Ryan’s Pov(The past)
This was the height of it. How could Rhys stoop so low as to kill our father? We grew up without a mother, and now we were without a father too.
The weight of it settled over me like a boulder crushing my chest, but I had no time to grieve. My father’s body was still on the floor, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing, and my hands trembled as I forced myself to turn away.
I ordered some of the pack members to take care of the mess Rhys had made. My voice was cold, commanding. I couldn’t let anyone see the storm raging inside me.
But I needed to see him.
I needed to look him in the eye and ask him why.
I needed to understand how the brother I grew up with, the twin who shared my blood could do something so unforgivable.
Rage burned through my veins, but anger wouldn’t solve this. I had to keep my emotions in check.
With each step toward Rhys’s room, my hands clenched into fists. When I threw open his door, the emptiness inside sent another wave of frustration through me.
Where the hell was he?
A maid scurried past, head lowered.
“Where is he?” I snapped.
“In the garden, Alpha,” she answered, voice barely above a whisper.
I didn’t respond. I was already moving, my strides long and purposeful.
But nothing could have prepared me for the sight that greeted me.
Rhys. Sitting on a stone bench, his arms wrapped around Jazmine. Kissing her.
Making out with her like he hadn’t just murdered the man who raised us.
My vision blurred with fury.
“Rhys!” I thundered.
They pulled apart, but he looked at me like I was the one overreacting.
I strode forward, pushing Jazmine aside. I didn’t care about her right now-I didn’t care about her at all.
Rhys barely had time to react before I grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him up. My grip was tight, my fingers digging into the fabric as I fought the urge to sink my claws into his skin.
“What did you do?” My voice shook, but not from fear.
“Why did you do it?” I threw him back, watching as he staggered a few steps before regaining his balance.
Instead of looking guilty, instead of looking like a man who had just lost his father, our father, he smoothed out his shirt with infuriating calmness.
“Stop overreacting,” he said.
The restraint I had been holding onto snapped.
“You call this overreacting?” My voice rose, raw with disbelief. “You killed our father, Rhys!”
He didn’t even flinch.
“How could you?” I stepped closer, my breaths coming fast and sharp.
I could feel eyes on us. The maids, the guards, everyone was watching. But no one dared interfere.
Jazmine stood frozen in place, her hands over her mouth, as if she was just now realizing the weight of what Rhys had done.
Rhys met my gaze without a hint of regret. “He’s an old man already. Let him go meet Mom.”
The casual way he said it made my stomach turn.
“Rhys!” My claws extended before I could stop them, my wolf demanding justice.
I lunged.
He caught my wrist mid-air, his grip tightening in warning.
I was strong, but I was stronger than him. He knew that.
His eyes darkened, and for the first time, I saw something dangerous in them.
“Don’t touch me, Ryan. Or you’ll end up like Father.”
I froze.
He didn’t just say that.
This wasn’t Rhys. This wasn’t my twin.
“You went too far,” I said, my voice lower now, colder. “And you’ll regret it.”
He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a figure rushed into the garden.
“Ryan!”
I turned sharply. It was Asher.
His face was pale, his breathing uneven.
“The witches,” he said. “They’re coming into Shadowhaven. They’re casting spells on anyone they set their eyes on.”
I snapped my gaze back to Rhys.
“What is this?” I demanded.
He just shrugged.
The weight of his indifference made my blood boil.
“The Elders are calling for you,” Asher said urgently. “Now.”
I clenched my jaw and turned away from my brother.
The rage inside me hadn’t settled. If anything, it burned hotter as I made my way to the elders. The entire mansion already knew what had happened, whispers filled the halls, eyes lingered on me, waiting to see how I would react.
I stepped into the meeting room, and immediately, all eyes were on me.
Asher, Caleb, and the elders stood in a heavy silence, their expressions dark, disapproving.
“Alpha Ryan,” they greeted in unison, bowing slightly.
I clenched my jaw. My father wasn’t even buried yet, and they were already here, waiting for a decision.
“Your brother made a terrible mistake by ending his life,” one of the elders said. The others murmured in agreement.
“Now we must do what must be done,” another added.
There was a finality in his voice that unsettled me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, my patience thinning.
“We must strip him of his Alpha title,” Elder Slaven stated. “Unless you want war.”
I stiffened. I hadn’t expected that.
Before I could respond, Rhys appeared out of nowhere, his presence commanding, his scent sharp with defiance.
“You dare not,” he growled, his voice dripping with fury. “No one strips me of my power as Alpha.”
“You have no honor,” Elder Slaven shot back, his gaze unyielding. “And I am ashamed to even address you.”
“Watch your tongue, old man,” Rhys snarled, his aura crackling with restrained violence.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
“Our only accepted Alpha is Alpha Ryan,” Slaven declared. “You are nothing more than a beast that must be caged.”
A murmur of agreement rippled through the elders.
I could see it in Rhys’s eyes, the challenge, the fury, the arrogance.
“Say that to my face,” he dared, taking a step forward.
Slaven didn’t back down.
“Stop it, Rhys,” I interjected. “You should be remorseful.”
He turned to me then, a twisted smirk playing on his lips.
“I see you’ve picked a side, brother.”
This wasn’t about sides. This wasn’t about power.
This was about justice.
Before I could respond, Slaven stepped forward, standing directly in front of Rhys.
“The only acceptable Alpha is Alpha Ryan,” he repeated, his voice unwavering.
Rhys moved so fast I barely had time to react.
One second, he was standing still,
The next, his hand was around Slaven’s throat.
Gasps filled the room.
I surged forward.
“Drop him, Rhys!” I commanded, my claws extending.
But the look in Rhys’s eyes told me everything.
He wasn’t going to stop.
“You fools want war?” Rhys hissed. “I’ll give you war.”
And with that, he ended Slaven’s life.
Right in front of us.
Blood splattered onto the floor, the elder’s body crumpling like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
I wasn’t fast enough. I wasn’t expecting him to go that far.
The room was deathly silent.
Rhys turned to me, his expression unreadable.
“You’re next, Ryan,” he said, his voice eerily calm. “I am the only Alpha of Shadowhaven.”
And then he walked out.
This was no longer just about punishment.
This was war.
And I would make damn sure Rhys was ready for it.