The Lycan’s Witch Luna

Nine

Kaiden

A few hours ago.

The borders of the Irongfang pack were heavily guarded with Delta guards and patrols all over the place. I could smell them coming from miles away. It was only right that they suspected us once we came into their borders.

I arrived at the gates of the pack and two guards stood there dressed in black. They both looked at each other as my headlights bathed them before one of them walked up to me. He looked intimidated as he walked past the headlights and onto my window.

I wound down the glass slowly after he knocked.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“What brings you here, Alpha?” The guard asked. “It’s dangerous for you to come here at this time of the night.”

“I came here to see Jethro,” I replied coldly, my eyes still on the other guard.

The guard nodded and tapped the windowpane of the door.

“And why should I let you in?” He asked.

Finally, I turned to face him, my bloodlust oozing towards him. His body froze as he sensed it and backed away immediately.

“O—Okay,” he said after clearing his throat. “Got it.”

I nodded. He turned to his colleague and yelled, “Open the gates!”

A look of confusion grazed the other guard’s face before he obeyed. I turned to Alex who shook his head in amusement.

We drove into the pack heading towards the huge estate that housed the Alpha. After going through another security clearance, we were given passage into the estate.

As I stepped out of the car, Alex brought out the head of Roland which was wrapped in a cloth. If we weren’t careful, we wouldn’t make it out of here alive. There were a hundred guards ready to take us down. And even though we were Lycans, that sort of number would be somewhat suffocating to us.

The door opened before we arrived on the porch and a tall figure stepped out. He was dressed in black shirt with the sleeves folded and black pants. His chestnut brown hair was combed neatly and his silver eyes gazed on us. It was Jethro, the Alpha of the Ironfang and my nemesis.

“Alpha Kaiden. What brings you here?” He asked with a smile on his face.

It was obvious that this was a trap. Jethro wouldn’t welcome us happily. It was a facade, hiding something that was brewing underneath—probably danger for us.

“Happy to see us alive, Jethro?” I asked, stepping forward.

His smile faded quickly and the look of confusion appeared on his face.

“What are you talking about?”

I got the package from Alex and threw it towards him.

“There. That should jog your memory,” I said.

The package rolled before stopping at his feet. Jethro’s brows furrowed as he gazed at the package at his feet. The metallic smell of blood filled the air and when it struck his nose, he flinched slightly.

Jethro squatted and opened the package. When he saw Roland’s head, he looked away and got back on his feet.

“How dare you?!” He demanded.

I chuckled and shoved my hands into my pockets.

“I should be asking you the same, Jethro. You started this. Not me.”

He was speechless as he stared down at his beta’s head.

“You will pay for this, Kaiden. I promise you,” he yelled.

I shook my head and turned towards the car. And then, something entered my mind. I paused and turned to face him. He was fuming on the porch, his hands naked into fists.

“And just to be clear, I wasn’t the one who attacked your men,” I said. “I wasn’t even on this side of the border last night.”

His brows relaxed, the expression of shock etched on his face.

“If you’re not careful, you might end up the same way, Jethro. I am not your enemy right now. So I suggest you back off.”

With that, I walked back to the car with Alex trailing me.

“I’ll kill you, Kaiden! You hear me! I will destroy you!” I heard him call behind me, but his voice was drowned by the sound of the car engine.

The SUV’s engine growled as we peeled away from the Ironfang’s estate, leaving Jethro’s threats echoing in the night. The road stretched dark and empty before us, the forest a blur of shadows under the moon’s pale glow.

Alex sat beside me, his usual chatter absent, the silence heavy with the weight of what we’d just done. Roland’s head, delivered like a bloody gauntlet, had set the Ironfang’s Alpha on a warpath.

My hands gripped the wheel, knuckles white, the irking smell of blood still lingering in my nose. Jethro’s shocked face burned in my mind, but so did the claw marks in Winthoven. I wasn’t the monster he thought, but doubt gnawed at me.

The quiet stretched, broken only by the hum of tires on gravel. Alex shifted, his leather jacket creaking.

“You okay, Kaiden?” he asked, his voice low, cautious.

I glanced at him, brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

He nodded at my arms, where faint red marks from the silver chains still lingered, slower to heal than usual.

“Those chains. You took longer to break free than I expected. Thought you were just showing off at first, but…” He trailed off, his brown eyes searching mine.

I frowned, my grip tightening on the wheel. I’d wondered the same thing. The silver had burned deeper, held stronger, like it was forged to bind me specifically. I’d brushed it off as Roland’s crew being thorough, but now Alex’s words stirred unease.

“I thought so too,” I started, my voice rough. “At first, I figured I was pacing myself, but those chains—”

“What the hell?” Alex whispered, cutting me off, his gaze fixed ahead.

I slammed on the brakes, the SUV lurching to a stop. The headlights cut through the darkness, bathing two figures in stark white light. My breath caught. It was them—the girls we’d saved, the ones I’d left with the healer.

The one with chestnut hair stood frozen, her green eyes wide with fear, locking onto mine. My chest tightened, that word—Mate—pulsing in my skull like a heartbeat.

Beside her, the blonde gripped her arm, her face pale but defiant. They were out here, in the middle of nowhere, running from my pack. From me.