"Is this because of the dream you had?" Althea’s wolf pressed, her voice resonating in Althea’s mind. She didn’t need Althea to say the words out loud— she was already privy to her thoughts, hence, she was able to effortlessly unravel the emotions Althea was truly feeling.
"This is more serious than you think," Althea murmured under her breath, her steps quick but deliberate as she avoided the clusters of people lingering in the corridor. She headed for a chamber, her own sanctuary, away from the prying eyes of others. "I just can’t brush it off. Believe , I’ve tried—tried to ignore it, to bury it. But the harder I push it away, the clearer it feels that I’m making a grave mistake. The entire group is finally at peace, and I don’t want to shatter that."
Her thoughts lingered briefly on her encounter with Acheron, but she dismissed it with a shake of her head. There were more pressing matters demanding her attention, and that was the only thing she had to focus on currently. Reaching her chamber, she slipped inside, shutting the door firmly behind her as if to seal herself from the weight of the outside world.
By the ti noon arrived, Dahr remained imprisoned behind the dark, oppressive walls of the secluded building. The air was thick with unease, and when the heavy door creaked open, his bloodshot eyes darted upward, widening in dread as he saw Donovan standing at the entrance.
Dahr barely had a mont to process seeing Donovan without his blindfold before slithering black threads shot out of the shadows, coiling around his limbs like serpents. With a sudden, violent pull, they yanked him off the ground, leaving him dangling upside down. Panic overtook him as he swung helplessly, his face contorted in sheer horror.
Donovan stood still, his icy gaze locked onto Dahr with a fury that sent a shiver down his spine. But it wasn’t Donovan’s hands controlling the threads. His hands remained casually tucked in his pockets, his stance calm, almost indifferent. So where did the threads co from?
"Which hand was it?" Donovan asked coldly, his tone almost conversational, though the venom underlying it was unmistakable.
"The right one," his wolf growled in response, its voice deep and filled with rage. "I say the entire arm should co off. The sa way they did ours."
A flicker of cruel amusent crossed Donovan’s face. "I’d almost forgotten about that," he muttered, his voice low as the mory resurfaced. He recalled the mont vividly. Dahr and Lennox had severed his arm, interrupting him just as he was extracting critical information from a demon. "Now that I think about it, your king deserved to lose all those people from the East. His hatred for overshadowed his duty, and how all of this would have been avoided if neither of you didn’t interrupt on that night."
"P-put down!" Dahr stamred, his voice shaking as his body trembled with fear. Sweat poured down his face, his mind racing with desperate thoughts. He knew a visit like this from Donovan ant two things; death or unbearable tornt.
Donovan’s expression didn’t waver. He was unfazed by Dahr’s pleading, and Dahr would have been more surprised if he was. If there was one thing he feared above all else, it was this man’s wrath, and today, he would feel its full weight. After all, this man hadn’t only broken his spine once, but he had coaxed Es into killing his wolf.
"That cri might be forgiven," Donovan said, his voice sharp and asured. "Losing an arm is nothing compared to what you’ve done to my Es. And now that I’ve seen you for what you truly are— pathetic and vile— you’re hardly worth the trouble. Yet, as if your existence wasn’t insulting enough, you dared to use those filthy hands on my woman!"
"I didn’t— I swear, I didn’t do anything like that!" Dahr stamred, his voice cracking under the weight of Donovan’s glare.
"Do I look like Lennox to you?" The Alpha snapped. "Do you think I’m a fool?"
Behind his words, Donovan’s wolf resurfaced, growling low and dangerous. "Let handle him!" it snarled, eager to tear Dahr apart. But Donovan clenched his jaw, reining in the temptation. He wouldn’t stoop to impulsive savagery. Not yet, at least.
"Atticus. Orion," Donovan called, slipping on his dark gloves with unnerving calm. The two warriors entered the room without hesitation, as though they had been waiting outside, anticipating their Alpha’s call. Dahr’s breath hitched as Orion stepped forward, gripping a long, gleaming machete.
The threads suspending Dahr unexpectedly snapped, sending him crashing onto the cold stone floor. He groaned in pain, but before he could fully gather himself, Atticus moved swiftly to pin him down, and Orion followed suit, pressing his weight on Dahr’s other arm.
"Wait–what are you doing?!" Dahr’s voice pitched in panic as his gaze locked onto Donovan. The air shifted, heavy and foreboding, as Donovan crouched at the base of the steps, dragging the matchete’s edge against the rough stone. The grating sound of tal sharpening echoed in the room, making Dahr’s blood run cold.
"She believed in you once," Donovan murmured, almost to himself. His tone was softer now, but no less terrifying. "As a child, she spoke of you with such hope. She told how she dread of a loving older brother, soone she could trust, soone who’d protect her. You destroyed that. You destroyed her."
Orion then grabbed Dahr’s wrist, stretching his hand forward and holding it steady. Dahr struggled, his chest heaving, but the grip on him was unyielding. Donovan rose slowly when he was done, the tal now glinting with lethal precision in his grasp.
"You don’t deserve to keep the hand that dared to harm my mate," Donovan said, his voice devoid of rcy.
"NO! WAIT! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO !" Dahr’s voice broke, his eyes filling with desperate tears as he realized the Alpha wasn’t bluffing. His panic spilled out in a torrent of words. "You already killed my wolf! I’m being held here against my wishes. Don’t do this!"
Donovan’s expression was unyielding as he turned to Atticus and Orion. "If he escapes your grip, I’ll take your hands in exchange for his," he warned, his voice cold as ice, and without hesitation, the two n tightened their hold on Dahr, their combined strength making resistance impossible.
Any attempt at escape would be futile, and Donovan knew it. He simply savored the sight of Dahr squirming in their iron grasp. Helpless dripped from every fiber of his being— a bitter taste of his own dicine.
Dahr’s chest heaved, and he watched as Donovan tested the edge of the blade against the light before pressing it against his wrist as if to asure the perfect spot to cut. The deliberate motion made Dahr choke on his panic, and the tears brimming in his eyes finally spilled over as Donovan lifted the machete.
"I’LL APOLOGIZE!" Dahr scread, his voice cracking with desperation. "I’ll go on my knees and beg Esray for forgiveness! I’ll do whatever she wants! Anything she commands! I won’t cause her any trouble! But please don’t do this! I beg you!"
Donovan’s hand remained steady, his gaze unflinching as he lood over the cowering man. "When you beat her within an inch of her life, did you show her rcy?" Donovan asked, his voice low and nacing, "so why should I?"
Dahr flinched as if the words themselves had struck him. "I—I know I did her wrong," he stamred, his fear spilling over into a frantic confession. "I know what I did to her was unforgivable. I know I treated her horribly, I don’t deserve her forgiveness, but... but what was I supposed to do? I didn’t grow up with the right upbringing! No one saw as a fellow Montague, I was treated like dirt before the entire pack while Es had everything. She didn’t even have a wolf, but she was more lucky in life than . My mother used that to poison ... and when I started hating her, it was too late to stop. I lost everything, including Finn."
The room fell silent, save for Dahr’s ragged breathing, as Donovan lood before him. Dahr’s words hung in the air, unanswered, as the weight of his actions bore down on him.
"And who’s fault is that?" Donovan asked, unmoved by his plea.
anwhile, Es stood in the grand hall after gathering all the eligible Northern warriors of the land.
Reviews
All reviews (0)