Chapter 5
1565 Words
Kaden’s POV
Today was supposed to be the day I returned to my pack. The day I reclaimed everything that was taken from me. The day I stepped into the title that was carved into my blood since birth. I should have felt something about it. Pride maybe. Triumph maybe. Closure. Revenge. Anything.
But all I felt was irritation.
Twelve years of training. Twelve years of fighting. Twelve years of bleeding under men who wanted to break me. Twelve years since the night I lost everything and everyone pretended it was an accident.
My parents did not die naturally. I knew that from the moment I smelled blood on my father’s clothes when he hugged me goodbye. I knew someone from the pack wanted the title bad enough to kill for it. My father did not have a place in my heart, but my mother did, and she was the only reason I did not burn the entire pack to the ground that night.
Someone stole something from us. Someone thought they could erase our bloodline. Someone thought they were smarter than destiny.
I had spent every day since then preparing for this moment.
So why did I feel uneasy today. Why did my wolf keep pacing and growling in my mind.
My phone vibrated.
My Beta, Elias.
I answered. His voice came through tense.
“Alpha, the elders have been asserting authority. They just carried out a punishment in your absence. Said a thief stole the Luna’s silver moon bracelet. Some omega girl.”
An execution. For a bracelet.
I closed my eyes for a moment. Of course those power hungry old men would start acting like kings the moment my back was turned.
I asked, “Who was punished.”
“I do not know her well. Elena. A common omega. Quiet girl. The elders insisted on a harsh sentence.”
For some reason my stomach tightened. A strange cold sensation crawled through my ribs.
Elena.
I had not heard that name in years. Not since we were children. Not since I was forced to leave.
I rubbed my jaw and looked out the window. The sky was darkening. Something was wrong. The air felt heavy.
I told myself it meant nothing. I told myself there could be a thousand Elena in the pack, it could be someone else since i have been gone for 12 years. I told myself she meant nothing. She probably did not even remember my face.
But my wolf growled. Loud. Agitated.
“What is wrong with you,” I muttered to him silently.
Uneasy. Trouble. Danger. His answers were a frantic blur in my mind.
I exhaled slowly. There was nothing I could do right now. The pack was a few hours away and Elias already said it was handled.
Handled. Right.
I took my time getting ready. Black shirt. Gloves. Coat. Everything sharp, clean, precise. When I stepped outside, a long line of black cars waited for me. My men bowed their heads immediately.
I ruled the underworld. The pack had always been the small part of my empire. Today was just… obligation.
Before stepping into the car, I paused.
A little girl’s face flashed in my mind. Soft eyes. Dirty cheeks. Bruised knees. A trembling smile she always tried to hide. I had spent years training until my heart went numb so I would not feel anything if I ever saw her again.
I thought I buried that part of myself. I thought I removed her from my soul completely.
But I never truly could.
Not after the ritual.
When we were children, before I was taken away, a witch was brought into the pack for a blessing ceremony. That was the excuse anyway. She touched our foreheads, murmured something strange, something old, something I did not understand.
I only found out what it meant later that night.
I overheard the adults talking.
My father. The Luna. The elders. Whispering urgently. Saying the word mate. Saying her name. Saying mine. Like it was already decided for us before we were old enough to understand anything.
And that was the moment the bond struck me.
Fast. Sharp. Final.
Like my wolf had been waiting for someone to speak the truth aloud.
I never got the chance to see her again.
That same night, I was taken from the pack. Ripped away from everything familiar. Dragged into training and shaped into something cold. Trained to fight. Trained to obey. Trained not to love.
But no matter how much they tried to break me, that thread never snapped completely.
It stayed there. Quiet. Buried deep.
Persistent.
I stepped into the car.
Ten minutes later, my wolf was losing his mind.
The closer we got to the pack, the more restless he became. My chest tightened. My breath felt too shallow. I hated the feeling. I never lost control like this.
Something is happening.
Something is wrong.
Mate. Mate in danger.
His voice pierced through my skull.
I gripped the edge of the seat as the car rolled to a stop at the entrance of the grounds. Before I even stepped out, I felt it.
My mate.
Her pain. Her exhaustion. Her fading pulse. Her fear. It hit me all at once like a punch to the ribs.
My eyes snapped open.
Elena.
Her scent. Her blood. Her heartbeat that was too faint.
My wolf roared inside me, furious.
I stepped out of the car.
The sky had gone dark. Thunder rumbled. Warriors ran around the yard in chaos. Elders shouted orders. Omegas hid in corners like mice.
Then Elias rushed toward me, stopping at a distance and bowing his head.
“Alpha Kaden, welcome home. We were not expecting you yet.”
“Where is Elena,” I asked sharply.
He blinked. “The thief. She was punished.”
Punished.
Punished for what.
Punished by who.
He said it so casually. Like she was dirt under his shoe. Like she was worth nothing.
My jaw tensed.
“She is an omega,” Elias continued. “A quiet girl. I did not think much of the matter. I assumed you would not care about a common…”
He stopped when he saw my expression.
I think he finally understood something.
I did not bother responding. My entire body was already moving.
Straight toward the training yard.
Straight toward the stench of blood.
Straight toward the sound of her breathing that grew fainter and fainter.
My wolf was out of control, clawing at the inside of my skin. He did not care about titles. He did not care about the pack. He cared about one thing.
Touch her and die.
Find her.
Now.
I turned the corner and stepped into the yard.
The entire pack froze.
Warriors dropped their training weapons. Elders stiffened. People turned and lowered their heads in instinctive submission.
My presence alone choked the air.
Good.
Let them feel what real power tastes like.
Let them remember the difference between a Beta and an Alpha.
Let them tremble.
At the center of the yard, tied to the punishment post, covered in bruises and blood, was the girl I spent twelve years trying to forget.
Elena.
My mate.
Her body hung limp. Blood dripped down her jaw. Her back was torn open. Her knees were scraped. She was barely conscious.
Something inside me snapped so violently I felt it ricochet through every bone in my body.
My vision darkened.
My aura burst out of me instantly. A wave of rage that made half the wolves stumble backward in fear.
A particular girl who had caught my attention when i walked in here quickly pretended to be horrified, immediately straightened up. She adjusted her hair like she suddenly remembered she had an audience. She pushed her chest out and forced a cute little smile.
Pathetic.
I did not even look at her.
I walked straight to Elena.
Her head lifted weakly at the sound of my footsteps. She blinked once, slowly, her vision blurry. She saw black boots. She saw the hem of my coat. Then her eyes lifted a little higher.
Our eyes met.
Even half conscious she reacted. Her breath hitched. Her body tensed. Something in her recognized me even if she could not place it.
My wolf roared so loudly inside me that my vision pulsed black at the edges. Rage shot through my veins like fire as I stepped toward Elena.
Warriors fell to their knees under the weight of my aura. Elders stumbled back in fear. Mira froze mid smile.
I did not look at any of them.
I walked directly to the girl tied to the post. The girl covered in blood. The girl whose heartbeat was barely holding on.
Her eyes lifted weakly and met mine. Recognition flickered there, faint and confused.
My wolf tore at the inside of my chest.
Mine.
Ours.
Protect her.
But I did not speak the word aloud.
I only let the fury show.
My voice came out low and cold enough to silence the entire yard.
“Who touched her.”
Silence.
Thunder cracked above us.
I stepped closer, aura tightening like a noose around every throat in the yard.
“Who dared put their hands on her.”
Not mate.
Not fate.
Not destiny.
Just pure, sharp, lethal rage.
A warning.
A promise.
A storm.
- Writer
