints, but I had tied him well with some spells. There was no escape for him.
“You think I’ll just let you take over my pack? And you will never win Shenaya over,” he growled. You’ve already lost.”
I smirked, pacing around him like a predator circling its prey.
“Oh, Aiden, you poor fool. I will make her mine no matter what. I need you not to be in this world.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket at that time, interrupting me. I turned my eyes towards the screen; it was an unknown number calling me. I put some space between me and Aiden to answer the call.
“I know you have him,” a familiar voice said. “I don’t think you need me to tell you how I feel, do you?” she interrupted my thought of how she knew I had Aiden,
“Don’t ask how I know, Mighty. You should know by now I’m always one step ahead. Listen carefully and listen well. Please don’t hurt him because I have Shenaya and the pup. If you touch a hair on his head, you’ll never see Shenaya again.”
“You’re bluffing.”I clenched my jaw.
“Oh, Mighty, you should know better than anyone. I don’t bluff. Meet me at the location I’m about to send you. Bring Aiden, and maybe we can make a deal.”
Before I could say anything, the line simply went off, and almost immediately, a text with the GPS location floated through. I turned to Aiden, who sat attentively with his eyes on me, but I did not speak.
“It seems we are going on a little ride,” I whispered, moving the chair with Aiden to the floor. He did not struggle, and yet the glare that scorched my skin from his eyes was one of pure hatred.
I sat in the car quietly. I took the coordinates to an old mansion on the hilltop, a place I knew only too well. The Roux family once owned the house, but for some time now, the structure has been dismantled and has become a long-dead history. The wind whistled as we moved on to the doors, and the sea roared against the rocks as we stared at it.
I shoved Aiden ahead of me, his two feet barely moving as he hobbled forward, still tied. The huge doors to the mansion squeaked as I opened them, and a cloud of dust filled the room. The stench of vileness greeted us. The sunlight almost faded deep, and the shades of darkness swung on the walls through the broken windows.
I took Aiden into the main hall, where Skylar stood with her back against the large fireplace, looking rather pleased with herself. Leo and Zoey were cowering in one corner of the room with Shenaya. I could sense the surprise in their eyes, most especially in Shenaya. She looked shocked to see me there.
She stared in surprise with widened eyes as she saw me by Aiden’s side, who was tied, and Skylar laughing. She jerked her head towards us and then back to Skylar with confusion.
“Andrew?” Shenaya whispered, her voice shaking. “What… what’s going on?”
This made Skylar laugh; her laughter resonated throughout the room.
“Oh, darling Shenaya, you have been betrayed,” she whispered, moving into Shenaya’s space. “I tried to tell you that he wasn’t the Andrew that you knew and thought he was, but you wanted to hurt me so bad. Well, it’s not too late.”
Shenaya’s eyes met mine with a flashing of confusion and pain.
“Andrew, what is she saying?”
I drew an intense breath, realizing the gravity of the occasion. This was it. Everything I had kept hidden for so long was about to come out.
“He’s not just your friend, Shenaya,” Skylar began, her voice quiet but firm. He’s the famous Mighty.”
“Mighty?” Her confusion deepened.
“Yes, The man who’s been trying to take over Aiden’s territory.”
Skylar grinned, circling Shenaya like a predator.
” And it gets worse, darling. Mighty here is not only a power-thirsty wolf. He’s the father of Zoey.”
Skylar spoke, and the entire room was quiet and heavy with unspoken words. Shenaya’s face lost color as she looked at me with extreme shock.
“You… you are Zoey’s father?” she asked in quite a low tone.
I closed my eyes slowly and nodded in affirmation as my heart raced out of control.
“Yes. I wanted you to raise her, Shenaya. I wished you were the one who gave birth to her… I’ve always cared about you. That is why I felt uncomfortable with Skylar having that role as her mother.”
Even Aiden, who sat across from me, scowling at me the whole time and seeming to derive some joy from my misery, appeared shocked by the revelation. However, the quiet could not be heard for a long time.
Skylar moved slightly forward, twitching her lips into a smile while staring at Shenaya.
“He dropped Zoey at your door, Shenaya. He has always been obsessed with you.”
Shenaya’s eyes shifted between Skylar and me; the confusion and anger in her eyes had increased.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me the truth, Andrew?”
I didn’t have an answer.
“I…” I said after a moment’s hesitation, “I couldn’t.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” Shenaya repeated, incredulous. “You lied to me! You let me raise your daughter without ever telling me the truth! And now… now you’re standing here, working with Skylar, betraying us all!”
I flinched at her words. The pain in her voice cut deep. I had never meant for things to spiral out of control like this. I had wanted power, yes, but I had also wanted Shenaya. And now, I had lost everything.
Skylar, sensing the tension, clapped her hands together.
“Well, this is all very dramatic, but we have business. Andrew, hand over Aiden.”
I hesitated, glancing at Aiden, then back at Shenaya. Could I go through with this? Could I betray the woman I had loved for so long?
But before I could move, Aiden spoke, his voice calm but firm. “You’ve already lost, Andrew. Skylar doesn’t care about you. She never did. You’re just a pawn in her game.”
I turned to face him, anger bubbling up inside me. “Shut up, Aiden.”
But he didn’t stop.
“Think about it. Why would Skylar need you? She has me, Shenaya, and the pup. You’re expendable.”
Skylar’s laugh cut through the air, cold and sharp.
“Oh, Aiden, always the hero. But you’re mistaken. Andrew isn’t expendable… yet.”
She stepped closer to me, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “But he will be once I get what I want.”
Before I could say anything, a loud sound shot through the room, and Skylar’s body dropped lifeless on the floor with a hole in her head.