Steven’s POV
The night was thick with silence, the kind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The forest surrounded us like a black castle wall, its tall trees stretching up towards the heavens as far as the eye could see. Williams and I moved cautiously ahead, our footsteps muffled by the damp ground beneath our feet. Pine and moss floated in the air, but beneath that, I could still detect the faintest trace of residual blood somewhere in the area. The house loomed before us, its darkened windows not hinting at whatever horror lay within. Here was where my sister and Roy had been brought by Liam. Here is where I was to extract them.
As we crept closer, Williams glanced at me, his voice barely above a whisper. “What’s the plan, Alpha?”
I never removed my eyes from the mansion as I answered, my tone stern. “The first thing is to rescue Roy and Freya and get them out of there alive. As soon as you find them, you extract them and move as quickly as possible away from here.”
There was a hesitation in Williams’ position before he spoke to me again. “And you?”
I breathed slowly, forcing aside my mind’s picture of what would occur if anything went wrong. “Don’t concern yourself about me. Keep an eye only on yourself. Every lesson you’ve learned, every drill-I’ve done them all for you to be here right now. Surviving a fight is everything, Williams. And you’re going to make it through. You hear me?
His jaw clenched in determination, he nodded briefly. “Yes, Alpha.”
And so we advanced, moving rapidly but silently, keeping low as we snuck up behind the back of the mansion. There were a few guards at the door, their position sloppy, unaware of the danger creeping through the shadows.
They never even noticed us coming.
Williams and I moved in with deliberation, knocking them down without complaint. They dropped to the floor, and we dragged them out of sight before sneaking inside the mansion.
The black hallways were ominously quiet, the walls lighted by torches that flickered with each breath of wind. Every step we took had to be measured, each draw of breath controlled. But as we moved deeper into the building, a figure suddenly appeared from the corner ahead of us.
His eyes widened in shock. “It’s the-”
Before he could finish the sentence, my hand shot out, wrapping around his throat in a firm grip. I shoved him against the wall, silencing his words so they could not get out. His hands wrestled frantically at mine, but I tightened my grip, making sure he understood that I was not in the mood for games.
“You’re going to tell me where my people are,” I growled, low and threatening. “Or I will tear your throat out, here and now.”
He gagged, straining to get his breath back, his face turning red. “Dun… dungeon… ” he faltered, whispering almost. “Below… the mansion… ”
That was enough.
I gave him one last stern look before knocking him out, his body crashing to the ground.
Williams and I didn’t tarry. We rushed, eliminating any guards that got in our path as we made our way to the underground dungeon. The door was heavily guarded, but it wasn’t sufficient to deter us. The fight was quick, brutal, and by the time we’d finished, none of them remained standing.
And then, we found them.
Freya. Roy. James.
Held captive in a dark, icy cell, their wrists battered, their clothes torn. The image before me seared with a hot, burning anger that ran through my veins.
The chains rattled as Freya lifted her head, her eyes widening in shock.
“Brother!” she screamed out, her voice breaking with emotion.
Roy’s gaze met mine. He bowed his head in submission. “Alpha.”
I clenched my fists. To see them like this. helpless, bound, imprisoned. it broke something inside of me.
This is *Liam’s* doing. That son of a.
I would kill him for this. I would *tear him apart.*
Then the sound of running footsteps coming down the hallway. We had been caught.
Williams approached me with a concerned face. “Alpha, release them. Let me go hold them back.”
No, I said immediately. “It’s too dangerous.”
“You said the most crucial thing is to save them,” he reminded me, his voice stern.
“I also told you to *remain alive.*”
“It’s just a few wolves. I can handle them,” he insisted. “Save Roy and Freya, and then come help me.”.
I lingered, my mind screaming at me not to send him alone off into the darkness. But we had no time to lose.
Williams nodded to me one final time before disappearing into the blackness to encounter our foes.
I clenched my teeth and advanced towards the cell, wrapping my fingers around the iron bars. With one Herculean jerk, I pulled the door loose from its hinges and stepped in. The heavy chains that kept them captive were not unbreakable. One by one, I shattered them, releasing my people.
No sooner were Freya’s wrists released than she leaped into my arms and cried.
“You came for us,” she choked out.
I held her tightly. “Did you really think I wouldn’t?”
Roy, now free, let out a sharp breath. “Hate to break up the reunion, but we need to move.”
I nodded. “Let’s go.”
But before we could take another step, a cold voice filled the room.
“Not so fast.”
Liam came into view, dragging a struggling Williams behind him. His hand was tight around his throat, a sneer twisting his lips.
“Took you long enough to come to me, Steven,” he sneered.
My entire body tensed. “Let him go.”
Liam cocked his head, pretending to think. “Okay,” he said with a carefree demeanor-before sending Williams tumbling to the ground like garbage. “It’ll be more fun to have him watch his Alpha die anyway.”
I stared at him unfazed. “You cannot kill me.”
Liam snarled. “Oh, but I can. And I will.”
Before I could respond, another person stepped forward. Ivan.
You’re not going to be able to stop him if you can’t even *move,*” he informed me, his voice dripping with amusement.
He growled again and, suddenly, my body went stiff. My arms flexed and wouldn’t move no matter how hard I tried to make them.
“What the f*** did you do to me?!” I snarled.
Liam smiled. “Even your Alpha powers can’t break Ivan’s curse.”
I struggled, but it was useless.
Liam stepped forward, pulling out his sword. The sword glowed in the glow of the torches, its blade shining white.
“This is it,” he stated. “The end of a former great Alpha.”
And then he plunged it in.
I braced myself for the pain.
But it never came.
Instead, there was a muted gasp filling the air.
I forced my eyes open, my entire existence coming to a standstill.
Williams stood leaning over me, Liam’s sword lodged deep inside his chest.
“No… no, no, no,” I gasped with horror.
He stumbled, collapsing. I was desperate to go to him, to grab onto him, but I couldn’t move.
“I told you to live!” I shouted.
Williams tried to muster a feeble smile, his lip bleeding the hue of his own blood. “I. swore to Luna. I’d not let you die.”
He fell to the ground.
And I couldn’t save him.
Agony I had never felt tore my insides apart.
I’d lost him.
And Liam would pay.