Break

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dru

Dru ran. He ran as far and as fast as he could. Pain tore through his body and soul. The mate bond struggled against the distance growing between him and Annie, but Dru welcomed the distance. He wished the mate bond would just sever. He had no desire to be tied to the woman any longer.

“There’s someone else, Dru.”

Hearing those words slip off her tongue had crushed him. All the searching and wanting he had done over the past years had been for nothing. Annie hadn’t wasted any time in finding a replacement. How had her mate bond allowed her to touch another man? Dru hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of another female’s touch. He stopped and let out another soul ripping roar.

His bear was weak from exertion both physically and mentally. He flopped down on the ground, the darkness inside of him roaming free. Dru didn’t care. He welcomed his death. He knew what he had to do. Bringing himself up to all fours, he headed towards his home and his pack. When he finally arrived, the men were all in the back yard waiting for him. They must have felt his strong emotions.

“Alpha?” Terrell asked, stepping ahead of the pack.

Dru took in Terrell. He would make a good alpha. He was strong and steadfast, and he had his mate to keep his darkness away. Dru was glad to know that his pack would move forward and continue to thrive. If anything, they would probably be better off under Terrell’s rule. Dru wasn’t cut out for families. He was much too dark and sinister. His years of searching hopelessly for Annie had done that to him.

Dru shifted.

“Terrell, the time has come,” he said, following to his knees in front of the men.

Terrell stepped forward, his face pale from Dru’s words.

“Alpha, you can fight this. Find strength in your pack.”

Dru shook his head. He gripped his temples, pressing against them as the darkness pushed forward.

“There’s no time for that. It’s time!” he yelled.

The women filtered out of the back of the house then. Dru sighed. He didn’t want them close by to witness what needed to be done. He didn’t want anyone to look at Terrell differently for doing what he had to do.

“Go back inside,” he demanded.

“Like hell. What is going on out here?” Ava asked.

“What needs to be done,” he replied.

“Terrell, what’s going on?” Ava redirected her question to her mate.

Ava was close to popping with her and Terrell’s first cub. Dru hoped that what was about to happen to wouldn’t put the poor woman into labor.

“Ava, honey I need you and everyone else to go inside,” Terrell reiterated Dru’s command.

“No. I’m not going anywhere. It looks like somethings about to happen to Dru, our Alpha so I’m going to stay right here so that we can help fix it.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Dru has gone feral. He must be put down, and as Beta the responsibility lies on me.”

Dru went weak with relief. Terrell understood and had accepted what needed to be done.

“Terrell, now,” he growled, feeling the darkness grow more powerful with every passing second.

Ava cried out in pain and grabbed her belly. Stephanie and Chelsie who had been on either side of her, grabbed her shoulders to keep her upright.

“I think the baby’s coming,” Ava shrieked.

“The baby?” Terrell repeated.

“Now!” Stephanie yelled, snapping Terrell out of his stupor.

“Jake, go get the cuffs and take Dru to the conference room. Stay with him,” Terrell demanded.

Dru jumped up and ran after Terrell.

“No, you must kill me now; quickly. I will kill everyone in this house if this darkness gets out.”

“You’re stronger than that. I have faith in you, and in the enchanted cuffs Cecil gave us you will fight it, and you will win,” Terrell said sternly.

“I can’t. She’s gone,” Dru whispered.

Jake came back with the cuffs and strapped them to Dru. With no other choice, Dru followed him to the conference room. Jake allowed him to get dressed before he cuffed Dru to the post in the middle of the room. He let his head hang down. Flashes of Annie ran through his mind. The beautiful scent that wrapped around her, it had been just as strong the night before as it had been all those years ago. She looked thinner than before, but still just as gorgeous. When she had laid her hand on his chest, everything in Dru’s world had felt right. For that brief moment, he had been whole.