Kieran’s POV
"EMILY!" I yelled, storming into her place. I slled pizza and wine, but I was too angry to care.
She just sat there on her couch, calm as could be, sipping her wine like I hadn’t just burst through her door ready to kill.
"What the hell did you do?" I growled. I kicked her coffee table so hard it flipped over, sending pizza flying all over her carpet.
She watched the food fall, then looked back at with a little smile.
"What?" she asked.
I bit down so hard my mouth tasted like blood. "You set up a prenup behind my back?"
She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, smirking like she’d won sothing. I could see how pleased she was. "Finally figured it out, did you? Took you long enough."
I grabbed her face. "You think that paper will keep from taking everything you own? Nothing can stop . Not you, not the law, nothing."
She laughed against my hand. "You think acting tough scares ? Please." Her eyes went cold. "Stop chasing after Kyra Monroe or I’ll keep doing crazy things. Rember what I said, Kieran. Once we’re married, you’re stuck with forever. You’ll have to deal with for life."
She moved closer even with my hand on her face. "Didn’t I tell you I don’t share what’s mine? I don’t do threesos. I want you all to myself. So stop looking for her if you want peace."
I laughed. I let go of her jaw and grabbed her throat instead. She started choking, scratching my arm up with her nails. I didn’t care.
"You’re just a cum dumpster, you slut. I only married you for your family’s money and connections. I need your father’s rogue wolves. Every wolf who follows him will be mine soon, and then I’ll control the biggest underground wolf network in the country. And you," I squeezed harder, "you will suck my dick whenever I want. Know your place, or you won’t live to enjoy that prenup you signed. Worthless fucking whore!"
I shoved her into the couch and she gasped, trying hard to breathe.
"Think you’re so smart?" she choked out between coughs. "I knew what I was getting into when I married you." She looked up, eyes wet but still fighting. "I’m not stupid, Kieran. I’ve hidden money where you’ll never find it. Keep chasing Kyra and you’ll end up with nothing."
I turned and left, my fists clenched white-knuckled. My wolf was going crazy inside , wanting to hunt, wanting Kyra.
Does she really think so paper will stop from taking her family’s power? A spoiled woman can’t threaten . I’ve already fought my way to the top, building power and making enemies.
Everything I’d done, all the killing, destroying rival packs, making deals—it had all been for Kyra. My beautiful stepsister. The mont I saw her in our father’s house, I knew she was mine. She belonged with , not that weak Alpha Nathan Anderson.
I laughed while getting into my car. After months of searching, I still couldn’t find her. Nathan was smart, I’d give him that. He’d hidden Kyra well, but it wouldn’t be for long.
Ronan howled inside , hungry to possess her. We both knew Kyra was ant to be our Luna.
"We’ll find her," I told Ronan. "And this ti, she’s never getting away."
Nathan Anderson, when I get Kyra back, I’ll destroy you. I’ll tear you apart and make you watch while I take what’s mine. Nothing can stop . Even the devil would stay out of my way.
***
Nathan’s POV
Kyra...
The burning house...
No! Baby Snow...
"Kyra... Ky... ra..."
"Son..."
"Kyra!"
The bright hospital lights burned my eyes open. I blinked hard, trying to get used to it. Alaric whined within like soone was ripping him apart. He needed Kyra’s sweet orange blossom scent. That sll ant ho to us. Now it was just... gone.
I sat up in the hospital bed. Mom stood there looking worried as hell.
"Nathan..."
"Mom? Why are you here?"
Dad was there too, standing all stiff like always. My jaw got tight just seeing him. Then everything crashed back into my brain.
Kyra. The fire. My heart started racing. "Mom, where’s Kyra?"
"She’s gone..."
Those words hit . "What?"
"She’s gone, Nathan. We lost her."
I shook my head so hard it hurt. I couldn’t breathe right. The mate bond between and Kyra, this deep love I’d been too dumb to notice before, felt like it was tearing up inside. My eyes got all wet and blurry.
"No Mom, that’s wrong. We need to go back there. Kyra’s gotta be there with baby Snow." My voice cracked on the baby’s na. "Snow’s just a tiny baby, Mom. She can’t breathe in all that smoke..."
The thought of tiny Snow with Kyra’s eyes hit hard.
"You’ve been out cold for a week," Mom said real quiet, her voice shaking. "Doctor says you breathed in too much smoke and your body just gave out. You need more rest."
A whole week? Gone just like that? Sure, I’d been dead tired since Snow was born, barely eating or sleeping, but I thought I was handling it okay.
"You’re lying to , Mom!" I couldn’t deal with this. Kyra couldn’t be dead. Not now. Not when I finally got it through my thick skull that what I felt wasn’t just friendship. It was love. Real, deep, crazy love.
Mom started crying, shaking her head. Her face told it was true, but I couldn’t take it in.
How did everything burn? Who started the fire?
"We’re still looking into it," Dad cut in. His face was cold as ever, but sothing was off in his voice. "Never found their bodies. Think maybe the fire was just to ss with you. Soone might have taken them."
"What?"
He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "If you’d taken better care of yourself, maybe you could’ve protected them. You failed her again."
"Stop it. He’s hurting," Mom said.
"Just saying what’s true. If he wasn’t so weak, they’d still be here."
"Please!"
I stared at him, feeling the anger build up. "Why’s everything always my fault?"
His jaw got tight. "Should I bla myself instead..."
"Yeah!" I growled, feeling Alaric’s anger mix with mine. "Bla yourself for raising such a weak kid!"
"Nathan..." Mom grabbed my hand as I tried to get up. "You need to rest."
I yanked the IV out and glared at Dad, all those years of hate coming out. "This is how you always are. Everything that goes wrong is my fault."
He didn’t say anything. He just stared at blankly, hurting even more. He didn’t care about . I couldn’t rember when he treated like a son. He just saw as a trophy when I succeeded, but most of the ti, he saw as a failure.
"Yes! I’ve made so many mistakes. I hurt the people I love. I have always been a failure," I admitted, feeling the weight of my actions toward Kyra crushing . "But Dad, did you ever ask if losing is fine with ? Did you ever ask if I tried my best before I lost? You’re always looking at the outco of my decisions, not how I ended up with that decision. You never asked if I needed your help. You never offered help."
I felt tears rolling down my cheeks but I imdiately wiped them away with the back of my hands.
Dad remained unmoved, and I wasn’t hoping for his reaction. I knew he was cold-hearted, a perfectionist, and ruthless. Since childhood, he had grood to be the pack’s Alpha, his perfect heir. But we were nothing alike. I couldn’t beco the kind of Alpha he wanted to be. I wasn’t expecting anything from him anymore.
"Son, please..." I heard Mom calling, begging, but I ignored her. I stord out of that room, slamming the door behind .
In the hallway, I leaned against the wall, my wolf’s certainty filling with determination. Kyra wasn’t dead. I would have felt it in my heart if she were truly gone. The lack of bodies ant there was hope. And I would cling to that hope with everything I had.
I would find Kyra and Snow. I would build my pack into the strongest in the region, expand my business empire until no one could challenge . I would use every resource, every connection, every ounce of power I could gather.
And Kieran Carver... As the Alpha of the rogue faction, I knew in my bones he was behind this. The bastard had been obsessed with Kyra for years. He must have taken her, hidden her away sowhere.
Alaric growled in agreent, bloodlust rising in both of us. When we found him, and we would find him, we would make him suffer. We would make him pay for taking what was ours. Our mate. Our family.
I will find you, Kyra. And I will punish whoever did this. Kieran Carver, I know you took her. I will make you suffer. I will make you pay even if it kills .
User Comments
0 comments from readers